Blog  October 11, 2011

From dogwood to artisanal doggie treats: Six months of the Evergreen Garden Market

Potted herbs and plants and wooly pocket gardens (Photo: Evergreen)

By: Chris Schroer, Evergreen Garden Market

In the spring of 2011, the Evergreen Garden Market opened its doors to the public in its new and permanent home. What started as a test centre the year before, eking out space under The Pavilions, has now grown into a full retail garden market offering native plants, local and organic foods and artisan gifts and crafts.

As a social enterprise, the objectives were clear from the beginning: inform the public about native plants and gardening, create a new revenue source for Evergreen and support a network of local and ethical producers.

Fortunately, the Garden Market has exceeded expectations on all accounts and has quickly grown to become a main hub of activity at the Brick Works, often acting as a first point of contact for arriving visitors, and integrating with other programs on site.

Gardening tools and ceramic pots (Photo: Evergreen)

Plants are the heart of EGM, featuring over 3,000 native plants, and 12,000 herbs, fruit trees, shrubs and vines sold this year.

In order to meet demands for organic heirloom varieties of vegetables, EGM commissioned farmers to grow heirloom plants, including over 30 varieties of tomatoes--from Black Sea Man to Yellow Pear to Totem. We also carry over 100 different herb varieties, including aloe and bay laurel, and plan to continue carrying herbs throughout the winter season.

Our food and hard goods have grown and changed throughout the first six months as well. Food is a natural extension of gardening and has helped integrate EGM with both the Farmers’ Market and Cafe Belong. Offerings from our Farmers’ Market producers include Grainstorm, ChocoSol, Oikos Teas, and Forbes Wild Foods, as well as locally made oils and fruit-infused vinegars. We also carry wild and foraged products that demonstrate the edible uses of many of the native plants we sell.

Handmade crafts and other gift items on display at EGM (Photo: Evergreen)

The Cookbook Store has kept us up-to-date with a rotating selection of cookbooks, gardening and hands-on crafting books. Our ever-expanding partnership with 100 Mile Child has led to growing shelves of children’s toys and books that are either locally made or designed using recycled materials. Local crafts, including pottery from Frank Trotz of Clay Design, and furniture and wood carvings from Dan Gallagher, such as our Adirondack river boat, have become a focal point for the store.

This winter, the Garden Market will be offering seasonal plants, decorations and locally grown Christmas trees to help make your holidays as festive as ever. So come down and see for yourself what’s new and exciting at EGM, as we continue to deliver accessible and inclusive community programs that bring nature back to cities.