Issue #213. MAY 2024.

Hello Sunshine!

Its a short week this week, and I'm diggin' it. I hope you all had wonderful Memorial Day weekends. Mine was filled with lots of treats including a soak in Lake Tillery on Sunday, as well as getting caught up with MANY tasks in my growing space on Monday from tomato staking to chicken coop resets and adding some herbs to my edible landscape.

I have a good bit tucked into this week's newsletter for you! Including a reminder on companion planting, and some suggestions to add to your space. Before we get into it, I want to share something right at the top, just for you.

Tuesdays are one of my busiest work days of the week. I'm usually in 5-8 different growing spaces throughout the day, tending to plants seasonally. Given that its the end of May, nearly all my clients are fully planted out (but there's still time to get plants and seeds in if you want)

My Tuesdays from now until August will be focused on maintenance -- pruning, trellising, staking, feeding, scouting, treating, pulling, replanting, etc.

Typically, I expect to see early signs of plant stress in mid-June. HOWEVER, yesterday I found myself starting to treat for mild early blight on tomatoes, and spotted a vine borer moth humming around some recently planted patty pan squash. Feels a little early for all this... I say all this just to make you aware of what I'm seeing already this spring.

AND, I wanted to present this offer, for anyone who wants a little extra support this summer season.

Summer Survival Maintenance Package

$525

(you save $30 / visit with this package)

Includes 8 visits from The Patio Farmer to your growing space across June, July, and August.

This service is available to anyone living in Mecklenburg, Gaston, Union, and Cabarrus Counties as well as parts of Lincoln, Iredell and Rowan Counties in NC. This service is also available to anyone living in York or Lancaster Counties in SC.

Visits will be scheduled on a bi-weekly basis. Each visit will last 45-minutes or less. Clients are welcome to participate in each visit or The Patio Farmer can work independently.

During each visit, The Patio Farmer will scout for pests and disease, treat for pests and disease, feed plants, trellis plants, prune plants, offer guidance and coaching to clients, and other tasks.

Visits will be scheduled Monday - Friday, between 8am and 6pm. This package can apply as Out of Town Visits during extended summer travels. Cost of materials and supplies is NOT included. These will be billed separately to the client after each visit.

Once you have purchased the package, The Patio Farmer will reach out to set-up your first visit!

Purchase Maintenance Package

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Catch me on Charlotte Talks

I was a guest on WFAE's (Charlotte's NPR news source) Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins on Thursday. I was joined by my friends, and fellow farmhers, Mary Roberts from Windcrest Farm and Cherie Jzar from Deep Roots Farm CPS. Listen to the show here.

Let's grow edible flowers together

Edible flowers are wonderful additions to your summer growing space, not only as a pop of cheerful color but for so many other beneficial reasons too. Consider joining Plant Club in June at the GROW level ($65 / month) to receive the Grow Kit pictured below.

Got your summer gardening basics down?

My next SkillPop class is on Tuesday, June 11 from 6:30 - 8:30pm at Camp North End. Bring all your questions so we can drill down on the information you're looking for. All of my classes end with planting session -- you'll leave with a pot of seeded basil! See you in class?​

Charlotte embraces small space gardens

The Charlotte Ledger got in touch with me earlier this spring for this article discussing growing food in small spaces and the benefits of growing food at home. Read more here.​

See you in Plant Club?

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The Forecast:

Below is a list of what can be planted now in the greater Charlotte area / USDA ag zone 8a.

NOTE: Anything you plant or sow now, be sure you keep watered!

Seeds: Basil, Cucumber, Dill, Edible Flowers, Fennel, Green Beans, Green Onion, Lettuce, Melon, Parsley, Squash (Summer & Winter)

Seedlings: Eggplant, Parsley, Peppers, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes, Perennial Herbs (rosemary, lavender, sage, thyme, oregano, mints, chives, and more!)

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The Growing Space Podcast

There are so many reasons to grow your own food at home! In this episode, I go through 10 reasons why YOU may invite this practice into your life. Maybe it's all of them, ha!

You can find new episodes of The Growing Space Podcast every Tuesday morning wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify and YouTube (where you can listen without a subscription).

If you enjoy what you hear, share it with a friend or let me know by liking, subscribing to, or rating the show or episode.

Listen to Episode 36 on YouTube

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Companion Planting 101

One of the most requested topics for me to cover with clients or in a class is the practice of companion planting. If you've been a follower and newsletter reader for a while now then chances are you've heard me talk about this already...

BUT there are a lot of new faces in the room (hi, hello, so glad to see you) so let's give a quick introduction and reminder on companion planting.

Companion planting is the optional, yet very beneficial, practice of planting one plant next to another to achieve one, two, or all three of the following goals:

1. Deter unwanted visitors from your space (like bunnies, squirrels, deer, birds, chipmunks, etc.)
2. Encourage pollinators to visit your space
3. Improve soil chemistry

I love companion planting for all three of these reasons! Some of my favorite companion plants are the following,

• Alliums: onions, garlic, chives, garlic chives, green onion
• Herbs: basil, rosemary, lavender, lemon verbena, thyme, oregano, mint (in a pot!)
• Edible Flowers: marigolds, borage, sweet alyssum, bachelor button, calendula, purple coneflower, nasturtium, dianthus
• Hot Peppers: habanero, aji rico, poblano, jalapeno, cayenne

All of these can be planted, sown and grown in and around some of your most beloved summer vegetables. Summer veggies are the fruits of the plant -- tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers, beans, etc. Having ample pollination is super important, and increasing the flowers you have interspersed is beneficial.

These summer veggies also attract visitors because of the water and sugar the fruits hold as they ripen. Extra defense against chipmunks, squirrels, bunnies, and deer is welcomed with mixing in habaneros, mint (in a pot), garlic chives, and others from the list above. The strong smells and spicy or bitter flavors keep the snackers away.

My backyard is a haven for wildlife. I have squirrels, birds, bunnies, moles, voles, and all the bugs. No deer, thanks to our perimeter fencing and facing a fairly busy road. I have *minimal* animal pressure on my plants, despite their presence. I give a lot of credit to my companion planting practices! The more you can jumble up your companion plants with your other crops, the better.

This week, in my Online Store, I have added garlic chives, pineapple mint, habanero peppers, peppermint, rosemary, and lemon verbena seedlings!

The first three (garlic chives, pineapple mint, and habaneros) are available as single seedlings OR pre-potted for you.

I also threw a 10% sale on my Seven Super Summer Seeds bundle and my Summer Seedling Grab Bag.

Place an Order for Delivery

The Patio Farmer makes weekly deliveries through the end of June to residents of Mecklenburg, Gaston, Union, and Cabarrus Counties as well as parts of Lincoln, Iredell and Rowan Counties in NC AND York or Lancaster Counties in SC. Deliveries are made while the sun is up on Thursdays and Fridays each week.

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pssssst... do you know who this little plant is? Does she look familiar? Now is when you can see her EVERYWHERE, especially on the side of the road, in ditches, and near power easements. She's native to the Carolinas too!

I mention her at the end of my podcast this week if you want to give a little listen to see what her name is and learn a bit more about her!

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