Easton Garden Club: Garden Mart and farm map release are a success

Caroline Teed points to some flowers, while with mother, Kiko Teed, as they look at the merchandise on sale at the Easton Garden Club’s Marden Mart on Saturday.

Saturday morning’s rain showers provided some much needed moisture to the area’s flora, and did little to dampen the spirits of Easton Garden Club members.

The club, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, held its annual Garden Mart on Saturday.

The mart, one of the organization’s largest annual fund-raisers, featured more than 600 perennial plants, shrubs and even some trees, most locally grown by garden club members.

Easton Garden Club member Cathy Meyer said although the final numbers were not yet in, members felt the day was a success.

“We had very few plants left at the end of the day,” Meyer said, adding that while the tough economy may have an effect on overall sales, the day was still a busy one.

“It was extremely festive,” she said.

Saturday’s event also served as the launching pad for the club’s new Easton Farm Map.

Over the past several months, the garden club researched, developed and designed the town’s first comprehensive farming map, which highlights agricultural producers throughout Easton.

To ensure the map is complete and accurate, the club asked local farmers to fill out and send in a special survey the map committee created to assist members in compiling data. Twenty-two farms responded.

The four-color map — which features a hand-painted heirloom tomato designed by Easton Garden Club President Hove Herrmann on its front fold — identifies the location of each of the farms while also providing information on the types of produce and other products available there.

To help kick off the release of the new map, a number of local farmers were on hand selling their Easton-grown produce at the mart, including Sport Hill Farm (organic vegetable seedlings), Dave’s Honey and J&L Orchids.

Meyer said the map was well received.

“People just loved it... we had a lot of interest,” she said.

Meyer added that the map was so popular, club members limited map handouts to one per family so as to the ensure sufficient copies would remain available throughout the mart.

“People were coming and asking for maps for their neighbors and friends. It was amazing.”

Meyer said members directed residents to the club’s Web site (eastongardenclub.com), where a scaled-down, 8.5 x 11 version is available to download.

In addition, community organizations including Citizens for Easton (citizensforeaston.org) and Aspetuck Land Trust (aspetucklandtrust.org) plan to set up links to the Farm Map on their sites, Meyer said.

The club will also soon have car magnets of the map’s tomato logo available for purchase. The committee plans to design a greeting card that features the signature tomato, too. The sale of both items will serve as a new fund-raising opportunity for the group.

And Meyer said next year, club members may sell framed, unfolded versions of their farm map.

“I think the entire day went fantastically,” she said.