Produce & Herb Tuesdays

Come visit Roanoke Revealed on Tuesdays for features on the events, resources and people that comprise the local grow & buy scene as well as a whole bunch of DIY tips for home growing indoors and out.

Call me Yank if you wish, but I’m already feeling like Roanoke’s home. Still, I have moved at least a couple of growing zones away from my accustomed normal, so you’ll be learning with me on what works – and what doesn’t. I’ll share my great finds and fails here on my journey trying to adapt growing precepts from up north to down south.

Seed starts are currently coming along outside now (I moved my greenhouses, grow lights, dirt and seeds into my house kitchen when the office HVAC failed – enough of that). Grandin Market is in my crosshairs (sorry, so much camouflage around here I couldn’t resist) for the last week of April and first week of May, so look for potted herb combination offerings there then.

What I miss most about my Upstate New York farm was the little chemical-free produce business I established on about a two-acre piece of that land. This entailed weekly custom deliveries to businesses and homes. I’ll be resurrecting this in Roanoke starting in 2016 (reserve your spot early).

The soil here is rich (flood plain). The longer growing season and temperatures will allow for more creative ways to increase production in small spaces. What worked fabulously in the north (clients enjoyed lettuce throughout the season for example), won’t likely be possible here. On the plus side, I doubt I’ll be challenged with ripening peppers or melons or tomatoes.

The potato fork is my favorite “tiller” tool. Six pounds of garlic went into the first dug bed in December. I’ll try to share before and after pictures on other projects while revealing what worked as what didn’t as I dive into them in the future.

If you’re looking to create your own little outdoor plot or indoor bounty, seek how-to (or not) features or want to learn about area resources to delight your palate, penchant for local or to feed your brain with free or low-cost training, come back here to salivate.

My biggest challenge will be adapting to a smaller space – much smaller. I’m working with 1/3 of an acre so experimentation on maximizing chemical-free yield in small spaces will net interesting discoveries.

Please consider joining me in this exciting discovery journey by signing up below this post.