Growingforskan.com launches

Growingforskan.com, an online market for locally grown and produced foods and native plants for landscaping, rain gardens and water quality buffers, is open this season to give people safe access to food and plants grown nearby.

Doce Lume Farm and Go Native! perennials, two businesses founded on a farm on East Lake Road in 2019 by Janice Wiles and Mary Menapace have launched an online platform to ensure safe access to a variety of products and plants, which they said can be used  to enhance culinary pleasure and living spaces.

Doce Lume Farm is growing vegetables and herbs using organic and regenerative agricultural practices.

The farm’s practices minimally disturb the soil, meaning no tilling is done, and no chemicals are used.

Doce Lume Farm said it building healthy soil for plant health and nutrition-packed food including: beets, cauliflower, chives, cucumbers, garlic, garlic-scapes, kale, lettuce, melon, bunching onions, sweet and hot peppers, pink, red and watermelon radishes, spinach, delicata and patty pan squash, swiss chard, cherry and heirloom tomatoes, basil, cilantro, dill, fennel, marjoram, sage and thyme.

Go Native! perennials inventory includes native flowering plants, grasses and shrubs – 95% were grown from seeds collected in CNY.

Go Native! perennials is dedicated to identifying, growing, and selling 100% local Central New York native species.

According to a press release from the growers, native plants are used to protect and restore the environment.

After the harmful algal blooms on Skaneateles Lake in recent years the call went out to plant perennials as soil cover and to slow erosion and runoff into the lake.

Native perennials also provide host sites for declining native insects populations, which non-native plants do not do, according to the growers.

And in turn, native insects pollinate plants and attract birds.

Plants are available to homeowners and landscapers, in both pots and bareroot.

For large orders, over 25 plants, call to discuss delivery.

Those interested can sign up to become members.

Once someone ahs joined they will be able to see all available inventory.

Order can be placed weekly until 8 p.m. Wednesday and payments can be online with a credit card.

Pick ups are at The Mill, 4022 Mill Road, Skaneateles on Thursdays between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m.

While at The Mill, purchases can also be made at Last Shot Distillery and Skaneateles Brewery.

Anyone making a pickup is asked to wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines.

For more information visit growingforskan.com.