Garden a New Way!
We Sow -- You Plant
CT Seedlings is a BRIDGE between farmers and gardeners
As a home-gardener you love growing your own food and flowers.
You love the connection with nature and the freshness of your produce.
People have been growing plants for their families for thousands of years.
Why should we leave everything in the hands of large farms?
Did you know that most garden centers do not propagate their own plants? Almost all vegetable and flower seedlings are started in gigantic factory-like greenhouses and nurseries. Unless they are organic growers, these huge places use lots of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides to prevent “product” loss and weed growth. They also use strong fertilizers to make plants grow and flower fast. Large garden centers order their plants and the plants are delivered in huge box trucks, often shipped thousands of miles. That is an outrageous carbon footprint!
Start your own seeds!
We love starting seeds and we’d be happy to show you how!
You can find a reputable seed company, order them early so they don’t sell out, learn about their unique growing conditions, acquire seed trays and germinating soil mix, set up grow-lights, water them every day, protect them from fungal issues and mice, pot them up to a larger tray or pots, and then plant them in your garden.
People have been germinating seeds forever–you absolutely should try it if you haven’t before. It’s fun, inspiring and very empowering! See our favorite tools and materials >>
But what if you just can't do all of that? It takes a lot of time, energy, and space!
That's where we come in.
My mother and I have been germinating and growing vegetable, herb and flower seedlings for years. We have the space, the lights, the seed flats and the experience to grow healthy plants. We know what varieties do best in southern New England and how to seek out new ones to try. And most of all we really love doing it. Read more about our story here>>
Vegetable CSA's were just the beginning!
A model that helps both the growers and the community
HOW MARVELOUS!
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is “system that connects the producer and consumers within the food system more closely by allowing the consumer to subscribe to the harvest of a certain farm or group of farms. It is an alternative socioeconomic model of agriculture and food distribution that allows the producer and consumer to share the risks of farming” (Wiki site).
Our mission with CT Seedlings is to offer our Connecticut communities an option to GROW YOUR OWN produce, flowers and medicine with plant collections curated for different styles of gardens, families and skill levels.
We are a small family operation, meaning that your plants will be grown with individual care and attention. They are well-tended from seed to transplant and have strong roots and happy leaves. The CSA component of CT Seedlings is that we offer collections of plants that you, a home-gardener can pre-order months ahead of pick-up time. This allows us the time and money to order seeds and materials and grow exactly how and what YOU want in your garden.
We also have a primary focus on EDUCATION and COMMUNITY! We’ve chosen to offer plants and varieties that we know do well here in our region. We update our blog and newsletters with local gardening tips and advice, we host virtual (and hopefully in person next year!) workshops, and we are always here to answer your garden questions!
A CSA for your MENTAL as well as physical health
What greater power than growing exactly what you want to eat?
What greater joy than seeing your food flourish in your own space?
What greater freedom than having the comfort and support of experienced growers giving you a boost?
What greater peace than knowing your garden is a healing space in your ecosystem?
Welcome to CT Seedlings
Follow these 5 STEPS to a GREAT GARDEN:
Step 1: REFLECT
- How much space do you have available for your garden?
- What do you like to eat?
- How much time do you have for gardening this year?
- What kinds of vegetables or flowers give you the most joy?
- Do you have kids who like to play in the dirt?
Step 2: CHOOSE YOUR COLLECTIONS
We have designed collections to help you be successful in growing your dream garden! Whether you are brand new with only a tiny bit of space or well-seasoned with a large fenced in mini-farm, we have a collection for you! Brenda and Alani will get you started with SUPER healthy plants, grown with love for mother earth, and accessible for our vast diversity of minds.
Summer Vegetable Collections
For pick-up in May
Tomato Collection
Salsa / Sauce Collection
Design-Your-Own Collection
Summer Flower Collections
For pick-up in May
Pollinator Habitat
Jewels & Gems
Antiques
Step 3: PICK UP YOUR PLANTS
We propagate and grow all our plants from seed, cutting, and division at our farm in Bethany, CT.
All plants will have healthy root systems and will be ready to plant in your garden when you pick them up. We use CowPots, a sustainable local plantable pot, for almost all of our plants. These pots are made out of cow manure in Canaan, CT and can be planted directly in the ground or container. The cow manure is a very renewable resource (unlike peat) and actually feeds the soil as it breaks down.
We will schedule plant sale and distribution days that are convenient for our local customers. Most of our customers last year haled from New Haven County as well as the Eastern Shoreline areas and we had plant sales and pick ups in Bethany, Cheshire, and Guilford locations. We offer no shipping at this time, so please make sure to share your town/region with us so we can plan our pickup days.
After you make a purchase, we will contact you to schedule a convenient pick-up location and date. For more info about this see our FAQs. We’ll have a few options so please check your email regularly. Save our email address into your contacts and be aware that the emails may appear in your “Promotions” folder if you have Gmail.
2024 schedule:
Summer Collections: Early-May
Fall Collections: Early-Sept
Garlic: Oct4
Step 4: PLANT YOUR GARDEN
We will be handing you seedlings at the right time to plant them. These babies will be big and healthy and hardened off before you get them. We have chosen to use CowPots for many plants so you can just put the whole pot in the ground. We strongly encourage you to have your garden prepped and ready so that you can pop the plants into the soil soon after receiving them.
Step 5: STAY CONNECTED
With our garden collections you’re getting more than just food from your garden! Working in your garden is a stress reliever, a way to get your family outside, to slow down and experience plants, insects, soil, and natural cycles. We also give you the opportunity to ask your burning questions of Brenda, a Master Gardener who has a lifetime of experience with both home gardening and small-scale vegetable farming. You can also connect with other area gardeners in our group sessions!