Gardening as a CSA Member

I know for a lot of folks, healthy eating and gardening go hand in hand! But a lot of times, it can be hard to navigate the overlap between being a CSA member and a home gardener! We've had members drowning in summer squash or cucumbers that cancel their CSA for the following year only to miss it dearly for one reason or another! I've thought a lot about what the perfect CSA-complement garden might look like over the years, even though I personally am taking a couple years off from gardening while I run this farm. Everyone has different tastes and veggie preferences, but here are some crop ideas from a farmer with her gardener's hat on!

The Kitchen Garden - Things you can grab while dinner's on the stove -- cherry tomatoes, any herbs, scallion or onions! Herbs especially are something I'm always forgetting to grab out of the cooler or the pick-your-own field. I only live 100 meters from the barn, but still find it annoying walking back and forth. I personally like to have my most-used herbs right by my house in a raised bed. It's one of my favorite things to take dinner to the next level just by walking out and picking a few sprigs. CSA members can still use the Bellair's PYO to harvest a larger bunch of cilantro for chimmichurri, but they can also grow their own herbs to have sprigs ready to go at any time!

Your Faves
Only you know your favorite veggies. This might be some variety of tomatoes or eggplant or just heaps and heaps of butternuts... whatever! Notice those things that you're always wishing there were more of in the CSA and grow those things yourself! Problem solved.

Specialty Crops
If the CSA is providing your kale-and-potatoes, if you will, then now you have a chance to grow crops you've never tried! Things to consider: cotton (for craft or decoration), sorghum or broomcorn (for popping or making molasses or brooms!), shallots (start them early!), garlic (you will save $ growing your own vs. buying at the market), brussels sprouts (experts only). Other options are asparagus, strawberries are on this list, maybe rhubarb, other fruits like raspberry and garden huckleberry!

Sweet Corn
Bellair will continue to buy in a little sweet corn here and there but if you like this crop, it's a lot easier to grow in a home garden setting than on the farm. Make sure you plant it in a block (not in rows) for better pollination and don't plant it near dent- or pop- corns as it will cross and be starchy.

Flowers
Flowers brighten up a space and many are easy to grow. Sunflowers especially are a no-work option!

Summer Greens
Summer greens are hard to grow in bulk and it's something we hear a lot of comments about. Solve this problem yourself by planting some summer lettuce, arugula, or whatever! The main thing is being able to keep it cool, which is easily done in a home gardening with frequent watering (at least every other day in 90 degree weather) and providing light shade in some cases.