Lawn, Gardening & Pests
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Recent News
Fat Man Pole Beans – An Heirloom Favorite
The snap bean is a hardy subsistence crop that has helped to sustain families in the mountains for hundreds of years. This crop, which has origins in Central and South America, is now cultivated throughout the world and is represented by over 130 varieties. These beans are divided into three categories: bush beans, pole beans and half-runners.
Snap beans are often referred to as “string beans,” a name which comes from the notorious fibrous strip that runs length wise of the bean pod. While those strings can be a problem, many West Virginians’ childhood memories are filled with stringing beans during summer evenings on grandma’s front porch.
Read Fat Man Pole Beans – An Heirloom Favorite
The Classic West Virginia '63 Tomato
The West Virginia ‘63 tomato has been called “the people’s tomato.” Released in 1963 on West Virginia’s 100th birthday, the West Virginia ‘63 was developed by Mannon Gallegly, WVU plant pathology professor. Gallegly was hired by WVU in 1949 and was directed to research vegetable diseases. At the time, late blight was a huge concern for West Virginia farmers and gardeners.
Read The Classic West Virginia '63 Tomato
Plant Appalachian Garden Staple Hickory King Corn
If you are thinking of raising corn for homemade cornmeal, grits, flour, roasting or hominy, look no further than Hickory King, a variety that has been a staple for more than 100 years in gardens throughout Appalachia.
Hickory King, sometimes called Hickory Cane, is a popular white dent corn that was introduced close to 150 years ago by A.O. Lee of Hickory, Virginia.
Read Plant Appalachian Garden Staple Hickory King Corn
Reviving the Heirloom Rutabaga
Highland grassy sites in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia were popular sites for potato and rutabaga farming in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Rutabagas (Brassica napus) are a cool season root crop in the Brassica family and, in many ways, are a larger version of a turnip.
Rutabaga comes from rotabagge, the plant’s Swedish name which means “baggy root.” This cross between a cabbage and a turnip is sometimes called a Swedish turnip or swede. In West Virginia, it also has been referred to as a Hanover.
Read Reviving the Heirloom Rutabaga
Forage for Wild Creasy Greens
Creasy greens are cold-hardy edible plants that grow wild throughout Appalachia. The traditional telltale sign of spring in the Appalachian Mountains is when greasy greens start emerging from the soil.
For many decades, creasy greens have been hunted by foragers and grown by homesteaders, due to their ability to grow in nearly any type of soil and with limited maintenance.