Green thumb swap shop

Hartselle Farmers Market offers gardeners and small farmers more than a safe, convenient place to sell the fruits and vegetables they grow.

Since the market is now open six days a week, they have more time on their hands to socialize with fellow growers and glean information that will help them be more productive in future growing seasons.

They are quick to compare the general appearance of what they have on their tables with that of their neighbors and ask questions pertaining to seed variety, planting dates, fertilization and irrigation. 

Obviously, production costs are a part of the conversation. Growers openly discuss where they purchase their supplies and what they paid for them. By comparison shopping growers might find, for example, the difference in the cost of a 50-pound bag of 13-13-13 fertilizer from one seller versus another can be as much as $5. Growers report spending as much as $5 for 20 seed for a tomato variety that is not available locally. 

Most growers are old hands at what they do and won’t pass up an opportunity to tell another grower how it was done on their family’s farm when they were kids. 

They worked hard and long and learned to appreciate the luxury of a good shade tree. They dreaded the cotton-picking harvest, along with picking and shelling butter beans. Their dinner tables were filled with stewed squash, green beans, field peas, tomatoes and cornbread, topped off with cobbler pie swimming in real yellow butter. 

Tomatoes continue to be the most popular item at the farmers market, and other summer veggies will be offered for several more weeks. Greens will be available soon. 

Shoppers are advised to come early for best selection.

 

Morgan County

20 under 40: Trey Chowning

Falkville

20 under 40: TJ Holmes

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20 under 40: Spencer Bell

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20 under 40: Shelby Keenum

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20 under 40: Rachel Howard

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20 under 40: Mary Virgina Halbrooks

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20 under 40: Maggie McKelvey

Decatur

20 under 40: Maegan Jones

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20 under 40: Lindsey Tapscott

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‘He lets us have sex’: More details emerge on Hartselle man accused of child exploitation 

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Hartselle church creates Easter-themed escape rooms 

Danville

Family tradition: State livestock show legacy spans generations

Editor's picks

Baseball for Beau: More than $8k raised for scholarship named after Hartselle child  

Falkville

20 under 40: Lela Weeks

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20 under 40: Kalleigh Thomas

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20 under 40: Jaime Hatcher

Hartselle

Veteran Hartselle firefighter charged with possessing child porn

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Cerrowire expansion named finalist in Business Alabama Awards  

At a Glance

Work begins on repairing two bridges over I-65 in Morgan County in coming weeks

At a Glance

Tickets for Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame banquet available

Falkville

Morgan County volunteers celebrated at annual fire department banquet 

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Man jailed for stealing car from jail after earlier release 

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Police: Hartselle man encouraged children to have sex inside his apartment

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20 under 40: Chris Rigoni

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