Each year I make the pilgrimage from Charleston to Fairlea, near Lewisburg, for the State Fair of West Virginia. I love fairs and have fun at the fair. I love the fair so much that I camp with friends in the fair campground during my stay. However, I can say that after 11 days at the fair and 10 nights sleeping in a tent, I … Continue reading Local Gardeners/Farmers Shine at WV State Fair
And this is where a lot of people mess up. I have lots of people call me each year, bemoaning the fact that they can’t get grass to grow in their yard. They often ask what is wrong, what they need to add or spray to make it work. Continue reading Finding the right grass for your lawn
Do your taste buds yearn for flavors beyond that of the usual vegetable garden suspects? Looking for something tasty and easy to grow in the cool season fall or spring gardens?
There are some new arrivals emigrating to local gardens from traditional world cuisines. Some of the hottest new additions to the vegetable garden lineup are greens from traditional Asian cultures. Continue reading Add a taste of Asia to the garden
We grow our tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and more to harvest their fruit to eat, but the plant’s intent is to produce alluring fruits containing seeds that will be spread by animals to pass on their genetic material.
While our consumption of these plants doesn’t readily spread genetic material through dispersing seeds (at least not since the dawn of modern bathrooms), we can still play a part in saving and continuing the plant’s genetic material. Continue reading Seed Saving and Plant Sex Ed
The farm was Moss Mountain Farm, and the owner greeting the gathered crowed was P. Allen Smith, a gardener and farmer of international acclaim, whose shows on public television and HGTV entertain and educate millions. We were all excited to be there despite the nearly soul-crushing heat. Continue reading A visit with celebrity gardener P. Allen Smith
The heat of summer, it seems, is not only the time that gardens produce the most, it is also the time when the things that want to eat or destroy your gardens are at their busiest.
So while the oppressive heat may have you wanting to be a couch potato rather than tending your potatoes, you should be out checking on your plants, scouting for diseases and insects, and treating them appropriately. Continue reading Defense against summer diseases and pests
For many, gardens symbolize hope, a promise for the future and a promise of sustenance for themselves and their families.
For farmers, fields full of tomatoes and corn symbolize other hopes and promises — of future earnings and what those can bring, as well as stability and a better future. Continue reading Regrowth after floods isn’t easy
These fruits — raspberries, blackberries and their relatives — are common in many gardens, and for good reason. Because the fruits are so tender, they are often hard to transport and therefore hard to find at market. Continue reading Summer sweets: bramble on and on and on
In West Virginia, many of our farms and gardens sit along streams, where they feed from the rich, fertile bottomlands. This means that there is often flooding that affects anything that grows.
In the areas most affected, it is likely that nearly all plants in gardens and fields washed away completely. In areas where standing water covered — but did not wash away — the produce, there is concern for food safety. Continue reading Flooded Gardens: Produce safety is key
Now that summer has officially arrived after the summer solstice, it is time to once again look forward to your garden’s future and plan for a bountiful late summer and fall. And for those dealing with flooded gardens, it is possible to replant and harvest again this year. Continue reading Extend harvest season by replanting now
BearlyGrowing 