April is here! With the warm weather we’ve been having, it feels like we should all have our gardens planted for the season already but it’s still early. The foothills are a wonderful place to grow a garden, and growing your own food is great for your mental and physical health as well as your pocketbook! Now, some folks are lucky enough to have a greenhouse of their own but for the rest of us, there are plenty of local plant sales coming up this spring to get our gardens growing. It’s not easy to farm in the foothills, and these local growers make it easier for gardeners to succeed with varieties that do well in our climate.

Saturdays through April 30, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 505 Main St, Nevada City in the SAEL Auditorium

Moving to Summer Market hours Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Union St, downtown Nevada City

• Fresh Starts Organic Farm will be selling until June 11 and then back in August. Perennials, seasonal veggies that are ready to plant, flowers and herbs. Folks are welcome to come to the nursery by prior arrangement, they can email freshstartsorganicfarm@gmail.com or call 530-478-0800 to set a day/time.

• Starbright Acres Family Farm will also be selling starts at this market

• Saturday, May 7, from 9 a.m. to noon

• 1036 West Main St. Grass Valley (NID grounds)

• Plants for sale include flowering annuals, dahlias and cosmos, perennial flowers, shrubs, grasses, ground covers and Nevada County milkweed. Vegetables this year include an estimated 30 varieties of tomatoes, plus peppers, squash, melons, cucumbers, eggplants, herbs, and more!

• Master Gardeners will be available to help you choose the right plant for your garden.

• Payment is by cash or check only.

• For information, call 530-273-0919

• Sunday, May 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• 17894 Tyler Foote Road Nevada City, CA 95959

• Grizzly Hill Farm, Honey Circle Farm and others will be selling a variety of Organic veggies, herb and flower starts

• On farm plant sales every Sunday in May at the farm. May 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 22726 Montezuma Lane (on the Ridge)

• Organic veggies, flowers and herb starts available

• Pop-up plant sale at Three Forks Mother’s Day on May 8

• Self-serve farm store is open every day 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 12575 Polaris Dr. Grass Valley

• Starbright farmers are happy to give you a personalized recommended planting date if you ask!

• Wide variety of veggie starts, full list of availability can be found on their website: https://www.starbrightacresfarm.com/starts

• Offering limited custom orders of Organic veggie starts while supplies last: Contact Cheri at cheri@grizzlyhill.com or at 530-265-9495 for an availability list

Stores carrying Organic locally grown plant starts: BriarPatch Food Co-op, Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply, Sweetland Garden Mercantile, A to Z Garden Supply and Kurt’s Garden.

Now is a great time to direct seed peas, carrots, beets, and turnips. It’s also the time to start greens (indoors or directly into the ground). If you are growing starts inside, now is the last call to start tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant on heat mats. This is the time to start trays of flowers, too!

If you qualify for CalFresh, a federally mandated program that provide monthly food benefits to assist low-income households in purchasing the food they need to maintain adequate nutritional levels, you can utilize the funds towards plants, seeds and soil to grow your own food! More information and assistance here through our local county office: https://www.mynevadacounty.com/892/CalFresh—Food-Assistance

Just imagine biting into your own fresh juicy tomato paired with aromatic basil, making your own homemade tomato sauce or snacking on crunchy green beans or lunchbox sweet peppers for lunch all from your own garden! Reduce your food footprint today, increase the taste of your food and enjoy being able to walk outside your home to pick part of your meal. With a little luck, water, sunshine, plants and nurturing, you can be snacking on your own homegrown veggies this summer!

For more information or to get involved sign up online on the Food Policy Council website page at: https://sierraharvest.org/connect/food-policy-council/. Look for this continued series which is informed by the Nevada County Food Policy council’s recent food system assessment every month.  Read the Food System Assessment here: https://sierraharvest.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/FSA-2020_011121.pdf

Amanda Thibodeau is with the Nevada County Food Policy Council

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