North Carolina Peaches

Don’t you love that fresh picked peach that has juice just dripping to your elbow?!  Moore County grows some of the best peaches.  My favorite is Auman Orchards and you will find them just minutes from Pinehurst.  

They are located at 3140 Highway 73 in West End.  Simply pull down their driveway right by the house and pull into the pole barn.  Family is there to wait on you, explain the different peaches and make sure you get the best!  They even stack the bags with ripest at the top to ones that might wait a day or two below.

I don’t think there is anything better than the perfect peach on a beautiful summer day.  It seems my best peach is always the first out of the bag and I eat it the minute I’m in the car at Auman Orchards.  If you are lucky enough to get them all home they also make great jam!

Give them a try and be sure to bring some napkins!

Gardening in Moore County, North Carolina

If you have been lucky enough to visit the Downtown Historic District of Southern Pines you have seen the beautiful work of the Moore County Master Gardeners. 

 This group is part of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension and they do so much more than make our streets beautiful.  Check out their Facebook and Google Pages to read the plethora of information they share that goes far beyond just gardening. 

Would you like to be able to create a beautiful and healthy garden?  Would you like to become a master gardener?  They have a new class beginning September 23^rd that ends on November 18^th.  You can find the application by visiting their Facebook or Google page or give them a call at 910-947-3188.  Happy Planting!

Deer Problems in the Garden?

There has been plenty of news coverage about our growing deer population in the Pinehurst area over the last several months.  Now that garden season is almost upon us we need to start making plans of not only what to plant but how to keep it!

Here are three simple choices:

You can fence your garden with a tall fence.  A 7 foot fence is what is typically recommended.  Keep in mind that deer can jump higher than this but usually do not want to.

Or you can scare them by spraying fox, coyote or wolf urine since deer are afraid of predators.  Be sure to reapply often. 

You can also fend off the deer with repellants.  Try spraying your plants with a hot pepper spray or try placing human hair around the garden.   Deer like plants they find tasty and easy to eat.  You can also place plants they see as a repellant.  A few annual plants you can choose are alyssum, begonias, foxglove, geraniums and parsley.  If you would rather plant perennials try some lantana which will bring the butterflies or use plants you will use to cook with such as rosemary, chives, garlic, mint, or thyme.

Happy Planting!