Mother Rock Micro Farm
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From the Pest Perspective
Hello, Friend! When you see a crop getting totally decimated by a pest, immediate thoughts are usually something like: What did I do wrong? Why, God, why?! The fight is on! None of these feel good. What if we looked at the situation from the perspective of the "pest"? In their minuscule minds, they're probably thinking: Jackpot! This is amazing! Thank you, God! I want to share this abundance with all of my friends! And produce tons of offspring to enjoy it as well! This perspective feels so...
The Best Part of What's Next
Hello, Friend! Fall is coming. Trees are slightly tinged with yellow, cool mornings and evenings call for long sleeves, and ripe figs inspire autumn-flavored desserts. The garden, while still producing plenty of certain crops (oh so many beans), is starting its slow descent toward winter's rest. We're sowing cover crop to protect and rejuvenate the soil as rows open up, and pre-ordering garlic to plant when we wrap things up for the season at the end of October. There's even thought at this...
Cool Beans
Hello, Friend! Our dragon tongue beans are coming in like gangbusters, and they are, indeed, very cool. A quick detour -- where the heck did the phrase "cool beans" come from, anyway? Though a few sources suggest it's associated with drug culture of the 1960's (some drugs resembling jellybeans), it seems more likely that it goes back much farther. The phrase "some beans" was used in the 19th century as slang for something impressive. And that phrase might have been derived from "full of...
The Key to Tackling the Big Things
Hello, Friend! We had our first community day in a while this weekend, with Ane and Joseph, first-timers at the farm. And, as always with community days, we got a lot done and had a great time doing it. But what stood out this time was the big thing that got done that wasn't planned. We had a huge weed patch in the corner of the farm. It happens -- we get focused on the beds with the crops, the perimeter gets neglected, and suddenly 8-foot tall weeds are towering over us. When we finally...
Save Caterpillars, Save Ourselves
Hello, Friend! Have you heard of "keystone plants"? Like the "key" stone in a Roman arch that holds the whole thing together, these are the native plants most important to sustaining a food web. --> Here's a very cool keystone native plant finder by zip code! We often hear how important it is to plant native plants and eliminate invasive species, but entomologist Doug Tallamy has discovered that a small subset of them are essential. 90 percent of caterpillars in the U.S. rely on just 14...
Nature Will Surprise You
Hello, Friend! Sometimes you plant things, and you know what you're planting, but Nature still surprises you. Like the flowers now towering over our heads on wispy stems, swaying in the breeze. Or the sorghum cover crop that has shot up into what looks kind of like stalks of corn. And the basil that just keeps coming, with some incredibly large leaves! We do a lot of planning at the beginning of the season, making sure we're rotating crops, planting good companions, optimizing shady and sunny...
So Much More Than A Bean
Hello, Friend! We are not from the place we now farm. Like so many folks in the Asheville, NC area, we meandered our way through life to this amazing place we now call home. And here, we're planting roots. ;) One of the vegetables we're most excited to be growing this season is the greasy bean. Now, if you, too, are not native to Appalachia, you might wonder what the heck a greasy bean is... It's a robust heirloom pole bean with a smooth, shiny texture that looks a bit greasy. These beans...
Everyday Miracles
Hello, Friend! When we get to this point in the season, with everything full and lush, and so many things to harvest, it's great. This is what we've worked for. There's a flow of abundance -- into the kitchen, to our neighbors and friends, and to the local food pantry. Every meal includes food that we grew ourselves, nourishing our bodies and our spirits. It's easy to take this all for granted. If we rewind just a few months, what are now typical harvests: Saturday's harvest -- a trunk-full!...
A Market You Don't Want to Miss
Hello, Friend! We have officially reached major harvesting time on the farm! Zucchini, and green beans, and beets, oh my! And potatoes. And cucumbers. Leeks. Cabbage. Carrots. And wow, so much basil -- a lot of pesto happening these days! Quite the jackpot with our Golden Nugget potatoes! Beautiful beets! The tomatoes and peppers seem to be taking their time. A neighbor at this weekend's farmer's market suggested that the recent heatwave here might be slowing those guys down -- apparently...
What is Nature Reflecting to You?
Hello, Friend! How's your summer going? Is it like the wild and rapid growth of bean and cucumber vines, climbing higher every day? An empty garden bed that has been harvested and awaits new planting? A sweet potato vine, starting to find its way both above and below ground? As we approach the middle of summer, it's a time of lush growth and increasing harvests. It's also a great opportunity to take stock. How is the plan created back in the chilly days of winter playing out? What lessons...
Want to learn and grow with us? Curious about joining us on the farm in Marshall, NC for community days and workshops? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter!