Sprout Farm

06/14/2026

Sprout Farm Newsletter June 13, 2026 sproutfarm.net open 9-5 daily

Hello Everyone,

The hot weather has arrived and the time to get plants into the ground is now. June is the best time to plant perennials and it is tempting to walk into any nursery and pick out the plants that are in bloom now and neglect everything else; the plants that bloom later or the plants that bloomed earlier and have gone by. I was told by a man who maintained a large perennial garden that there are 13 two week seasons for perennials. I find that a daunting standard to apply but If June is the best month to plant and you want color all season NEXT year, then you would want to look for plants that have already bloomed, plants that are in bloom now and plants that aren't showing any color at all. The most important thing is to get them into the ground so they can establish strong roots before the soil really heats up in July.

That brings me to Jay's annual clearance sale, which begins Sunday, June 14th, and Flag Day. It is also the birthday of someone famous but I won't touch that. Our markdown's from last week are even bigger this week. Perennials and Hanging baskets are 40% off. Proven Winner 4.5” pots are on sale along with many other plants, There is a long list of markdowns and it will take too much time to wade through Jay's handwriting, but it's there. It is easier to list the plants that remain at regular price: Vegetables & herbs, Zinnias - Benarys, and Planters. It's not too late to start your garden or containers for your deck.

In the garden- We have lots of beautiful lettuce. We are starting to get beets and kale and chard. We do not have tomatoes yet. Jay guesses that we will start to get them around the end of the month. The sugar snap peas may be ready towards the end of next week. We have some beautiful ceramic bud vases from our friend Janelle. Small bud vases are difficult to find but they are perfect for that one (or three) special flower. We support local artists. We just don't have a lot of indoor display space.

Mimi's microgreens are fully stocked in the cooler.

People are planting cukes and every year they become a challenge or a champion. The Epic Gardener has his garden in North Carolina but he is fun to watch and has lots of good information. He is unusual because he doesn't hide his failures and every year he builds on what he learned from the previous year. While his summer growing conditions arrive in his back yard before we see ours, we gain from his experience in little things like how to grow cukes. We do not carry the all female varieties but we do start them every few weeks because growing outdoors is always a challenge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEFvkqvpPnY&t=90s

The fish pond is down to the original lower level and we have no fish for the last year. Something is chewing up the thick lining and we are grateful that underneath that liner is the concrete pond shell. We're going to have to give some though on who or what is going after the liner. Could it be the same thing that wiped out all the fish in one night without a trace? It is a mystery but there is no rush to solve it right now.

There was a market/craft gathering at the Mashpee Commons today and it had a distinct 'dog' theme. I remembered Jessy but now that we are the owners of five cats, I felt a little out of place. The cats are taking the hot temps in stride. They hang out under the trees or the plants in the garden. We never know when they will show up, with one exception. They show up for breakfast. Even the hunter has stopped bringing in various creatures for out inspection. Wheezie and Scruffy are hanging out like brother and sister. Things may change in a couple of months. Who knows. We have reports that the kittens are all doing fine and we will be happy to share and pictures that come our way.

That's all the news for now. Stop by and see what we have growing for you.

Jay and Phyllis Sprout

Are your cucumber plants barely producing? There are a few tricks t...

06/13/2026

A reminder that right now all Hanging Baskets and Perennials are 30% off our regular prices. Zinnia lovers, the 2nd planting of Benaries zinnias are now on the benches. This is the tall variety. The plants are small but they love the hot weather and long days. it won't be long for them to catch up to the early crop.
It's time for locally grown lettuce lovers to rejoice. The lettuce is huge and abundant. Stop by and check it out.

06/07/2026

Sprout Farm newsletter June 6, 2026 sproutfarm.net open 9-5 daily

Hello Everyone,

No rain for one week. I hope the guys off Cape are taking advantage of the good weather to get in the first crop of hay. Our dairy goat days are over but we still remember the huge truck that would arrive in the middle of the night with a years worth of 2nd cutting of alfalfa hay. Nighttime was the best time to stack the hay in the loft when the temps were cool and the world was quiet. The guys at Hanson's will get in a crop of straw and that is something we look forward to.

The special of the week, 6/7-6/14 – We will be continuing our 30% off on our selection of perennials and add to them our hanging baskets, fuchsias, Impatiens , geraniums and more, now also 30% off regular prices. The garden shop season is winding down and some things are no longer available, but you just might find what you need.

Our friend Shelley, from Shelly's garden design is with us on weekends to help you find the perfect plant for that spot that needs 'something'. She's been helping customers since May, I just forget to mention her in the newsletter. Sharon and Sandra are with us all year but Shelley has experience with plants in her garden and the garden of her clients that is exceptionally wide ranging and helpful. She knows what we have and what we have left. That saves a lot of time, even if it sometimes leads to disappointment. The greenhouses are emptying out and just in time. In just a few weeks the mum plants will arrive.

The back garden is doing well, The sugar snap peas have started to flower so we hope to have peas in about three weeks. The carrots are doing well and for the next few days they will have no w**ds. That will change with the seed laden breezes but for now they are clean. Ken and I are keeping the pathways clean with tillers and tilthers. To each his own but no pull start equipment for me. I go through this every year and by the end of July I admit defeat and wade through the w**ds. I saw my first Colorado potato beetle in the lettuce. The lettuce was on the edge of the garden near the woods and far away from the potatoes. Jay saw a moth for the tomato horn worm and tracked it down in the greenhouse and killed it. It probable laid eggs somewhere and we should expect to see the damage around the time of the county fair. This link to New England Nurseries has a little bit of advise for everything in the garden. I learn a lot just scanning through them. https://www.newenglandnurseries.com/post/blooms-beyond-insights-from-new-england-nurseries.

The kitten report: More like the future kitten report. Sleazy Wheezie has been AWOL and that is unusual. We get occasional reports that her kittens are doing well. She has slacked off on bringing in gifts and that is a relief. This is the time of year we look real close at their faces. We don't treat our cats for ticks so we have to do a close inspection to make sure the nymphs for the deer ticks are not clinging to the edges of their eyes, ears or lips. They are as tiny as the head of a pin but they come off easily. That's a daily grooming routine but if you like cat videos this one is very different. This is about cat anatomy and how a cat can fall a great distance without injury. Did you know they have six more vertebrae than we have? That's just one strange thing. Check out the rest in under 3 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lr-pvtM4mJo I must go. Wheezie is calling and we must obey. She has the strangest meow.

That's all for now. Stop by and see what we have growing for you.

Jay and Phyllis Sprout

A cat falls from a 10-story building. By every law of physics, it s...

05/24/2026

Sprout Farm Newsletter May 23, 2026 sproutfarm.net open 9-5 daily

This is memorial Day weekend and we give special thanks for those who have served our country with their lives and their sacred honor. I helped with the signs at the Mashpee Rotary.

Jay wrote quite a sale section this week. Special this week; finally a Proven Winner sale. 41/2” pots on sale for 2/$10 however this does not include the following varieties:Lantana - all and Begonia double ups. These 2 varieties will be on sale while they last 2/$11.00. To get them off to a good start, our selection of Coast of Maine composts, 1 cu ft $11.99 for the next week will be on sale for $9.00.

One of the most time consuming chores is to take all those plants we have grown in the greenhouses and get them outdoors and onto the benches. Jay says we just don't have time to get the second planting of sunpatiens out to the benches so they are still in green house #4 and a few of you have found them. So now it's time for those of you who are still looking for sunpatiens to get in and get them out of the greenhouse. Would you believe it is almost time to pot up fall mums. I still need to get the bag of ice melt off the deck. We're sorry that some of your favorite veggies were not on the benches but they are in the seeding house and just breaking the soil in their cells and pots. We will continue to seed them up every few days but there are certain times of the year when we just don't have the space to keep up with the demand. We sill be planting cukes and squash for the next six to eight weeks. So if you think you missed the official window in which you must put your transplants into the ground, relax, you have plenty of time and the warmer days and nights will make the seedlings happier to grow. This morning it was 43 degrees. Warm weather plants sulk with those temps.

An old menace has returned. I was gazing over the garden one evening when I saw a creature eating the lettuce seedlings. Oh no, That's not a cat. It was a woodchuck. According to my father who went deer hunting in Maine but never saw a deer, woodchucks taste like chicken. Why would he know that? The first stage of removal was observation and realizing he had burrowed under the pallets that held the last of the winter wood supply. So we spent a lot of down time on the deck just watching the garden. That crafty marmot will be the challenge of the week. James stacked the wood in the basement, upended the pallets and found the hole in the sand. Wood chucks can tunnel up to 45 feet so there's no telling where the other entrance is. I can't remember seeing the house without a stack of wood under the deck. It looks naked. We'll spend some YouTube time gathering the wisdom of the gardeners and see if we can find a way to remove him before he does any more damage. I have no desire to test out my father's assertion on the taste of woodchucks. I'll stick to Stop & Shop, thank you.

The first flush of w**ds is up and they spread over everything like a carpet. I'm keeping up with them so far which is why you don't see me out front very often. This week I have to get the w**ds out of the greenhouses. There aren't very many now but they tend to grow big if left near drip irrigation plus fertilizer. Now if only the woodchuck would eat the w**ds and leave the veggies alone.

My favorite tool is still the Husky hoe at Home Depot for $29.99. It is severely overlooked probably because people don't understand the advantages of a triangle shaped hoe with four very sharp sides and a point that can slice through any tough w**d root clump. I wish it didn't come from China but the US version was good but not that good. My second favorite tool is the bamboo double loop. I build it with a wide loop for cleaning up areas of 4” and a narrow loop of about 1.5” All the better to remove w**ds from in between beets and onions while standing up.

That's all the news from the farm for now. Stop by and see what we have growing for you.

Jay and Phyllis Sprout

05/17/2026

Sprout Farm Newsletter May 16, 2026 sproutfarm.net open 9-5 daily
Hello Everyone.
Let's get this out of the way. This week's special sale is- Geraniums- 6” pot, red, Violet, Dark Pink, Pink Flash and White- while they last -$4.00 each. The sale is from Sunday 5/17 to Saturday 5/23.
Seed geraniums in the 4” pot, Red, Violet, 'white and Pink, while they last - $1.99 each.
Finally- Pro-mix organic Herb/vegetable 1 cu ft bag- $9.00.
This warm weather has really brought out the need to get our hands in the dirt and grow something.
I wish we could say you could purchase seeds from us but we tried several companies and in the middle of the season I could honestly say that after a few well known and loved seed packages sold out, I would look at the display and say, “I wouldn't plant any of those varieties so why are we trying to sell them?” I don't know how to fix this issue. You will not find the green bean variety, Jade, in any store display but after several years of trial and error, that is the one variety we plant the most. Jay uses Johnny's Seeds and Harris seeds. This week Ken planted seeds for carrots, peas, beets, zucchini, and green beans. If you plan on growing vegetables from seeds don't forget that some varieties can be planted every three to four weeks to spread out the harvest season. Plan you seed purchases accordingly. If you want seed trays, just ask us. We have plenty to share with you.

We have lots of tomato plants. We need to move them out so we can make room to start cucumber seeds in trays, among other things. The rye grass we planted last October as a cover crop never germinated. That's the first time that's happened. Some grass germinated this spring but only in the garlic. I am grateful that Ken w**ded that patch today. This is the big growth time for the garlic and it doesn't need competition from tall grasses. We're planting more allium, that's plants in the onion family, from the plants we stared by seed. The onions we planted early from starts from down south are doing fine but these home grown babies will finish up later and hopefully gain some good size.

The basic to do list doesn't change from year to year. Gather your tools, make sure they are sharp and you have the ones you need. Remember to fertilize your garden when the seeds start to sprout and continue throughout the season. Start planting your summer vegetables. We don't have any lettuce seedlings at this time in six packs but we have stared the plants in seed trays. We will do this until October. Lettuce is easy to start in seed trays and the germination is a lot easier to control rather then planting the seed directly in the ground and guessing if the w**ds will show up before the lettuce. It is time to plant your perennials but wait for a cool day so the transplants won''t have heat shock. We're sure to have a stretch of those days here on the Cape. Last chore is to wipe out the w**ds. Deep tilling brings up buried w**d seed that then germinate so you may need to lay down a mulch to smother the w**ds or just gently kill them by running a tool one to two inches below the soil line and cut them off from their roots. The sun will germinate any seeds down to a depth of two inches so a couple of passes with a hoe or rake will greatly reduce the w**d pressure.

The kitten report. The last two kittens left us for their new home on Thursday. When I went to pick up the tiger kitten you could tell she knew something was up. She was sitting there shaking, no much, but she wasn't open and stretching. Fortunately, she went with her brother so she will have someone to curl up with when the two of them have finished exploring their new home. I've spent the last couple of days putting away kitten toys, vacuuming hidden corners and checking the drapes for any serious damage. I'm happy to report that after five years of kitten gymnastics, they look just fine.

That's all the news for now. Stop by and see what we have growing for you,
Jay and Phyllis Sprout

05/10/2026

Sprout Farm Newsletter May 9, 2026 sproutfarm.net ope 9-5 daily
Hello Everyone,
Happy Mothers Day to all mothers on this happy day. The more I learn about other cultures, the more grateful I am that mothers are so highly valued in America. Our 30% off sale on hanging baskets continues just for today, Sunday, Mothers Day.
The special this week: Tomato Plants $2.50 each and Coast of Maine Raised Bed Soil- 2 cu ft bag - $16.00/ea. That sounds like perfect pairing to me. All Coast of Maine bagged products are in the soil shed so they are always warm and dry and not waterlogged from being left outdoors all winter.
Ken has been quietly working in the garden for weeks and when I finally had a chance to catch up with him he told me about all the things that are coming up. He's planted all the cool weather crops we always grow and he says they're doing well. He says he's planted squash. I was surprised to hear that because we usually wait until the weather and the soil is well warmed up. The soil warming up sooner may be due to the new roto tiller for the tractor. The old one still operated fine but over the years the tines had worn down to the point that they had lost their curve and were nothing but straight sticks that didn't really turn the soil. They looked into buying new tines and found the price difference didn't justify all the work. Ken runs the tractor, plants the seeds, plants the transplants and he really likes the new tiller.
Jay has looked at the results of growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, even an unheated greenhouse verse growing them in a field. Jay figures we get at least double the yield from the same number of tomatoes grown under cover because they are healthier and less stressed from disease, insects and wild weather. The guys put up the last greenhouse frame last fall but they didn't cover it. The plan is to put the plastic on it this week and fill it up with tomatoes. I won't miss fighting the w**ds, bugs and disease outdoors. I reminded Jay that Swiss Chard grows exceptionally large in greenhouses and for the same reasons that tomatoes do well. Let's see if he can adjust his floor plan. Jay will be watching the weather for the perfectly calm morning to put up the plastic. A single sheep of plastic 100 feet long can act like a crazy sail if a gust of wind catches it at just the right angle. Then it's just putting the wiggle wire into the tracks to hold the plastic tight for the next three or four years. You don't see that system at Home Depot and it is so simple.
Some of the earliest transplants are catching the attention of the local flock of turkeys. That will require some covering so we'll have to put that together. I remember the days when the site of a wild turkey was something so rare you would take a picture of it. Now the darlings roam everywhere and when their chicks hatch out, the flock increases by twenty new members. They are all hungry and the deer fence does nothing to protect our crops from turkeys.
The kitten report: and then there were two. Boots and dark stripe have gone to new homes. We hope to see pictures of them as they grow up. We still have Leggings and Little Tiger and they will go together to their new home when Leggings starts to eat solid food. I catch him eating kitten chow but he has no interest at all in canned cat food. He is still interested in Mom but Mom is giving him some serious push back when he wants to nurse. Little Stripe is getting better at climbing drapes and Leggings likes to show him/her the way. I just can't remember which stripe is a female. The Tuxedos were both male. They are a little shy around children but cats trust the quietest people first. That is self explanatory.
That's all the news for now and we hope to see you soon. This is the bussiest three weeks of the season so please be patient.
Jay and Phyllis Sprout

05/03/2026

Sprout Farm Newsletter May 2nd 2026 sproutfarm.net open 9-5 daily
Hello Everyone,

This Week's Special: something that is asked for every year, something free. This week we'll change the sales period a little- Sunday May 3rd through Friday May 8th - will be a free 1 cu ft bag of Pro-Mix potting soil with each $60 before tax plant purchase. Everyone always looks forward to Mother's Day so for 2 days, Saturday and Sunday, May 9th and 10th – all Hanging Basket will be 30% off regular price. The parking will be crazy next weekend so please be patient. Warm weather garden favorites like 6 packs of beans and squash will not be available due to cool weather.

May isn't very old yet but the weather is mild and seasonable. Jay has some of the frost hating plants out on the benches because he need the space in the greenhouse. Most growers face the same problem. This is a roll of the dice. Will we have an overnight frost before the end of the month? We usually do.
We have a wide selection and everything looks beautiful when it comes out of the greenhouse. The outside plants have to adjust to hand watering, breezes, and fluctuating sunlight. If you want to put warm loving plants in the ground, you may want to cover the ground with black plastic for a sunny day or two to warm the soil up.
The perennial garden is going through another phase. The daffodils are fading and the few tulips that have survived are blooming. The Virginia Tradescantia is coming up all over my garden. I am going to have to do some serious w**ding to get it under control. These plants came from my neighbor's garden back in my hometown of Lincoln, MA. Nostalgia is nice but they're taking over and it's time to rip most of them out. I will keep the patch that grows on the edge of the garden. James enjoys mowing them down when the foliage gets w**dy looking. I think he enjoys it. They always come back.

I think I need this tip for the tiny perennial garden I tend.
The 70/30 rule in gardening is a design and maintenance strategy where 70% of plants are reliable, structural, or native, providing year-round stability, while 30% are experimental, seasonal, or colorful, allowing for creativity without risking the entire garden's success. This rule offers a "safe" approach for beginners to guarantee a beautiful, low-maintenance garden, often referred to as the "https://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/using-the-70-30-planting-rule/" May is till within the planning stage for most gardens. It is nice to see how those tiny plants have filled the space over the years and now the root area is so tight you are thankful you planted those spring bulbs close by all those years ago. It's time to feed those beds so they will bloom next year. We do not carry shrubs but other garden shops near-by have the wide variety we don't have room for.

The kitten report: The creatures are seven weeks old and full of mischief when they are awake. They have gone vertical. Every desktop, table, drapery rod, or other unexplored space will have a kitten checking it out over the next two weeks. Sit on the couch to enjoy a snack and something furry will soon have whiskers and twitching noses zooming in on the enticing smell. They have figured out how to get up onto the dinner table. Now the drill is, if the clowder is sleeping, eat fast. If they are awake, lock them up in the sun room and don't let them out until we finish dinner. Wheezie is very confused. There is such a thing as kitten manners but they are very resistant to training. Down time is just the opposite. Kick back and read a book and soon you'll notice a small furry body or two curled up next to you legs sound asleep. We haven't taken them outside yet. Maybe this week. That's always a gamble. Will they find their way under the farm stand before they learn to come when they're called?
Stop by and see what we have growing for you,
Jay and Phyllis Sprout

04/19/2026

Specials for the week of April 19th through April 25th.
Special this week: Coast of Maine, 1 cu. ft. bag- Planting mix, Potting soil, or Lobster Compost. Save $2.00/bag. Also, our remaining viola and Pansy 6 packs are not $3.50 ea.

04/19/2026

Sprout Farm newsletter April 18th, 2026 sproutfarm.net open 9-4 (I'll explain that later)
Hello Everyone, This is the first official SFNL of 2026. Thanksgiving 2025 seems like a lifetime ago.
Jay and the crew have been busy since February filling the greenhouses with plants and we're just waiting for the weather to turn consistently warm before we put them out.
Right now we have: Mimi's Microgreens in the cooler, Jams, syrup, and honey.,4 varieties of seed potatoes. Outside we have vinca vine, spikes, pansies, violas. Our cool weather veggie six packs are on the benches: lettuce,, kale, onion plants, Swiss chard. There are more coming but we have to wait.
Our outdoor herbs are:sage, thyme,French tarragon, chives, parsley, mint, lavender, marjoram, oregano and rosemary.
Our herb garden suffered significant losses. We lost all of our chives and rosemary plants. The garlic chives fared well as did the French tarragon.
Most of our perennials are outside to the right of the walkway and the right of lower pergola. Currently in bloom: Columbine and Meadow Rue- cotton ball, and amsonia.
We didn't lose many things in the storm but when the gas ran out in the generator, the greenhouse with the new tomato transplants went real cold. So much for planting early. We had other seedlings started so we expect our first ripe tomatoes some time in June.
Here's a brief April planting guide; Tomatoes: While it's still too early to plant tomatoes outdoors in April, it's the perfect time to start seeds indoors. (they are warm and safe in the seeding house)...
Peppers: Like tomatoes, peppers benefit from an early start indoors in April. ...
Lettuce and Salad Greens: ...
Radishes. ...
Herbs. ...
Spinach. ...
Peas.
We do not sell seeds but it is an excellent time to find them in your favorite store. Walmart, Ocean State Job Lot and Home Depot have a good selection at this time. We have started to plant the first lettuce seedlings in the ground and the turkeys have not bothered them, so far. Ken is busy out back and the new tiller has done a beautiful job smoothing out the soil. I won't have to worry about w**ds for a few weeks and I plan to enjoy them.
Our returning pair of mallard ducks paid us this week. The net over the pond did not stop them at all. Maybe it never stopped any birds and that's why all the koi disappeared. The pond was open all winter and there is no sign of the koi we added last fall.
The kitten report: We have four- four week old kittens and they are cute. We transferred them from our bedroom to the sun room this week so we enjoy their antics from the comfort of the living room couch. They are learning to climb the furniture and it won't be long before the drapes will have kittens clinging to the fabric. We have two tuxedo and two tabby kittens. They are spoken for. They love to hide in hard to reach places and every litter, every year finds the mechanism for the lounge chair, their perfect hiding place. Most of the time they come out when mom calls them but there's one little tabby that sleeps right through her special meow.
Special this week: Coast of Maine, 1 cu. ft. bag- Planting mix, Potting soil, or Lobster Compost. Save $2.00/bag. Also, our remaining viola and Pansy 6 packs are not $3.50 ea.
Jay may not stand around until 5:00 if no one has been by in the last hour so just be warned, the 5:00 closing time is fluid.
That's all for now. Stop by and see what's growing.
Jay and Phyllis Sprout

11/26/2025

Happy Thanksgiving. Sorry to say, we are out of cider.