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If you have any questions or need help with ordering, just give us a call! Thanks so much! 276.328.2013
One of the most frequently asked questions in the greenhouse is, “Will the deer eat it?
Many methods can be used in an attempt to keep deer away from your plants, but many of these solutions are ineffective, expensive, or distasteful enough to deter the gardener as much as the deer!
If it has become impossible to keep deer away from your plants, what you can do is to plant annuals, perennials, trees, and shrubs that deer are not likely to eat.
Some of the plants we have in the greenhouse that deer are unlikely to eat are lavender, vinca, dusty miller, coneflower, verbena, Shasta daisies, butterfly bushes, marigolds, geraniums, sunflowers, zinnias, Rose of Sharon, yarrow, Bee Balm, and many other mints. In addition, many of these same plants are also great pollinator plants!
Check out the link above for a great guide by “The Spruce” on tips to keep the deer at bay!
Over 75% of our agricultural crops depend on pollinators. Pollinators include more than just butterflies and honeybees. An assortment of wild bees, beetles, moths, bats, wasps, birds, flies, and other insects all play an important role in pollinating plants. We need to do what we can to support them.
Native plants co-evolved with native insects, birds, and wildlife. Native plants in your garden are best when possible. Clusters of plants are easier for the pollinators to spot and feed on than single individual plantings. Group flowering plants together and include different species if possible. It’s important to provide food throughout the entire growing season with plants that bloom from spring to fall.
The following are some flowers we have in the green house to support pollinators, some native and some more domesticated. Alyssum, black-eyed Susan’s, calendula, coneflowers, feverfew (aster family), lobelia, marigold, milkweed, monarda (bee balm), nasturtium, pansies, phlox, sunflowers, and zinnia are just a few pollinator favorites.
We also have some herbs to flower now and later in the season. Pollinators are attracted to the flowers of basil, cilantro, mint, oregano, sage, and verbena. Butterfly and moth larvae require non-flowering plant parts like leaves of dill, parsley, and milkweed. In addition to many of the plants listed above, hummingbirds also enjoy petunias, and columbines which we also have.
Water is provided in a variety of ways, like water drops on plants, birdbaths, and shallow dishes of stones. Keep the dish of stones filled with water, especially during the heat of summer.
Regardless of the size of your garden, try some of the practices described above to attract and support pollinators in your area. Every little effort contributes to a lasting positive impact for our pollinators and for us!
Many flowers are edible! Nothing dresses up a salad, a charcuterie board or cake like flowers. Some tasty blooms are more well-known than others, but with many varieties to choose from you’ll have no trouble surprising guests with a lovely homegrown treat. It’s time to set the table because here at MountainRose Vineyards, we have some old favorites and some new varieties to try! Here is a list of just a few we have for sale. As a rule, if you eat the fruit then there’s a good chance you can eat the bloom!
Alyssum – The leaves and flowers of sweet alyssum have a pungent flavor, like kale. Try adding them to salads, cold soups or even omelets.
Amaranthus -The leaves of Celosia (cockscomb) are very nutritious, like spinach and the seeds can be treated as grain. The young leaves also make nice salad greens.
Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila sp.) – White or pink flowers that have a mild, slightly sweet flavor, perfect for dessert garnishes.
Dahlia – All dahlia flowers and tubers are edible. Flavors range from water chestnut and spicy apple to carrot.
Elderberry – The flowerheads are commonly used in infusions, making a very common drink, and can be made into a syrup or cordial. They can also be dipped into a light batter and then fried to make elderflower fritters. Both flowers and berries can be made into elderberry wine!
Hibiscus – Great addition to fruit salads or to make a citrus-flavored tea. Infuse the flowers to make a popular, mildly citrus-flavored tea. Add strips of vibrant colored petals to fruit salads. It is best to use the petals from the flower heads.
Hollyhock – The flowers can be crystalized and used to decorate cakes and mousses or try mixing them with salad leaves for a stunning dish. Flowers can also be used to make a subtly flavored syrup to add to various dishes. Before eating, remove the center stamen and any green bits.
Korean Mint – Both flowers and leaves have a delicate, fragrant taste. They are ideal for adding to cakes for a hint of anise flavor or add the leaves and flowers to whipping cream for a creamy, licorice flavor.
Mexican Marigold or Mint – Aromatic leaves are a substitute for French tarragon. Sweet licorice flavor brightens salads and main dishes. The edible, golden-yellow flowers bloom all summer.
Nasturtium – Peppery taste, like watercress, these make a lovely salad addition!
Pansy – Mild and fresh-tasting, they’re great in a green salad or as a garnish. They can be crystallized and used to decorate cakes, cookies, or creamy desserts.
Sunflower – The mild nutty taste makes the petals good in salads or stir fries.
Use a smartphone or GPS device to navigate to the provided coordinates. Your Geocache hint is “Wine Flies!”. Look for a regular hidden container. When you find it, write your name and date in the logbook. If you take something from the container, leave something in exchange. The terrain is 1.5 and difficulty is 1.5 (out of 5). For more information on Geocaching as a hobby check out this article by Hobby Help!
N 36° 58.287 W 082° 31.436
Written by Chloe Thompson
Makes 6 servings
A salad garden is dedicated to anything you’d toss in a salad—leafy greens like lettuce and spinach, plus superfood veggie like kale. Today, we’re focusing on cool-season, spring salad materials. Save money at the grocery store and waste less produce by growing your own salad greens at home. Leafy green vegetables and herbs are easy to grow and take up such little space that you can grow them nearly anywhere! Plus, if you have fresh greens at home, you’ll be more likely to make healthy food decisions since salad greens naturally contain Vitamin A, Vitamin C, beta-carotene, calcium, folate, fiber, and other nutrients.
How to grow a salad garden
Salad gardens are about as low maintenance as they come—plant, water, cut, eat, and repeat!
1. Choose a location
First, choose a location for your salad garden. Leafy greens tend to be compact plants with shallow roots, so you can grow them just about anywhere. Grow a salad garden in a raised bed, a container on your porch, or even a window box—wherever you will be most likely to check on your greens and harvest them.
Leafy greens don’t need much maintenance other than regular watering and occasional weeding, but greens grow quickly, and your salad garden will fare better if you remember to harvest them.
2. Start salad greens early
We have a good selection of lettuce and kale plants at MountainRose Vineyards’ Greenhouse. Lettuce, kale, and spinach are all frost-hardy, cool-season crops that thrive in the cooler temperatures of spring and fall. These plants struggle when summer temperatures soar, and the soil dries out, so get them in the ground early to get several harvests before the weather changes! Sow your greens now- (between two and four weeks before your average last frost.) Sow another succession of leafy greens in late summer to have several harvests before the onset of winter.
3. Direct sow or start seeds indoors
Salad greens are very forgiving—you can usually direct sow seeds in the ground or start them indoors, depending on your personal preference and ability. To get a head start in spring, buy your plants. If you sow seeds outdoors, it’s a good idea to cover them until they germinate. The added protection also helps keep seeds from being washed away by water or wind or eaten by birds and other animals.
Check the seed packet for recommendations on how deep and how far apart to sow specific seeds. As for spacing, plant seeds further apart if you want larger plants, or you can place seeds closer together if you plan to harvest younger leaves more frequently. At MountainRose we usually plant lettuce 8 to 12 inches apart, but a little closer in pots.
4. Plan for sunlight and moisture requirements
There’s an old gardening adage: Full sun for roots and fruits, partial shade for leaves. Fruiting and rooting plants need more sun to be able to photosynthesize more sugars into carbohydrate-rich roots and fruit. Leafy green vegetables can typically tolerate some partial shade since the plants are more focused on vegetative growth than fruiting, especially as the weather warms.
Salad greens do best when they receive between one and one and a half inches of rain per week, just a little more than average garden. Try to maintain a consistent watering schedule especially if plants are in pots!
What to include in your salad garden
When you grow your own salad garden, you can cater your garden to your tastes and preferences! The options are endless: you can grow everything from chives to lettuce in your salad garden. Some suggestions are lettuces, including gourmet blends, spinach, Asian greens such as Bok choi, kale, herbs like basil in pots, chives, parsley, and even onions. A few edible flowers such as pansies, nasturtiums, Mexican marigolds and chive blooms are great as well.
Growing your own salad garden can be a fun and rewarding experience and is a great way to take back your personal health! Whether you’re looking to save money, eat healthier, or live more sustainably, growing your own salad garden is a great way to achieve your goals. What are you waiting for? Get out there and start gardening. Check us out at MountainRose Vineyards if you need plants or help getting started!
~Edited from a Seeds n Such post
We are very pleased to announce that our Cab Franc drought is over! For our Cabernet Franc fans, this has been a long wait and we are excited for you to try this vintage. Our soft dry red Cab has a wonderful red raspberry aroma with hints of green pepper and a pleasing mouthfeel, a ‘hug for your mouth’ as we say!
Please call for tickets and plan to join us Saturday, April 8th for “A Day with Cabernet” where you will enjoy a tasting, parings and oral history of this fine wine with owner Suzanne Lawson! 276.328.2013
Thank you for spreading the word, far and wide, that this tremendous Virginia favorite has returned to MountainRose! We can’t wait to share this classic with you! Cheers!
MountainRose Vineyards competed in the 17th Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition this year, winning three honors.
Among over 400 entries, the winery took Silver with Dorchester Red and Bear Creek Hard Cider, as well as a Bronze Medal for Blair White.
This is the second entry at this event for MountainRose, with wins for both Kelliokee Sparkling White (Gold) and Bear Creek Hard Cider (Bronze) in 2018.
