February 13 | 2023 PLANNING YOUR GARDEN Whether your garden consists of a few acres or a few container pots, it is always helpful to plan what you will grow so that you maximize your space, plant in ways that are best for you and your plants, and rotate crops appropriately . SQUARE-FOOT GARDENING Square-foot gardening (SFG) creates easy to manage gardens that maximize space, and minimize weed growth and hands-on management. Every plant needs a certain amount of space to grow properly, and SFG ensures that you will not crowd your plants; cutting down on risk of disease and increasing fruit production. Different plants also have different root depths, and therefore can be planted closer together. Companion planting (see below) within your SFG plan is also a great way to make the most of what you have. This form of gardening works best in raised beds, but can be applied to any type of garden. When you map-out your garden on paper or digitally, you can refer back to this plan year after year to ensure that you are rotating your crops appropriately (see below). Old Farmers Almanac article on SFG. COMPANION PLANTING Companion planting is when you deliberately choose to plant certain varieties next to each other for the benefit of one or both plants. Incorporating flowers in your garden attracts pollinators to your fruits and veggie blossoms, but choosing certain flowers can benefit in different ways. Nasturtiums, for example, attract pollinators, but also attract aphids and squash bugs away from vegetable plants (their leaves and flowers are also edible and packed with Vitamin C). Nasturtium vine or "crawl" atop the soil, protecting it from drying out, losing nutrients from the harsh sun/weather, and cutting down on weed growth (winter squash and melons do the same). This is just one of countless examples. I always make it a point to include as many throughout the garden as I can. We have three different seed varieties of Nasturtium available, and will receive the plants later in spring. Check out the guides below for more! Old Farmer's Almanac article on CP My planting guide that you can copy and modify SEED STARTING OR STARTER PLANTS? I, personally, love the process of starting my plants from seed; seeing them go from nothing into something that will provide food for us throughout the season. Frank built a seed-starting greenhouse for us out of old windows. Some people have grow lights or sunny spots in their house to start their seeds. For others, it is much more convenient to buy plants that are already started. Either way, we have over 200 varieties of open-pollinated seeds from Sow True Seed (Asheville, NC), and we will also have organic starter plants available for you from local nurseries and farms starting the last week of February with the more cold-tolerant varieties. Warm weather plants (tomatoes, basil, squash, etc.) arrive closer to mid-March (we wait to bring these in due to the risk of frost through mid-April). CROP ROTATION (CR) Different plants pull different nutrients from the soil. They also give back certain nutrients that the next crop can use for healthy growth. It is important to rotate where you plant your crops from year to year to ensure you are not depleting your soil of important nutrients. Not using CR also opens the door to an increase in disease and pests. This is another reason why planning out your garden each year is helpful. Right: sample crop rotation schedule from Homestead and Chill ​ (This site has a ton of amazing resources on homesteading). Old Farmer's Almanac article on Crop Rotation OLD FARMER'S ALMANAC We now carry the annual Old Farmer's Almanac. It is full of helpful gardening guides and tasks for each month, weather forecasts, folklore, astronomical tables/events, recipes, home remedies, wit, and more! MARK YOUR CALENDARS! PLANT SEAS ON GRAND OPENING SATURDAY, MARCH 4TH | 11:00A-2:00P We will have the pleasure of hosting four gardening experts that will conduct workshops/Q+As on different gardening topics. We will also be stocked on cool weather plant starts, herbs, native trees + bushes, and more! Further details to come next week! THIS WEEK'S LOCAL + SEASONAL PRODUCE VEGETABLES Bradford Farm - organically grown Arugula Lacinato "Dinosaur" Kale Purple Kale Red Russian Kale Salad Mix Swiss Chard Green Thumb Gardens - Concord, NC - organically grown Carrots Garlic Microgreens Street Fare Farm - Concord, NC - organically grown Baby Spinach Broccoli Shoots Pea Shoots Sunflower Shoots White Green Onions Organically Grown Microgreens - The Fit Farmer - Concord, NC Organic Baby Bella Mushrooms - PA Organic Blue Potatoes - PA Organic Broccoli - CA Organic Brussels Sprouts - NC Organic Butternut Squash - CA Organic Carnival Squash - PA Organic Cauliflower - CA Organic Covington Sweet Potatoes - NC Organic Fair Trade Avocados - Mexico Organic Garlic - CA ​​ Organic Gold Beets - PA Organic Green Bell Peppers - FL ​Organic Green Cabbage - NC Organic Green Kabocha Squash - SC Organic Jalapeno Peppers - FL Organic Mini Sweet Snacking Peppers - FL Organic Murasaki Sweet Potatoes - NC Organic Parsnips - NC Organic Portabella Mushroom Caps - PA (sale!) Organic Purple Sweet Potatoes - NC Organic Red Beets - NC Organic Red Cabbage - NC Organic Red Cherry Tomatoes - FL Organic Red Onions - CA Organic Red Skin Potatoes - WI Organic Russet Potatoes - WI Organic Shallots - CA Organic Shiitake Mushrooms - PA Organic Spaghetti Squash - CA Organic Yellow Gold Potatoes - WI Organic Yellow Onions - CA FRUIT Organic Biodynamic Navel Oranges - CA Organic Biodynamic Raisins - CA Organic Blood Oranges - CA Organic Fair Trade Bananas - Honduras Organic Fuji Apples - WA Organic Gala Apples - CA Organic Granny Smith Apples - WA (sale!) Organic Honeycrisp Apples - WA Organic Kiwi - CA Organic Lemons - CA Organic Minneola Tangelo Mandarins - CA Organic Pink Lady Apples - WA Organic Red Anjou Pears - WA Organic Ruby Red Grapefruit - CA Fact of the Week: The next couple of weeks - before you begin spring planting - is the time when you will want to add more soil and compost to your garden beds or containers so that they are full and ready to go for direct seeding and transplanting. We are fully stocked on Daddy Pete's (Stony Point, NC) organic soils, raised bed mix, compost, manures, and mulch. Check out our new (in progress) website HERE ​! The craziness that is our garden at the height of summer (where's Waldo?). By shopping with us, you are supporting your local farmers, artisans, and the economy. We thank you. Correne + Frank LaRoche Follow us @thebradfordmarket ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌