Cousins, if you want to buy from Black farmers, the next step ought to be easy to find. You may need vegetables for this week's meals, seeds for the next season, a fruit tree, or a grower who can help with a community project. Start with what you need, find the people growing it, and ask the questions that make the purchase work.
Start with The Black Agrarian.
The Black Agrarian directory connects people with Black farmers, growers, food producers, seed producers, nurseries, and agricultural organizations. Search by location, crop or product, specialty, or service. A farm, a seed keeper, a nursery, and an agricultural educator may meet very different needs. Give your search a little direction.
I founded The Black Agrarian because our agricultural lives deserve to be visible and connected. Finding one another should lead somewhere useful: a purchase, a partnership, a lesson, or a relationship that lasts beyond one season.
1. Decide what you are trying to buy.
Make a short list before you search. Are you looking for fresh produce, eggs, honey, seeds, nursery plants, or a service? Do you need local pickup, a farmers market, delivery, or shipping? That answer helps you choose the right business and ask a clear question.
For food, start near home and check the grower's current harvest and sales locations. For seeds and live plants, read the product details and shipping requirements before placing an order. A business may offer some products locally and ship others.
2. Contact the business and confirm the details.
A listing is a starting point. Contact the business directly for the current price, availability, ordering method, and pickup or delivery arrangements. Ask before visiting; a working farm or home nursery may require an appointment.
- What is available now, and what is coming next?
- Where do I order, and how do I pay?
- Is there a pickup window, delivery area, shipping restriction, or minimum order?
- For a school, restaurant, or community order: can you supply the quantity and timing we need?
If something is out of season or sold out, ask how to hear about the next harvest or restock. A newsletter signup or a recurring order may be more useful than another saved post.
3. Choose seeds and plants for your actual growing conditions.
Read the variety description and growing instructions. Consider your planting window, sun, available space, container size, and whether you want to sow seeds or begin with a live plant. Ask the seller about anything the listing leaves unclear.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is a useful reference for perennial cold hardiness. Your zone is one part of choosing a plant; it does not replace the variety's planting instructions, local conditions, or shipping requirements.
Ordering from Plant & Heal? Shop seeds, explore live plants, and read our live plant and shipping requirements. For growing and arrival questions, visit Seeds & Growing FAQ.
4. Read the listing information with care.
Directory participants supply information about their operations. Some listings may be self-attested and have not been independently verified. Being listed does not establish organic certification, licensing, food safety certification, or USDA approval. If a particular credential matters for your purchase or partnership, ask the business for current documentation.
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's local food directories offer another way to explore farmers markets, community-supported agriculture, food hubs, and on-farm markets. These directories answer different questions; use the resource that fits what you are trying to find.
5. Keep the relationship growing.
Once you find a business you value, save its direct ordering link. Subscribe to updates if you want them. Leave an honest review after a purchase, share accurate information, and send people to the business's own ordering page.
If you are a grower or agricultural organization, read the eligibility information and get listed. Help the next person find you with a clear description of what you grow, where you serve, and how to reach you.
More than one way to grow.
Polyculture runs through how I see this work: different kinds of growing, knowledge, and enterprise supporting one another. The seed store, nursery, classroom, and directory each have work to do. Together, they help us move from wanting stronger food connections to making them.
Find Black Farmers on The Black Agrarian
Erica Andrea McRae, known as Erica Plants, is the founder of Plant & Heal Co. and The Black Agrarian.
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