Fresh Starts: Seeking special plants to get your garden going? Mark your calendar for these plant sales.

 

Stony Kill Farm Plant Sale and Spring Celebration

Our region is blessed with an abundance of small farms, so in the spring, plant sales pop up as reliably as daffodils. There are many reasons to buy spring plants from a farm rather than a retailer, not the least of which is the fact that you’re supporting a local (and often family-owned) business.

Unlike large nurseries or big box stores, local farms specialize in organically grown veggies, herbs and flowers that flourish in our climate—typically offering a wider variety of plants, including many that can’t be found in retail stores. Because these farms don’t use persistent pesticides, their plants won’t kill bees (harming our food supply) or produce food that’s hazardous to ingest.

And because local farms are part of the fabric of our community, their plant sales are true community events—springtime celebrations where families are welcome. Kids love visiting farms, and they learn a lot in the process. So save the date for one or more of the local plant sales coming up in May.

Hilltop Hanover Farm’s Spring Plant Sale
April 26-May 31
Fridays 1p.m.-6 p.m.
Saturdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Plants for sale: Cool-season annual flowers, herbs and vegetable transplants, including early-blooming columbine, snapdragons and diasca; organic lavender, chives, chamomile, dill, lemon balm, mint mojito and sage; and naturally grown lettuce, spinach, kale, peas and chard. Come any weekend for veggie, herb and flower transplants, all grown at Hilltop, plus finished annuals and organic herbs.

Family fun: The farm stand will be stocked with local farm products such as seeds, honey, maple syrup, breads and baked goods.

Something special: Look for cottage garden annuals, specialty cut flowers and pollinator plants. Strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers and squash plants, plus lots of summer flowers, will be ready in early May. All transplants produced at Hilltop Hanover are grown using organic practices.

Hilltop Hanover Farm, 1271 Hanover St., Yorktown Heights, NY HilltopHanoverFarm.org

 

Stony Kill Farm Plant Sale and Spring Celebration
May 4, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (Rain date May 5)

Plants for sale: Plants for vegetable and herb gardens.

Family fun: Baby animals, sheep shearing demo, wool spinner, live music, open barn, open greenhouse, crafts, face painter, concession stand and more.

Something extra: Stony Kill Beekeepers will have an informational booth, and the Stony Kill gardeners will have an informational table on pollinator gardening.

Stony Kill Farm, 79 Farmstead Lane , Wappingers Falls, NY , 845.831.3800; StonyKill.org, Stony Kill Foundation, Inc.@Facebook.com

 

Poughkeepsie Farm Project Farm Fest and Plant Sale
May 4 & 11, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Plants for sale: Nearly 100 varieties of vegetables, flowers and herbs.

Family fun: Food truck, live music, smoothie and interactive popcorn stations, craft and farmer’s market offering Hudson Valley-made products, Poughkeepsie Farm Project merchandise including herbal body products, gardening book fair, children’s book readings, kid-friendly activities.

Something extra: This is Poughkeepsie Farm Project’s 20th year of connecting food, farm and community in the Hudson Valley. Visitors are invited to tour the farm fields, meet the team, learn about the farm’s programs and activities and explore its meditation and discovery gardens.

Poughkeepsie Farm Project, 51 Vassar Farm Ln., Poughkeepsie, NY, FarmProject.org/farm-fest 


 

SPACE on Ryder Farm Mother’s Day Weekend Plant Sale
May 11, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
May 12, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Plants for sale: Hanging baskets and a wide selection of flowers, herbs and vegetable starts, including 11 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, summer and winter squash, salad greens, sweet and spicy pepper varieties and more, all certified organic and grown on Ryder Farm.

Family fun: Guided tours of Ryder Farm, a food truck for picnicking on the lawn, children’s activities.

Something extra: The plant sale will be the official start of SPACE on Ryder Farm’s first growing season. Plants and produce will be available for purchase at the roadside farmstand on Starr Ridge Road through November.

Ryder Farm, 406 Starr Ridge Rd., Brewster, NY, SpaceOnRyderFarm.org

 

Common Ground Farm Plant Sale
May 11, 2 p.m.-5 p.m.

Plants for sale: Vegetables, flowers and herbs, including classic favorites like basil, cherry tomatoes, lettuce and kale, as well as more unusual and unique heirloom varieties such as husk cherries, fairytale eggplant and purple basil, all organically grown at Common Ground Farm. Come early for best selection.

Family fun: Children’s arts and crafts, and the opportunity to meet the farmers and ask them about growing techniques and varieties.

Something extra: All proceeds go to support Common Ground Farm’s mission of food access and education.

Common Ground Farm Plant Sale, Corner of Cross and Main Streets, Beacon, NY; Rain location: Beacon Yoga Center, 464 Main St., Beacon, NY, Common Ground Farm Spring Plant Sale @Facebook.com

 

Annual Lasdon Park Plant Sale
May 18, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 19,
10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Special preview for Friends of Lasdon Park and Arboretum: May 17, 6-8 p.m.

Plants for sale: A broad selection of colorful annuals, including many hard-to-find and popular favorites that are easy to plant and care for.

Family fun: Vendors selling crafts, food, gifts and other items.

Something extra: A special conservatory exhibit will feature blooming orchids and more. Admission is $7 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under. Tickets available at the Shop at Lasdon.

Lasdon Park, Arboretum and Veterans Memorial, 2610 Amawalk Rd. (Rte. 35), Somers, NY LasdonPark.org

 

 

 

Volunteers Sought to Get Farm-Fresh Food to Needy Families

 

High School volunteers help prep the garden for the upcoming season

A newly piloted community supported agriculture (CSA) program in Mount Kisco, run by the nonprofit organization InterGenerate, is seeking volunteers to help distribute locally grown organic produce to neighbors in need.

“The intent of this CSA is to feed approximately 30 families who identify as food insecure. To bring this project to fruition, we need a team of volunteers to pick up produce from local farms, pack bags and drive them to drop-off locations in the area. Most of the tasks associated with this project will take place on a single day each week at our garden in Mount Kisco,” says Roseann Rutherford, co-founder of InterGenerate.

InterGenerate was launched in 2009 with the goal of creating a better world by providing opportunities to grow organic produce and expanding access to healthy food. It operates community gardens in Chappaqua, Katonah, Millwood and Mount Kisco, where produce is grown by members and volunteers.

With most InterGenerate gardens, members tend to their own plots and also work with other members to tend a Giving Garden, whose harvest is donated to the community. This year, however, InterGenerate has unveiled a new model of community gardening at the Ann Manzi Center in Mount Kisco. With this model, families will share the tasks of caring for the entire space, each family will take the produce it needs, and the rest of the harvest will be donated. The first workday for this garden will be May 4 at 10 a.m.

“This is a perfect model for beginning gardeners and busy people, as we will all share the experience of gardening without any one person feeling overburdened,” says Mey Marple, co-director of the project.

InterGenerate’s newly piloted CSA will help address the problem of food insecurity in Westchester. According to Feeding Westchester, one in five county residents will experience food insecurity this year. Using harvests from all their Giving Gardens and the communal garden at the ARC, as well as produce donated by or purchased from several surrounding farms, InterGenerate will distribute organic produce to those in need at very low cost. Any funds generated will be used to purchase locally grown food not grown by InterGenerate.

“With each new project, there is a need for more volunteers,” Rutherford says. “Anyone interested in helping to build community, feed neighbors in need and make this world a better place is encouraged to contact us.”

For more info, visit InterGenerate.net.