Posts by Jenks Farmer
5 Seeds to Plant Now To Feed Your Soil & Soul in the Fall
Anticipation steeps on the farm. We, or maybe just me, are drawn to watching over our new seedlings as they mature into strong plants. I keep watch under the moonlight. I lend a helping hand to secure the grappling tendrils of a young Hyacinth Bean vine. Sometimes I go to this dark and mysterious place…
Read MoreProtozoa, nematodes, micro-arthropods, worms, and oh, by the way, I’m Kevin, the new guy on the farm…..
Do you remember the first time you grew a plant from seed? Maybe it was a veggie, a flower, even a tree! Maybe its shape, size, color, texture, or smell might ring a bell. Or the memory of seeing the whites of your Mother’s eyes when you pulled what you thought was a weed…
Read MoreCarolina Vanilla Leaf
Years ago, my mentor, Bennett Baxley told me of his move to Bluffton, South Carolina. In the 50s, this tiny coastal village on the salty marshes of the May River struggled. A few wealthy folks kept quiet summer houses. Like poor people everywhere, folks looked to the wild for sustenance and income. With gunny sacks…
Read MorePlanting Trees. Building Ponds. Listening Fathers.
Realizing a vision often takes decades. We’re lucky to have been on board from day one, helping our client clarify and now create a vision for a farm that’s been in the family for generations. The first phase, constructing a planting a lake and a cypress pond that’s meant to look like a naturally occurring…
Read MoreMoths & Me. Lured In By An Ancient Cycle of Milk & Wine Lily Variation
When two individuals of the same plant species cross-pollinate, the seeds and resulting plants vary in size, flower color, petal shape, and even vigor. That variation among individuals, good for people and animals too, ensures adaptability and continuity of the species. Variations bring flexibility and strengths. Over hundreds of millions of years, some plants…
Read MoreThe Compost Bin Structure That Iris Built
Iris is in her second year of internship on the farm. She’s a student at a nearby arts high school and she’s recently been accepted into a summer month-long writing program at Berry College near Rome Georgia. As a part of her winter project, she reviewed various compost bin designs, selected one, then built a…
Read MoreFarm & Flower Sunset Cruise
Take your shoes off for an end-of-the-day walk through the farm and garden. Join Jenks, Tom, and the farm and flower crews to get connected with the earth. Lots of lilies and lots of veggies will be ready, we’ll learn about them as well as soil building, farming, and connoisseur plants — with a glass…
Read MoreJenkster’s Parsley Party Salsa
It’s too easy to grow and too good for your body to be used only as a garnish. Years ago, I came up with this way to use a lot of parsley in a salsa — it is an unexpected crowd-pleaser inspired by a trip to Cambodia! The ingredients list is below. Here’s what to…
Read MoreBamboo Privacy Hedge in a Narrow Space
25 years ago, the real estate agents didn’t like it. “Too cheap.” They said, “You can afford more.” “Iffy neighborhood,” they said, “Two young gay guys, y’all should be looking in the happening parts of town.” Ultimately, we got the professionals to understand what we wanted, what we didn’t want — to spend every dime…
Read MorePlant List for Greenville Master Gardeners — Funky Little Flower Farm
The Bulb Lawn Ornithogalum umbellatum Star of Bethlehem Southern Snowflake Leucojum aesiveticum Read More Muscari neglectum Grape Hyacinth Tulipa clusiana Lycoris radiata Red Spider Lily Read More Lycoris sprengeri Tie-die Spider Lily Summer Bulbs Haemanthis aka Scadoxis Blood Lily Read More Amorphophalus sp. Read More Hymenocallis harrisiana Mexican River…
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