How and When to Repot Your Houseplant

Items Needed

Pot with drainage hole that is 1 to 2 inches bigger (no bigger than 2)
Good quality indoor potting mix
Water

How to Repot Your Houseplant

1. Water your plant the day before, that way your soil and roots are easier to remove from the pot. It also helps reduce “shock” to your plant during transplant day

2. Gently pull out your plant from pot. Depending on it’s size, you may need to tilt the pot upside down, being careful not to drop it. You might need a friend for this depending on how big your pot is. If your plant is extremely root bound, you can take a knife and glide it around the inside of the pot to loosen the roots. 

3. Once your plant is outside of its original pot, gently work your fingers along the roots of the plant. This is also where you would inspect your plant and cut off any brown or black roots caused by overwatering. 

4. Fill the bottom of the pot with an inch of your indoor potting mix. Gently place your plant into the pot and fill the perimeter with soil. 

5. Gently press your hand down on the soil once it has reached the top. This makes sure that all areas have been covered with soil and that there are no air pockets hiding. 

6. Water lightly so that the soil is wet but not drenched. 

*If your plant seems to be going through a period of “shock”, it’s perfectly normal. Give it about a week, and you’ll see that it will be thriving once again and more vibrant than before.

When To Repot

+You have plant babies.   Over time, plant babies can tend to grow along with the mother plant. Which is GREAT! It means that your plant is thriving. But if your mother plant is competing for nutrients with the baby plants, it can stress the overall plant out. 

+You have roots growing out the bottom of your pot. Congratulations, because this means it has been thriving, and just needs more room to grow, and a fresh repotting can do tremendous amounts of good for your plant. 

+It just seems “blah”.   No matter what you do, (i.e. watering correctly, correct sunlight, or even talking to it) it just seems to be a little down. It might need some fresh soil to provide it with more nutrients. It can’t survive on just that original batch of soil alone.

+You have to water more frequently.   If your soil seems to be drying up quicker than before, it might be time to repot and give that plant some love. With better soil composition comes better water absorption, which means a much happier plant in return. 

+Root rot. If your plant’s roots are turning black or brown, it’s definitely time to repot your plant. Along with repotting, cut off the damaged portion of your plant’s roots, and this will help save the entire plant from suffering the damage. Also, maybe lighten up on the watering once your plant has it’s new “home”.

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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

Immunity And Energy Boosting Elderberry Smoothie

Elderberry is an easy addition that we can all add to our daily wellness routine, and one that has recently exploded in popularity in the last few years. But it’s actually been around for quite some time. We’re putting together a few facts about Elderberry syrup and how you can make this easy and delicious elderberry smoothie that boosts your energy and immune systems.  

DID YOU KNOW?

Native Americans would use elderberry for infections, ancient Egyptians used it for healing burns, and it was used in folk medicine to treat influenza, headaches, and even used as a laxative.

IMPORTANT
Elderberry syrup is a sweet and delicious way to boost your immunity, but the berries can only be eaten when cooked. They are poisonous when consumed raw, so please, be wary of that if growing your own.

WHY IT’S HEALTHY

It’s full of antioxidants, vitamin C, and fiber, all of which are very beneficial to our bodies in so many good ways. You can read more about why in this article: 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323288.php#nutrition

This smoothie recipe not only has immune boosting properties due to the elderberry syrup, but is also has energy boosting vitamins and some protein. So you get a little bit of everything with this recipe, and, it’s delicious. We also used this specific elderberry syrup, which is locally made here in North Carolina, and a product that we try to keep in stock for you year round.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR SMOOTHIE

Gather all of your ingredients, put them in the blender, and blend for approximately 60 seconds. It’s even easier than our apple pie recipe. What your left with is this creamy, sweet, and refreshing smoothie that’s sure to be enjoyed by you and your smoothie drinking buddy.
So cheers to your health and drink up!

If you’re wanting to order your own Elderberry syrup, click here and let us know.

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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 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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Immunity and energy boosting elderberry smoothie
servings: 2 people
Total time: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups milk (can substitute with your favorite non-dairy option)
2 dollops greek yogurt
2 teaspoons elderberry syrup
Handful of spinach
1/4 cup strawberries
1/4 cup blueberries
1 banana (can substitute an avocado)
1 tablespoon chia seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

+Place all items in your blender
+Blend until smooth, approximately 60-90 seconds depending on your blender

s i d e n o t e s
+ If your fruit is not frozen or cold, you can always add a few ice cubes to get a colder temperature.
+Can also substitute an avocado for the banana if you aren’t wanting your smoothie to be as sweet.

How To Care For Chinese Money Plant

The Chinese Money Plant has become a favorite on everyone’s wish list for houseplants, and there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation: they are just THAT amazing. These plants make a perfect window display, are fast growing, and are easy to propagate and gift to your friend. They have beautiful coin-shaped leaves and are very easy to take care of, so let’s dive in.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Pilea Peperomioides originated from the Yunnan province of China; they were cut by a missionary family and brought home to their family and friends, hence why they also have the nickname “missionary plant.” 

WHERE TO GROW
These plants really enjoy being by a window that receives a lot of indirect sunlight. They are also fast growers, so you might find that you will need to rotate your plants at least once a week. Like many plants, they grow towards the sun, so rotating them will help to even out the growth. 
(Tip- you may want to dust your plant’s leaves from time to time. This helps with maximum absorption of sunlight by the leaves.)

SOIL

The Chinese Money Plant does well in an indoor potting soil mix, with a pot that has a drainage hole. 

WATERING
Depending on your conditions, you may need to water weekly, making sure that the soil dries between waterings. A sure sign that your plant needs more water is a drooping of the leaves. 

PROPOGATING
Lightly pull the “baby” pilea that is growing around your “mother” pilea. Plant in moist soil, and keep the soil moist to encourage root attachment. Once it is established, continue care as mentioned above.

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 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

Seven Local NC Charities To Support This Christmas

Christmas is a time of so many things: celebrating the birth of Jesus, spending time with family, giving one-of-a-kind gifts for that special someone, and sitting by your beautifully decorated Frasier Fir Christmas Tree (that you got from Garden Valley, of course). And if you’re able to do these things this holiday season, consider yourself very blessed. Some, or many, do not have the same blessings that we do. So this season, we want to challenge you to give back to a charity or non-profit organization in your own community! Not only will it give you joy, but it will also help to fulfill the basic necessities and needs of those around us.

For those who are local to the Guilford and Alamance Counties of North Carolina, we wanted to feature a special non-profit organization that is dear to our hearts:

Out of the Garden Projects

“To nourish families with food to grown, learn and thrive.”

How it got started

Don and Kristy Milholin noticed that children in their daughters’ elementary school were experiencing a lack of food. Children. At the age where the brain is developing, growing, and learning so much information, a child can’t reach its full potential if there is not enough nourishment for the body, aka the brain. And that’s what’s happening in our own children’s schools. Children are going hungry, and many times the only meal that they may have is the low cost meal provided for them at school. So Don and Kristy saw a need and decided to try and fulfill it. They started off by providing a small bag of food for six to ten families every Friday so they could have a meal or two over the weekend.

What it is now

With more than 800 volunteers, Out of the Garden Project has grown, and continues to grow, into an amazing organization. They serve the community by collecting and sorting non-perishable food, and packaging and delivering it to the schools of Guilford County for children to take home over the weekend. You can read more about that here. They also recently started the Urban Teaching Farm, where the goal is to provide access to fresh foods and teach the future generation about regenerative agriculture. They have many ongoing projects that are reaching the children in our community, and we highly recommend you go and check those out!

How can you help?

They are currently involved in the programs listed above, and others as well. You can find out more about them, and how you can help, here. And with no contribution too small, this community welcomes any help you can give them.
They are also currently in the midst of the fundraising campaign “Feed a Child, Change a Life”. If you would like to help them reach their goal for the year of 2020, consider gifting an end of the year monetary gift to this community focused organization. As long as there is a need, Out of the Garden Project will work to fulfill it. Will you help your community too?

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Here are a few other charities and non-profit organizations that you might consider
supporting this holiday season:

Open Door Clinic of
Alamance County

Offers healthcare and medications to qualified patients free of charge.

“To offer free healthcare services with dignity, professionalism, and
concern for the indigent and uninsured residents of Alamance County.”

Living Free Ministries

A free six-month Christian based Men’s drug and alcohol regeneration program.

“To be an instrument of hope for our community and beyond.”

Benevolence Farm

Provides a transitional living program for up to 6 women leaving North Carolina prisons.

“To cultivate leadership, promote sustainable livelihoods, and reap structural change with individuals impacted by the criminal justice system in North Carolina.”

Feed the Hunger

A Christian mission organization that helps people in spiritual and physical need.

“Feeding the spiritual and physical hunger in the needy.”

A Heart’s Cry

A non-profit pregnancy and counseling center that provides assistance and counseling to women, children, and families.

“To give every woman, regardless of age, race, religion or ethnic background, the opportunity and skills to move forward making a life change.”

Second Chance Haiti
(through Hope Church)

Hope Church partners with Second Chance to send a team to Haiti twice a year. Read more about that here.

“We aim to empower families and leave a legacy for Christ.”

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 follow along with us, you can do so either on our Facebook 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