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

 

 

 

Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard in North Salem, NY

Making it Easy to Eat Locally and Healthfully

Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard

130 Hardscrabble Rd. in North Salem, NY

Hours:  8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day;

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Easter, 4th of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve;

Closed Christmas Day through March.

Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard is a family owned and operated farm, country store and orchard in North Salem, NY. Delicious and delightful offerings vary from season to season, with flowers and plants in the spring, fresh produce during the summer and fall, apple picking and festivals during autumn, and pre-cut Christmas trees and winter wreaths during November and December.

Harvest Moon carries its own in-season fresh fruits and vegetables, farm fresh eggs, grass-fed beef and turkeys, local dairy products, maple syrup, honey, jams and jellies, cider doughnuts, fresh baked pies and more. “Our animals live happy lives, free of antibiotics and added hormones, and free-ranging right here on the farm,” says store manager Christine Tartaglia. “A trip to visit our chickens, goats, donkeys, cows, pigs, turkeys and alpacas is the perfect sunny day outing. It’s not a petting zoo, however, so we ask people not to feed the animals.”

Multicolored, farm fresh eggs and grass-fed beef

Most of the chickens at Harvest Moon Farm are Araucanas and Rhode Island reds, producing eggs in shades ranging from blue and green to pink and brown. The chickens wander around the farm all day, grazing on bugs and greens that enhance the nutritional value of their eggs. Not too far away are grass-fed Scottish Highland cows that never eat grains but do enjoy apples as a treat each fall. “Highlands are very lean cows, making the majority of our 20-plus cuts lean as well,” says Tartaglia. “Our turkeys are a heritage breed, the Broad Breasted Bronze, and they’re fed a vegetable-based diet with occasional supplementation from GMO-free grain. Turkeys are available fresh for Thanksgiving and frozen through Christmas, and we begin taking orders in September.”

Milk, the old-fashioned way, and local cheeses

Harvest Moon features products from Ronnybrook Farm Dairy, including old-fashioned glass-bottled milk that’s unhomogenized and pasteurized at a low temperature. There are also drinkable yogurts, creamy butter and ice cream served in the parlor. The store carries a variety of Hudson Valley cheeses from such producers as Harpersfield Cheese Co., Old Chatham Sheepherding Farm, Nettle Meadow, Finger Lakes Farmstead Creamery, Cooperstown Creamery and Adirondack Cheddar Co.

Community supported agriculture and fun

For the second year in a row, Harvest Moon is operating a Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA), which runs through October. “The CSA provides customers with a week’s load of fresh produce from our farm and other local farms,” says Tartaglia. “We start sign-ups in March, and we post updates on our website.”

The farm and orchard is also available for birthday parties and private events year-round, along with school tours during September and October. “Our fall festival is also a big hit during those months,” Tartaglia notes. “Every weekend from Labor Day until Halloween we offer U-pick apples, hayrides, live music, food vendors, pony rides, face painting, a bounce house and pumpkin picking right off the vine.”

Tartaglia says that Harvest Moon encourage people to buy local for a few important reasons. “It supports the local economy, reduces our carbon footprint and allows people to meet the farmers who are growing their food,” she says. “While we use organic practices in raising our veggies and animals, we’re not yet certified organic. Visitors will find a variety of fresh, local products in our store from here on the farm and from local artisans. Our motto is ‘Support your local farmer.’”

Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard is located at 130 Hardscrabble Rd. in North Salem, NY. For more information visit HarvestMoonFarmandOrchard.com, call 914.485.1210 or email harvestmoonorchard@gmail.com.