September is the month to “Eat Local”. We are asking all our neighbors to sign-up to take the “EAT LOCAL CHALLENGE“.

Do you need a reason? Here are 10 Reasons to Eat Local.

Please let us know how you plan to “Eat Locally” for part or the entire month.

by Jennifer Maiser
Originally published for www.EatLocalChallenge.com

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Yes, we are thinking ahead… way ahead. Here are a few workshops that you may be interested in attending.

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Random photos from May Days at the market!

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We always ask ourselves, when are (Name your local fruits or vegetables.) ready? We decided to create a graphic calendar for you. It lists fruits and vegetables that are grown in New York and marks out what months you can expect to find them at your local farmers’ markets.

These nifty reference guides fold up to the size of a business card for you to keep in your purse or wallet or flatten out for you to “Stick on the Fridge”!

Stop by the SWFM Info tent and ask for yours during your next visit to the market. Grab a couple and give them to your friends, too. They are FREE, FREE, FREE!

This weekend I was given this list from a friend who uses it every year. No, it is not advice from a professional farmer but from a passionate home gardener. I have seen her vegetable and flower gardens… most impressive.

SO HERE IS WHEN TO PLANT
PEAS - when forsythia blooms
POTATOES - when the first dandelion blooms
BEETS, CARROTS and COLE CROPS - when lilac is in first leaf
CORN - when white oak leaves are the size of squirrel’s ears
BEANS, CUCUMBER & SQUASH - when lilac is in full bloom
TOMATOES - when lily-of-the-valley blooms
EGGPLANT, MELONS, & PEPPER PLANTS - when irises bloom

Some of these things have already happened. I better get my plants this weekend at the market!

Thursday, May 15th
the SWFM is having a perennial plant swap.

WHAT IS IT?
Dig up any extra perennials you have around your home and bring them to the market to swap with your neighbors. We will have a designated area for you to interact with each other to meet and share your plants and any information you have about how to care for your plants.

Lighthouse Gardens will offer potting mixes, fertilizers, ceramic pots, containers of all sizes, propagation mats, germination chambers along with a dozen or so varieties of spring planting bulbs. This in addition to the 450 varieties of plants I grew this year. Also find handouts on planting information, Rochester gardening info, and their catalog.

Greenwood Books from East Ave, independent booksellers, will be on hand with books related to gardens of all sorts, from designing your own perennial borders to container plants at their finest, to growing food in a small urban space!

Learn more about them at:
THEIR WEB SITE