Our seedling sale is right around the corner! I’d like to take this opportunity to fill you in on a few changes we are making to our online ordering process, as well as ways we hope to better in-person shopping. Last year was our first attempt at accepting online orders and we learned a lot about how we can improve things for you as well as for ourselves. It’s a busy time of the year at the farm so we want to make sure we can set realistic expectations for our staff while providing you with the best seedlings possible.
Here are few changes to be aware of if you plan to place your order online:
- Timeline to order: Our online store will be open for orders on Monday, April 19th at 8am and will close on Wednesday, May 5th. Please note: we will not open the store after that date. This will give our small staff the necessary time to properly fill orders while completing other time sensitive farm tasks.
- Minimum order of $50: since we need to fill each order by hand (which we are happy to do!), this will help to compensate us for the extra time it takes.
- Pick up days: when you place your order, please be sure to pick a day when you can definitely make it to the farm. For most plants, I recommend picking up the second weekend of the sale – either Saturday, May 15th or Sunday, May 16th – since there is still a chance of frost in early May. We know plans can change, so if you realize you need to change your pick up day after you’ve placed your order, please send an email to farmer@stearnsfarmcsa.org or admin@stearnsfarmcsa.org to let us know ahead of time. This will help us save time managing no-shows.
- $3 off coupon: Those of you who signed up early for a CSA share during the Early Bird Sale should have received a coupon for $3 off a purchase of $15 or more in the mail this winter. You may notice that the coupon is only valid if you shop in person. For those of you who wish to place an online order, we plan to give you all a promo code to use at check out. We will send you an email with the code this week so keep an eye out for it.
You are also welcome to come and visit the farm to shop during the sale. With the necessary safety measures in place, we will be ready to welcome you and your families if you’d rather shop in-person.
What to know about shopping at the farm:
- Wear masks: following the state’s current mandates, we will require everyone to wear a mask as they shop at the farm. We will do our best to spread the plants out to give folks enough space, but there will be times when social distancing might be difficult. So masks are still important!
- Parking: with limited parking, we ask that you are careful when entering and exiting the parking lot and that you are conscious of how much time you spend at the farm. No need to rush, but we will try to keep the parking lot as safe as possible so folks can quickly pick up their orders as well as allow others to park and shop.
- Accepted forms of payment: No need to bring exact change! We will accept cash, check, and cards during the sale.
If you have any other questions about the sale, please email me at farmer@stearnsfarmcsa.org. Can’t wait to see you all!
Until next time,
Ember
