Bulbs are generally fun and simple, and the time to get them in the ground is now.
Apples and pumpkins are ripe for picking at Hendersonville farms
Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard and other area U-pick farms celebrate harvest season.
Nonprofit launches hemp testing services for WNC farmers, processors
The U.S. Botanical Safety Laboratory’s new gas chromatography equipment and a specially developed testing methodology are poised to bring stability and convenience to Western North Carolina’s burgeoning industrial hemp industry.
Mark Cohen presents a workshop on regenerative agriculture
“Healthy soil and the biodiversity that generates and maintains it is key in simultaneously improving food security, watershed health, preventive medicine and climate mitigation,” says farmer, ethnobotanist and educator Mark Cohen.
Step Right Up
ASHEVILLE, .NC.
Monarch Butterfly Day at The N.C. Arboretum
The Sept. 28 event will offer a milkweed plant sale, children’s educational activities and a monarch gardening workshop for adults.
Hickory Nut Gap Farm hosts networking dinner for young and beginning farmers
Hickory Nut Gap Farm will join forces with the National Young Farmers Coalition to host a free dinner and networking evening for new and future farmers on Thursday, Sept. 26.
Pollinator advocates rally against neonics-treated plants
Both local and corporate retailers are committing to reduce or eliminate use of the popular but harmful insecticide.
Bullington Gardens hosts fall plant sale
Fall-blooming perennials, shrubs, trees, gently used gardening items and more will be available at the two-day annual event.
Organic Growers School 2019 Harvest Conference offers in-depth workshops
The two-day conference features workshops from area experts on forest farming, medicinal herbs, wild edibles and hemp growing.
Warren Wilson College launches an industrial hemp program
The new program will work with local farmers and landowners in an effort to develop hemp as viable crop for Western North Carolina.
WNC farmers experiment with resilient crops for a changing climate
Recognizing the importance of crop diversity in a changing climate, local farmers are working to develop new crops for Western North Carolina.
Asheville’s Tractor Supply Co. hosts backyard poultry event
The drop-in event will offer information on everything from basic poultry care to homegrown food sources and keeping chickens for pest control.
Get Off the Grid Fest workshops explore sustainable gardening and farming
More than 30 bands on three stages plus classes covering everything from aquaponics to regenerative agriculture practices are on the schedule for the three-day festival.
Bountiful Cities plans Buncombe County’s first food hub
The proposed two-story pavilion would provide cold storage, processing space, a value-added kitchen and more for local community gardens.
Asheville residents turn to wildlife-friendly yards
Last year, Asheville joined only seven other cities in North Carolina to earn recognition from the National Wildlife Federation as a certified Community Wildlife Habitat. Area gardeners from Bee City USA and Mountain Wild! share their tips for creating habitat at home.
Carolina Flowers and Josh Copus Pottery host joint open house
The two-day event will offer guided, educational tours of the flower fields, pottery studio and wood-fired kiln along with other activities.
Diversification grants help a new generation of farmers maintain family land
WNC’s family farms are broadening their horizons to explore new avenues for income.
WNC Farmers Market offers fresh produce year-round
The market, which is open daily, comprises 14 buildings spread over 36 acres.
Budding hemp industry holds its breath over potential flower ban
In late May, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation proposed banning all smokable hemp flower, in addition to more stringent regulation of hemp processing and a host of other precautions. Those changes are now under consideration in the General Assembly, where they could be enacted as part of the N.C. Farm Act of 2019.
Western Carolina University hosts annual Cullowhee Native Plant Conference
The conference’s five days of field trips, lectures, workshops and networking opportunities has made it “a model for similar native plant gatherings around the country,” says organizer Bobby Hensley.