Robert Church farms in North Wilkesboro near Miller's Creek. He has developed techniques for providing early, great tasting crops by working with the climate and local conditions.

One of Robert's specialty crops is watermelons. He starts the seeds in quart pots in the greenhouse early in March. By the time the transplants are ready to be set out in April the plants are starting to run and bloom. Robert focuses on growing a flavorful melon that is easy for one person to carry and does not need to push the plants by adding fertilizer. He uses weed growth to his advantage, allowing taller plants to shade the watermelons during the hot weather. He also finds it unnecessary to spray for pests. Robert grows several different varieties of watermelons including Royal Sweets, Crimson Sweets, Jubilee and Sangria.

Once the watermelons start to play out, the pumpkins begin to take center stage. Robert grows many different varieties of pumpkins including unusual and rare types. Some of the favorites are Cinderella, Long Island Cheesecake, and Hawaiian Peanut pumpkins. Robert also starts the pumpkin seeds in the greenhouse and sets out the plants around the end of May. Robert plants out 12 acres of pupmkins every year as well as 12 acres of watermelons.

Robert also grows boxwoods which he digs and sells in the fall. He digs them after they have grown fairly large, averaging around two and a half to three and a half feet tall, and twenty eight to thirty two inches around. He spaces them in the four feet apart fields to permit mowing between the shrubs, and this easy maintenance allows a large number of plants. Robert has about 35,000 boxwoods planted, and plans for a couple of thousand more. Cuttings from existing boxwoods are rooted and planted for planting in the future.

We sell Hot Sauces, Salsa, and BBQ Sauce made from our home grown peppers, we also sell eggs, vegetables, herbs and blueberries.
Visit the Fire From The Mountain website.

Zydeco Moon Farm is fully certified organic and owners Sally Thiel and Joe Martin raise a variety of vegetables including tomatoes, lettuce, sugar snap peas, peppers, snow peas, and squash.

Fog Likely Farm

James Wilkes owns Faith Mountain Farm in Creston, NC.

He can be reached at:

• 489 Big Laurel Road
• Creston, NC, 28615
• 336-385-3510

David, Kathy, Anna and Autumn Blackburn live in Ashe County in North Carolina and can be found at Watauga County Farmers' Market with their fresh Kandy Korn and a variety of heirloom vegetables. David grows the plants from seed that he saves from the best selections of the previous year's crop, enabeling customers to enjoy the full flavors of time-honored favorites.

David also grows flowering trees and shrubs and wholesales them to nurseries. He plans to bring flowering shrubs to the market nest year, including his specialty, Wigelia. Look for cut flowers next year, too.

Much of David's farming efforts are directed toward growing Fraser firs for sales as Christmas trees. He is able to ship the trees individually in sizes from table top up to six feet in height. Customers can also mail order Fraser fir wreathes, these are shipped one per box and are available either decorated or undecorated and make excellent gifts. The deadline for orders of trees and wreathes is November 10.

David uses various techniques for growing vegetables in our sometimes difficult climate. He avoids blossom-end rot in tomatoes by adding calcium to the soil around the plants. Beans are grown on wire supports to improve air circulation, and also to speed up picking.

Some of the heirloom varieties that David has success with and brings to the market are:

Tomatoes

• Brandywine
• German Johnson
• Mortgage Lifter

Snap Beans

• Frost Beans
• Doubleback Beans
• Big Red
• Greasyback
• Pink Tips
• Half-runners

Contact the Blackburns at (336) 846-5249 or send an e-mail.

Shady Grove Gardens & Nursery was started in 1986 to supply quality perennials for our landscaping needs. Through the years Susan developed the nursery using sustainable methods, before that was a buzzword. Plants are grown outside or in our un-heated greenhouse; organic, hands-on growing methods are used throughout the farm and nursery. Our selection includes new and hard to find varieties along with a few tough favorites. We are especially proud to say do not use any systemic pesticides or fungicides. "To us sustainable means protecting birds and bees too." See our website for more details about our organic and sustainable methods. We have great healthy perennials, bigger than mail order, better than chain stores.

We offer the highest quality, large, blooming size plants, all organically grown (non-certified). We've paid special attention to varieties that are well suited to the conditions of the High Country. Our selections reflect our passion for native plants and cut flowers. The nursery is located 10 miles west of Boone, NC. Summer hours are Fridays 9-6. Our phone number is (828) 297-4098, send mail about your gardening concerns, or visit our website at
Shady-Grove-Gardens.com
Shady-Grove-Gardens.blogspot.com

Cut Flowers are our speciality. We can supply flowers for weddings, churches and special occasions. Just contact us for special orders or lists of seasonal availability. Our selection changes daily, so visit our display at the market each week for something different.

Join our Fresh Flower CSA (Subscription).
This is the 2nd summer Shady Grove Gardens & Nursery will be offering a subscription to their best fresh flower bouquets. Bouquets are delivered in our buckets to be transported home. The Wednesday afternoon Watauga County Farmers’ Market in Boone is our drop-off site.

This is everyones chance to get fresh locally grown flowers without pesticides and without getting up early on Saturday morning. Members will get $25’s worth of flowers for 10, 15 or 20 weeks. The late season bouquets will include orange and red winterberry holly for the holidays. 

These seasonal flowers will be different each week as they are all grown outdoors in Ashe and Watauga counties. Since 1986 Shady Grove Gardens has produced perennials and cut flowers without using any inorganic pesticides or herbicides. 
Subscription members will be invited to join Susan Wright and Brent Cochran for a fun farm tour, to see where their flowers are grown and learn a little more about flower farming.

To get more information or sign up for the weekly bouquets contact Susan at 828-297-4098 or sggarden@skybest.com.

Vegetable and Flower transplants

WINTER VEGATABLE CSA-FOR OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER PICKUP Want fresh local vegetables after the summer season? Shares will weigh approximately 60 lbs., and include apples, large yellow storage onions, yellow and red potatoes, 4-5 types of winter squash, red cabbage and garlic. In addition pumpkins will be in the October package. Favorite recipes for soups, delicious casseroles and pies will be included. The cost is $90 a share.

The vegetables and fruit offer will store for at least 2 months most will store even longer.
Boxes of winter storage vegetables shares will available for pickup at the last Watauga County Farmers Market October 31st and just in time for Thanksgiving November, 21, 2009. Signup for this CSA will end June 1, 2009.

Planning a wedding? Why not have it on our Farm? Contact us about our facilities at The Peak.

Reba and Fred Greene have been coming to Watauga County Farmers' Market since 1975, the second year the market was open. Daughter Cindy grows many of the watermelons, pumpkins, tomatoes and cucumbers for the Greenes, and granddaughter Ashley grows flowers for cutting.

The Greene's have a vegetable garden of around 2 acres. Because different corn varieties will cross-pollinate if grown too closely together, the field corn is grown at Reba's dad's house, about 3 miles away. The Indian corn is grown in yet another field. Early sweet corn is very popular at Watauga County Farmers' Market and the Greenes often sell between 50 and 60 dozen ears before 9AM.

Reba prefers to grow white sweet potatoes because of their different texture. She and Fred regularly fix them for breakfast, with gravy. The Greenes also grow 8 varieties of blueberries, which in a year with normal rainfall will provide fresh blueberries from June to October.

Other vegetables to look for in season are okra, squash, beans, greens, and rhubarb that tastes like apples. Ask a week in advance and the Greenes will bring you a 50 pound bag of potatoes for storage. They also have field corn to feed to the squirrels over the winter.

Jerry Harvey has been farming ever since he gave up the baby bottle. He spent his summers selling flowers for his parents and grandparents at the farmers' market in Tuskaloosa, Alabama. He sold his vegetables at another market in the mid seventies, and has been a vendor at Watauga County Farmers' Market for two years.

Jerry has five acres in vegetables and right now his crops are all scheduled to ripen when the sweet corn is ready to harvest. Jerry staggers the harvest by planting varieties that mature at different times. He plans to branch out into spring crops as soon as he can build fences to keep out bear, deer, woodchucks, and a host of other animals.

Maverick Farms is a sustainable agriculture project with space in Valle Crucis and Ashe County. Tom Philpott, Leo Gaev and Hillary Wilson grow lots of vegetables and use many of them in their gourmet recipies. Cooking is the main focus of their stand at the farmers' market, and they use only organic ingredients and no refined sugars.

Fresh carrot juice is the newest addition to the menu. Soon they will be bringing out fresh scallions and sweet peas, with sarvis berries and raspberries to follow. Tom, Hillary and Leo are also available for personalized in-home cooking for dinner parties or any time you would like a special gourmet meal.

Folks interested in agrotourism can rent a room at the Maverick Farm farmhouse, or enjoy one of their monthly farm dinners prepared with locally or regionally procured ingredients. For more information and directions to the farm, visit MaverickFarms.com, send an e-mail, or call (828) 963-4656.

Read about the goings-on at Maverick Farms and get recipe ideas at Maverick Eats