My camera’s SD card is filled with the best of intentions, or rather, it’s filled with photos I’ve been meaning to use in a post. Sometimes, the photos start to feel a little stale-dated and never make it here, but sometimes a belated post isn’t such a bad thing.

Which brings me to the sunflower sale I attended last month. A friend of ours has been helping to organize this event for nine years now, raising money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation‘s work in Africa. This year’s sale earned $5,380.00, which will go directly to the Foundation’s programs in Africa.

Turn to the Sun‘s volunteers, including kids from two elementary schools, grow sunflower seedlings for the sale, which takes place each year around Mothers’ Day. It’s truly a sidewalk sale, with tents covering almost a whole block of pavement, to protect the seedlings and the customers from our uncertain spring weather.

This year, I came away with three very tall varieties, a Velvet Queen, an Earthwalker, and a Claret. They’re just waist-high, gangly teenagers right now, but they’re avoiding the snails and slugs that plague my garden sometimes and they’re already following the sun. I have visions of sharing their seeds with my co-op neighbours, family, and friends in the spring, but I’ll also be at next year’s sale. A little earlier though, so I have a chance to pick up some of the dwarf varieties for my brutally sunny front balcony. I think they’ll love it there.

Next year is their tenth anniversary, and I expect it will be bigger than ever. Get in touch with them if you’d like to help out, or if you’d like to start your own satellite sale where you live.