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.

Fog Likely Farm

Contact Larry Denney at 336-384-2779.

James Wilkes owns Faith Mountain Farm in Creston, NC.

He can be reached at:

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

Alicia Breton is the owner of My Favorite Plants Nursery. Her love of plants has led her to almost ten years of growing annuals, perennials and flowering shrubs. She now has a greenhouse and 4 coldframes; she uses these to protect plants in winter and spring.
In addition to the Farmers' Market, Alicia can be found at her greenhouse from 10 AM to 2 PM on Monday through Thursday, and on Sunday from 10 AM to 4 PM. Call her at (336) 877-1155 or send an e-mail.
My Favorite Plants Nursery is located in Todd, North Carolina. From Boone, take Highway 194 North at New Market Center. Turn left at Three Top Road and continue for eight/tenths of a mile. The drive is on the left, there is a fencepost with the number 9570C.

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.

Susan Graham enjoys going to the market even after more than 12 years of working long hours in her greenhouses. Her enthusiasm is made obvious by a trip to her greenhouse in Todd, NC. She takes meticulous care of her plants and is rewarded with outstanding blooms and foliage.

Susan grows perennials, amazing hanging baskets, and starts bedding plants from seed. You will find flats of petunias, French marigolds that grow to eight inches, and red, white and blue pansies. Susan also grows annual and perennial herbs, including bright and fragrant Pineapple Sage.

Susan Graham has won even more fans with her hand knitted and felted wool hats. Susan hand knits the hats from wool and wool/mohair blend yarn in a rainbow of colors and currently has three styles for you to choose from. One style features a rolled brim with fun fur trim, another has a narrow brim in solids and stripes with a braided hatband. A fashionable beret completes the collection. All of Susan's hats will fit an average adult's size head.

The hats can be hand washed in cool water with a mild detergent, then blocked over a form or bowl for drying to retain their shape.

E-mail Susan Allen Graham.

Iva Lee Hayes has been with the Watauga County Farmers' Market since it's beginning. She helped organize the market in 1973 and saw it open the following year. At that time the market was located at Boondocks Plaza near Hampton's Body shop. Ten or twelve other vendors participated, but of them, only Iva Lee and her daughter Sissy Moore are still members of the Farmers' Market.

Iva Lee sells all kinds of jams, jellies, as well as local honey, but is most well known for her homemade kraut. She also specializes in freshly baked pumpkin cake.The first week of the market, she brought three pumpkin cakes which were immediately purchased by one of the other vendors. She started baking more, and many Saturdays would sell 40 or 50 individual cakes, some customers buying enough to freeze some for the long winter months ahead. In the last ten years, she has decreased her supply somewhat. Loyal customers know to come early to avoid disappointment.

Also at Iva Lee's booth are many handmade crafts, such as dolls, baby quilts and wall hangings. She also brings plants from her garden, especially hens and chicks.

Sandi Henry has been making baskets for 22 years. Her sister taught her how to make her first basket and she later studied books to learn additional techniques. She has been selling baskets at Watauga County Farmers' Market for twelve years, and is an art teacher at Appalachian Christian School.

Sandi makes her baskets from hand dyed reed and often uses grapevine to make free form handles. One of her most popular baskets is a biscuit basket that is used for serving bread at the table.

Sandi added decorative mosaic items to her inventory about five years ago. She applies hand made tiles or broken pottery to chairs, tables, vases and planters.

Sandy also offers perennial plants and bouquets from her garden.

Sandi welcomes special orders, call her at (828) 264-5549 or send an e-mail.

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• Sandi Henry

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Dickie Jarrett grows an amazing collection of beautiful and unusual plants in his three greenhouses in Newland, North Carolina. He especially likes unusual ferns, and has a wide assortment of hardy and tropical ferns ranging in size from huge Boston Ferns to diminuative Table Ferns. He grows the uncommon Australian Woods fern from divisions each year, and keeps a supply of Japanese and Lady in Red ferns on hand as well.

Lovers of easy-care houseplants will be delighted with Dickie's begonia collection. He has perfectly grown pots of Iron Cross, Angel Wing, and the facinating Escargot Begonias along with Nonstop tuberous Begonias with their colorful blooms. Dickie prepares all kinds of hanging baskets as well, including baskets with the mid-blue blooming streptocarpus that will easily provide color all summer long.

Dickie also grows garden plants for the landscape, he has lots of colorful daylilies and around 4,000 boxwood liners.

Be sure to see Dickie's colorful and inventive birdhouses and wind chimes. He has unique birdhouses made from pine, cherry, oak, maple and black walnut, and wonderful mechanical hummingbirds and bluebirds for your porch or deck.

Contact Dickie by e-mail or visit Briarpatch Greenhouse in Newland from till 5 on Monday through Saturday.