Plant Sale Season at NY Soil & Water Conservation Districts - What you need to know to get started

 
 
Baby it's cold outside... but it won't be that way forever. It's time to start thinking about your springtime gardening  and we're excited to bring to you a fantastic resource for your next planting project. 

Maybe you've heard about them, or maybe this is going to be your favorite Mowers And More Blog post ever!  

All over NYS, Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) are buzzing with their sale programs. But what is a SWCD and why are they selling plants (and sometimes fish, bird houses, mulch, and more) anyway? 



Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCD)

Known by a variety of names, SWCDs share a mission: Help coordinate and administer programs and funding from local, state, federal, and private resources to solve natural resources at a super-local level. 

Across the United States, conservation districts are a type of government organization, often in association with county governments, to execute programs to preserve soil and water resources. According to the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), there are nearly 3,000 conservation districts nationally. For context, there are 3,244 counties in the US. 

SWCDs didn't come out of nowhere. They're a response to centuries of soil loss, erosion, and water quality problems that affect farms, forests, and communities alike. As far back as the 1930s Dust Bowl, the fight against erosion got our government's attention. Governments worldwide have realized that it's important to be good stewards of natural resources. Lack of management can threaten food production, water quality, and long-term use of land. When SWCDs hit the scene, their early focus was erosion control, soil stabilization, teaching farmers new techniques, reforestation, and monitoring soil and water resources.


 

The mission of each SWCD is broadly to help preserve land, water, forests, wildlife, and other natural resources. Each district administers programs that benefit their county & local areas. 

Districts have deep knowledge of local natural resource needs, and many offer education opportunities for the community and local schools.

In NYS, our SWCDs focus on flood and erosion control, waterway preservation, reservoir protection, and agricultural environmental management, and invasive species intervention. In our region, lots of funding comes directly from NYC in exchange for sharing and preserving our abundant watershed.

If you want to learn more about Soil & Water Conservation Districts, here's a list of excellent resources:

 

Now that you have the Soil & Water Conservation District 101... let's get into the Plant Sale aspect of these organizations.

Many districts offer plant sales on a periodic basis (although some are year-round). The purpose of these plant sales are to encourage conservation planting of native plants. Every district is a little different, but if you have an interest in purchasing plants from their sales, do it as soon as possible.

Districts offer these sales in the late winter / early spring. Most districts offer a mailing list so you can be notified when they begin taking orders. 

For logistics purposes and coordinating with suppliers, most districts have to order in advance of taking orders from the public. So, once it is gone, it's gone! Order early for the best variety and chance at some really neat and cost-effective natural plantings for your property! 

Some other things to note about these sales 

  • Order early for the best selection. Districts continue to reach more people all the time. Don't wait until they're sold out. If they do happen to be sold out... be kind. 
  • Unless otherwise noted, plants from these sales are "bare root" and/or "seedling" plants. Ordering a spruce? It's going to be a small starter plant (less than 12" for example). These are not grown up trees or plants that you'd see at a nursery with a big root ball. 
  • These sales are offered at a very tiny markup, if the district makes money at all after logistics and costs are factored in. The point is to offer the plants for conservation purposes. They are not for commercial or retail use.
  • Plant sales offer a variety of plants, some can be productive and/or pretty. However, the landscaping benefit is the result of a bigger mission. The primary purpose is planting to help with soil erosion, wind breaks, invasive species, wildlife and pollinator habitats, edible conservation plantings, and other conservation efforts.
  • Most of the sales offered are going to be a pickup-only format. There are usually specific days that orders can be picked up at the district office (or whatever location is indicated). Check this out before you place your order, because you will need to pick them up during that designated window of time. Because this all has to be coordinated ahead of time, orders are usually final. If you aren't sure if you can be at the pickup, consider other options before you order.
  • Some districts offer other things for sale, such as fish, birdhouses, mulch, flower seeds, and more! 
  • Keep in mind, not all districts have the same capabilities. Some districts offer digital ordering, others require sending in a form. To have the best experience, factor this into your timing and plan! 

Here's a list of several Hudson Valley and Capital Region districts that offer plant sales. We do not have any affiliation with any of the districts, and you should carefully check out the details on your own before placing an order. 

No plant sale listed as far as we can tell at the time of this post, but other services and resources available if you're local!

A 2025 NYS directory of districts are available HERE (PDF) from New York Association of Conservation Districts.

Bonus! Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Sales & Resources

We are super excited to share this information with you. We acknowledge that we may have missed information even though we try to be comprehensive. We may have errors in the provided information. We do not have any affiliation with any of the organizations included in this post. Information is subject to change. Please contact each district directly to confirm current details.


 

We hope you found this information helpful. If you did, consider sharing our blog with others who might be interested!

As always, thank you for supporting a family owned and operated business,

Mowers And More