Star Light Gardens is a USDA Certified Organic and Real Organic Project, four season market garden located in Durham and Middlefield. On our 8 acres we grow a wide variety of vegetables and cut flowers. Our goal is to have delicious, nutrient dense produce available for the Good Food people of CT 12 months of the year. We accomplish this using season extension. Growing in our unheated greenhouses (aka high tunnels) we are able to offer winter favorites, like spinach, while also getting a head start on crops like our beloved Mothers’ day carrots and scrumptious Sungold tomatoes. Soil health and regenerative practices are always at the forefront of our minds here at SLG. Creating healthy soil is not only better for the environment, it also makes our job easier. Healthy soil fosters a well-balanced ecosystem and amazing crops. We take pride in doing things, like weeding and harvesting, the harder, slower way. We prefer being closer to the soil to lower our impact on it, and we believe our love for this land comes through in our produce.
David and Ty Zemelsky started Star Light Gardens in 1999 on 3 acres in Durham. Following the influential farmer, Eliot Coleman, they built SLG’s original 6 high tunnels and started to practice season extension. High end restaurants throughout the state couldn’t get enough of their salad and microgreens. Eventually they were approached about attending farmers’ markets, some of which we still attend today. It was at the Cityseed farmers’ market where David met and hired Joel in 2011. And in 2018, at the same farmers’ market Joel met Jen, who David hired as well. Over the years Star Light’s approach to growing shifted from solely greens to a large spread of many different crops to take to the markets. It wasn’t long after Jen and Joel met that Ty passed away and David was ready to take some steps back from the farm. J + J started handling the day to day on the farm, all the while it started to feel more and more like home. Under David’s mentorship Joel and Jen gained confidence as growers and the farm was blossoming with new energy. In 2021 Jen + Joel bought an additional 5 acres in neighboring Middlefield. All together, Star Light Gardens now consists of 8 farmable acres, 14 high tunnels, and 2 nurseries. In 2023, David, Jen and Joel’s lives changed forever; David fully retired and generously sold the land and the business to J + J. A dream come true to say the least. Read a beautiful letter from David, and a humbled one from J + J.
Although many things have changed over the years, our commitment to accessible, high quality produce year round has not. We mainly sell at farmers’ markets these days, and it is there that some of our most cherished connections have formed. It is a true honor to get to know our customers so personally through our produce. The community that is cultivated at farmers’ markets is something special, and we hope if you are interested you join us. At our market stand you will find we still take great care in growing salad greens as well as many root veggies, Asian greens like bok choy, classic kale, unique crops like fresh ginger and turmeric and of course summer staples like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. Not to mention our cut flowers and many many other veggies. We also offer on farm pick up 2 days a week, a year round market credit style CSA and weekly newsletters so you can get to know what is going on behind the scenes at the farm and how your food is grown. In any way your pleasure tends, we hope to get to know you. Feel free to reach out.