Community Supported Agriculture
Reasons to Love our Flower CSA
We grow a great diversity of unique and heirloom flowers whose varieties, colors and natural fragrances you simply can’t find anywhere else. Our flowers are super fresh and go directly from our farm to you – they are usually cut within a day of your pickup. We always follow the post-harvest procedures specific to each bloom to maximize their vase life, which means you get to enjoy them longer. Flowers have a calming effect and can help reduce stress and improve your mood and happiness. Choose to bring joy and beauty into your life!
Your membership provides us with the resources we need to purchase seeds and supplies at the beginning of the season so that we can focus on growing the best quality flowers for you! You are getting the first pick of our freshest blooms at a discount from our regular price.
Why local flowers?
Almost 80% of fresh flowers sold in the United States are imported from other countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Kenya, the Netherlands and Israel. These commodity flowers are bred for uniformity and ability to withstand shipping, often at the expense of fragrance and beauty. They come with a huge carbon footprint from the extensive and wasteful packaging, shipping, refrigeration and fossil fuels used during transit. They are often grown with excessive use of toxic chemicals and pesticides to control insects and diseases and for fumigation to go through customs. Labor practices are frequently poor, with farmworkers receiving little pay and made to work under exploitative conditions while exposed to harsh chemicals known to cause health problems. By the time you purchase a bouquet of imported flowers, the flowers may already be 1 or 2 weeks old.
Our bouquets last longer, smell better, are chemical free and are good for your health and happiness. Our flowers are grown using organic practices by farmers that take their responsibility of land stewardship very seriously.
Buying local flowers is much like buying local food. You can use your purchasing power as a form of activism to inspire positive changes. By supporting your local sustainable flower farm you support our local economy, help preserve local farmland and promote the use of environmentally friendly growing practices.
We are proud to be part of the slow flower movement in the United States, spreading the power of local, sustainable and seasonal blooms!
CSA fulfillment options include:
- Delivery, Charlottesville Area – Wednesday afternoons. Must be within 15 miles of downtown Charlottesville.
- Delivery, Scottsville Area – Wednesday afternoons. Must be within 5 miles of our farm at 291 Coles Rolling Rd
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is a CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a relationship between our farm and you as our customer. Rather than simply purchasing farm products, our customers become members of our CSA farm who receive a portion of the farm’s harvest.
What happens if I’m out of town? Can I skip a week?
We are unable to accommodate requests to skip weeks or change pick ups. If you are unable to receive your share we recommend that you coordinate with a friend or family member. We can also arrange for your share to be donated if you provide at least 1 week’s notice.
What forms of payment do you accept? Do you offer refunds?
We accept credit cards and online payments during checkout.
Payments are non-refundable. The nature of a CSA is to provide the farm with upfront capital to be spent on farm inputs like seeds, irrigation equipment and harvest supplies that enable us to grow food and flowers for our members. Your membership fees will already have been put towards these necessary expenses in anticipation of providing for you as our member.
How will I receive member communications?
We will communicate with you primarily by email. When you sign up, you will be added to our distribution list. Please read your email from us, and make sure to add us to your address book (sweetgreensfarm@gmail.com and info@sweetgreensfarm.com) so Farm emails are directed to your inbox, not spam or another folder. We depend on being able to communicate important information such as necessary changes to your distribution schedule or to our farm events.
Are you certified Organic?
While we follow USDA Organic guidelines, the farm is not currently certified organic. We have gone through the organic certification process in the past while managing other farms, so we are very familiar with the process and we guarantee our adherence to the organic standards.
Our philosophy is to grow clean, nutritious food while building the soil and creating a healthy environment for plants, animals and humans. Our ecologically-sound production methods never include any chemical fertilizers or pesticides. We use renewable, biodegradable inputs, and aim to minimize waste and the use of plastics. We work to build our soil through cover-cropping, crop rotations and applications of compost to produce nutrient-dense food in a sustainable way. We grow the vast majority of our plants from seed to harvest, and we only use non-GMO seed. We use organic seed whenever possible, and also save our own seed.
Can I visit the farm?
We are a working farm, and the farm is also our home. The farm is not currently open for visitation, thank you for understanding! We do plan to open a farm stand on site this year, stay tuned for details!
How long will my flowers last?
We pride ourselves on producing long-lasting blooms using only organic practices. Vase life varies depending on the variety but most of our flowers have a vase life of at least 7-14 days. Keep in mind that some flowers are naturally short-lived and last only 3-5 days.
To prolong the life of your flowers, change the water and trim the stems frequently. You may also add a drop of regular bleach to your vase or container to reduce bacterial and fungal growth.
How can I contact you?
Email: sweetgreensfarm@gmail.com
Phone: (843) 327 3959
CSA Terms & Conditions
CSA Member Agreement
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a relationship between our farm and you as our customer. Rather than simply purchasing our products, our customers become “members” of our farm who receive a portion of the farm’s harvest.
By purchasing a Sweet Greens Farm CSA share, for yourself or as a gift, you agree to the following terms and conditions:
I understand that to successfully reserve my CSA share I must register and complete my payment in full. I understand that payments are non-refundable.
I understand that if I register for the full season I am committing to picking up shares for the full season and I am responsible for paying the full season balance. I understand that late payments and returned checks are subject to a fee.
I agree to receive my share each week by delivery or from my chosen pickup site. I understand that Sweet Greens Farm cannot accommodate requests to change pickup/delivery locations or dates. If I cannot receive my share I understand that I am responsible for arranging for someone else to pickup my share for me. I understand that if my share is not picked up on the designated pickup day during the designated time, my share will be donated at the discretion of the farmers. I will not receive credit or a refund for any shares that I do not pickup or receive.
If the the CSA was purchased as a gift, I understand that I am responsible for making sure that the gift recipient understands and agrees to the CSA terms and conditions including the pickup/delivery protocol.
I understand that each flower share will be wrapped in kraft paper and held in a bucket of water at the pickup site. I understand that buckets remain at the pickup site, and that Sweet Greens Farm does not provide a vase or water for me to transport the flowers from the pickup site unless purchased or arranged in advance.
I understand that as a member I share in both the bounty and the risks of farming. I understand that Sweet Greens Farm will do their best to have a bountiful and beautiful harvest. I understand that the risks include poor harvests or crop losses due to extreme weather, insects, natural disasters or other production challenges.
I understand that to prolong vase life of flowers I should change the water in my vase and trim the bottom 1/2” of the stems every 2-3 days. I understand that I should keep flowers in a cool spot out of direct sunlight and away from heating and cooling vents or fans.
I understand that Sweet Greens Farm communicates important updates and changes by email. I agree to add info@sweetgreensfarm.com and sweetgreensfarm@gmail.com to my email contacts.