Merced College’s annual plant sale brought community members to campus April 17-18 for two days of shopping, while giving students a chance to put a full year of learning into practice.
The sale is part of the college’s Environmental Horticulture and Plant Science programs, where students help prepare for the event through hands-on work in propagation, production, inventory, merchandising and customer service. The experience gives students a practical look at the full production-to-retail process.
“This isn’t just a plant sale. It’s a real-world learning environment,” said Bryan Tassey, Professor of Agriculture. “Students are applying technical skills, solving problems and engaging with customers in a way that mirrors industry expectations.”
Shoppers could choose from a wide variety of student-grown plants, including vegetables, herbs, flowering annuals, perennials, succulents, native plants, and landscape ornamentals.
The event continues to draw strong support from the community. On the first day alone, the sale generated more than $30,000 in revenue through more than 500 transactions. Proceeds from the sale help support future plant production, instructional supplies, greenhouse operations, and hands-on learning opportunities for students.
Faculty members Andy Codd, Elias Armenta, Elaine Valladao and Tassey work with students throughout the year to prepare for the sale. Codd serves as the lead organizer, helping guide the production process and coordinate the event.
“The plant sale isn’t separate from our CTE mission—it is our mission made visible and brought directly into the community,” Codd said. “Students are our focus, and we are known by their success.”
For students, the sale is one of the program’s clearest examples of applied learning. They are not only studying plant science concepts, they are helping grow products, solve problems, work with customers and see how their preparation connects to real industry expectations.
“The plant sale has become an important tradition in our community,” Valladao said. “It gives students real-world experience while allowing them to see the results of two semesters of work come to life.”
To learn more about agriculture programs at Merced College, visit https://www.mccd.edu/schools-programs/areas-of-study/agriculture/.