Strawberries are Here!

Just imagine holding a fresh, plump, red, juicy, just-picked-from-the-vine strawberry. Now take a bite of this in your mind. I've been picturing this image more frequently as strawberry season has approached. Mid to late April is the beginning of strawberry season here in central North Carolina. If you love strawberries and have never actually visited a strawberry farm to pick your own, you should seriously consider making a trip NOW.

There are several strawberry farms in our area and if you don't know where one is, here are a couple of websites to help you locate one near you. For North Carolina: NC Fresh; for NC and other areas of the country: Pick Your Own. Just search for your county or buy product. The Pick Your Own site also includes numerous tips and preparation and preserving instructions.

Bring Local to Your Own Backyard

 Now is the time to begin planting all spring plants and within a week it will be time to begin planting summer plants. Harvesting your fruits and vegetables from your own backyard can be very easy and is very rewarding. Nothing is more local that something you've grown yourself. If you have never grown vegetables before it is easy and you can start small.

We have moved to planting most all of our vegetables in garden boxes verses rows because it seems easier to manage and it is easier to grow. I can use a soil blend that is more beneficial and nutritious  for the plants. The clay soil we have around here just isn't the most desirable medium for growing vegetables. By using a box or other container, you can control the make up of the soil and almost guarantee your results.