Its May – Time to Get-A-Gardenin’

If you’ve been waiting to get your garden started, the time has come!  Longer days, warmish temperatures and just the right amount of moisture over the past few weeks have made for excellent growing conditions. 

Drop by the farm this Saturday and Sunday (May 4 & 5) from 9am-2pm to pick up the best quality and best value vegetable and herb starts in the area.  Grown locally and organically on a family farm – what’s not to love?

Here’s the complete list for this weekend:

The Cucurbits are Here! And we have Eggs!

Drop by the farm Saturday or Sunday, 9am-2pm to get what you need to fill your garden beds and scramble up a tasty breakfast. Cash or check only please.

New this week: Cucumbers (5 varieties), Winter Squash (5 varieties) Summer Squash (5 varieties) and Sugar Pie Pumpkins. Also, lots of colorful and nutritious pastured eggs.

And we still have plenty of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants.  See the full list of 76 available plant starts below.

Got Starts?

Our annual vegetable and herb plant sale continues this Saturday and Sunday, 9am-2pm.  We still have a great selection of plants, including a wide variety of tomatoes and peppers in 4 inch pots. We will need to transplant the tomatoes into larger pots soon, and when we do the price will increase, so buy now for the best value.  Check out the full inventory below.

Coming soon – the Cucurbits! Zucchini, summer squash, winter squash, pumpkins and cucumbers

Is it time for Tomatoes?

One of the most common questions I’m asked is “What is the right time to buy and plant tomatoes?”  This seemingly simple questions is actually not that easy to answer, with many variables involved.

One is weather.  Strictly speaking its is definitely too early to plant tomatoes outside. I usually hold off on planting tomatoes outdoors until at least May 1st (depending on your location).

But that doesn’t necessarily mean its too early to buy tomatoes.  In fact, there are a number of good reasons to consider buying tomatoes now or soon:

  • Choice – The sooner you buy your tomato plants, the more varieties you will have to choose from
  • Price – Buying tomatoes in small pots costs less than buying bigger pots
  • Earlier Harvest – The Sooner you plant, the sooner you eat!

In fact, if you have a greenhouse, a covered porch or a sunny window now is an excellent time to buy tomatoes.

This year, Urban Futures Farm is offering 16 varieties of carefully selected, region-appropriate tomatoes.  And we will start selling them this weekend, along with 14 varieties of peppers, 2 varieties of eggplant, and tomatillos (scientific note: all of these plants are in the solanaceae family).  All plants are $6 for a 4 inch pot.  We will need to start potting them up into bigger pots in the coming weeks, and when we do the price will increase.

Tomatoes are my passion, and long time customers know that our tomatoes are the best in town. The seeds were planted back in February, and they’ve made the trek from the propagation room to the greenhouse to the plastic tunnel.  The next, and final step in the journey, is to your garden.

So, stop by and see us this Saturday or Sunday, 9am-2pm, and pick up your favorite solanaceaes, along with a long list of other plants that are ready to go into the garden now.  Here’s the full list:

Plant Sale Starts Saturday!

Spring is here, buds are breaking and the annual Urban Futures Farm vegetable and herb plant sale starts Saturday.  We will be open from 9am-2pm this Saturday, March 30, then beginning in April we will be open Saturdays and Sundays, 9am-2pm.

This year we are offering an expanded selection of carefully selected and organically grown plants.  Over the coming weeks as the weather warms you will see even more choices, including our famous tomatoes (12 varieties!), peppers, eggplants, squash, pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers and more.  This weekend choose from the following:

Long time customers can attest to the quality and value of our plants, and best of all you will be buying from a small business, directly from the farmer who grew the plants and who can answer all your gardening questions.

We look forward to seeing you at the Farm!

Patience, gardeners!

The recent string of sunny dry days has many of us itching to get outside and work in the garden. And while there are many things that can be done right now – weeding, pruning, turning the compost pile and adding amendments to improve the soil – it is still too early to begin planting most vegetables outside. After Tuesday, the remainder of the month looks cool and wet. Just because greenhouses at local garden stores are filled with six packs of vegetable starts right now does not mean that its safe to plant them outside.

Patience, gardeners!

When it comes time to safely plant outside, Urban Futures Farm has you covered. Our propagation room and greenhouses are filled with a wide variety of herbs and vegetables that we will start selling in April. This year we will be offering even more varieties and longer sale hours. Expect to see a full range of your favorite vegetable and herb starts, along with some new varieties which are sure to become favorites.

Last Call! Growing Vegetables in the South Sound: A Workshop for Gardeners of All Levels (just a few spots left!)

When: Next Week! Sunday, March 10 and Sunday March 17, 1-4pm
Where: Urban Futures Farm, 928 Wilson St NE, Olympia

Always wanted to start a vegetable garden, but don’t know where to begin?  Had a vegetable garden but have not been happy with the results?  Been gardening for a while and want to take it to the next level?  This workshop is for YOU!

Over the course of 2 afternoons, we will explore everything you need to know to grow a successful home garden.  Topics covered will include:

  • Site Selection
  • Understanding and improving your soil
  • Selecting seeds
  • Propagating, transplanting and direct seeding
  • Rotations and companion planting
  • Selecting the right tools
  • Irrigation
  • Composting
  • Dealing with pests and disease
  • Season extension

The cost for the workshop is $50.  To register, send an email to urbanagrarian@comcast.net.  Payment will be accepted at the first class, either cash or check.

The workshop will be led by TJ Johnson.  TJ has been growing his own food for over 35 years, including the last 10 years as the owner of Urban Futures Farm, a regenerative, community-focused farm in the heart of Olympia.

Growing Vegetables in the South Sound: A Workshop for Gardeners of All Levels

When: Sunday, March 10 and Sunday March 17, 1-4pm
Where: Urban Futures Farm, 928 Wilson St NE, Olympia

Always wanted to start a vegetable garden, but don’t know where to begin?  Had a vegetable garden but have not been happy with the results?  Been gardening for a while and want to take it to the next level?  This workshop is for YOU!

Over the course of 2 afternoons, we will explore everything you need to know to grow a successful home garden.  Topics covered will include:

  • Site Selection
  • Understanding and improving your soil
  • Selecting seeds
  • Propagating, transplanting and direct seeding
  • Rotations and companion planting
  • Selecting the right tools
  • Irrigation
  • Composting
  • Dealing with pests and disease
  • Season extension

The cost for the workshop is $50.  To register, send an email to urbanagrarian@comcast.net.  Payment will be accepted at the first class, either cash or check.

The workshop will be led by TJ Johnson.  TJ has been growing his own food for over 35 years, including the last 10 years as the owner of Urban Futures Farm, a regenerative, community-focused farm in the heart of Olympia.