Our Program :: The Flagstaff Garden Starts CSA

Note that our 2008 shares are already spoken for... e-mail us if you're interested in signing up for 2009.

What is a CSA?

Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is a model of food production, sales, and distribution aimed at increasing the quality of food and the quality of care given the land, plants, and animals. It is also a method for small-scale commercial farmers, gardeners, and growers to have a successful, small-scale closed market, while reducing potential food losses and financial risks.

What is the Flagstaff Garden Starts CSA?

The Flagstaff Garden Starts CSA is a collaborative effort between Mountain Meadow Farm and Flagstaff Native Plant and Seed. Our CSA’s mission is to provide high-quality, responsibly grown vegetable, herb, and edible flower starts to the Flagstaff community, while educating and bringing together backyard growers. We’d like the CSA to be an opportunity for gardeners to network, share ideas, and ultimately learn from one another. Members of this CSA will be taking local food production into their own hands, while procuring part of their food security.

How does it work?

Members pick up shares from May to August at our nursery. You can arrange to have someone else pick up your share if you are out of town. Any shares left at the distribution sites will be donated to local garden projects unless prior arrangements are made before the pick-up day.

What’s in a share?

Shares include six-packs of seasonally appropriate vegetables, herbs, and edible flower starts. In the beginning of the season, participants will receive cold-tolerant plants, such as cole crops (broccoli, cabbage, kale, etc.), lettuce, and onions. As the season progresses and the weather warms, the share will shift to crops like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, cucumbers, etc. Toward the end of the summer, the share will shift to cold-tolerant plants once again. Crops that are best sown directly into the soil (carrots, beets, radishes, etc.) are not included in the CSA.

 

Members of a CSA cover a portion of a grower’s seasonal operating budget by purchasing a share of the season’s yield in the beginning of the season. Becoming a member creates a responsible relationship between people and the food they eat, the land on which it is grown, and those who grow it.

400 E. Butler Avenue • Flagstaff, AZ, 86001 • 928.773.9406
info@nativeplantandseed.com