We are sorry to report that we have had a major problem in our main greenhouse, and will have to cancel our annual plant start sale. We’re sorry for any inconvenience. Wishing you a bountiful growing season!
Sincerely, Sue Miller and the team at Snowdrift Farms.
Dates: Friday May 21, and Saturday May 22
And by appointment the week after the sale.
Hours: Friday 1–5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.—2 p.m.
Call Sue at 307-413-9115 with questions.
Get your certified organic vegetable, herb, and flower starts at the farm! It’s happening at Snowdrift Farm, 3.5 miles SW of Victor. Find us by going to the “Directions” page on this website.
Purchase 1 or 100 starts! These vegetable, herb, and flower varieties have been tested on our farm, and do well in our climate (ask us for growing tips!). All varieties are started from seed on the farm, and all soil & most seed is OMRI certified organic. Available for purchase in individual soil blocks* and pots. Come early for best selection. Cash, checks and credit cards accepted.
*Soil Blocks are pressed soil cubes that don’t need any plastic pots, and are ready to plant directly in the garden. The plants suffer no transplant shock with soil blocks.
Our plants will be hardened off and ready to plant in the garden —(for hothouse items like tomatoes, etc, they may or may not be hardened off depending on our weather!). We have an expanded flower selection this year, and you will find varieties for pots, bedding, edible, and cutting flowers.
Vegetables: in individual soil blocks* or pots (onions/leeks in bundles of 12)
for the greenhouse or warm area: in pots
Herbs: in individual pots, soil blocks* & 6-pacs
Flowers: in soil blocks* and individual small pots
Snowdrift Farms Plant Sale Information
Support your local farmers and come check out some healthy plant starts at the Snowdrift Farms annual sale! We grow using OMRI-certified organic soil, and use organic seed whenever possible. All our starts are grown from seed on the farm, and are hardened off (except those heat-loving tomatoes, peppers, etc!) and ready to plant.
Please consult our prior news blog for dates/times/plant varieties! And directions to the farm!
We will have social distancing and cleaning measures in place, and our staff will wear masks & gloves. Our sale will be in a garage with open air. Follow signs for parking. We ask that customers maintain distance by waiting your turn, then 1 family per table at a time. Proceed through the various tables of plant starts–one of our gardeners will put your selections in a box and answer any questions. We accept cash, checks, and cards.
Plant Sale Prices:
Soil Blocks: $1/ea or 6 for $5
Small Round Pots: $1.50 each
3” Square Pots: $3.25 for peppers, eggplant, & basil
3” Square Pots: $2.50 for squash, pumpkins, cucumbers
4” Pots: $4.75 for all tomatoes
Onion & Leeks: $3.00/bunch of 12 Herb 6-packs: $4.75
Herb 6-packs: $4.75
Pre-Ordering Information:
Pre-ordering is available to seniors, or others who wish to reduce contact. Please pre-order on Tuesday & Wednesday for Thursday pick-up, or order Thursday for Friday/Saturday pick-up. We will do our best to pull what you like, but please realize we may run out of certain things. We are also busy planting our gardens, so may not have time to answer too many questions before the sale!
Here are steps for pre-ordering:
Dates: Thursday May 21, Friday May 22, and Saturday May 23
By appointment after the sale.
Hours: Thursday Friday 1–5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.—2 p.m.
Call Sue at 307-413-9115 with questions.
Get your certified organic vegetable, herb, and flower starts at the farm! It’s happening at Snowdrift Farm, 3.5 miles SW of Victor. Find us by going to the “Directions” page on this website. We will be implementing CDC recommendations for social distancing etc., so please stay tuned for details.
Purchase 1 or 100 starts! These vegetable, herb, and flower varieties have been tested on our farm, and do well in our climate (ask us for growing tips!). All varieties are started from seed on the farm, and all soil & most seed is OMRI certified organic. Available for purchase in individual soil blocks* and pots. Come early for best selection. Cash, checks and credit cards accepted.
*Soil Blocks are pressed soil cubes that don’t need any plastic pots, and are ready to plant directly in the garden. The plants suffer no transplant shock with soil blocks.
Our plants will be hardened off and ready to plant in the garden —(for hothouse things like tomatoes, etc, they may or may not be hardened off depending on our weather!). We have an expanded flower selection this year, and you will find varieties for pots, bedding, edible, and cutting flowers.
All our pots are reused thanks to Trail Creek Nursery, valley yogurt eaters, and other individual donors of used pots.
Vegetables: in individual soil blocks* or pots (onions/leeks in bundles of 12)
for the greenhouse or warm area: in pots
Herbs: in individual pots, soil blocks* & 6-pacs
Flowers: in soil blocks* and individual small pots
Suggestions for growing a 2020 Victory Garden in 8 easy steps! (adapted from Victory Garden 2.0 by National Garden Bureau)
1. Know your growing zone. Teton Valley Idaho has some different microclimates depending on specific location, but in general we are zone 4b, according to the USDA. We can expect frosts through May, even into June and July in some years. In the fall we usually get a light frost in the first 10 days of September. Thus, our outdoor growing season is a short window in the summer.
2. Make a list of what you like to eat. How many plants do you need? Are you going to eat everything fresh? Preserve anything? How much space do each of the veggies take up (lettuce vs. zucchini)? Consider succession planting to spread out the harvest. Some veggies need additional heat here, in the form of a south side of house microclimate, hoophouse or small greenhouse. (Think tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, melons)
3. Decide on Seeds or Transplants. Some things do fine from seed here, while others have too many days to harvest to grow from seed. We suggest considering transplants for Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Cucumber & Squash, Onions. Certainly for Tomatoes & Peppers.
4. Plan your garden space. Consider garden plots, raised beds, or containers, but make sure the location gets plenty of sun. Seed catalogues or packets give instructions for the space needed per plant. How will the garden be watered? The nurseries will have suggestions for automating watering or setting up drip systems.
5. Know your soil or buy good quality gardening mixes. A lot of soil here is some form of clay or clay-loam, which will be fine, but we recommend amending with compost. Make sure any compost you import doesn’t have chemical residue from herbicides etc. We recommend that any soil mixes or compost purchased in bags be OMRI certified organic, so as not to contain gross things like sewage sludge!
6. Follow suggested sowing and planting dates. We start things in the garden under cover in mid-May. We hold off on planting more sensitive things like squash, cucumbers and basil until early June. Row cover is highly recommended, as it both insulates from light frosts, and keeps the moisture more consistent for seed germination. Nurseries will have row cover to purchase.
7. Start composting. As the gardening season progresses, you can top-dress your crops with compost. Good fertility leads to healthy plants and less pest problems. Mulch will keep weeds down.
8. Don’t forget to plant some pollinator friendly flowers. This will allow your veggies to be pollinated!
Be aware of what compost and potting soil you purchase in bags—some contain “biosolids”, another term for sewage sludge. These contain heavy metals and other contaminants.
Both Glacier Gold and Miracle Grow potting soils, even ones listed as organic, contain sewage sludge; see here. These are both sold locally and are best avoided.
The E.P.A. has allowed manufacturers to greenwash their products for years, even allowing a claim of being organic, and using the term “compost” as a substitute for “biosolids”.
The best source for checking for the best certification is OMRI—here is a list of OMRI certified fertilizers and soil.
OMRI listed organic Black Gold compost and potting soil is a good brand. Better yet, make your own soil, but once again be careful not to get compost/manure that is organic. Some local manure has long lasting chemicals from herbicides, such as Milestone, 2-4D, and others that will ruin such crops as tomatoes.
Snowdrift Farms is having our spring plant sale this May! Come on down to the farm and pick out some veggie, herb, and flower starts for your garden. We will have a wide variety of healthy, large tomatoes.
Dates & Times:
Friday May 17, 1-5 pm | Saturday May 18, 10 am-2 pm
Or by appointment the week of May 20. (email us: snowdriftfarms@gmail.com, or text Sue: 3O7-413-9115)
Starts available include: Basil, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Fennel, Flowers (Calendula, Cosmos, Marigold, Nasturtium, Rudbeckia, Zinnia and more) Herb variety 6-pacs, Kale, Lettuce (Romaine/Butter/Leaf), Napa Cabbage, Onions, Parsley, Peppers, Raddichio, Spinach, Summer Squash, Winter Squash, Swiss Chard, Tomatillos, Tomatoes (Cherry, early F1, Heirloom varieties), Zucchini.
Our smaller starts are all grown in Soil Blocks, and are available in quantities of 1 and up. You can transplant soil blocks into the garden with no shock to the seedlings. Our starts are hardened off and ready for planting…though May 18 may be a bit early to set out warm-loving plants like summer squash, without protection.
It’s the end of May, perfect garden planting time! We still have a good selection of healthy tomato starts, with cherry tomatoes, heirlooms and earlier F1 varieties all available.
We also have some peppers, and a variety of other veggies (such as broccoli, beets, cabbage, kale, etc., herbs, and even some flowers!
Please come by the barn at Snowdrift Farms and take a peek–you can call Sue for details, and to arrange a time to come: (307) 413-9115
Snowdrift Farms, Friday May 26th & Saturday May 27th
Hours: 1-6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. -2 p.m. Saturday
or by appointment that week (call Sue @ 307-413-9115)
Get your certified organic vegetable, herb, and flower starts at the farm! It’s happening at Snowdrift Farms–at the main barn & greenhouse, 3.5 miles SW of Victor. For directions go to the “Directions” page on this website.
Purchase 1 or 100! These vegetable and herb varieties have been tested on our farm, and do well in our climate (ask us for growing tips!). All varieties are started from seed on the farm, and are 100% certified organic. Available for purchase in individual soil blocks* and pots. We have a limited amount of each, so come early for best selection.
By the way, this is your last chance to sign up for our Farmers Market discount program! Becoming a “Friend of the Farm” by purchasing a $100 voucher before June 1st gives you $115 worth of veggies at the markets this summer.
*Soil Blocks are pressed soil cubes that don’t need any plastic pots, and are ready to plant directly in the garden. The plants suffer no transplant shock with soil blocks.
All our pots are reused thanks to Trail Creek Nursery.
Vegetables: in individual soil blocks* or pots
for the greenhouse or warm area: in pots
Herbs: in individual pots, soil blocks* & 6-pacs
Flowers: in soil blocks* and individual pots
(information from Eating on the Wild Side, by Jo Robinson)
We all understand the importance of greens in our diet, but did you know lettuce and other salad greens have greater or lesser health benefits, according to their color, type, and freshness? By learning a few things to look for when selecting your leafy greens, you can come home with nutrition-packed produce.
Lettuce is a great source of nutrition, and many head lettuces have large amounts of phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are chemicals produced by the plant, to help it in protection from bugs, fungi, germs and other threats. Many phytonutrients are strong antioxidants in humans, and have other beneficial contributions to our well being, such as fighting the flu.
Head lettuce varieties that have the most benefits have two characteristics. Dark colored lettuce, (especially red), is the best choice for nutrition, so pick red or dark green colors first. Second, loose-leaf lettuces have higher amounts of phytonutrients than densely packed heads, as they are more exposed to the sun with their open form. The sun causes them to produce more antioxidants to protect against UV rays! Romaine and Bibb lettuces have moderate amounts of phytonutrients and would be the next pick after looseleaf. Iceberg lettuce, despite being a familiar, favored choice of many American homes and salad bars, has the least nutritional value among lettuces.
Other greens including arugula, spinach, radicchio, and endive have even higher amounts of phytonutrients than lettuce, and can add different textures and flavors to salad. Bitterness is a sign of more beneficial nutrition! If you can’t tolerate bitter flavors, mix them in with milder lettuces. Pre-cut salad mixes are also loaded with nutrition, especially mixes with darker greens.
Over time, greens will lose their nutritional value, thus the fresher the better. That is one of the great things about getting your leafy produce at the farmers market—you can ask the farmer when the greens were harvested—preferably within the last day or so. You can also examine for yellowed leaves.
It is also important to store greens correctly. Wash and dry off your produce right when you get home. Storing with some, but not too much moisture, in a plastic bag with small holes, will ensure the happiest and longest lasting greens. Head lettuce will easily keep a week or more if washed and stored correctly; cut salad greens should last up to a week.
