Does anyone who loves tomatoes really need advice on more tomatoes to buy? Yes. Because how else are we going to make it through the winter? Note: for photo captions “OP” stands for Open-Pollinated, which means you can save the seeds. Heirlooms are OP. For hybrids you can’t save the seeds, but they aren’t the same as GMOs. Everyone has…
One of the evergreen plants I see on my nature hikes lately is spotted wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata). Another of its common names, “pipsissewa”, apparently came from the Cree word “pipisisikewu.” Though the root was once used in root beer* recipes, this is a plant usually appreciated for its quiet beauty. The glossy green leaves with their center white stripe are…
I just made a significant edit to my garden catalog directory entry that I felt I should draw attention to. The updated changes are at the bottom of the post. How to Choose from Garden Catalogs DWW7J48KE3EZ
This is one of my favorite things all year… and only 2 days left for early bird registration! Prices go up a little after February 12th at 5:00pm. The Organic Growers School spring conference is on March 6 & 7 this year. You can register here. If you live in any convenient distance from the University of North Carolina at…
I get excited about foods I’ve never grown before and for a few years now I’ve tried my hand at growing Hibiscus sabdariffa, which you may be familiar with as the “zinger” in Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger tea. H. sabdariffa is also known as tea hibiscus, red tea, Florida cranberry, roselle, and sorrel (unrelated to the leafy French sorrel). It…
Appalachian residents don’t usually think of citrus as a local food but if you have a sunny window or greenhouse to overwinter your plants, you can grow citrus indoors. Citrus require a moderate amount of maintenance to thrive but they can be very rewarding. The first thing to do is obtain some plants. If you are driving to Florida anytime…
I’ve seen endless information about how to make compost but very little about what to do with it once it “happens.” One frequent question I get as a Master Gardener is when and how to use this garden black gold. I decided to write a comprehensive post about it. First, you need some compost. You can make it in a…
My friends and I pull out all the stops for our annual pie party competition and this year I liked my tomato tart entry enough that I’ve made it several times since November. It is becoming a quick potluck favorite. I make it either as a large tart or as mini tartlets. It’s delicious! The recipe calls for soaking the…
(Catalog Link Directory last updated 9/22/2010) I do it for you… Alright, maybe I am addicted to seeds. They are beautiful and each little dormant embryo is ripe with an active daydream for my spring garden. But I am happy to condense my catalog experiences to help out those of you who are overwhelmed by the plentiful selection. First, think…
This is similar to a post I published in August, but I think winter food buying bears special mention. Just a handful of years ago if I didn’t plant enough food for my family over the winter my only option was to buy hard, bland produce shipped from around the globe to my conventional supermarket. Not this year. I didn’t…
Appalachian Feet’s Store is finally finished. I chose the cream of my books, thought-provoking movies, and useful green products (such as canning equipment, rain barrels, produce bags, and cloth napkins) that you can buy once and use for life. Click to enter store: Appalachian Feet Store If you have advice on a sustainable product or book that I left out,…
You may have noticed a tree in your neighborhood that rains dull green baseballs each fall. In most locations these heavy fruits are ignored by residents, unless a group of children utilizes them in a mock battle – or better yet – discovers the joys of walnut-stained body parts and clothing. Often my mother threw up her hands in despair…
Most of us don’t know what a Water Commissioner does. I didn’t. But what I did know is that water is becoming a more crucial issue across the United States (and the rest of the world). We have only to look to our parched yards or rising bills to recognize this problem. Some states and cities are more progressive than…
Many gardeners hit the tail end of summer at a drag. For some, it is irrigation, weeds, and disease that have taken a toll on their enthusiasm. Others feel they will pave the garden over with concrete before they have to find a use for one more tomato, zucchini, or cucumber! This year my August Slump was due to increasing…
If you’ve enjoyed passionfruit in exotic juice mixes or as a novel fruit from the produce section, you may be surprised at how easy it is to grow at home. The passionflower grown for commercial production is the South American species Passiflora edulis, but we have a local, native species that tastes just as good! Passiflora incarnata is not only…
Note 6/14/12: Appalachian Feet recommends fertilizers as a way to improve soil in new gardens and planting areas. For established plantings and beds we recommend more sustainable fertility like hugelkultur, plant nutrient accumulators, biochar, cover crops, and livestock manures. Thoroughly exasperated at the bank-breaking prices of tiny organic, slow-release fertilizer packages, I decided it was surely cheaper to make my…
Whether you’ve never even grown a houseplant or your family sucks down all the fresh cukes from your garden so fast that you need an extra basket with which to make pickles, you can probably find what you need from a local source.
Rat snakes are certainly friends in the garden and they reside in every state of the Appalachias. If you find a smaller snake with a pale gray body, a pattern of dark gray blotches, and a checkered underbelly, it is likely the juvenile…
A common problem for southern eggplant-lovers are flea beetles. Though they resemble their namesake in appearance and behavior, flea beetles would rather turn our eggplant foliage into Swiss cheese than drink blood. Some of us would prefer the bloodletting since a large infestation of beetles can kill a crop before it even sets flowers! Fortunately for organic gardeners everywhere, there…
If you don’t have room for sprawling melon plants to ramble across all the pathways in your garden, give trellising a try. Lightweight melons are perfect for trellising because they do not strain the stems of the plant as they dangle. Each melon is approximately a single serving size but because the smaller size requires less energy, the plant is…