Is it time to plant your garden?

Spring has arrived!  Hummingbirds are hovering around the Red Flowering Currants, the Pacific Chorus frogs are singing their love songs, and local nurseries are filled with six packs of flower and vegetable starts.

It must be time to purchase plants and put them into your garden, right?  Not necessarily.

There are a number of things to do before purchasing plant starts and putting them in the ground.  Weeds need to be pulled, compost and fertilizers need to be added to the soil.  And the weather?  Well, let’s just say that we are not out of the woods yet.  There are still plenty of chilly nights and freezes to come.

If you have a greenhouse or a cold frame you could purchase plants and hold them until the danger of frost has passed.  But if you don’t it probably makes sense to temper your enthusiasm and hold off a bit longer.

But what if the plants I want won’t be available if I wait?  Don’t worry – we have you covered!

Long time customers of Urban Futures Farm know a little secret – we sell the highest quality most affordable vegetable and herb starts in town. And we only sell them when it’s the right time to go into your garden.

Our propagation room is filled with seedlings in various stages of growth that will be ready for our annual vegetable and herb starts sale starting in April. And we are planting more every day.  If you want find the varieties best suited to our region, grown in high quality soil by an experienced farmer then mark your calendar and plan to swing by the farm on Saturdays and Sundays in April and May.

We will put out a list of available plants each week, but you can expect to find a wide range of all of your favorite vegetables and herbs that will roll out as weather conditions dictate.

So, hang tight, get your gardens cleaned up, fertilized and ready to go, and we’ll see you at the farm in a few weeks.

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

Saturday, March 15 and Saturday March 22, 1-4pm at Urban Futures Farm, 928 Wilson St NE, Olympia

Worried about where your food will come from in these challenging times? 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.  The workshop will be a mix of lecture, discussion and hands-on demonstrations. 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 weeds, pests and disease
  • Season extension

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.

The cost for the workshop is $60.  To register, send an email to urbanagrarian@comcast.net.  Payment will be accepted at the first class, either cash or check.

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:

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.