It is always inspiring to see what the producers at the Homer Farmers' Market are growing this early in the season. It is already easy to get the week's supply of vegetables for fresh, gourmet salads, but there are some surprises, too. The FFA students' booth last week even had squash, cucumber, tomatoes and green beans.

But the producers at the Farmers' Market aren't going to be able to feed the whole town (not yet, anyway). Hopefully the fresh produce they provide every year is an inspiration for those who have a patch of fertile Alaska soil that they can plunk a few seeds into. With our short season, however, rather than starting with seeds it may be a good idea to find someone else who already has the starts going for you.

This Saturday there will be more of a variety of starts at the Farmers' Market than you could imagine. Everyone may be looking for those basil starts for summer pesto sauces for halibut or other delights, but have you thought of trying red celery, purple broccoli or, better yet, purple kohlrabi? Of course if you prefer the more common vegetables at your table, there are always the local mainstays like cauliflower, zucchini or (green) broccoli and herbs such as parsley, cilantro and sage.

Vegetable gardening may not be for everyone, so there are plenty of flowers to tease the imagination. The choices range from local favorites like chocolate lilies and monkshood to the bright colors of trollius and poppies. Head over to Luba's Garden and you can even find trees and shrubs.

If you would like to have more information about what is available this week at the Homer Farmers' Market or to sign up for the market newsletter, check out the Web site at www.homerfarmersmarket.org.

Kyra Wagner is the director of Sustainable Homer and the Homer Farmers' Market's biggest fan. She can be reached at kyra@sustainablehomer.org.