B L O G
Preparing Your Garden For Fall
It’s almost time… And you all know what we’re talking about… FALL. Cool, crisp temperatures, changing leaves, pumpkins, pansies, mums, and all things Autumn. And we have a few tips and tricks for you as you prepare your garden for this glorious Autumn season.
It’s almost time… And you all know what we’re talking about… FALL. Cool, crisp temperatures, changing leaves, pumpkins, pansies, mums, and all things Autumn. And we have a few tips and tricks for you as you prepare your garden for this glorious Autumn season.
1. Clean out any summer vegetables and flowers that will not survive the season. Pull up the nonproductive vegetable plants and flowers that are no longer producing those gorgeous summer blooms and vegetables. This process can be bittersweet, but sometimes it’s necessary to make space and “clean” it for any future plants that are needing fresh new soil.
2. Compost what is not diseased and use for winter or next spring’s garden. You don’t have to throw those beautiful plants away and never see them again. In fact, you're able to put those in a bin and compost them for future use. Compost is GREAT for the soil and if you cover it with mulch, it adds much needed nutrients to your soil.
Image via Pexels
3. Even if you are not planting any vegetables or flowers for the fall, it’s very important to prepare your soil for the following year. Add an extra layer of compost and mix it in with the soil with a rake. It’s a great way to loosen your soil and prepare it for your future garden. This process also help to provide your soil with vital nutrients needed for your next crop. Because healthy soil means healthy plants.
Image via Gardening Know How
4. Plant a cover crop. Fall cover crops are another great way to put nutrients back into your soil while waiting for the spring and summer months to arrive again. Here is a great article specific to zone 7 on types of cover crops that you could plant in your garden.
Image via Pexels
But what should you plant in the Fall?
You can plant basically any cruciferous vegetable: cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, beets, kale, turnips, and so much more! Here are the two ways you can do this:
Image via Fine Gardening
From seed.
If you’re starting from seed, it’s usually a bit more time consuming, but is cheaper. And it requires a bit of counting backwards from your frost date, which is usually provided on the back of the seed packet.
From transplant.
This option is usually much easier. You also don’t need to start quite as early, which is great if you haven’t already started on your Fall garden! Plus, let’s be honest, gardening in the fall is much nicer due to the cooler weather and nice breeze.
Thank you so much for joining us here. For more information on what Garden Valley Farmers Market is about, you can visit us here. If you’re wanting to visit with us, come by any of our five North Carolina locations. If you’re wanting to follow along with us, you can do so either on our Facebook, Youtube, or our Instagram. If you’re wanting to earn rewards and be easily connected with us, download our new App. And if you’re wanting to check out our other recipes and blog posts, or are needing more inspiration, follow us on our Pinterest. We’d love to have you join us in our journey of planting better, eating better, and living better.
Much love,
Your Garden Valley Farmers Market Team
7 Perennials That Thrive In The Shade
So you want to have a beautiful yard filled with plants that will add character, but you have no sun because your entire yard is covered with trees? Do you have a back covered patio that’s in need of some refreshing and updating? Well, we at Garden Valley Farmers Market, have got you covered with our seven favorite perennials that will absolutely THRIVE in the shade, and leave your house looking like a home for years to come…
Do you want to have a beautiful yard filled with plants that will add character, but you have no sun because your entire yard is covered with trees? Do you have a back covered patio that’s in need of some refreshing and updating? Well, Garden Valley Farmers Market has got you covered with seven favorite perennials that will absolutely THRIVE in the shade, and leave your house looking like a dream home for years to come.
Here are our top seven shade perennial picks:
Autumn Ferns
The Autumn Fern is a great choice to add some color dimension to your perennial collection. They have a beautiful coppery red foliage in the spring that turns a rich kelly green color by the summer. These plants like to be in well-draining, moist soil, but be careful that it does not receive too much water, as it can be prone to root-rot. Overall, these plants are easy going, but are slow growing. To protect them from frost during the winter months, we recommend adding a layer (about one to two inches) of mulch or compost to protect the roots.
Bugleweed
Bugleweed makes an excellent ground cover, filled with a gorgeous blue/purple flowers that bloom in May/June. It is also commonly used for medicinal purposes, which you can read about here. Bugleweed is a great way to add color to your shade garden, but be careful where you plant it, because it is an invasive plant and can easily take over your entire garden if not careful.
Coral Bells (Alumroot)
Available in a wide array of colors, Coral Bells have tall, bell shaped blooms that show themselves in late spring/early summer. They are often found in mountainous, woodland, and prairie areas. They have subtle bloom colors of white, pink, and red that attract butterflies, bees, and some hummingbirds. And they have a beautiful foliage color of bronze and purple. These plants, like the Autumn Fern, do well in moist, well-draining soil.
Hydrangeas
With a wide variety to choose from, Hydrangeas are a perfect option for your shaded garden if you’re wanting to add beautiful, show-stopping color. Most varieties of Hydrangeas do require some morning sun, as the sun in the afternoon may be too hot for them. Did you know you can even change the color of the blooms? Alkaline soil makes pink blooms, and acidic soil makes blue/purple blooms. Regular watering may be required on really hot days, but a fresh watering will perk them up and leave them spreading joy to you all summer long (and sometimes even into the fall).
Japanese Holly Fern
The Japanese Holly Fern is a very hardy fern that embodies glossy, dark green leaflets. It remains an evergreen in mild winters, and remains a perfect choice for your ground cover or or border edging in your shade garden. Japanese Holly Ferns can grow up to two feet tall and three feet wide, so be sure to keep the mature plant in mind and allow for plenty of room to grow. And like the Autumn Ferns, they also like evenly moist, well-draining soil.
Hostas
As a very low maintenance plant, Hosta is another great option if you’re wanting to provide rich beautiful foliage. And with an amazingly wide variety of sizes, colors, and textures, you have many options to pick from! Hostas will even produce flowers in the summer that tantalize the hummingbirds and bees, attracting them to garden.
Pictum Japanese Painted Fern
With a beautiful blue-green foliage and silver edging, these low maintenance ferns will also add some color dimension to your shade garden. They can grow up to two feet tall and 2 feet wide. Pictum Ferns would make a great border around a fish pond, or even at the edge of your Hydrangeas.
We have many of these options available at our locations at Garden Valley Farmers Market, North Carolina. We hope that this will excite you with the inspiration you need for your shade garden. Here are a few of our favorite shade landscapes that we think will inspire you even more:
Images sourced via Pinterest
Thank you so much for joining us here. For more information on what Garden Valley Farmers Market is about, you can visit us here. If you’re wanting to visit with us, come by any of our five North Carolina locations. If you’re wanting to follow along with us, you can do so either on our Facebook, Youtube, or our Instagram. If you’re wanting to earn rewards and be easily connected with us, download our new App. And if you’re wanting to check out our other recipes and blog posts, or are needing more inspiration, follow us on our Pinterest. We’d love to have you join us in our journey of planting better, eating better, and living better.
Much love,
Your Garden Valley Farmers Market Team
Keeping Your Hanging Basket Beautiful
You finally have your GORGEOUS hanging basket that you hang picked from Garden Valley Farmers Market. You’re watering it and admiring its unique beauty and color that it brings to your home. With a little work, love, and the following tips, let’s keep your hanging baskets looking absolutely gorgeous and full of blooms all summer long.
You finally have your GORGEOUS hanging basket that you hand picked from Garden Valley Farmers Market. You’re watering it and admiring its unique beauty and color that it brings to your home. With a little work, love, and the following tips, let’s keep your hanging baskets looking absolutely gorgeous and full of blooms all summer long.
Location
When choosing your hanging baskets, remember to keep location in the forefront of your mind. Needing a shade plant? We recommend Ferns, Wandering Jew, and Fuchsia!
Needing a basket that’s in a sunny location? Petunia, Million Bells, and Lantana are GREAT choices for you, and come in a beautiful variety of colors.
Fertilize… slowly
Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to fertilizing your hanging basket. Why? First, if fertilizing too much, the flower/plant can become stressed by growing too fast and cause it to go into shock. Slow growth is much better than the opposite in the long run. Second, its important to fertilize because the soil is not exposed to the same soil as a garden bed would be. It’s not getting the same organic compounds and nutrients from the earth when its hanging in the air, so regular fertilizing of your basket is recommended.
Watering
How and when you water your basket is secretly an important tip. Most baskets tend to dry out faster than a bedding plant or pot would because they are exposed to more wind, so watering once (sometimes twice) daily is recommended with most hanging baskets. However, be sure to ask your sales associate for your specific plant’s watering needs if there is no tag).
When is the best time to water, you ask? We recommend early morning. Early morning watering gives the plant enough time to absorb the moisture that is needed so that it can survive the heat of the day, but any time, as long as you’re watering, is a good time.
Regular Pruning and Deadheading
Once a week, cut back and remove any damaged leaves or flower buds from your basket. You will notice a huge difference in the longevity of life from your basket if this is done and kept up with. Doing this not only increases growth in your basket, but it also increases the bloom development. And we all want that, right?!
F Y I
MOST hanging basket from Garden Valley Farmers Market do not need to be repotted, as long as they are kept trimmed back and pruned. But on the off chance that the basket might need some saving… check out the next section on what to do.
Your Plant May Have Outgrown It’s Container
If your plant starts to look overgrown, it might be time for you to repot your basket. Hanging baskets can become root bound because the roots will have no room left to grow. If you haven’t kept up with the regular pruning of your basket, you can repot your plant into a hanging basket that is a size bigger. Wire baskets filled with a coconut liner are a great option because they increase air flow through the root of the plant.
We would love to see photos of how beautiful your hanging baskets are this summer, so tag @gardenvalleyfarmersmarket in your posts, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #gardenvalleyfarmersmarket and show us your beautiful baskets!
Lastly, if you find this information helpful, we’d love it if you would support us
by sharing with your friends.
Thank you so much for joining us here. For more information on what Garden Valley Farmers Market is about, you can visit us here. If you’re wanting to visit with us, come by any of our five North Carolina locations. If you’re wanting to follow along with us, you can do so either on our Facebook, Youtube, or our Instagram. If you’re wanting to earn rewards and be easily connected with us, download our new App. And if you’re wanting to check out our other recipes and blog posts, or are needing more inspiration, follow us on our Pinterest. We’d love to have you join us in our journey of planting better, eating better, and living better.
Much love,
Your Garden Valley Farmers Market Team
Growing Gorgeous Hibiscus
With absolutely gigantic, gorgeous, and beautiful blooms, Hibiscus bushes are the perfect spring, summer, and even fall plant that will leave your landscape bright and full of color. With a variety of bloom colors ranging from yellow to pink, these hardy tropical bushes are perfect for any yard that receives full sun.
With absolutely gigantic, gorgeous, and beautiful blooms, Hibiscus is the perfect spring, summer, and even fall plant that will leave your landscape bright and full of color and depth. With a variety of bloom colors ranging from yellow to pink, these hardy tropical bushes and trees are perfect for any yard that receives full sun.
here’s how to get those gigantic, gorgeous blooms, and keep them thriving:
L O C A T I O N
Hibiscus likes warm weather, and gravitates towards the sun, so if you’re considering one (or a few) for yourself, make sure you have a sunny location in mind. Many gardeners like to put them into the ground and watch how big they will grow, but repotting into a slightly larger pot would be another great option as well.
Hibiscus blooms are also prone to tear and are very delicate, so make sure to place them in a location that has some protection from the wind.
Did you know you can also bring your Hibiscus inside in the colder months? Just make sure it receives a ton of sunlight while inside.
S O I L
If planting your precious Hibiscus into the ground, add a little bit of fresh compost to the mix to increase the soil’s pH level, as Hibiscus likes it neutral or slightly acidic.
If planting in a pot, make sure to size up your pot an inch or two in diameter. And to use a well draining potting mix, like the Daddy Pete’s Potting Mix that we have available at our stores. It is organic and will leave you with a happy plant that’s producing vibrant blooms all summer long!
W A T E R I N G
The great thing about Hibiscus is that they are drought tolerant and don’t need as much watering attention as some other plants. However, that doesn’t mean that you should neglect them.
For the first week after planting, be sure to water daily to help the roots establish into its new soil bed. After the first week, every other day should be fine.
Once your plant is established, you can taper off your water schedule to about twice a week if there is no rainfall. However, on those hot and dry North Carolina days, remember that it might need some watering love every other day.
P R U N I N G
To promote bigger, and more beautiful blooms, you will have to remove the old blooms, that have lived their best life mind you, but are no longer pretty.
When bringing your bush or tree inside for the winter, you can trim it back to about one-third of its size in the LATE winter or early spring.
Enjoy this gorgeous inspiration gallery we sourced from Pinterest for ideas on how you can use Hibiscus, either outside in your landscaping or inside of your home.
Do you enjoy growing Hibiscus in your yard to brighten up your garden? Are there other flower varieties you’d like to try? We’d love to hear about your plans in our comments below!
Please note: we truly hope you’ll come visit with us, and we would also love to see your gardening photos as well, so tag @gardenvalleyfarmersmarket in your posts, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #gardenvalleyfarmersmarket!
And lastly, if you find this information helpful, we’d love it if you would support us by sharing with your friends.
Thank you so much for joining us here. For more information on what Garden Valley Farmers Market is about, you can visit us here. If you’re wanting to visit with us, come by any of our five North Carolina locations. If you’re wanting to follow along with us, you can do so either on our Facebook, Youtube, or our Instagram. And if you’re wanting to check out our other recipes and blog posts, or are needing more inspiration, follow us on our Pinterest. We’d love to have you join us in our journey of planting better, eating better, and living better.
Much love,
Your Garden Valley Farmers Market Team
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