While vegetables, herbs and flowers are already peaking through the soil at Helfand Farm, the community gardening grouped officially kicked off the season with its first workshop of the season on Saturday.

Community Gardening Day featured a free workshop, a plant sale and potluck lunch for members of the farm and the public.

Vegetable farmer Ashley Brister of South Dartmouth's Round the Bend Farm imparted advice on direct sowing, the process of starting seeds directly in a garden rather than transplanting seedlings from an indoor pot.

She instructed a small group on planting potatoes from “eyes” (pieces of potatoes that have begun to sprout), sowing beet seeds and transplanting spinach.

Brister, who grows produce on a little less than an acre of land, said despite the harsh winter that caused a two-to-three-week delay in the season, now is the perfect time to begin planting.

“Your peas should be going if you haven’t started them already, and you should be planting your onions and potatoes,” said Brister. “There are some things I’m already harvesting, like greens.”

Brister’s interest in agriculture developed after she apprenticed at a farm over a decade ago.

“I thought it would be a summer experiment, but I fell in love with the work,” she said.

Now she teaches workshops at her farm and throughout the community.

The free workshop ran in conjunction with an outdoor potluck and plant sale. Tomato plants were on sale courtesy of Bob Feingold from 24K Heirloom Tomatoes & Friends.

The garden space, which was originally owned by the Helfand family, was donated to the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust and, in turn, that group has allowed 4 acres of the farm to be used by the community.

Now entering its third year, Marlene Holohan, a board member of the community garden, said the space is drawing attention from around the area.

“We have people from New Bedford, Dartmouth, Westport and Tiverton,” said Holohan.

The garden’s president, Ben Rapoza, said the space is a great place for would-be green thumbs to learn about cultivation.

In addition to renting out plots of land, they offer shared tools, free water, compost bins and gardeners can purchase organic fertilizer on-site.

“We try to have everything right here so if somebody wants to get into organic gardening, we’re a one-stop shop," said Rapoza. "We try to make it easy as possible for new gardeners.”

Workshops at the farm are free and open to the public, and the group is already preparing for future events. A plot of land has been devoted to cabbage in preparation for a sauerkraut workshop this summer.

Rental plots have an annual fee of $55 for a 10-by-20-foot plot or $30 for a 10-by-10-foot half plot. You can find more information at helfandgardens.com.