Valley Bounty, May 4: Vegetable starts and bedding plants

Grow your own vegetables or flowers this summer with help from local farms! Visit farmers’ markets and retailers to find bedding plants, or starts, of a wide variety of vegetables suited for our region. Take advantage of the farmers’ knowledge: ask about favorite varieties, space requirements, and timing for transplanting. Put a pot of basil on your patio, plant salad greens for easy cutting just before dinner, or plan a snacking garden of snap peas and cherry tomatoes.

 Web Extras

To find locally grown bedding plants or starts, follow these links:

• Farmers who grow bedding plants and sell directly to the public (enter your own zip code at the bottom to find the farms closest to you)

• Retailers who sell locally grown bedding plants

• Farmers’ markets are well-stocked with bedding plants this time of year; click to find locations and times.

Learning more about growing your own:

Check CISA’s events page for upcoming classes and workshops.

Berkshire County resident Ron Kujawski wrote “The Gardener’s Checklist,” a weekly column carried by the Daily Hampshire Gazette for many years. He and his daughter Jennifer have written a new book, Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook: Perfectly Timed Gardening for Your Most Bountiful Harvest Ever. If you are new to gardening, this might be a great reference since the authors are very familiar with our climate. The Garden Primer, written by Maine gardener Barbara Damrosch, is a well-loved gardening guide.