Seedling CSA

CSA stands for “Community Supported Agriculture,” a system in which members pay a fee upfront to a local farm for a share of their goods later in the growing season. This allows consumers to access fresh, local food and products while directly supporting small, local farmers who incur most of their costs before the growing season.

With a “seedling CSA” members pay upfront to receive a share of vegetable, herb, or flower plant starts (aka “seedlings”) from a grower essentially allowing them to "reserve” their garden plants in advance rather than buying them individually at the store later. It’s a way to support small, local farmers while getting access to a variety of healthy, fresh plant starts for their own gardens.

Yes. We offer a Custom Seedling Share option where you can choose 25 pots and/or packs of plants for $150 (up to 100 plants total, $200 value, 33% discount). You can save time and money by reserving the exact plants you want to grow.

For all other seedling shares and add-on packs, we do not allow substitutions.

If you do not see a plant variety on the list provided on the Custom Seedling Share page that you would like to grow, reach out to us here.

Some crops do not transplant well from pots and grow better when the seeds are directly sown in the garden. Radishes, beets, and carrots have long taproots that can easily be damaged when transplanting. Spinach is sensitive to root disturbance and can bolt (stop growing leaves and send out seeds) quickly if transplanted. Peas are also sensitive to root disturbance and may not grow as well when transplanted. I recommend directly sowing the seeds of these crops in the garden 2-3 weeks before your average last frost date which is about May 21st in Waterbury, VT (sow in early May). You can purchase organic, non-GMO seeds at Evergreen Gardens on route 100 in Waterbury or online at highmowingseeds.com.

Pick-Up

CSA members can pick up all of their plant starts at Rise Up Refill in Waterbury Village during one of six Friday-Saturday pick-up windows in May:

• Friday, May 16th from 4 - 6 pm

• Saturday, May 17th from 11 am - 1 pm

• Friday, May 23rd from 4 - 6 pm

• Saturday, May 24th from 11 am - 1 pm

• Friday, May 30th from 4 - 6 pm

• Saturday, May 31st from 11 am - 1 pm

At pick-up, Rachel (Garden Coach) will be at Rise Up Refill to answer your gardening questions. More details will be shared after joining. If you’re interested in picking up cool season plants earlier in May, reach out to us here.

Delivery

CSA members may choose to pay $25 for delivery, which includes a 30-minute 1-on-1 garden coaching session at delivery time. Delivery is only available in the following areas: Waterbury, Waterbury Center, Stowe, Duxbury, Middlesex, Moretown, and Bolton.

Cool-season crops grow best in cooler temperatures and can survive light frosts. They can be planted in the garden 2-4 weeks (depending on variety) before the average last frost date which is about May 21st in Waterbury. This includes: onions, leeks, cabbage, kale, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, parsley, mustard greens. Peas, spinach, radishes, carrots, and beets are also cool-season crops, but they do best when seeds are sown directly in the garden, rather than transplanted as seedlings.

No. Sadly, the Waterbury Farmers Market will not be returning. This year, we will primarily sell our seedlings shares and add-on plant packs through our CSA program. Plants will be available for pick up in May at Rise Up Refill in Waterbury Village. We may also sell individual seedlings in May/June. TBD. Check back later in the season or reach out here.