#zone 7

Spring is like a perhaps hand

(which comes carefully out of

Gooseberry is a small, round, edible fruit that grows on a thorny bush in the Ribes family. It is also known as “Indian gooseberry” or “amla” in some cultures. The fruit can vary in color from green to yellow to reddish, and has a tart, acidic flavor. Gooseberries can be eaten raw or cooked, and are commonly used in jams, jellies, pies, and other desserts. They are also used in savory dishes,…

For two years, I have yet to dig a single hole or till at all! I do plan on digging soon to create ponds and waterway irrigation systems, but when starting a garden, digging is absolutely not necessarily and abstaining from it really helps with weeds.

Do you like okra? Okra will grow like the dickins. Be prepared to pick it almost every day in the summer, or you'll be overrun with huge pods. It will be nine feet tall by the end, in full sun, so get a step ladder.

Sweet potatoes like this area well, though you should break up the heavy clay with a fork for them, and if you've got a slightly sandier spot they'll like that even better.

Collards will grow in just about anything. I've had great success with cowpeas (field, crowder, pink eye & black eyed peas - that whole family), plus those will reseed themselves if you're not too thorough with picking them, which I find convenient.

(Seems like a theme here - things that are traditional old time foods also grow well here. Not too surprising, in the end.)

I also grow tomatoes well without amending the soil much. And many herbs, though lovage is defeated by the heat after a season or so. But basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, rosemary, lemon verbena, and dill have thrived for me.

Supervisor: end?

Me, a Zone 5 girl in Zone 7: yeah like when is it too cold to work?

Supervisor: It isn’t. We work year round and we plant from March-December. You might get a break in January.

Me, a fucking idiot: I.... I don’t get 5 months off?

Amelanchier canadensis / Canadian Serviceberry

PLANT COMMUNITY:  New England barrier beach

NATIVE REGION:  Eastern North America, from Maine to Georgia, west to Mississippi and in eastern parts of Tennessee

MATURE SIZE:  Height of 25-30′, spread of 15-20′; large shrub or small tree

HABITAT/GROWING CONDITIONS:  Swamps, lowlands, and thickets; easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade; tolerant of a somewhat wide range of soils

ECO-INDICATOR:  N/A

HARDINESS ZONE:  4-8

LEAF COLOR:  Finely toothed, elliptic, medium to dark green leaves, change to orange-red in autumn.

FLOWER COLOR:  Showy, five-petaled, slightly fragrant white flowers drooping clusters

FRUIT COLOR:  Small, round, green berries, turn red and mature to a dark purplish-black in early summer

VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES:  Serviceberry is useful as a windbreak planting.

Swamp hibiscus/Scarlet rose mallow/Texas star hibiscus

Native to southern US and Pacific coast

Thrives in damp areas. Fast-growing with a long life!