Nevada farmer Cary Yamamoto is starting a new kind of farmers market this week. Bonsai Blue Garden market will have fresh produce and artisanal wares, but it will also provide help to people who want to start their own gardens.
"We'll be providing garden starts for homeowners who want to start their own gardens," Yamamoto said. "So we're promoting edible landscapes for homeowners, because we are in the landscaping industry with our turf business, but we really want to promote a balance in that landscape. So it's about sod, caring for your lawn, growing a garden, and providing a venue you could actually get some help for that."
The Yamamoto family has been farming in this area for the last sixty years.
"Our family started farming in Reno in the late 1950s, so we've been farming in these areas that are now shopping malls," Yamamoto said. "And in the last 30 years we've been doing sod."
The garden market is also a way to help other local farmers affected by the pandemic.
"The pandemic has struck farming in such a difficult manner," he said. "We really wanted to have a venue where small, local farms could sell their produce., "We're really focusing on some of the ethnic types of produce. As far as Yamamoto Farms and my family, we're really focusing on Asian produce and would like to see a bigger mix of Asian produce at this market as well."
Bonsai Blue garden market opens Friday at Yamamoto's landscaping business, Dayton Valley Turf on Kietzke Lane.
"This is our first year but we've been thinking about it for several years," Yamamoto said. "We want to offer more than just lawn and landscaping products, so from our background in farming, we thought this was a natural fit for us to really be available for the community for this type of help."
The hope is to hold it the market every Friday - expanding it as restrictions are loosened - up until the end of October.
For more information, you can visit their website.Â
