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Lawn, Gardening & Pests News

Bite Into History With the Red York Apple

Close up of Red York apples hanging from tree branches in an orchard.

The Red York apple is a bud mutation of York Imperial, the quintessential Eastern sauce-making apple. The Red York apple was discovered around 1945 in the orchard of John L. Hevener in Roanoke, West Virginia. In fact, the Hevener’s property was where Stonewall Resort is located today.

The Historied Mortgage Lifter Tomato

Two ripe red Mortgage Lifter tomatoes hang on the vine, left one is spotted with yellow at the top.

One of West Virginia gardeners’ favorite tomato is the Mortgage Lifter, a pink to red beefsteak variety. But, did you know that the Mortgage Lifter has more than a meaty fruit and an interesting name? Originating from Logan, West Virginia, one popular Mortgage Lifter was developed by Marshall Cletis Byles, aka Radiator Charlie.  

Fat Man Pole Beans – An Heirloom Favorite

Greenish yellow Fat Man Bean pods hang from the vine on a vertical trellis system.

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.  

Plant Appalachian Garden Staple Hickory King Corn

Hands holding a small pile of light yellow heirloom dent corn variety Hickory King, grass in background

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.  

Reviving the Heirloom Rutabaga

Foliage and top of rutabaga poking out of soil, surrounded by sheet of black garden fabric.

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. 

Forage for Wild Creasy Greens

Close up of creasy greens growing in raised bed garden.

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. 

Growing Traditional Winter Potato Onions

Winter potato onions spilling out of mesh bag onto grass.

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.  

Grow a Colorful Potato Patch

A stack of potatoes in a jar sit next to a yellow squash.

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.”