The best time to garden

Happy October! As the leaves turn vibrant shades and the air becomes crisp, it's the perfect time to enjoy the beauty of fall in our gardens. Here’s what you can focus on this month to keep your garden thriving and get prepared for winter.

Pumpkins, gourds, and apples are everywhere we look in October. Sunflowers, coneflowers, roses, and chrysanthemums are in their glory. It's time to cozy up and start to really prepare for the colder months. But there is still so much more gardening to enjoy before that happens!

As summer waves goodbye and autumn begins to make its presence known, September is a pivotal month for gardeners. It’s a time to transition, reflect, and prepare your garden for the cooler months ahead. Here’s your guide to making the most out of your garden this September!

This is the best part of summer! Unlimited tomato sandwiches, fresh salads every night, and we're all at our absolute healthiest! Lots of veggies slow way down in the heat of July and August, but those are exactly the ones you should start growing now!

So. Much. Zucchini.

It's that time of year. Gardeners everywhere are sneaking zucchini into every meal, baked good, and probably onto neighbors' porches as they sleep! Ever wonder if there is a better way to handle all of July's riches? Read on!

The mad dash to get things planted has ended. Can you sit back and rest on your laurels now? Well guess what! You can do anything you want! You can let your garden just do its thing until harvest time and hope for the best. 

But do you want to get more out of your garden? There are a few things you can do to make sure that you have a great harvest!

Why do we choose to grow heirlooms?: flavor, nutrition, biodiversity, history.
The USDA changed growing zones - have you checked your new zone?
Garden starting - what to look for when buying starts for your garden.
What we are planting in May in zone 6 (our new zone!).

Where to start?

So many people want to grow their own food and just don't know where to start. There are so many sources of information now, so many seeds, so many gardening supplies...it can indeed be quite overwhelming. So where do you start?

When most people thing of vegetable gardening, they think of tomatoes. And since tomatoes can't go in the ground until the danger of frost has passed, so many people don't start their gardens until May or even June. We are here to tell you you are missing out! 

Here in New York, we start our vegetable gardens in March. You heard that right: March. How is that possible, you ask? Because so many delicious veggies we love to grow actually do great when the soil is still cool and don't mind a frost here or there. As you learned in last month's newsletter, lots of seeds can be started indoors in February or even January in the case of things like onions. 

Sweet Farm was originally founded in 2016, beginning it's life as a farm animal sanctuary. But it became clear almost immediately that our food and climate systems are so deeply intertwined that it was impossible to tell just one part of the story. To really create change, we realized it was essential to include other important pieces of the puzzle, and by 2017, the Regenerative Agriculture program was born. For those of you who have visited the farm in person, you've seen our fields of flowers and veggies, grown in a way that gives back to the soil and the planet. Each month, we'll be sharing monthly updates with our supporters, near and far, on what we're growing, how we're growing it, and what you can do at your own homes to create positive change through gardening.

Find out what’s happening in Sweet Farm Regenerative Agriculture Program in January. Plus tips for gardening at home in ways that help the planet!

Join us at Sweet Farm for our huge annual plant sale! We'll be selling heirloom and unique plant starts on Friday and Saturday, May 26th, May 27th, June 2nd, and June 3rd from 8am to 3pm until sold out!

210 Hall Rd, Himrod, NY 14842

After a cross-country move from California to New York, Sweet Farm is scaling climate impact through three key programs.

Over the last three years, Sweet Farm and Bioforcetech have been conducting the first field trials of biochars from their new technology, helping to showcase biochar’s benefits in our veganically grown flowers and produce. Together, our work has helped increase the number of wastewater treatment plants using their technology, and created more sources for high quality biochars for local farmers.