Growing Starter Plants from West Haven farm

Published in Spring 2023 GreenLeaf Quarterly Newsletter

West Haven Farm, a 10+ acre farm located on the land of EcoVillage at Ithaca, was started more than 30 years ago by John and Jen Bokaer-Smith and purchased in 2019 by its current owners, Carlos Aguilera and Lorena Mendoza. The farm operates a successful CSA (Community Support Agriculture) share program and sells certified organic produce at Ithaca Farmers Market. GreenStar customers can also find West Haven’s organic microgreens and apples in the Co-op’s produce department, and this spring more than 100 varieties of their starter plants will be available at GreenStar’s Cascadilla store.

West Haven Farm’s CSA Manager, Meagan Wright provided insight into their nursery plant program and shared some tips for beginning gardeners.

“We’re offering nursery plants at GreenStar earlier than anywhere else,” Meagan said. “In late April the cold, hardy plants will start to be available at the Co-op and by mid-May we’ll have the full selection there. Customers will be able to choose from more than 100 varieties from vegetable starters and herbs to annual and perennial flowers.”

Meagan advises that starter plants are coming out of the greenhouse for the first time and should be tended to in their pots for 24 – 48 hours, so they can acclimate to the outdoors before transferring them to a garden or container. Be mindful of the frost when deciding when to plant. Warm weather plants are usually safe for planting after May 15.

If you’re gardening vegetable plants for the first time and want to start with easy-growers, Meagan recommends kale, lettuce, or Swiss chard. Peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, and heirloom tomatoes can be tricky, because they require more space to grow and a bit more experience and knowledge to know when the fruit is ripe and ready for picking.

“Each starter plant will have a top stake identifying the plant variety and care instructions,” Meagan said. “But it’s a good idea to research the varieties you’re interested in growing and know what they should look like when they’re ready to be picked. Most varieties are partial to full sun, but if they’re shade tolerant that will be stated on the tag.”

For gardeners seeking to grow flowers, Meagan suggests zinnias, marigolds, cosmos, or violas, because, “it’s hard to get them not to flower.”

“We hope that people will be open to experimenting and have fun with different varieties of both vegetable and flower starters,” added Meagan. “We’re also happy to answer questions from GreenStar customers about the farm or our plants.”