Grow Your Own or Buy Local Food

Summary: Try growing food at home or visiting the Ashland Farmer's Market for a fantastic selection of local produce, fish, cheeses, and more!

Description

Vegetable gardening gets you outside and working in nature. There is nothing like it to lift your spirits! It keeps you moving, puts everyone in the family to work, teaches kids where their food comes from, and produces tasty, healthy organic food with zero food miles on it.  An abundant, well-tended vegetable garden is also a joy to look at. 

To get you started there are many resources on the internet (and old-fashioned books). Good references are “Starting a Vegetable Garden” and “Vegetable Gardening for Beginners.” Also check out GrowVeg, a software tool that allows you to plan and track your garden from seed to harvest, in both space and time. It also offers a series of fun videos. Cornell University has a helpful series of growing guides. 

If you don’t have a sunny spot, but want to grow with others, the Ashland Community Gardens offers small 4x 10 ft plots for Ashland resident only. You can
grow veggies or flowers in the company of many beginners and experts alike. The 57 beds of the Ashland Community Gardens is located in downtown Ashland adjacent to Stone Park with great sun and great soil. There is a waiting list for open spots, so plan ahead.

In addition, you can also buy fresh local produce, as well as freshly-caught fish, artisanal baked goods, craft cheeses and specialty products at the Ashland Farmers Market on Saturdays from 9 am - 1 pm from June through October. The market is located on Front Street across from the Ashland library.

Deep Dive

The Ashland Community Gardens is located on the former tennis court on Park Road adjacent to Stone Park

The gardens provide a communal space for residents to grow a variety of organic vegetables, and flowers. Garden plots are 4’ X 10’ with 39 raised beds and 19 inground beds. 

The cost of a bed is $30 per season, which includes water, fertilizer, tools in the shed, free advice and yearly fresh compost.

Since this is a community garden all gardeners are expected to help with the maintenance tasks

Steps to Take

For the Ashland Community Gardens

1. Email info@AshlandCommunityGardens.org to be placed on the waiting list

For the Ashland Farmers Market

1. Check the AFM website (https://www.ashlandfarmersmarket.org/) for when the market starts each year and what vendors will be available each week
2. Sign up for the weekly eblast on the website or by emailing info@AshlandFarmersMarket.org

And let us know how it is going by leaving a Testimonial under the tab above!