Indy DIY: Subscribe to Community Supported Agriculture

Shortcut! Joining a local CSA allows city folk to bypass the backyard garden for fresh produce.
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Editor’s Note: From raising chickens and goats to knitting a masterpiece to pickling and preserving, we present your ultimate guide to mastering the homespun, do-it-yourself life in Indy. So slip on your gardening gloves, and let’s get dirty. (See all Indy DIY stories here.)


Harvestland Farm
Pick-up locations in Carmel, Indianapolis, Noblesville, and onsite; days vary

The big daddy of local CSAs, Harvestland cultivates 14 acres of land and 20,000 square feet of temp-protected hoop houses, providing shareholders with early access to tomatoes and zucchini along with steady summer crops. $390 (single share) or $660 (double share) a season, June through October. 6775 State Rd. 32, Anderson, yourmarketgarden.org

South Circle Farm
Pick up onsite on Thursday evenings

Amy Matthews’s near-southside farm harvests produce like salad greens and berries grown with organic methods. She offers limited shares; if you miss out, grab her larger-than-life beets at City Market’s summer farmers market. $550 a season, from mid-May to mid-October. 2048 S. Meridian St., southcirclefarm.com

Big City Farms
Pick up onsite on Mondays and Fridays, or at Goose the Market on Fridays

Matthew Jose’s farm—which occupies a fertile spread next to downtown’s Midland Arts & Antiques Market—prides itself on heirloom produce, as well as a wide range of root vegetables and greens for both salads and cooking. $550 a season, from June to late October. 907 E. Michigan St., bigcityfarmsindy.com
 
Growing Places Indy
Pick up at White River State Park’s Slow Food Garden on Wednesdays

This share (run by apprentices, see p. 56) divvies out microgreens and veggies grown at the Chase Near Eastside Legacy Center greenhouse. Sign up soon—only 20 spots are granted. $185 to $285 a season, from mid-June to mid-August. 801 W. Washington St., growingplacesindy.org

This article appeared in the April 2014 issue.