McGeary Organics ; Time Tested Quality

In a world where the word organic is now heard in the same sentence as “only $19.95” and “order now!”, it’s refreshing to have a trusted, genuine resource for high quality organic flour, grain, feed and fertilizers. 

When our customers who raise backyard chickens ask what kind of organic feed we suggest, the answer is simple:

McGeary Organics

McGeary Grain, Inc. was founded in 1952 - Long before the pesky infomercial, and actually just a few years after TV itself was invented.  The company has built a solid reputation on decades of producing premium feed for farm livestock including chickens, pigs, goats, turkeys, sheep, and cattle.

McGeary Organics  also operates the Annville Flouring Mill, the oldest continually operating flour mill in the U.S. (circa 1741), where they produce Daisy Organic pastry, bread wheat, and spelt flours.

Want to create living organic garden soil where vegetables thrive, or win the neighborhood lawn of the month award without toxic chemicals? Check out McGeary’s line of organic fertilizers.

Create Something Special with Local Trees

So you’ve decided to roll up your sleeves, dust off the tools, and tackle that backyard chicken coop, garden bed, or your child’s heirloom toy box by yourself.  Of course, you know not to use pressure treated pine, but what if this project requires something more memorable than the perfectly milled red cedar boards at the local lumber store? What if you want a little bark and saw marks on your lumber, or maybe even know the history of the trees that went into your project?

Ken Hagans sawmill in Kings Mtn. can help.  While four wheel drive isn’t essential on the dirt road that winds through thick tree canopy up to the sawmill, it sure might come in handy on wet days. The mill has been in Ken’s family for three generations, sawing locally felled trees into timber for builders, craftsmen, and woodworkers.

Sawdust collects in heaps like snow drifts alongside the giant diesel truck engine that powers the enormous saw blade.  While Ken does have stacks of commonly used board sizes ready for sale, like the 1”x4” eastern red cedar pieces we used for the Secrests’ potting bench, much of his business is special orders.

“Now remember, when you get a 2”x4” from me, it’s really two inches by four inches,” he explains, leaning against pile of yellow pine boards. He makes this distinction between lumber from his sawmill, and boards from a lumber store, where the actual measurements are smaller than the nominal measurements. A 2”x4” at a big box store, for example, really only measures about 1.5”x3.5”

So what kind of wood can you get at Ken Hagans Sawmill? A little bit of everything. “It just depends on what got cut down that week,” Ken continues. “ I work with a lot of tree companies, so we’ve always got a variety of new logs coming in…eastern red cedar, yellow pine, all sorts of varieties of hardwood.”

Want a raised garden bed with a unique look and a special story? Want a cool garden table or potting bench that doesn’t look like it came out of a cardboard box? Is it important to you to buy local?

Check out Ken Hagans sawmill, and maybe take the 4WD if it’s raining.

Ken Hagans Sawmill
158 Zanes Ln.
Kings Mtn.,  NC 28086

704.862.8259

kenhaganssawmill@gmail.com

Meet the Fortress : Our Answer to Pesky Varmints

The Brown family is serious about organic gardening. JB and Sara love the time outside and fresh produce almost as much as their two kids, Cameron and Grace. Problem is the critters in their backyard are more persistent than a door to door salesman. Every fat, green tomato went missing just days from turning red. Half eaten cucumbers littered the ground around the garden like peanut shells at a football game. Entire rows of bush bean plants were cut down to sad little stubs peeking up through the soil.

“We tried some deterrents,” explains JB, nodding toward a plastic owl sitting on the edge of one of the raised beds we installed back in May. “They left some stuff alone, like the peppers and eggplant, but we didn’t get to eat one single tomato. And I’m a tomato guy. “

A tomato guy with no tomatoes? That’s as bad as a theme park with no roller coasters.

Our solution?

The Fortress ;  An 8’x8’x7’Tall enclosed garden.

The fortress is made by connecting panels framed with cedar 2”x4” lumber, and wrapped with ½” galvanized hardware cloth to create an enclosed space that will keep out birds, squirrels, rabbits and other meddlesome varmints, while still allowing pollinating insects easy access to the plants. Once the cage was in place, we then installed a horseshoe shaped raised bed made with 4”x4” cedar timbers.

The area inside the beds was finished with small brown pea gravel, which has a warm, natural appearance, and won’t become discolored from mud and foot traffic like a lighter color stone. The beds were filled with our blend of pine bark fines, mushroom compost, and PermaTill, and we planted an assortment of heirloom carrots, turnips, radishes and peas.

As for JB’s tomatoes?

“Spring will be here in no time.” He smiles, locking the bolt on the door.

Our Favorite Heirloom Seed Sources

So you’ve read up on why you would want to choose an open pollinated, or heirloom seed variety over a bioengineered one, but where to obtain these much discussed seeds? The selection of seed packets at the local big box store isn’t very encouraging, and heirloom seed stores aren’t exactly on every corner like that big coffee shop chain from Seattle. Yet.

Good thing for discerning gardeners that there are some well established and reliable organizations dedicated to preserving, and selling open pollinated seed varieties. Most have lots of useful information too, like planting guides and a history of each seed variety. And talk about selection! Chances are, as you peruse the catalogs, you will see a few things you’ve never even heard of. While there are more than a handful of quality heirloom seed companies and non-profit groups around the country, here are a few of our favorites…

Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company

One of the largest heirloom seed outfits, with locations in California, Missouri, and Connecticut. In addition to over 1400 open pollinated, non GMO vegetable, flower and herb seeds, Baker Creek also publishes a vegan cookbook, and  Heirloom Gardener Magazine. They have a HUGE selection of tomato varieties.  Request a free catalog at rareseeds.com

Sow True Seed

Sow True has a nice catalog of open pollinated, non-hybrid, and non-GMO seeds, and  they’re based in Asheville, so many of their heirloom varieties have a history from Appalachia or other areas in the Southeast. Consequently, these ‘local’ heirloom varieties are often better adapted to grow in our region. In addition to a nice selection of heirloom vegetables, herbs and flowers, they’ve also got garlic, potatoes, grains and cover crops. They’ve also got a series of great seed collections including one for medicinal herbs, a children’s garden, and a Fall-Winter vegetable collection. Request a fee catalog at sowtrueseed.com

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

More than just a place to buy non-GMO heirloom seeds, SESE is an active organization that’s won all kinds of industry and community awards.  They’re based in Virginia, and most of their seed varieties are especially suited for the mid Atlantic region. In addition to an ample selection of vegetable, flower and herb seeds, they’ve also got cover crops, potatoes, garlic, and even cotton and peanut varieties. SESE has a huge library of books and DVD’s, and also sells seed saving and other heirloom gardening supplies. If you’d like to see firsthand what Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is all about, ride up to Thomas Jefferson’s place for the 6^th annual Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello. The event happens on Sept. 14-15, 2012, and features tastings tents, workshops, the Young Farmers Zone, and an old timey seed swap.

Here, Have $50 On Us

Sometimes even the most motivated urban farmers need a little nudge off of the fence. Considering a raised bed garden or backyard chicken coop this fall? Perhaps fifty bucks back in the wallet is what you need to get going. Now through Nov. 30^th 2012, we’re offering $50 off select raised bed gardens and chicken coops. Naturally, some restrictions apply, so be sure to stop by microfarmgardens.com/offer for complete details.