Lawn, Gardening & Pests News

Rich in fiber, antioxidants and countless nutrients – persimmons have been cultivated for hundreds of years. Native persimmons ( diospyros virginiana) can grow to 30 to 40 feet. While you can start a persimmon from seed, using a stem cutting will give you an identical copy of the parent tree. There are several different methods that can be used to propagate native persimmon. 

Although apples are an adapted species, they hold a significant place in West Virginia’s history. One of today’s most popular apple cultivars, Golden Delicious, was found in Clay County in 1912. West Virginia’s star apple was marketed by Stark Brother’s Nursery to obtain nationwide, and eventually worldwide, fame. The Golden Delicious apple was designated as the state fruit in 1995. However, West Virginia was growing apples long before the discovery of the Golden Delicious.

With the outward look of a mango and the tropical taste of a banana, native pawpaws may seem as if they belong in more tropical regions. However, pawpaws have a range covering much of the southeastern United States, including West Virginia.  

Cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) has now been found in Monongalia County, West Virginia, as well as neighboring states – Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Maryland. For the latest information, visit the CDM regional map at https://cdm.ipmpipe.org/. 

Cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) is a destructive disease that can affect most members of the gourd family or Cucurbitaceae, such as cucumber, cantaloupe, pumpkin, squash, watermelon and zucchini. However, cucumbers are the worst affected cucurbit that can be completely killed in two weeks from the onset of the disease. 

The Three Sisters Garden can be a fun and rewarding experiment for the family in the backyard vegetable plot. This ancient method dates back to Native American culture. 

Peaches are a favorite fruit of many, but growing a peach tree from seed is not the easiest or best way to add this fruit to your home orchard. Vegetative propagation is more common and reliable to ensure that the new tree has the desired characteristics, such as bloom time, disease resistance, cold-hardiness, and the color, size and flavor of the fruit. 

Blackberries and raspberries spark memories of picking with grandma and mashing them to make a pie. Brambles, which include blackberries and raspberries, are easily grown, and with some care, those memories can continue.

When talking about heirloom tomatoes, West Virginians cannot help but mention the Mortgage Lifter – one of the favorites in the state.

Rhubarb is a venerable garden crop in West Virginia, but it is becoming a forgotten vegetable. Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable that can produce for more than 10 years. The rhubarb plant has very large leaves with thick leaf stalks. The leaf stalks can be red or green and are typically harvested when they reach a length of 12 to 18 inches in mid- to late spring in West Virginia. While red stalks are slightly sweeter, green stalk varieties yield more.

Ramps announce the arrival of spring in the woods. Many folks eagerly anticipate using the savory plants as a spring tonic to get them out of the winter blues. Ramps are known as wild leeks, which are native to West Virginia. They belong to the lily family and are close relatives of the onion and garlic. Ramps take advantage of the early spring sunlight to grow before the trees leaf out. The foliage remains green for approximately six weeks, turns yellow and then disappears. The bulbs, like onions, remain in the soil.