Lawn, Gardening & Pests
A yard that feels and looks like home. A bountiful harvest. Grow your own and sow something beautiful.
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The WVU Extension Garden Calendar is produced and distributed each year as a service to West Virginia’s many home gardeners and agricultural producers.
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Recent News
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.
Read Forage for Wild Creasy Greens
Growing Traditional Winter Potato Onions
Onions are a staple crop in central Appalachia. Before the popular green bunching scallions and bulb onion, multiplier onions were widely grown in gardens throughout West Virginia.
Multiplier onions are often called potato onions or shallots. Unlike traditional onions, multiplier onions produce clusters around a central bulb. As a result, the yield from multiplier onions is much greater than traditional bulb onions.
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Gardening is a Way to Connect to Your Appalachian Roots
Dear Friends and Garden Enthusiasts,
A new year always brings a renewed sense of purpose and spirit. Gardening truly feeds our body and our soul. Growing fresh foods and vegetables creates community and fuels better health.
For Appalachians, gardening also is a deeply rooted art form in our culture (hence the title of this year’s calendar - “Back to Our Roots”). To celebrate this heritage, our 2024 garden calendar features a look at some of our traditional, staple crops that hail from Appalachia, as well as some of the lesser known “wild” vegetables that can be added to our garden bounty.
As always, you’ll find interesting articles written by our experts, as well as planting tips, recipes and other great information to make the most of your gardening experience. Our WVU Extension agents and staff are happy to help you grow a plentiful bounty. Feel free to contact your local county office with any questions.
Best wishes for a healthy harvest and wonderful growing season!
Read Gardening is a Way to Connect to Your Appalachian Roots
Grow a Colorful Potato Patch
Growing Irish potatoes ( Solanum tuberosum) is a family tradition here in the Mountain State. Potatoes are a staple food across the world due to their adaptability, yield, nutritional value and storage quality. Irish potatoes are not roots, but specialized underground storage stems called “tubers.”
Plan ahead for your potato patch. One pound of seed potatoes will yield 10 pounds of usable potatoes. Purchase certified seed potatoes. Do not buy potatoes from a grocery store for planting – most have been chemically treated so they do not sprout.