CSA Membership
By becoming a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) member with a local farmer, you are entering into a partnership in which both parties agree to share the risks and benefits of local food production.
A CSA member benefits by receiving local produce throughout the growing season, often harvested the day-prior or day-of pick-up. Not only do members get the best pricing (typically between 15% to 20% off retail pricing), we also grow some specialty crops that are only available to our CSA members.
The farmer benefits from receiving funds in advance of the growing season, which is then applied toward the early costs of production before market sales begin. We also get consistent feedback throughout the season, which helps tremendously with maintaining high quality produce and helps to determine future seed selections.
The risks of being a CSA member are centered around the often unpredictable challenges, such as weather-related disasters or uncontrollable pest management. Of course, we try our best to engage in preventative methods throughout the season. And, should we experience major challenges to food production, we will make sure our CSA members see the least amount of impact.
Interested in becoming a CSA member? Review the share information below and then click the "Get a Share" button when ready. The CSA shares will be removed from the farm store once all shares have been claimed.
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CSA shares are available weekly over a 20-week period: starting the week of May 20, 2024, and ending the week of October 7, 2024. There is one scheduled break when CSA shares will not be available, occurring the week of July 1, 2024.
Your specific CSA day of the week will depend on the pickup location you select (more information regarding pickup locations below).
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There are two types of shares available.
- The half share is meant for 2–3 people and is valued at $27.50/week, totaling $550 for the season.
- The full share is meant for 3–4 people and is valued at $38.50/week, totaling $770 for the season.
The total value of each share will include a 15% to 20% discount from retail prices.
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All of our CSA shares are packaged as farmer’s choice, meaning that you are not able to customize the share week to week. With that said, we try to balance the share so that the vegetables complement one another and can be paired together in one meal or two meals. And, we try not to offer the exact same vegetables two weeks in a row.
Here's a list of what we're growing this season: arugula, basil, beans, beets, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chives, cilantro, collard greens, cucumbers, dill, eggplant, fall squash, fennel, garlic, garlic scapes, ginger, gourds, head lettuce, kale, leeks, muskmelon, onions, oregano, okra, peas, peppers (sweet and spicy), radishes, rosemary, sage, salad mix (regular and spicy), shallots, summer squash, spinach, Swiss chard, tarragon, tomatoes, turnips, watermelon, and zucchini. -
Pickups at Aurora and Denver will occur on Wednesdays. Pickups at Boulder, Broomfield, Lafayette, Longmont, and Sugarloaf Road will occur on Thursdays. And, pickups at farmers markets will occur on the weekends during market hours. You will be able to see more detailed schedules in the farm shop before you check out.
We used to offer home deliveries for CSA members for an additional delivery fee; however, we are unable to offer this service at this time. One main reason is that the delivery fee was not covering the true cost of home deliveries, and increasing the delivery cost felt excessive when compared to the full cost of a CSA share. Additionally, our farm operations are expanding as we increase to more acres in production, so this change will allow us to redirect some additional energy toward increased operational needs. With that said, we are open to adding more pickup locations if there is enough interest from the community living outside our current pickup locations - email the farm team if you would like to propose locations.
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If you are out of town and need to skip a CSA share, you have three options:
- You can use a vacation day (members are given four vacation days), which means that the farm will not prepare a CSA share for you that week, and you will receive a farm credit for that week’s share amount. The farm credit can be used for a purchase at a future date, including at farmers markets. Farm credits do not expire, and they cannot be exchanged for a cash refund.
- You can reschedule your share for another week, meaning the farm will not prepare a CSA share for you on the skipped day, and you will receive two shares on the rescheduled day.
- You can have a friend pick up your share. There is no need for advance communication to the farm team, just make sure your friend knows how and where to pick up the CSA share.
We highly recommend CSA members pick up their weekly shares on the same day of delivery, as overnight cooling is not a guarantee at each location. For non-farmers market locations, any shares still present after two days (including delivery day) will be donated. For farmers market locations, any shares still present at the end of market will be donated.
For the members who have purchased an add-on share, please note that the above options may not be available for add-ons. If vacation and/or rescheduled days are not available, and you aren’t able to coordinate with a friend for pickup, contact the farm team as soon as possible so they can cancel that order with the add-on vendor. Otherwise, if the add-on share has not been picked up on time and no communication has been received, the product will be donated. -
If you are unable to pay the full cost, let's connect via email to discuss a cost-adjusted share plan that works for you, as it is important to us that our produce is available to anyone who wants it, regardless of one's income or access to wealth. We can also connect you with local, no-cost grocery programs.
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We are not certified organic; however, we are committed to growing organically per the certification guidelines and more. A few examples of our growing practices:
- We use organic and untreated seeds, from which we grow our own plant starts.
- We engage in soil-conserving practices by using cover crops and mulches, testing our soils regularly, and adding necessary nutrients and minerals.
- We do not use synthetic fertilizers or sprays.
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Add-ons may only be selected once you have selected a Switch Gears Farm CSA share in the farm shop. The add-ons are created in partnership with local vendors, and more may be added at a later date once additional partnerships are established. While we can allow for vacation days or reschedule days with the farm CSA, there may not be flexibility for the add-ons.
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GrownBy is a fair and transparent online platform used for direct sales access between farmers and their customers. GrownBy was created by farmers and is owned by members of the Farm Generations Coop. An account is necessary as the platform will send automated reminders related to purchased items; however, you may choose to use the app or visit your account via the website. The benefit to using the app is that you will receive more immediate notifications.
Prior to switching to GrownBy, every step we took from harvest to delivery was done manually once an order was placed, which left much room for human error. Plus, we were limited in how much information we could share or what type of payments we could accept. With the support of GrownBy, we anticipate the user experience to be more pleasant, for both the CSA members and the farm team.
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Once you click on “Get A Share”, click on “Switch Gears Farm - Summer CSA” from the menu on the bottom left - this page will offer a description of the shares and show all primary shares and add-ons (more may be added through the spring). Once you are done placing products in your cart, click on “Checkout Now” while viewing the cart. If you aren’t logged in already, you’ll be asked to create an account or login at this time - we recommend using an email address to create the account so you can receive email notifications. Once logged in, you can continue with checking out using one of the checkout methods listed below:
- Pay in full, with a credit card, at time of checkout. Select “Pay-In-Full” and enter your credit card information in the “Payment” section.
- Pay monthly, with a credit card, at time of checkout. Select “Monthly Payments” and enter your credit card information in the “Payment” section. This option may not be available for add-ons.
- Pay offline, with cash or check, at a later date. Select “Pay-In-Full” or “Monthly Payments” and then select “Pay Offline” in the “Payment” section. Once completed, you will receive an invoice.
If checking out with a credit card, you will have the option to cover the transaction fees associated with an online payment - while we appreciate the coverage, it is not required in order to make a purchase. To remove this coverage, uncheck the “Cover Farmer Fees (5%)” option in the “Farmer Love” section.
For additional support, contact us via email or search through GrownBy’s Support page. -
The short answer is…it depends. A CSA member can change the size of their share prior to April 30, 2024, as long as the new size desired is still available for purchase in the farm shop. There is no admin fee to make this change prior to April 30, 2024. A CSA member can also cancel their CSA share and receive a full refund if the cancellation is completed prior to April 30, 2024.
Starting May 1, 2024, no refunds will be issued for cancellations unless the share is being transferred to another person.
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If there’s any critical changes to your CSA or add-on shares, we will email you or send a notification through GrownBy. Otherwise, general farm updates will be available on Instagram.
Farmers Market
3489 W 32nd Ave.
Denver, CO 80211
Every Sunday from May 19, 2024 — October 13, 2024
9AM — 1PM
2551 E Colfax Ave.
Denver, CO 80206
Every Saturday from May 4, 2024 — October 26, 2024
8AM — 1PM