Author: starlightgardens54

It sure doesn’t feel quite like Spring outside this morning and we suppose a lot of this past week also didn’t feel like Spring. Rather this past week really felt like Summer complete with shorts, sandals, tank tops and plenty of water to go along with all the hard work. The outside fields are filling up fast making needed room in the nursery for the more heat loving not frost tolerant plants that will be more than just a Winter’s dream before we know it. In fact a sure sign of the season to come beyond Summer like days is the fact that we are less than two weeks away from both May and the start of the 2026 Madison Farmers’ Market season. That’s right Friday May 1st we will be returning to the Madison Historic Green every Friday 3-6pm running through late November. That means on Fridays you will have two chances to shop with us both here on the farm for open Farm Shop Hours and the Madison Farmers’ market both from 3-6.

That is of course is great news not only for you Good Food enthusiast but for those of you who enjoy growing your own Good Food. If you made it to the market this past Saturday you may have noticed the selection of veg and flower starts had more than doubled from the previous week. For the next month or so that will be the case, more and more of your favorite varieties of garden starts will be showing up here at the farm stand and at markets. Don’t forget that you can also preorder plants for pick up Friday and Saturday on farm or at the markets. When preordering you can take advantage of our 10 plants for 50$ sale by choosing the item Garden Start Sale 10 plants for 50$ and once you have checked out email us with the ten plants of your choice. Not sure what garden starts you want to get? Come on by to the markets or the farm shop and we can go over the options. We always say we love talking plants and growing and there is always something special about sharing the adventure of cultivation with all of you.

On the note of special things for the most part we don’t need to tell any of you just how special the Good Food Community that exists on Saturday is. A lot goes on to make that market what it is the customers, the vendors, CitySeed and the City of New Haven. Building Manager for Conte West Hills School Dennis Tondalo has been a big part of making it a clean and safe environment for all of us who attend the market each week. If you have had the pleasure of meeting Dennis his character and genuine kindness come through instantly and it is quickly apparent that he is dedicated to his position. He goes the extra mile to make the market a great place for every member of the community and is definitely a friend of SLG. Dennis was featured in a recent New Haven Independent article which highlights his concerns with renovations in the school’s currently closed pool. Read Here We encourage you to read the article and if so inclined show support in whatever way you can, even simply commenting and sharing this story.

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Just over 3 years ago after many years of co management by J and J Star Light Gardens’ ownership officially changed hands from David to them. With his plan being to continue helping SLG at the markets we of course assumed David was a farmer who would be keeping one foot in the garden. Not long after, David reinventing himself yet again renewed his therapist license and began working at the Grove school in Madison. A move that both surprised us and at the same time was no surprise at all. Of course it was a little bitter sweet as we were happy for our dear friend but saddened at the ending of an era where David was a staple on the farm always to be found deep in the tomato jungle pruning and training this year’s crop. So as you could imagine last year when David announced that he was starting a four season gardening group at the Grove school we were delighted. Over the Summer and Fall of 2025 David was popping by the farm more and more grabbing extra seedlings, seeds and supplies, telling tales of the garden they are building, proving that you really can’t take the Farmer out of David. Last week the cafeteria at the grove school featured a unique Winter only green claytonia, grown by the school’s very own gardening group led by none other than the Tomato Scientist himself. So here we are the teacher’s students, watching him continue to impact lives with his kindness, understanding and love of growing all while knowing just how lucky we were to have been in that position.

Nostalgia aside the fact of the matter is the weather is turning and the fields are calling our names. It is week 3 for the main season and we have filled all the tunnel space we are willing to with cooler season crops and now must turn to the outer fields. More onions, lettuce, kale, collards, spinach, chard and choys are slated to get into the ground as well as this season’s first outdoor direct seedings. So far two of the high tunnels are in full Summer crop mode one with tomatoes and the other with flowers. This year’s first cukes will be getting transplanted this week and we even are getting so enthusiastic as to be starting melons in the grow room.

With temps this week approaching the 80 degree mark it might not seem like the craziest idea to be starting melons, however there are two things to keep in mind. One concerning melons our first rounds will be in a high tunnel and two this is Connecticut and the weather can be fickle. Just this morning after days of being reassured that no low temps were ahead the evil number 34 showed up as a low in the not too distant future. It is with this thought in mind as to when we start and bring the warmer weather garden starts to the markets. The next few weeks will still be mostly cooler weather crops but rest assured the nursery is filling up with all your favorite Summer veg. The plant sale is live on the website now for your preordering needs or just stop by the the farm stand 3-6 on Fridays.

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With it officially being Spring and the worst of the cold weather behind us(hopefully) for the season it is time to say goodbye to the good and bad of Winter. Yes we did say good, despite it’s best efforts to sour us the fact is Winter does have some redeeming qualities. So as we rejoice with the returning of the Summer sun let us not forget and send a fond farewell to Winter’s unique treats. Goodbye claytonia and Siberian kale, your resilience, cold hardiness and nutritional density rivals that of any veg we grow. Sweet Winter spinach oh how we love you so and though we will continue to plant spinach for a couple of months, the sweetness and growth pattern of Winter Spinach will have us spending hot summer days dreaming of easy late season spinach harvests. Then there is of course Winter carrots, as sweet as candy, a bright orange ray of sunlight in the bleak landscape of Winter. Carrots too are something we grow all season but as we say around the markets, “the only trouble with Winter carrots is they are so good it ruins carrots for the rest of the year.” The good news is we have a little bit of time left for you to enjoy all this Winter Veg, but be warned the clock is ticking.

It is always tough saying goodbye to old friends even if it is just for a few months but it helps when there are some new folks(or plants) around to lighten the mood. So with the first 240 or so sungold plants in the ground and another 240 fennel getting ready to join them it’s safe the say that any sad feelings about the season transitioning are quickly replaced with the thoughts of the first tomato or sweet crisp cucumber of Summer. This week saw the official start of the main season and we were joined by 3 more crew members, giving us a better chance to grab the bull by the horns so to speak. With 90% of the field space in Middlefield, having been in production the previous year, this year we are starting off in a much better place concerning bed prep in Middlefield than ever before. This was quite evident last week with the ease of planting this year’s first onions, kales, collards, chard and parsley. More onions are on the agenda this week as well as the first major flower planting of the year which will take place in the tunnel most recently occupied by our hardworking farm animals the chickens and sheep.

This past Saturday we also kicked off the official outside market season with the New Haven Saturday market moving back outside and returning to it’s regular 9-1 schedule. The first garden starts and tulips of the season made their appearance and will be showing up in force again this week at the market as well as our Open Farm Shop hours, every Friday from 3-6 in Middlefield. Oh, you didn’t know about our open shop hours? It’s a newer thing here at Star Light Gardens and it’s a chance for you Good Food people to shop without or in addition to preordering, see what has made it to the market that hadn’t made it onto the website and a chance for us and you to chat and connect around an important community staple Good Food.

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With all the effort, planning and organization that goes into farming especially on a 12 month schedule it’s hard to not feel a little warn out. There does certainly come a point at this transitional phase in the season, when trying to wrap our heads around how much needs to be done is seemingly impossible. If we could just get a little more help or maybe just push pause on one of the tunnels for a few days? Luckily for us we always keep a few extra helpers on hand just for these situations, enter the chickens and sheep.

The use of animals going hand in hand with vegetable production is by no means a new idea and when done right can be looked at as a true form of regenerative agriculture or even better yet the way things used to be. Ever since acquiring SLGNW the use of animals to help maintain and regenerate the soil health of the fields and tunnels has been a goal. It can be a tricky thing for intensive market gardeners like ourselves though, since the requirements for organic production put a 3-4 month time line from incorporation to harvest depending on the crop. We have found a few things like Winter carrots, sweet potatoes and late tomatoes where the timing is perfect. Though it is not possible for everything, we do continue to get the animals on the soil for both it’s improvement and saving us some effort as much as we possibly can. Another great crop to follow the animals after they have been munching in a tunnel is flowers. Even though the timing is pretty close to that of food production, flowers being not consumed for food relieve us of these time restrictions. The first tunnel this year to receive a visit from the animals, will be just that case, veg to flowers. So Thursday after harvesting the last spinach from that tunnel we released the animals to eat to their hearts content. It is always impressive to us just how much a small group of animals can do in just a short period of time transforming and overgrown, flowering tunnel of greens to something that looks like a lawn mower went over it.

Unfortunately for us there are still a lot of tunnels to be transformed from Winter to Summer production and the animals just can’t do their thing in every one. Fortunately, for us tomorrow marks the official start of the main growing season and with it comes three more crew members to help us take on April. Including J and J that will have us up to 6 bodies on the farm and certainly just in the nick of time as the fields are drying out and the daily temps keep rising. Remember in addition to preorder the farm stand is officially open for the season Friday’s 3-6, come by, say hi and get a chance to meet the stars of this weeks newsletter.

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With the long awaited arrival of Spring finally upon us it is certainly cause for celebration. The day length, the angle of the sun, visibly growing plants as well as the Spring songs of countless birds, all indicate that we are rounding the bend into a warmer time of year. Still some restraint is required as the outside fields remain a bit too wet and cold to prep and plant into. Rest assured that we and growers like us across the region wait with baited breath, transplants, seeds and compost in hand, for just the right moment to officially commence the outside growing season.

Here at SLG this could be considered the last week of the scaled down Winter crew(Thanks Adrianna). Next week with the last day of March we will be welcoming the first 3 crew members back and to the farm for the main season. With some additional help on the farm we plan to be planting the first round of outside crops for 2026, realistically nearly a month later than we would have liked to. We’ll be transplanting a couple of types of kale and collards, some Swiss chard, parsley and around 4,000 or so onions. Surely there is no need to tell any of you how good it will feel to be getting back out into the fields and we will certainly be glad to have the number of farmers on site doubling to accommodate the work load.

This week also marks the last indoor Saturday New Haven Market. Starting 4/4 we will be back outside at Conte West School and opening one hour earlier running from 9-1. Being back outside on Saturday’s will be just one more sign of the season as we begin to bring the first round of veg. flower and herb starts for this years plant sale. Of course before we know it we will be talking about all the markets of the season to come and the count down is on with only 5 weeks until the start of the Madison Farmer’s Market and Chester not long after that. In addition to the markets our Open Farm Shop hours kicked off last week so along with preorder pick up you can stop by Fridays from 3-6 and see what delicious veg we have to offer. We will of course also have the full variety of garden starts available at the shop as season progresses.

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With nearly all of the snow now melted away except for in the darkest corners of the farms and Spring peaking it’s head out from behind what seemed to be an impossibly long Winter, there’s no denying it. The whirlwind that is the main growing season is just ahead. This past week saw a literal transformation on the farm as the thick layers of ice and snow disappeared at a nearly impossible pace. The large amount of snow which had piled up between the tunnels this Winter did have us a little concerned about the state of the garlic planted below. However, our fears were quickly laid to rest and the garlic popped up seemingly overnight and looks to be off to a good start. The low tunnels in the fields with overwintered onions and carrots were accessible for the first time in months and surely appreciated being uncovered and the chance to breath the fresh late Winter air.

On the Subject of good starts, the unofficial start of the season for our first 3 new crew members definitely has us feeling optimistic about the season to come. We have one more round coming in next week for another get your hands dirty orientation day and in just two weeks we’ll be up to 4 crew members on farm with another 4 starting in May. It is always a really interesting change in the liveliness both in nature and activity on the farm. One week it’s cold, desolate and you wonder if the snow will ever reveal those things we neglected to put away last season. And the next you’re firing on all cylinders trying to find space on the overfilled nursery tables, beds to fill with transplants and returning to the rhythm of 12 hours 8 days a week.

In case the official start of Spring doesn’t have you excited enough for the end of the week perhaps the official reopening of SLG Open Farm Shop hours will. That’s right returning this and every Friday for the remainder of the season from 3-6 you can come and shop the farm stand without or in addition to preordering. After a soft start to the Farm Stand this Fall we are excited to be able to offer the bounty of the full season. Keep a look out in the coming weeks as we begin to offer the first of this year’s garden starts and before you know it this season’s first Tulips, hmm Spring.

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Just as the snow will melt, the mud will dry and the grass will grow and if yesterday’s warm temps weren’t enough the next couple of days should mostly do the trick. We are keeping our eyes peeled for the year’s first snow drops and daffodils while rumors of dandelion sightings fill the air. When you really think about it in a business like ours it can be a challenge to not feel behind. Combine that with behind trapped in an icy prison like Superman’s fortress of solitude for a few months and the pressure is palatable. The feeling that the switch is going to be flicked any moment and we will be hurled head long into the thick of the season is looming and there’s not too much more to say about it besides we are going to be as ready as we can for it. So this week we will be diving right into the mud and meeting the season where it matters most.

Last week on the farm we received two well anticipated deliveries both equally important. Arriving safely, it was a long journey from Hawaii to our doorstep for this year’s ginger and turmeric. However, the journey for our Hawaiian friends is only beginning. Tucked away safely in one of the germ chambers these rhizomes will sit warm and safe for around a month until they begin to sprout. After that it’s another month or so on the nursery table, then the big planting in May followed by late summer harvest. The other delivery though needed turned out to be a little bit of a let down. We did in fact receive a new igniter for our nursery furnace however sans an essential bracket which allows the newer style igniter to attach to the heater. A detail sadly we did not have. So while we wait for the part the game of heaters borrowing parts from each other continues. The good news is that the main nursery is now up and running and nearly filled, suspiciously though with a lot more flowers than vegetables, for now.

Said Nursery will be quite the hot bed of activity tomorrow and not just because the high is in the 70’s. Tomorrow we welcome the first round of new SLG crew members for a little orientation and get your hands dirty day. We are looking at it as a chance to knock off some administrative necessities, while getting to know us, the farm and the work a little better. We are still a few weeks off from the full season crew officially starting but there is no denying that one way to handle the over whelming feeling of a season starting is to fill the farm with a bunch of eager new farmers. With Spring officially starting next week we are also bringing back Open Farm Shop hours Friday from 3-6. That’s right returning 3/20 and running through the remainder of the season in addition to Friday and Saturday preorder you can swing by the farm in Middlefield Friday from 3-6 and see what is available. Hope to see you there.

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It may still be cold and frozen outside with a slight forecast of snow and rain for tomorrow but we have crossed the threshold into March and surely warmers days lie ahead. Highs over 50 and not too cold of lows are predicted for the next two weeks which means the big thaw will be on and the transition to mud season is at hand. For the shortest month of the year February sure seemed to last forever and it’s cold icy grip has left us feeling a little behind. That can be the irony of mud season, our urgency to rush and get everything done is at an all time high. However, if you move too carelessly the treacherous muddy terrain will leave you flat on your back or performing unplanned gymnastic floor routines as you struggle to stay upright. Luckily with the sun staying in the sky a little longer there’s hopefully enough extra time in the work day to accommodate.

We also desperately are needing to accommodate for the requirement of more space for baby plants. One look at the amount of veg, herb and flower starts in our grow room and there is no disputing the fact the it is time to fire up the main nursery. Especially when considering that with the arrival of March the seeding and re potting work for the Spring plant sale as well as our own main season crops will be in full swing. Among other things that means tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes, but before we can get too ahead of ourselves out in the nursery there are a few important to dos to be done. One is replacing a part in the furnace for the nursery that with any luck will be arriving today(fingers crossed). And two is the construction of another germination chamber. Now we know what you all are saying, “isn’t four germination chambers enough do they really need five?” Well actually no, it turns out that five just isn’t enough and a sixth will be needed for the ginger and turmeric which should be arriving from Hawaii before we know it. With snow on the ground and a fire in the stove it’s hard to fully grasp that things will be looking down right tropical in the nursery and tunnels before we know it.

One thing we do know is that with the return of light and warmer days the greens are responding and we can confirm growth that is more than just the desperate hallucinations of frozen farmers. We look forward to a slightly easier week when it comes to harvesting greens and will be happy to bring more than we have in weeks to the market. Unfortunately, we are still a few weeks off continuing open farm shop Friday but we will update you as soon as a date is established. Both Friday and Saturday pre order pick up are now open.

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It’s probably pretty safe to say that collectively across CT this past week we all were getting our hopes up for a good thaw. Slowly as the week went on the bright white landscape began to reveal the greens, browns and yellows that have been hiding below for what seemed like 3 Winters. Personally as the weather forecast came in we here at SLG were in complete denial, unfortunately that will only get you so far. As the week began to wrap up there was no denying the Winter scene we’ve become all too accustomed to would return. So Sunday would be spent prepping as best we could on the farms, even patching some holes in the tunnels which that last storm revealed to us when we came upon a few piles of snow inside where it should not be.

Despite the one step forward and two steps back feeling that another foot plus of snow falling in a tough Winter gives you. The fact of the matter is we did get a chance to do a good deal of much needed work in the warmth last week. Several beds were prepped and either direct seeded or transplanted into, making much needed room in the overflow tunnel and on the never ending to do list. As soon as one round of transplants are taken out to be planted their spot is filled from the never ending train of transplants leaving the grow room. It’s both a great and overwhelming feeling to see so many little plants, thousands really that are just the tip of the iceberg in the scheme of how much veg gets in the ground here throughout a season. And one of the best ways to experience all this bounty is through our less than traditional, but gaining in popularity style CSA. Unlike the traditional 12-16 weeks of farm packed boxes, our CSA allows you to choose what and how much you want, when you want it. It offers flexibility in both cost and when you can sign up. CLICK HERE FOR INFO.

Another feeling that isn’t great by any stretch yet is certainly overwhelming is wrapping our heads around the work week harvest wise, in the face of more Wintry conditions. With over a foot on the ground and more snow to come this week the amount of time we are going to have to spend clearing the snow between Durham and Middlefield is less than desirable. Cold temps will also hinder our ability to harvest a lot early in the week. As a result of this we will more than likely still be harvesting as late as we can Friday. Unfortunately this translates into no Friday pickup for preorder this week there will only be Saturday pick up. Once again we appreciate everyone’s understanding with schedule changes due to the weather.

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There’s nothing like a couple of months with below freezing temperatures and snow covered ground to make a farmer look forward to the season of slipping in cold mud. And that is how we are feeling today looking at the 10 day forecast. Despite the best efforts of those scheming groundhogs around the country, it seems cupid has sent us a little warm up this year with his love arrow. With temps above freezing and not too cool at night it’s time to get back to doing all those things that you just can’t when in the midst of a polar vortex. We’ll be direct seeding, watering and transplanting as if our lives depend upon it this week trying to plant as much as we can and get ahead of the season.

As many of you know the past weeks we’ve begun the momentous task of seed starting for both the main season to come as well as the weeks and months just ahead. Hundreds of trays of soil blocks have made their way from seeding table to germination chamber and are filling our grow room and spill over tunnel. Luckily one benefit of mixing soil, making soil blocks and seeding trays is that often it takes place in the warm and sunny nursery and can feel nearly luxurious on a cold Winter’s day. This breakneck pace of seed starting won’t be letting up anytime soon and before we know it the empty nursery tables will be a lush green canopy of everyone’s favorite veg.

Beyond celebrating the warmer temps farmers across the nation(especially small market gardeners) are celebrating National CSA week. One look at the selection at market or on online and it’s clear to see that Winter is the slowest time of year for farmers, yet as many of you can guess this is a time of year when we are spending a lot of money in preparation for the coming season. The Community Supported Agriculture model is designed to allow those Good Food People like you to invest in farmers they support, by paying up front for this coming season’s bounty, which helps the growers stay solvent in a time of low cash flow. Here at SLG we do offer a CSA but it is a little different than the traditional 3-4 months of weekly boxes. Our flexible market credit CSA allows you to shop at your convenience while still having all the benefits of a traditional CSA, DETAILS HERE. Whether it is through us, one of the other great farms near you, or both. If you have been thinking about joining a CSA or just finding out more info this is the week to do it.

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