I don’t know about you, but being cooped up in my house (especially on these rainy days) makes me even more eager to get my hands dirty. On so many levels, COVID-19 has opened our eyes to the gaps in the resiliency of our communities. As a farmer, I’ve thought a lot, always but more so now than ever, on the lack of self-sufficiency in our more industrially-dominated food systems. Without getting on my soapbox (I could go on for days), I want to remind you that buying from local farms, advocating for farmland preservation, and growing your own food are three major ways to increase the resiliency and sustainability of your local food system. In the coming weeks, Upswing Farm will release a series of videos to help you get your garden started, as well as launch our online seedling sale.
Last week, Brittany shared a video on Seed Starting. This week, I discuss the Garden Planning process. In a nutshell, the five steps to planning your garden are:
- Make Observations & Take Notes
- Create a Plant Wishlist
- Design Your Garden
- Map It Out
- Buy Materials
For more details, what the full video!
Currently, we have some Early Spring seedlings for sale at our online store for pick up next weekend April 17th and 18th. This is different than ordering for our main event.
We are hoping to launch the full 2020 Seedling Sale online store early next week! This is a treat. Customers can read descriptions, see pictures, and use this time on the computer to practice some of those research tips from the planning video. You can purchase your plants online for pick up in May. For now, you can browse our inventory for herbs, flowers, and vegetables. My suggestion is to plan your garden out and purchase your seedlings soon, so when the May sun comes around you can jump into planting your garden!
If you are new to gardening or simply want to improve your gardening skills, feel free to reach out to me (Erin) for help! In addition to being the Flower Manager for Upswing this year, I am offering at-home garden coaching, consultation, planning, and installation at an affordable rate. Currently, I am offering virtual planning and Q&A sessions in hopes of preparing clients for a successful year in the garden come May. If you are interested and want to learn more about my services and pricing, email me at tinyfarmer.mass@gmail.com.
Happy Gardening!
Erin Espinosa
Upswing Farm 