The Fullerton College Horticulture Department is hosting its annual Fall Plant Sale from Oct. 10 to Oct. 12, where students, alumni and locals gather to support hands-on horticultural education and raise money for future projects.
For decades, the Fullerton College Horticulture Plant Sale has served as both a public event and a lifeline for the department’s hands-on programs.
“We do a sale each season, one in the fall and one in the spring,” said Nicholas Splutter, an intern at the horticulture department. “We sell a lot of vegetables, fruit trees, cactuses and succulents, California natives, drought-tolerant shade plants, and houseplants. It’s all to raise money for the department for projects, equipment, and the things that help our students learn.”
This Fall 2025 event is estimated to bring around $20,000 in funding, according to Splutter, with previous years reaching as high as $30,000. This fall, he estimates 300 to 500 people in attendance throughout the weekend. Many are returning faces who’ve been coming for years.
The plants are grown and maintained by horticulture students as part of their coursework in landscape management, design, and plant propagation. Students not only gain practical skills but also contribute directly to sustaining the department’s operations.
One of the most significant forces behind the sale’s renewed energy is the Horticulture Club, led by its current president, Neeks Reina. What began as a small student group has since flourished into one of Fullerton College’s most active clubs, with weekly meetings that mix creative, hands-on projects with plant-based education.
“Every meeting, you’re doing something with your hands,” Reina said. “You’re planting something, making a craft, and always taking something home. We even give out badges and member cards, like the Girl Scouts.”
Interest in horticulture has skyrocketed. The club’s first meeting this fall drew over 50 students, many of whom were not horticulture majors.
“It’s so cool to see film majors, art majors, and people from all departments just sitting on the floor because we ran out of seats,” Reina said.
Reina emphasized that the plant sale is more than a fundraiser. It’s a statement of community and sustainability.
“It’s the only major fundraiser for the whole department,” she said. “But we want to do more workshops, classes, events with local centers, things that make horticulture accessible to everyone.”
For students like Kayla McCusker, who has been an intern since 2022, the department has been a part of her own education and personal growth.
“Being here has taught me so much,” she said. “You see the results of your work from soil to sale, and that’s incredibly rewarding.”
The plant sale is an open invitation to be close with nature, learn, and connect with the community. Whether visitors are longtime gardeners or newcomers who just want to bring home a houseplant, the event embodies what Fullerton College horticulture is all about: education through experience and cultivation.
“Honestly,” Splutter said, “if you love plants, we’ve got something for you. If you don’t, well, you might just leave here loving them anyway.”