Many people in this area grow at least some of their own food. Corn, tomatoes, peppers—both hot and sweet—cucumbers, squash in an abundant variety and eggplant are but a few of the vegetables that local residents request most often.
Our local nurseries, as well as a feed store, and several grocery stores sell vegetable starts as well. Here’s what you can find locally.
At the north end of town you will find plants at four locations.
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Garrett Ace Hardware, a local institution since the 1880s when it was established on the Plaza and still locally owned, is not simply a hardware store, but a store with customer service that puts our automated world to shame. The knowledgeable and abundant staff members are on their toes helping people find the things they need, be it hardware, sprinkler parts, household goods and canning accouterments, but they have a large selection of plants, including vegetable starts for your garden. They have one of the largest selections of 4” potted veggies starts, including some organics. (For those of you anticipating raising chickens for their eggs, Garrett’s cheeps—the live ones—arrive this week.)
1340 Healdsburg Ave.
433-5593
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Mix Garden Materials and Mix Produce
For the second year, owner Mick Kopetsky and his crew have grown vegetable starts in their nursery. They feature a variety of specialty tomatoes and peppers that you can’t find elsewhere. These are the largest and hardiest of the 4” potted veggie starts. Tomatoes here come in a rainbow of colors—bi-color, black, orange, cherry, red, pink, yellow and green. Mix also features specialty peppers, both hot and sweet. Kopetsky likes good food and these are likely to be some of the most flavorful veggies with intense flavor.
1531 Healdsburg Ave.
433-4327
Of course, Big John’s Market is an upscale grocery but they have a selection of organic vegetable starts every year. It’s a convenient way to shop for your starts while you pick up groceries or stop by the meat department or deli.
1345 Healdsburg Ave. (across Healdsburg Ave. from Garrett Ace Hardware)
433-7151
Moving just a little south on Grove Street, you’ll find a little gem of a vegetable stand.
The most unique part of this stand is they work on a trust self-serve system. They have vegetable starts and well as fruit trees and grapes. The selection is not huge but the plants are healthy and hearty. Love Farms also sells seasonal produce grown locally.
15069 Grove St.
433-1230
Moving further south you can find vegetable starts where you might not immediately think of if you don’t purchase animal food or hay.
Proprietor Jon Wright is another Healdsburg fixture—40 years in business. Wright’s Feed Store carries both six-packs and four-inch pots of peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes among other plants. Wright gets his plants from Gaddis Nursery, a family-owned Sonoma County business established in 1926. Check it out for a nice in-town trip to an old-fashioned feed store in a metal warehouse. Look for the horse model out front.
10 Mill St.
433-3745
Moving out to southbound Old Redwood Highway is the last nursery covered in this article.
This lovely nursery serves the greater Healdsburg area with its delicious assortment of trees, bushes, perennials, annuals and vegetable starts. Another locally owned business, Healdsburg Nursery’s owner Michael Skurtun, established the nursery in 1991. It has the largest plant assortment in this area. Lovely with blooming flowers, they were getting a delivery as I arrived. They take delivery several times a week. They carry both conventional and organic veggie starts in 4-inch pots and in six-packs. If you don’t find what you are looking for, ask, they may be able to order it for you. Healdsburg Nursery also carries garden tools, compost and fertilizer, houseplants, pots and a selection of organic and low-toxic sprays.
12950 Old Redwood Hwy.
433-8904
There are other places you can find vegetable seedlings around Healdsburg, of course. And a number of local farmers have vegetable starts for sale at the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings.
