It’s been a crazy couple of months for me – I’ve had a death in the family and a broken arm! – so my apologies for radio silence. But I haven’t been entirely idle! With help from friends (because: broken arm), I managed to put my 2024 plants to bed (in contact with the ground, covered with heavy duty row cover) and have started winter sowing. This is where we plant seeds outdoors at this time of year to emulate the cold moist conditions many native seeds require to grow.

Welp, that’s it! We officially closed for the season on October 7th. I can’t believe our first year in business is over! It was rocky in a few places, but on the whole I think it went well. As a capstone of the season I thought I’d share with you some of the lessons I’ve learned. Seed sowing As a reminder, I did most (but not all) of my propagation this year as winter sowing, i.

Ahhh it’s the end of the season! I am only slightly losing my mind this week, preparing for my last market of the season, ordering seeds (can you believe Wild Seed Project was sold out of half the seeds I wanted by 10am on their opening day?), finishing my New England Shrubs class, and preparing for my open house on Sunday! Next and Final Market Our final market is the Leominster Farmers’ Market, this Saturday, October 5th, 2024, from 11am-2pm, in Monument Square in Leominster, MA.

Wow, I can hardly believe it’s almost time to close for the season! My first year in business has just flown by. (And yet somehow I was potting up seedlings up until three days ago… many lessons learned for next year!) Closing for the season October 6th I was planning on staying open through the end of October with the final Ashby market on the 27th, but then I realized that a) other native plant nurseries are already closing, and b) the average date of first frost around here is October 5th, and I don’t want to sell folks plants that are might be frost-killed before they have a chance to get established.

Next Market(s) We’re excited to join Grow Native Massachusetts and three other native plant nurseries for a “popup market” at the Newton Farmers’ Market! This market is Tuesday, September 17, 2024, from 1:30pm to 6pm in Cold Spring Park (1094 Beacon Street) in Newton, MA. The three other nurseries are Bluestem Natives, Checkerspot Farm, and Lady Fern Farm, all incredibly knowledgeable folks who care deeply about native ecosystems. Between the four of us, I’m sure you’ll find any native plant you could want!

Next Markets We’ll be at both the Leominster and Ashby markets this weekend. More markets means more chances to get our plants! Details: Leominster Farmers’ Market: Saturday, September 7th, 2024, from 11am-2pm in Monument Square, Leominster, MA Ashby Farmers Market: Sunday, September 8th, 2024, from 9am to noon on the Ashby Town Common (1 South Rd), Ashby, MA. Our theme for these markets is “In Bloom 🌸” – we plan to bring whatever species are showing off beautiful flowers (or are about to!

Next market: Ashby Farmers’ Market Don’t forget, our Ashby market is this Sunday, August 25th, 2024 from 9am to noon on the Ashby MA Town Common. Our theme for this market is “fall color 🍁” – or, as I like to call it, “oops, all asters.” 😂 I’m going for the broad definition here – anything in the family Asteraceae is game. This includes asters (of course), goldenrods, white snakeroot, and more – anything with those composite flowers!

Hello native plant friends! I hope the recent humidity is treating you well. The Leominster Farmers’ Market was a rousing success, and it was lovely meeting you new subscribers there. I hope to see you at our future markets. Next Markets Our next market will be the Ashby Farmers’ Market, tomorrow (Sunday), August 11, 2024 from 9am to noon, on the Ashby Town Common, 1 South Rd, Ashby, MA. After that, the next market will also be the Ashby Market, on Sunday, August 22nd, 2024.

We are hoppy to report that we are hoppin’ around again, so tomorrow is HOPPENING. 🐸🐸🐸 … sorrynotsorry. Leominster Farmers’ Market Saturday, Aug 3, 2024, 11am-2pm Monument Square, Leominster, MA What we plan to have ($5 in a pint pot unless otherwise marked): Monarch food! i.e. milkweeds (Asclepias spp) 🦋 (literally; the monarchs and milkweed tussock caterpillars have been devouring these!) “Get ready for fall” plants like asters (Symphyotrichum, Eurybia, Doellingeria spp) and goldenrods (Solidago spp) 🍁 “Hummingbird quartet” in vibrants reds and pinks: native penstemons (Penstemon digitalis and hirsutus), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), and red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) 🐦‍🔥 Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) - $7 for a quart pot of two plants (annual) - now in bloom!

As some of you may already be aware, I sprained my ankle this past Saturday. It’s minor – x-rays confirmed there’s no fracture – but it’s making it difficult to get around, especially to the level I need for gardening and doing markets. As a result, I had to cancel my market on Sunday (Ashby Farmers’ Market). I am scheduled to do the Leominster Farmers’ Market next Saturday – August 3rd, 2024 11am-2pm in Monument Square.