Bedford Farms: The design-driven garden center

Bedford Farms owners Max and Nicole Apton. PHOTO COURTESY OF BEDFORD FARMS

By JOYCE CORRIGAN

Eighty-four years young, never more energetic, or culturally influential. Martha Stewart? Well, of course — but here, it’s Bedford Farms, the design-driven garden center known for eight decades as Bedford Nursery. 

Under Max and Nicole Apton, it has rapidly expanded offerings, built a loyal clientele, and spread good vibes in just under a year. They donated and installed all the holiday wreaths in Bedford Village (and furnished the summer hanging plants) simply because, as Max put it, “We live here, too.”

Spanning nine pastoral acres just four minutes from Bedford Green, Bedford Farms merges horticulture with high design and high engagement.

“Nicole manages all our social media, and we’ve just reached 3,500 Instagram followers,” Apton said. 

Locally sourced isn’t just a label — it’s a manifesto. That includes the owners. Max is an Armonk native; Nicole is from Katonah. Their hand-picked team of horticulturalists, landscape designers and plant aficionados hail from Westchester, as does Steven Helmes of the Katonah-based Helmes Group, who reimagined the contemporary barn. Skylights, cathedral ceilings, exposed beams, Amish siding, and reclaimed wood from the original barn create a sun-drenched emporium housing a curated florist, indoor market with local produce and sleek café (macadamia milk lattes included), plus a loft for clothing and a full slate of seasonal workshops. A recent Sunday’s holiday ornament-themed “Sip and Paint” with artist Kendall Klingbeil sold out instantly.

“Alongside holiday staples — garlands, poinsettias, wreaths, trees — one of our best sellers in the market right now is Mancini Pastificio Agricolo durum wheat pasta harvested from an Italian family farm. Who knew?” laughed Apton.

Apton, who also founded Sweet Clover Design, an ecologically mindful landscaping firm, takes pride in the sprawling meadow garden he personally created. “When we first saw the property, it was bright and open — but overgrown and a little sad,” he recalled. “There were 50-foot evergreens planted as Christmas trees that never sold.”

His vision was to transform the nursery into a working organic market garden, a habitat for wildlife and pollinators, and a refuge for locals seeking nature brimming with life. Families stroll, yoga classes happen in warmer months, while native grasses and perennials attract bees, butterflies and birds. Wooden bridges, bird feeders and bat boxes dot the landscape.

“We love our bats — they keep black flies in check,” Apton said. 

The fully fenced meadowscape keeps deer out and children in.

“Our daughter, almost three, loves exploring here,” Apton said. “Kids love it.”

After studying journalism at the University of Wisconsin, and writing briefly for Patch, Apton farmed organically in Hawaii and Vermont before landing a dream gig in 2012 as vegetable field manager at Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture  in Tarrytown. He founded Sweet Clover Design in 2019, specializing in conservationist designs with a nod to his farming roots.

Robin Ashley, vice president of the Bedford Farmers Club, who runs The Farm Store, a fresh egg stand, at Mill Pond Farm believes Bedford Farms’ productivity and attention to detail most certainly stems from Apton being both a professional farmer and a designer.

“It’s the only local nursery where gardening experts and novices alike feel welcome and very well cared for,” she said. “The staff are super knowledgeable but never intrusive.”

The current team includes two alums from the acclaimed Whispering Pines Nursery & Garden Center in Yorktown Heights: garden center manager John Martin and houseplant specialist Anthony Druyan. Cecilia Stempel, an accomplished florist and designer and longtime owner of Stempel Designs, joined Bedford Farms this season, while Alex Lamoreaux is the imaginative events coordinator. Through a “well-timed Facebook connection,” said Apton, Aigul Bowdidge was hired as market manager.

“Bedford Farms is truly a gift to our community,” said Brett Cameron, president of the Bedford Village Business Association and founding partner of the event planning and design firm La Maison Fete. “Max and his staff consistently show up with enthusiasm — whether decorating or joining the Art Crawl. Their barn space and market are must-sees, as are the gardens in spring.”

As a “grower” and entrepreneur, Apton will always think in seasons — planning according to planting cycles, anticipating, tweaking, and tending the land, an eternal process of patience, sustainability and stewardship.

“We’ve come a long way, but there’s still a long road ahead,” he said. “I am somewhat of a perfectionist, and I would really like to hone our sourcing, both in plants, food, gifts and workshops.”

Like one of summer’s pollinator birds flitting about the meadow out back, Apton’s nesting instinct is strong. Not only did he and Nicole just welcome their second child a month ago, but they will soon start construction on their dream house adjacent to the meadow where the original owner’s cottage stood.

“I know I couldn’t ask for a more excellent team and look forward to seeing them every morning, but this place really comes alive at the end of the day, when everyone leaves,” Apton said. “That’s our magic hour — just the plants, the pollinators, and us. Nicole and I look around and know how incredibly lucky we are to call this not just our business, but our home.”

Bedford Farms is located at 235 Greenwich Road, Bedford.