Up to 200 roses of many varieties will be on display this weekend at the N.C. Arboretum.
Black Mountain Beautification Committee hosts 14th annual Garden Show and Sale
Proceeds from the sale support the all-volunteer nonprofit group’s annual garden grant awards and other programs.
Out on a limb
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
WNC tailgate market managers talk about planning and vendor selection
While each tailgate market serves its own area and demographic, they all adhere to roughly the same model, policies and procedures, the logistics of which begin well before opening day and continue through the season.
Wildcat Ridge Farm hosts annual Festival of Peonies in Bloom
Peonies are unfussy perennials with beautiful, colorful blooms. And many varieties will be on full display this month at Wildcat Ridge Farm in Clyde.
Ambrose Landscapes saves water with Latin American stonework
“Rain barrels don’t catch much, but you can do an open-ground dry stream with stone and a creek bed,” explains Steve Ambrose about the craft introduced to him by friend and business partner Rafael Moreno-Baron. “It will last forever, and you can build it with stuff you found onsite.”
Mother Earth News Fair goes hands-on
Along with more than 150 traditional workshops and seminars, six keynote speakers and hundreds of exhibitors, this year’s fair now features hands-on and extended workshops that dig deeper into an array of topics selected by the magazine’s editorial team.
French Broad River Garden Club hosts plant sale and gardening discussion
Gardeners can shop for conifers, annuals, perennials, herbs and much more, and local farmer Annie Louise Perkinson will offer a talk about growing a cut-flower garden.
Chris Smith takes a stand for okra diversity
Last summer, Smith took his love for okra to new heights through his work with the Utopian Seed Project, a organization that aims to create diverse and integrated food systems. He catalogued more than 75 varieties of the vegetable, which he hopes will promote resilience against pests, disease and climate change while providing greater food security.
Sunil Patel pieces together an Asheville urban farm
“In designing food systems, the foods that need to be freshest when we eat them, the quick-turnaround crops, should be placed close to where we live,” Patel says. “I didn’t really think the farm would be as broad and idealistic as it turned out to be, but I’m pretty idealistic, so it has naturally turned into that.”
John Mahshie supports servicemembers through Veterans Healing Farm
“After they leave the farm, they can be part of a bee club, a medicinal herb meetup or [play with] other musicians,” says Mahshie about his multifaceted nonprofit. “They are healthy, healing ways for vets to connect with community.”
Buncombe County master gardeners offer telephone, in-person resources
Free programs from the Buncombe County Master Gardeners offer guidance in sustainable growing practices.
Carol Peppe Hewitt builds financial resilience with Slow Money NC
Since 2010, when Hewitt made the first loan to a friend who needed help expanding her small Greek restaurant, Slow Money NC has catalyzed over 300 loans totaling about $4 million to 125 small farmers and local food businesses.
Kids Seed Co. promotes generational sustainability
A few summers ago, Laszlo told his parents, Thomas Stern and Laura Gazzano, that he wanted to set up a stand to sell cucumbers in their driveway. Now 8 years old, Lazlo and his two younger sisters, Mina and Csilla, play a central role in the family business, an online seed store that launched on Thanksgiving 2017.
WNC farmers and beekeepers collaborate to support honeybee health
Beekeepers in the United States experienced an estimated 40 percent loss in their colonies between April 2017 and April 2018, and last year, North Carolina’s honeybee population experienced a 50 percent loss, no doubt impacting the state’s $84 billion agriculture industry.
Jon Nilsson promotes biochar as soil superstar
“With charged biochar, you’re building a better biome for the plant, permanently changing soil’s ability to hold nutrients, water and beneficial biology,” Nilsson says. “You can buy a carbon-sequestering tomato that was organically grown and also contributed to building the biome — it’s a path out of climate change.”
Local seed libraries give the gift of gardening
The Black Mountain Public Library and UNC Asheville offer programs that provide free seeds to the community.
WNC farmers look to new business models after last year’s flooding
In April, Cane Creek Valley Farm in Fletcher will open two of its organic fields to the community through a new garden-share program that’s aimed at bolstering the small, family-owned operation against the damaging effects of weather events.
Asheville GreenWorks hosts inaugural tree giveaway
Hundreds of native tree varieties, including pawpaws, maples, oaks, river birches, sourwoods and more, will be up for grabs at the March 30 event.
Hemp farmers and CBD businesses adjust to a shifting legal landscape
When Melissa Clark, owner of Hemp Magik, opened the doors to her Woodfin storefront on the morning of Feb. 14, she was hit with quite a shock: A search warrant from the Woodfin Police Department was sitting on her counter. Listed in it were four felony charges. “I was shaking,” says Clark. “I’ve never been […]
N.C. Ginseng Association expo digs into the plant’s profits and possibilities
The March 16 gathering at Warren Wilson College will offer informative panel discussions, competitions, tastings and more.