Blog
Filter by topic or see all below.
Filter by another topic or see selection below.
Gardening and Plants
Seed Saving for You – The Home Gardener
Most of us gardeners peruse seed catalogues in the fall and winter. After checking out what’s new and interesting, plus covering the bases with our trusty standbys, we place our orders through independent garden seed companies. At that point, all there is to do is await the arrival of ... Read more
How to Eat Acorns
Image courtesy of OrganicFacts.net Acorns look delicious, don’t they? They’re so smooth and appealing in their cute little “cupules” (hats). They are full of nutrition, but they’re also full of bitter, astringent tannins. These are compounds that make raw acorns distasteful and hard to digest. However, people all over the ... Read more
Elderberry Syrup Recipe, plus Elder Botany and Lore
Days are long and hot, the garden is booming, and the wilds are abundant with berries and fruits. Now is not exactly cold and flu season, but it is the time to pull out our elderberry syrup recipe. Why? Because very soon both wild and cultivated elderberries will be heavy ... Read more
How to Stake Tomatoes
It’s that time of year when garden vegetables and weeds alike are growing inches overnight. If you’re like us, tomatoes are a darling in your garden, but it can be tricky to keep these wily vines in check. There are lots of ways to stake or trellis tomatoes and ... Read more
Pokeweed: How to Prepare “Poke Salad”
Pokeweed is a nutritional powerhouse, but be careful, it can also be toxic to humans if it’s not prepared correctly. This voluptuous weed is extremely high in vitamin A, and also has significant amounts of vitamin C, iron and calcium. Additionally, pokeweed contains a unique antiviral protein that may inhibit ... Read more
Grow your own sweet potato slips
What are sweet potato slips? Sweet potato slips are the surprisingly diminutive tuber sprouts that grow into sprawling, productive sweet potato plants. Unlike potato potatoes (a.k.a. Irish taters or white potatoes, Solanum tuberosum), you don’t just cut up sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) and plant them in the ground to ... Read more
The Glorious Garden Journal
Learning as you go is one of the most rewarding things about growing a garden. Keeping a garden journal will help you do this. Whether you planted your first tomatoes this year or you’ve been tending a plot for 40 years, there are always new things to try and practices ... Read more
Direct Sowing in 5 Steps
Spring is here and it’s time to get planting. There are many ways to fill your garden with verdant, fruitful beauty. Direct sowing is one of the simplest, lowest-input (and low budget) ways to grow vegetables. In the right circumstances, it has lots of advantages over growing or buying transplants. ... Read more
How to Prune a Fruit Tree – Winter Pruning
Many modern varieties of fruit trees benefit from pruning. How to prune a fruit tree depends on the age, size, and type of tree, and your desired results. There are several reasons to prune, including: Shape the tree as it grows Stimulate growth Improve light and airflow around flowers/fruits Remove ... Read more
The Wondrous World of Wild Mushrooms
Getting to know the wild mushrooms growing around you can be rewarding and enriching. And there are so many varieties of wild mushrooms growing in North Carolina. Many mushrooms you’ll find are edible and delicious. There are others with potent medicinal compounds that can help keep you healthy or support ... Read more
Why You Should Plant a Mulberry Tree (or Three)
Whether you have a small suburban backyard or a large farm, we strongly recommend that you plant at least one mulberry tree. Mulberries are best known for their sweet-tart fruit, which is one of our favorites both fresh and dried. They are wonderful in other ways, too. In fact, ... Read more
The Herbal Apprenticeship
An Ancient Way of Learning Herbs in the Modern World What is an Herbal Apprenticeship? An herbal apprenticeship is an in-depth learning experience all about plants. Apprentices live and learn alongside teachers, working with them and getting one-on-one attention and guidance. Our ancestors shared herbal knowledge this way: they passed it ... Read more
Join Our Community
Sign up below to get $50 off your first class!
You'll also get our newsletter, which is full of how-to's, seasonal tips, specials on classes and more! Don't worry, we won't share your info with anyone. We care about your privacy!
On Facebook
On Instagram