May 29 | 2023 KEEPING YOUR GARDEN GOING STRONG By this time, most people have their gardens planted, but we want to make sure that we do what is needed to keep our gardens going strong throughout the growing season. Organic Fertilizers + Amendments One gardening task we don't want to forget to do is feed our plants throughout the growing season. Most vegetables are heavy feeders, meaning they need a lot of nutrients to grow strong and produce quality fruit (tomatoes especially). We have a variety of Organic fertilizers including: liquid fish + seaweed fertilizer; vegan fertilizer, a variety of Espoma tones for veggies, berries, trees, etc.; worm castings; and more. I set a monthly reminder on my phone so that I don't forget to fertilize. Organic Compost + Manures Another - even more natural - way to feed our plants is to use organic compost. Your beds may still be full of soil from last year, but adding Daddy Pete's cow manure, chicken manure and/or mushroom compost will help replace the important nutrients that last year's plants used. If you don't already compost your kitchen scraps, now is a good time to start. You may not have the space/ability to have a compost pile outside, so a good practice is to dig a hole in your garden, dump in your fruit and veggie scraps, coffee grounds, egg shells, etc. and cover it back up. The worms and microbes in the soil will do the work of turning it into plant food. You can learn more about composting by reading this article from the Old Farmer's Almanac. Plant Supports It is never fun to go out to your garden and see that wind or the weight of a plant has caused it to fall over/break, or to see that something has been eating your plants. We have sturdy tomato cages and bamboo poles to help support your tomatoes, peppers, and other tall plants, and a teepee trellis to keep your vining plants off the ground and away from slugs, earwigs, and other critters that love your veggies just as much as you do. Gardening Supplies Everyone needs a good pair of durable gardening/work gloves, and these Nitrile touch gloves allow you to perform a variety of tasks without the bulkiness of typical gloves. We also have natural jute twine to tie up your veggies, and a rapitest soil tester to see whether your pH levels are where they should be depending on your plants' needs. (We have Espoma organic Soil Acidifier and Garden Lime to raise or lower soil pH.) It's also very important to keep up with watering during our hot summer months when rain may be lacking. We have some great sprinklers to help you out. Organic Mulch When our garden soil is exposed to the elements (wind, sun, freezing temperatures, etc.) the soil dries out quicker and the nutrients in the soil are depleted, and are therefore unavailable to our plants. It is a good idea to lay an inch or two of mulch in gardens and flower beds to help retain nutrients and moisture. This will also lengthen time in between watering, and will keep weeds from becoming prevalent in your garden. We have Daddy Pete's Organic aged Hardwood Mulch and Mini Pine Bark Nuggets available. FATHERS'S DAY EVENT | 6/17/23 For this year's Father's Day event, we will be offering an informative free workshop, providing free samples of some of the great products we have here in the store, and more! Further details to come next week. 40% OFF ALL VEGETABLE/MELON PLANTS There is plenty of time to get a garden planted, and we still have a selection of vegetable and melon plant starts available: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, kales, broccoli, cauliflower, collards, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, onions, squashes, okra, and cantaloupe. We also have plenty of great seeds from Sow True Seed (Asheville, NC) that will germinate quickly with our long sunny days. Please note: sweet potato slips are not on sale. FIRST STOP INCENTIVE We would love to be the first place you stop on your weekly shopping trip. When you purchase $150+ in grocery, household, and personal care essentials , you automatically receive 10% off those items . This includes, but is not limited to: produce, meat, dairy, canned goods, coffee, bread, oral care, soaps, shampoos + conditioners, feminine care products, laundry detergent, dish washing products, and more! COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY In order to be more sustainable in our daily operations, we ask that you bring your reusable bag(s) when you shop with us. We have many wonderful bags available for purchase here in the store, all of which give back to the environment with each sale. We have paper bags available for a fee... while they last. THIS WEEK'S LOCAL + SEASONAL PRODUCE VEGETABLES Bradford Farm - organically grown ​ Fresh Spring Onions Lacinato "Dino" Kale Purple Kale Red Russian Kale Yellow Summer Squash Zucchini Squash Green Thumb Gardens - Concord, NC - organically grown ​ Arugula Magda Mediterranean Squash (zucchini variety) Red Slicing Tomatoes Salad Mix Zephyr Squash Street Fare Farm - Concord, NC - organically grown - arrives Wednesday ​ Broccoli Shoots Easter Egg Radishes French Breakfast Radishes Hakurei Turnips Pea Shoots Sunflower Shoots The Fit Farmer - Concord, NC - organically grown ​ Microgreens Salad Mix Organic Baby Bella Mushrooms - PA Organic Broccoli - NC Organic Carrots - NC (sale! - fresh arrive Friday) Organic Cauliflower - CA (arrives Friday) Organic Covington Sweet Potatoes - NC Organic Cucumbers - NC Organic Fair Trade Avocados - Mexico Organic Garlic - CA ​​ ​Organic Green Cabbage - NC ​​​ Organic Leeks - CA (sale!) ​ Organic Murasaki Sweet Potatoes - NC Organic Mustard Greens - NC (arrive Friday) Organic Purple Sweet Potatoes - NC Organic Red Beets - NC Organic Red Cabbage - FL ​Organic Red Grape Tomatoes - NC Organic Red Onions - NC Organic Red Skin Potatoes - CA Organic Roma Tomatoes - NC (arrive Friday) Organic Russet Potatoes - WI Organic Shallots - CA Organic Shiitake Mushrooms - GA Organic Spinach - NC Organic Vidalia Onions - GA Organic Yellow Gold Potatoes - WI / CA (sale!) Organic Yellow Onions - CA FRUIT Organic Biodynamic Navel Oranges - CA Organic Biodynamic Raisins - CA Organic Blood Oranges - CA Organic Blueberries - SC/NC (more arrive Friday) Organic Fair Trade Bananas - Peru/Ecuador ​Organic Fair Trade Pineapple - Mexico Organic Fuji Apples - WA Organic Granny Smith Apples - WA Organic Honeycrisp Apples - WA Organic Lemons - CA Organic Murcott Tangerines - CA (sale!) Organic Pink Lady Apples - WA ​ Organic Strawberries - NC (more arrive Friday) Fact of the Week: Miracle-Gro, Scotts products, and Round-up have been exposed by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and found guilty in U.S. Federal Court for purposefully mislabeling their products that contain cancer-causing carcinogens, and other harmful chemicals that are lethal to animals and the environment. Worse yet, these chemicals end up in the food that we grow. Bonus: If you can tell me the above fact when you come in to the store this week, you will receive a 10% discount on your purchase! Thanks for reading the newsletter. Check out our new (in progress) website HERE ​! Our garden taking off in early June last year. By shopping with us, you are supporting your local farmers, artisans, and the economy. We thank you. ~Correne + Frank LaRoche~ Follow us @thebradfordmarket ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌   ‌