August in East Tennessee has been hotter and drier than we have had in years. Hopefully this heat and dry weather will not have a negative effect on the beautiful changing of leaves that signals fall is just around the corner. These days we yearn for the rain that plagued many local farmers last
When you’re feeding almost 50 growing young men, what’s one crop you can be reasonably certain everyone will enjoy? Potatoes, of course! After hard work, and a warm, dry summer, the Boys Home community is now enjoying the mature potatoes. An experienced farmer may certainly disagree, but for many of our first-time gardeners, this
Seasons Our year is divided into different seasons for a reason and I'm so thankful that we're moving into a season of rest. The earth needs to rest and we need to rest in order to rejuvenate for the coming seasons. Harvest Before that season of rest gets underway, we have a season of harvest
B. Sias Step by Step, Logan County For the past three or four years, a group of seniors who reside in the Chapmanville Towers in Chapmanville WV participate in the Logan Grow Appalachia program. For the last two years, one lady whom I’ll call Carole has been really interested and active in our program. She
M. Pate Step by Step, Big Ugly Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater is a nursery rhyme that tells the tale of Peter making a home for his wife out of a rather large pumpkin. While the Big Ugly pumpkins in this garden may not quite meet the size requirements for a comfy home, they do meet
I had the massive pleasure of heading back to Linwood and Snowshoe last weekend and was able to check out our high tunnel, community garden and the Pocahontas County Farmers Market while I was there. I spent a good long while munching Pareso tomatoes, which to me are everything a tomato should be: meaty and
--Karline Jensen, High Rocks, Hillsboro, WV We planted some fall salads at our Season Extension workshops on August 20 and 21. Guess what, it has only rained a half an inch since. We watered them really well when we planted them, and then I was able to water them two more times. It hasn't rained
Hit the Ground Tilling It's been almost 5 months since I started as the Grow Appalachia Coordinator here at Red Bird Mission and when I did, I was thrust into it full force. On the first day, I began tilling garden spots. I had only used small garden tillers in the past and here I
It’s no secret that vegetables are good for you. Vegetables are a great source of vitamins, nutrients, and fiber, and they are low in cholesterol, fat, and caloric density. As part of an overall healthy lifestyle, eating adequate vegetables may reduce the risk of heart disease, strokes, cancer, and high blood pressure.
This month most people are seeing the end of their summer garden here. Cucumbers are slowly fading away, the heat from mid July and early August deterred most people from doing a lot in the community garden. There were a few dedicated growers that kept it going and have already started cleaning out their beds
