You might ask... what's a CSA?
That's the question that came up most when I launched our flower subscription program this year. I didn't know what it stood for until about five years ago either! The best way I can explain it is as a pre-order for a season's worth of goods—in our case, flowers. CSAs are most commonly used in the vegetable world, where you "invest" early by pre-ordering a season's worth of locally grown, super fresh, seasonal vegetables from your local farm.
More Than Just a Sales Model
Think of it as an alternative to a farmer selling at the farmers' market—it's essentially a different sales channel. What I love about it is the built-in community aspect. Week after week, you get to see the same people at pickup, and it's a way of connecting with your immediate community that's often lacking now, given our over-dependency on social media and the digital world.
You might also ask: Why can't I just buy flowers from you weekly?
I suppose you could, but the whole concept of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), which became popular in the US in the 1980s, has—and still has—the same core principle: farming is costly, and you're tied to unpredictable weather. For example, this year we experienced a very unusual spring where April and May were rainy and cloudy for most of the season. Many of our plants in the field really suffered during the important growing stages—we honestly didn't know if any of them would make it.
How CSAs Support Farmers
Part of the CSA member contribution is to help at the beginning of the year when farmers are cash-flow strapped but need to buy all their seeds for the season, purchase different amendments like truckloads of compost and fertilizers, and handle whatever infrastructure necessities need updating. (At Wing Ming, our main infrastructure update for next season is building a shed with a walk-in cooler—see our fundraiser here to learn more!)
By having a pre-order model, farmers get money upfront for the season and can better plan how much crop they'll need to grow, giving them some financial stability.
Side note: There are various grants out there (though there could be much more supporting local agriculture and smaller-scale specialty farms!), and they're extremely competitive. When I applied for a few this year, I noticed that the way funding is distributed doesn't align with when farms are actually racking up expenses. None of these grants allow submission of past receipts either—I think there needs to be more flexibility here.
Why We Love the CSA Model
This whole season, I was so grateful for the CSA model because it was such a relief not having to think about where to move flowers weekly. I could focus mainly on getting our weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly bouquets ready for our members. I love farmers markets, but there's something really special about a CSA share that I think everyone should try. You can check out Hudson Valley's various farm CSAs to get a glimpse of the diversity available. Without the support of the CSA community, many of these farms would have a hard time operating, as this is often their main income source.
Our (Admittedly) Complex CSA Options
Now, let me break down our own special—probably too many options—CSA!
I'll start by saying we have many options because we saw that many other CSAs aren't as flexible, and we're small-scale enough that I can offer that flexibility. I can foresee that in a few more seasons, once we better understand what our community prefers, we can fine-tune these for an easier sign-up experience. But for now, the more options the merrier!
For 2026, We Offer Three Delivery Methods:
Local Pick-Up We're continuing our partnership with our friend Sierra's shop in Beacon, The Floral Society. We'll also finally be offering on-site pickup at the farm (another reason we need that cooler!). Currently, I'm in conversation about two more sites, most likely in Newburgh and New Paltz. If you're a store owner interested in being a CSA pickup host site, I'd love to chat!
Local Delivery (40-mile radius) The only change we're making for local delivery is that we're waiving our delivery fee if you sign up before the end of the year. This year we charged a tier-based delivery fee based on your distance from the farm. For any 2026 sign-ups, we'll most likely do a one-time flat rate fee for your full subscription. This makes more sense to me, especially when we have multiple deliveries in the same town—it's my way of lowering the barrier to entry while still being able to offer flowers.
If you're not sure whether you're within our delivery radius, you can email me to check, do a quick Google Maps search for downtown Wallkill, Ulster County 12589, or enter your address at checkout—it should notify you if you're within range.
Shipping Our flowers will reach you within 24-36 hours of leaving the farm, regardless of final destination. Most shipments go via FedEx Express or Home Delivery, and for NYC/NJ deliveries, we also use UPS. The shipping subscription is more expensive because of all the packaging and postage required. Our average shipping cost is $25, and packaging runs about $12. I honestly don't understand how floral startups and generic 1-800-flowers services make this work financially!
Additional Options:
Frequency: Choose bi-weekly or monthly delivery, plus select how many weeks you'd like your flowers.
Sliding Scale Pricing: We offer three different pricing tiers available on an honor system, with income ranges as a reference. We understand that meeting a specific income on paper doesn't necessarily reflect what you're taking home. We understand things are increasingly more expensive and many of us are paying off loans or bills, so please consider those factors when selecting your pricing tier.
Here are some photos from this year's CSA bouquets to entice you to sign up! :)
