Reports from the Department of the Exterior; anything and everything we post about work projects, horticulture, agriculture, and property management.
Michael was facing a logistical challenge. He needed 15 bee hives assembled, painted, and filled with frames, within the next three days. The problem was that it would take him at least eight days to finish by himself. You see, frame building would be a long, tedious process and each box needed four coats of […]
Gus Douglas, the long standing Commissioner of Agriculture in West Virginia reported some good news in his April 2012 update. “In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court last month settled the dispute over ownership of streambeds and stream banks, ruling that landowners, not government, are the rightful owners. President Bob Stallman said farmers and ranchers […]
There were two trees needing taken down. They stood on the edge of our property near a road. Thankfully both trees leaned inward, towards our property, one slightly downhill—that would be a simple cut—the other slightly uphill—that would be a different story. Soon the first one was down. It lay facing the southeast. We would […]
Its has already been four years since I first wrote about growing rosemary outdoors up here in the mountains! I still do not know if anyone else grows rosemary outdoors year-round in north-central West Virginia. But the Creator has given us a treasure in the Rosemary plant with many hygienic, culinary and medicinal uses. Can […]
Experimenting with hardy kiwi in the mountains of north central West Virginia has been an interesting experience. Also called “kiwi berries”, Actinidia arguta is a species of kiwifruit that grows a smaller, smooth skinned version of the big fuzzy ones we are familiar with in the grocery stores. As its name implies, it is much […]
Most of you know that I enjoy the fall season. It is the middle of autumn now and we have experienced the joys of reaping what was sown, and drying, canning, pickling… and being pickled (in our own sweat!) 🙂 And of coarse we are looking forward to Thanksgiving, when “the frost is on the […]
“Lord, please make it rain NOW!” It was hoarse whisper. I was flat on my face, in the grass on the hillside. My left hand grasped my single weapon and I kept my head low. Advances had been made, but the enemy, thoroughly aroused, now swarmed through the area. I had been hit once but […]
April showers bring May flowers—and May Warblers! Like the Vireos, Warblers are small treetop birds better identified by voice than vision. And today’s elusive Tennessee Warbler was a first for me! At first it was only a voice in the woods. But, as He loves to do, the Lord answered a specific prayer and brought […]
Wonderful tree, worthy of a name and propagation. Our only tree that has produced marketable fruit on our West Virginia land with no spray except Surround. Very large fruits, deep red, top flavor. No significant disease or pest problems.
What I call the ‘Big McHenry’ tomato was originally bred in Middlebourn, West Virginia (Tyler County) by a Mr. Mccutchan (or Mccutcheon?) in the earlier part of the 20th century. David McHenry acquired the seeds and continued growing them along with his nephew, Neil, a friend to both my grandfather (Bud Brannon of Salem, WV) […]