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Fall Gardening
Remember how last year I made a big hoopla about fall gardening? Well I missed the planting dates for most things other than broccoli and garlic, my spinach refused to sprout, and then bugs ate up all my broccoli. I am determined that this fall will be better, but first I must go ahead and clear some space! Here are some fall planting dates for North Carolina, taken straight from this leaflet provided by NC Cooperative Extension Services. I’ve highlighted…
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Brandywine Sudduth Strain
I’d read wonderful things about Brandywines, one of the few heirlooms that places like Lowes and Home Depot carry every year. I picked up a seed packet of the Sudduth Strain (the original pink strain) at Logan’s. I eagerly planted four sprouts in the back garden in a row with Aunt Ruby’s German Green. These plants were very slow to take off, likely because of the morning shade and negligent watering in the spring. The blossoms have finally set fruit,…
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And She Stomped Her Terrible Feet and Gnashed Her Terrible Teeth
I noticed that the stand of corn at the corner of the Governor’s Mansion property on Person and Jones is still green and lush. I think they have a whole team of people to ensure it stays healthy and the “Plant a Row for the Hungry” sign stays clean and straight. Seeing that only fueled my fire as I laid to waste the rest of my bug infested crunchy crop. We did have a friend offer his machete, but…
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Red Kiss of Summer Tomato
Yes, I just made up a name for a tomato. In all fairness, I had no way of truly knowing what breed it is since it is a second generation plant from a 2009 Burpee’s packet of Heirloom Rainbow Blend that is no longer offered. Initially I assumed it was Omar’s Lebanese, but the OL seeds I purchased on ebay resulted in something completely different and disappointing. Could the vendor have sent me something other than OL? It’s possible that…
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Strawberry Trouble Shooting
Last Spring I purchased about 9 Quinault everbearing strawberry crowns, planted them in the back gardens and then moved them beside the deck at the end of the summer so we could till up the back. As with just about everything I garden, I knew nothing about strawberries when I started growing them, so I’ve been learning as I go. Over the past week or two, I’ve been pretty excited that my strawberries are generating runners – meaning I will…
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Aunt Ruby's German Green
Last summer, my tomatoes seemed to explode all at once, but this year’s crop is slowly trickling in. While this isn’t ideal for canning homemade pizza sauce, I’m going use it as a chance to enjoy the peculiarities of each breed and take time to document my observations for better planning in the future. Aunt Ruby’s German Green is a tomato which I wrote off last year as being a little too strange for me but was one of my…
