A fantastic urban feed-and-seed store has just opened a few miles outside our neighborhood to serve all of our urban agriculture needs. Located at 1715 Market Center, Trinity Haymarket is in a charming building just right for a city feed-and-seed store. I close my eyes as I smell the sweet feed and am taken back to childhood memories at the local feed-and-seed store.
All grains, feeds and seeds, at Trinity Haymarket are non-GMO. “It is good clean honest feed. It is important for the health of everything from the soil, to my poultry, to my body” says co-owner Bill Dougherty. What we feed our soil, plants, poultry, rabbits, goats and bees is ultimately what we are eating.
Chickens love the wheat straw, which is full of wheat berries. Dougherty, who owns Trinity Haymarket with Fred Owen, describes the “deep-bedding” technique for chickens as the practice of continuing to add more straw or cured wood shavings. As the chickens continue to break it down over time, you end up with a nutrient-rich compost product to put directly into the garden.
Do you have goats? The untreated, dairy-quality hay from Henderson County could be the ticket for them. The goats love it, and you don’t have to worry about any contaminants getting into the milk.
You no longer have to be a farm hand to pick up hay or straw. Trinity Haymarket has small, square “ladies bales” that most anyone can pick up. Need a scythe? They have a very impressive one to harvest wheat. This garden lady got super excited over the newly installed display of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange seed rack. An oh yeah… local raw honey!
Trinity Haymarket is planning some educational events this spring, including classes on chickens, beekeeping, vegetable gardens and heirloom seeds.