April 1st-Time to get Planting!

Happy April Fool’s Day! On this quintessential early spring day—complete with April showers and an increasingly greener landscape—it’s a perfect time to start thinking about your own garden. Even if you have joined Inverbrook CSA or are intending on meeting your vegetables needs at the Kennett Square Farmers Market, it is still nice to have a tomato or two and an herb garden in your own backyard (you can always donate produce to a food cupboard). Early April is a good time to start many of the vegetables you will eventually transplant to your garden plot. As luck would have it, we are blessed with two great resources here in Chester County -- Happy Cat Organics (seeds) and Organic Mechanics (potting soil)—the basic beginnings for a successful vegetable garden.

Happy Cat Organics is a small heirloom seed company run by husband and wife team Tim Mountz and Amy Bloom. Tim and Amy have recently launched a new business Farm in Your Yard and would be happy to set up a vegetable garden for you. Tim also works at Terrain at Styers and is giving two lectures/workshops this month at Terrain. Click here for Terrain’s April events calendar.

Organic Mechanics is run by local soil expert Mark Highland, whose potting soil company is located in Modena (just outside of Coatesville). His soil can be found in area garden centers and some grocery stores through out the county. Click here for a listing of locations. Watch this video with Mark and garden girl Patti Moreno—a great introduction to his product and instructions on how to brew your own compost tea.

If you do not have the time or space (in your home) to start your veggie garden seedlings—you are still in luck. Both Happy Cat and Organic Mechanic will be at the opening of the Kennett Square Farmers Market on Friday, May 15th at 2PM. At this point Happy Cat along with several other vendors will be selling vegetable starts. May 15th is the last frost date for our region so it will be safe to plant your tomatoes, basil, and peppers outside. Happy planting!