Welcome back to another episode of
Lost In The Farmer’s Market, where we take a look into varied topics regarding
sustainability, horticulture and organic practices. Continuing our tradition of
shifting to garden topics as the weather warms this week’s post begins with an
updated photo of the Memorial bed within the test gardens.
Thalia turned out to be color changing, a nice surprise.
This
picture bears some explaining, in a prior post I may have noted that the test
gardens were planned to be expanded every year for five years and the addition
of these daffodils are part of the 2018 expansion. The variety is called Thalia
and when I bought two bags of fifteen bulbs last fall the picture on the front
of the package indicated that they would be pure white thus matching the motif
of the memorial bed. When they came up and bloomed they were almost a bright
butter-yellow sort of color and for the briefest of moments I thought the
package had been mislabeled. Little did I know, each one actually fades to a
warm white making them an interesting addition to the garden and within the
color standards of the garden. You can
bet that more photos will be posted up here when the other bulbs planted in
this garden start blooming. Speaking of things that bloomed unexpectedly in one
way or another the second photo of this post is below.
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| In most instances sage seems to dislike our weather. |
This
is common sage or Salvia officinalis,
and sage in general has a somewhat difficult time in our climate either due to
our high heat, humidity or lack of a properly cold winter. However, when we do
have a cold winter like we did this year Sage will bloom and that alone makes
growing sage very much worth the effort and frustration. For those who have
never seen common sage bloom it has the most gorgeous sky-blue flowers that are
only rivaled by those of Chicory (chichorium
intybus). Unfortunately, in the test gardens I have to replace my entire
sage row every few years because they peter out no matter what I do. While they
are here they provide seasonings for the soup kits and their gray-green foliage
provides contrast against the nearby black fennel. Speaking of things that give
me difficulty, take a look at the picture below.
 |
| Now that I can get it to grow I have no idea what to do with it. |
This
strange looking but super healthy plant is Rhubarb which is also known by it’s
scientific name, Rheum rhabarbarum.
Honestly with a scientific name like that no wonder we stick to calling it
Rhubarb, though I must admit this is one of those plants I had very little
success with until recently. As it turns out rhubarb seems to like being in a
very large pot that’s filled with potting soil that’s been spiked with compost
and other organic soil amendments. It doesn’t seem to like receiving afternoon
sun. It also seems impervious to exceptionally cold temperatures so remaining
in a post exposed isn’t a problem during it’s dormancy over the winter. Though
the picture doesn’t do it justice, those leaves are a foot long, and for some
strange reason the stems aren’t bright red. Even so, I am not complaining
because this deciduous perennial is going to be a conversation piece for the
Annual garden tour which is slated to be the first Sunday of May.
For
note this is where the advertising starts because it keeps the Test Garden’s
supplied and running tests so you don’t have to. If you want to get some
GMO-free, Organic vegetables, herbs and fruiting shrubs come on down to the
Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between
he Hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Barring bad weather, I’ll be
there selling the following spring offerings while supplies last.
Plants
Available Now:
Lettuce,
Parris Island – $3.00
Kale,
Lacinato/Dinosaur – $3.00
Kale,
Scarletbor - $3.00
Kohlrabi,
Purple Vienna - $3.00
Peppers,
Sweet Banana - $3.00
Peppers,
Tobasco - $3.00
Swiss
Chard - $3.00
Tomato,
Brandywine - $3.00
Tomato,
Black Krim - $3.00
Tomato,
Golden Jubilee - $3.00
Tomato,
Glacier - $3.00
Tomato,
Mountain Spring - $3.00
Tomato,
Sungold - $3.00
Tomato,
Sweet 100 - $3.00
Basil,
Genovese - $3.00
Basil,
Thai - $3.00
Burnet,
Salad - $3.00
Chamomile,
Roman - $3.00
Chives
- $3.00
Fennel,
Bronze - $3.00
Lemon
Grass - $3.00
Lavender,
English - $3.00
Oregano,
Italian - $3.00
Parsley,
Italian - $3.00
Rue
- $3.00
Savory,
Winter - $3.00
Shiso,
Red - $3.00
Tansy
- $3.00
Thyme,
English - $3.00
Mulberry,
Dwarf (2 gal pot) - $15.00 (last one in stock)
Raspberry,
Heritage (2 gal pot)
Coming
Soon:
Santolina
(aka Lavender-Cotton)
Hops,
Zeus
Hops,
Cascade
Figs,
(assorted) (0.5 Gallon pot)
Raspberry,
Heritage (2 gallon pot)
If
the market isn’t your thing or your schedule does not allow you to go there my
premium exotic house plants can be purchased in attractive clay pots with
unique embellishments at LeClair’s General Store. LeClair’s General Store is
located on 1212 Fort Bragg Road in Fayetteville North Carolina.
This
is their Facebook Page:
The
Visit NC page’s Listing:
Most recent deliveries to Leclairs:
1x
6” standard pot - Purple Glory Bush, Tibouchina
granulosa
2x
6.5” rimless pot – Zebra Plant, Aphelandra
squarrosa
2x
4” standard pot – Shark’s Tooth Cactus, Crassula
corymbulosa
2x
4” standard pot – Creeping Pineapple, Abromeitiella
brevifolia
2x
3.5” standard pot - Pagoda Cactus, Crassula capitella
2x
3.5” standard pot – String of Lemons, Senecio
citriformis
These
days I am generally at the store at least twice a week, maintaining stock
and/or delivering new materials so if you go to visit the store there is a fair
chance I’ll be present to answer your questions. If not, you can always send me
questions through this blog or visit the farmer’s market or pay attention to what
Sustainable Neighbors is doing at the link below.
This brings to a close the seventh
LITFM post of the new year, stay tuned the next episode which should be posted
roughly around the 18th of April.
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