I’m going to plant blueberry bushes! This site has a lot of information about them.
I love blueberries and the bushes seem to be on sale everywhere right now. They say to have more than one bush so they pollinate. I think I’ll get 3!
Anyone have any growing?
Thank you, Arminda, for emailing me this link.
Don’t we all just love earthfare?
Posted by: earthfare | February 19, 2010
Is it necessary to buy everything organic? Definitely not. There are many reasons organic is good for you and the earth, but it is definitely okay to choose conventional or local for some produce items, especially when price is a factor. The Environmental Working Group (EWG)* has been producing the reliable “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides” since 1995. The produce listed below is based on their research.
MUST buy ORGANIC:
Produce:
The following produce items are the “dirty dozen” because they have the most pesticide residues. Buy these organic and reduce pesticide consumption by 80%!
Meat:
Buy all-natural or organic meat to avoid antibiotics and hormones. All-natural and organic also means the animal feed is free of pesticides.
Dairy:
Organic dairy means antibiotic and hormone free. Organic is a must, especially for kids.
OKAY to buy CONVENTIONAL:
Produce
The produce below has the lowest pesticide residue. It is okay to buy these conventional:
Whatever you decide works for you and your family, it is most important to consume at least 5 fruits and vegetables per day! How do you and your family make sure to get enough fruits & vegetables?
Thanks for sending this site, Mimi. I am going to try to follow a lot of it, like the dates of when to plant the first crop, then later to plant something else. Have you done that before?
My brother was just here. He told me to go to a nursery and get Heirloom seeds. Not hybrid.
Don’t know why. That’s ok. I’ll trust him. 
Opinions?
Mimi told me this today:
“Farmer at Farmer’s Market here today verified that it is getting late to plant peas. You’re zone 7. He says as soon as possible!”So, what do I do??? We’ve had so much snow and freezing weather this year that the guys haven’t even tilled yet. They said the ground is still frozen solid about 4″ down.
I’m panicking!
I keep running into this term when I’m researching plants. I found Arborday.org and was able to look up my hardiness zone. Finally, I found out I’m a 7!
“The Plant Hardiness Zones divide the United States and Canada into 11 areas based on a 10 degree Fahrenheit difference in the average annual minimum temperature. (The United States falls within Zones 2 through 10). For example, the lowest average temperature in Zone 2 is -50 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit, while the minimum average temperature in zone 10 is +30 to +40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Suggested hardiness zones have been indicated for all trees and perennials available online from the Foundation. If a range of zones, for example, zones 4-9, is indicated, the tree or perennial is known to be hardy in zones 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Suitable hardiness means a plant can be expected to grow in the zone’s temperature extremes, as determined by the lowest average annual temperature.
Keep in mind that local variations such as moisture, soil, winds, and other conditions might affect the viability of individual plants.”
Ok, so I need to know about frost dates so I don’t plant things too soon.
We often get frost until mid April. Why do I know this if I’ve never done a garden? Because of Furniture Market. It happens here in High Point, NC every April and, for years, we rented our house out to Market attendees. We would clean up the house and the yard and put out fresh plantings so everything looked pretty and fresh. So, we paid attention for our new plantings to know if a freeze was coming (and sometimes it did!).
Anything that can’t handle a freeze waits until the end of April for planting.
