If you’ve enjoyed passionfruit in exotic juice mixes or as a novel fruit from the produce section, you may be surprised at how easy it is to grow at home. The passionflower grown for commercial production is the South American species Passiflora edulis, but we have a local, native species that tastes just as good! Passiflora incarnata is not only…
Rat snakes are certainly friends in the garden and they reside in every state of the Appalachias. If you find a smaller snake with a pale gray body, a pattern of dark gray blotches, and a checkered underbelly, it is likely the juvenile…
Bees naturally create “bee space” in a hive, which is about 3/8ths of an inch between each frame. Occasionally, they build extra cells inside “bee space” which can cause inconveniences for the beekeeper. This excess comb is scraped off with a hive tool during regular inspections of the hive.
Chances are there is a U-Pick berry farm near you just waiting for you to go enjoy it. Check the ASAP guide to see if there is a farm in your vicinity. Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and other U-Pick crops can usually be found within 45 minutes driving distance. Because fruits of this size are labor intensive to pick, many…
Okay, so most of us don’t need to be talked into growing this one. Think of echinacea (also called coneflower) as the indoor plumbing of the garden — we usually take it for granted. There are few flowers better at attracting beneficial wildlife than native plants, and there are few native plants showier than the echinaceas. Unlike many “native” plants…