More Gardening

Joe Reynard and myself went exploring this past weekend on his uncle's land. The goal was to transplant some Rhododendron and Mountain Laurel to our homes here in Asheville. Mission accomplished! I have a stand of old pines in the backyard that have created the perfect soil for such wonderful plants. I have no idea what color the blossoms are going to be, but apparently some of the Mountain Laurel in the area that we were digging in have flame orange flowers! Very cool.

It is so weird how age and circumstance can totally change your appreciation for things that have been apart of your life forever. My mother and father are master gardeners and can turn any landscape into the envy of the neighborhood. I always enjoyed going back to my hometown in Asheboro, NC and just walking around the yard looking at all the wonderful specimens my parents had planted. Any gardener would have thoroughly enjoyed walking in this wild American creation.

My mother's roots in gardening definitely started growing at a young age (sorry). Mary Annie Harris, my grandmother, could throw a hand full of seeds in a field and have enough vegetables to feed the entire street. Mary Annie had ever Lilly and Iris know to man and probably a few only seen by close relatives. Apple trees with three different types of apples on one tree! What a great little mountain farm! I remember one time pulling in Puttman Road and smelling my grandparents farm miles away. Mary Annie was drying apples for pies, turnovers, and preserves, but that beautiful smell couldn't rival the stench from dozens of five gallon buckets filled with rotting grapes. Each bucket would receive a five pound bag of sugar and presto! Soon you would be drinking the sweetest wine to ever touch your lips.

This brings me to my next project in the garden. My wife Jessica doesn't have many vices, but she does have a certain summertime addiction: Muscadines and Scupadines. Last summer was amplified with little Sophia in her belly, so when I arrived to the Far Side Farmer's Market they knew exactly why I was there. With help from mother nature, I intend to grow this wild fruit?!? Maybe. Or maybe I will just grow Concords. I am going to grow some form of grape!

March Gardening

I heard somewhere that sticking your hands in the earth during early Spring is some of the best medicine out there. I do not have the biggest area to work, but it is big enough for me to get a taste for gardening and landscaping. Me and my buddy Craig Fender put a fence around the backyard and I have recently started getting rid of all the privet, brambles, and vines. I managed to salvage some lilies and a couple native trillium plants as seen here.

The vegetable garden so far has the following:
• Various Lettuce species (Butter crunch, Red sail, Hell Cat, etc.)
• Irish Cobble Potatoes
• Yellow Onions
• Cabbage
• Broccoli
• Boc Choy
• Garlic

The Rabbiteye Blueberry bush has also found its way into my backyard! Very exciting! I am a little anxious though, because Asheville is right on the border for this species of blueberry. I have also learned that more fruit can be produced by cross pollination. I have two of the same bushes, so hopefully they will produce some fruit. Apparently a single Rabbiteye Blueberry bush can produce up to 20 lbs a year! Another interesting fact is that blueberries actually help in the creation of new brain cells. Mmmmm....