As produce prices rise, market gardening takes root

NORTH CANAAN — It seemed like there were more vegetable plants than usual at the now-open-for-the-season Freund’s Farm Market. Is it true,or does it just seem that way?Owner Theresa Freund thought about it for a moment. It’s hard to say, she finally concluded.It’s mainly because every year finds changes in response to both demand and what’s available. For instance, last year, they ran out of broccoli plants, and will plant more this year. This year, there’s a lot of lettuce, because Freund found some varieties whose tiny seeds come encapsulated, making them easy to plant. She likes to buy and plant more expensive seeds and monitor the results, to see whether it’s worth the money.“I find it’s usually good to invest in the more expensive seeds,” she said.Yes, the overall trend is easy to see. As produce prices soar, more and more people are getting serious about planting a garden. There are just as many flower seedlings in the greenhouse right now, but a large section of empty tables are slated for more vegetable plants. And another whole greenhouse is filled with tomato varieties.Freund and her husband, Matthew, who is busy with the dairy farm and running the family’s Cow Pots business, go to marketing seminars during the winter. “It’s gotten to the point where they ask us to give the seminars,” she said. “But generally they are saying to go heavier on vegetables.”For experienced and new gardeners alike, it’s all about timing. For marketing, it’s all about, well, timing.Those empty tables will be filled with flats that will be ready in time for peak demand, just before Memorial Day. “You just shouldn’t plant before then,” Freund said, “no matter how nice the weather gets. The nights aren’t warm enough.”But this week had the first really warm day of the year, and customers were trickling in, mostly buying flowers to take the edge off their desire to get something into the finally thawed soil.The big change at the market this year is out in what used to be the cut flower garden. On newly plowed soil sits what Freund calls the Obama Stimulus Tunnel.The long plastic-covered greenhouse is there thanks to a partial rebate from the federal government. It’s called a high tunnel, because the entire plastic-covered part of the structure can be raised by a crank to let varying amounts of air in, thus regulating the temperature. Freund plans to separate it into four or five plots, and plant a victory garden in the style of First Lady Michelle Obama. She is considering letting people pick their own produce.“I think this will be the year when produce prices will go even higher and people will finally get fed up with going to the store. It doesn’t take much to grow what one family needs. You can use pots or plant lettuce in a flower bed.”