CAYCE, S.C. — Growing a garden can take time and money. Fortunately, those are two problems the Cayce Fall Plant Exchange can help alleviate.
With free and full-grown plants, anyone has the opportunity to develop a green thumb at Saturday's event.
"We're planting the same type of vegetables or flowers at the same time, so that's fun to see people that you see on social media and actually get to meet them, gardener Linda Simmons said. "And then this is an inexpensive way to try new plants."
"You don't have to bring a plant. It is not only for Cayce residents, it's for anyone who wants to come," organizer Amanda Rowan said. "It's a lot of fun. People will bring full-grown plants, bulbs, seeds, clippings, anything you can imagine."
Usually, budding and experienced gardeners alike will walk away with five to six plants with as many as 75 people showing up in the past.
The event is held twice a year - once in the fall and again in the spring. Organizers said some people only show up on Fridays to leave their plants to a new gardener Saturday morning.
"We do have our regulars. We have some people that drop 50 plants off, 20 plants off, and they never come to the event because they have so many plants and they know that's how they can get rid of them," said James Denny, Cayce arborist, park manager, and master gardener.
One row at a time, people get to run to the table to pick up their new greenery.
Those who want to join in on the fun should show up at 9:30 a.m. Plant picking starts right at 10 a.m. and the event lasts until 11 a.m. at Cayce City Hall (1800 12th Street, Cayce, SC).
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