How To Care For Verbena And Keep It Thriving

If you’re looking for an easy, annual flowering plant that’s not fussy, drought tolerant, and attracts butterflies, Verbena is a great choice for you! With a variety of vibrant colors and soft leaves, these flowers are the perfect addition to any of your baskets, window boxes, or gardens.

HOW TO CARE FOR VERBENA

The best thing about Verbena is that that aren’t picky. In fact, the most common cause of their downfall is too much attention, aka over-watering and over-feeding them. Follow these tips, and you’ll be just fine!

Where to Grow.
Plant in the sunniest place possible. These beauties LOVE the sun (need at least 8 hours of direct sunlight), and are able to withstand the heat. Be sure to plant them in a sunny place that will help them bloom and thrive.

When and How to Plant.
The best time to plant your verbena would be in the spring, however, you can plant in the summer if special attention is paid to them while they are still establishing.
Remember to plant at least 6 inches apart to increase the air circulation. Water at least two times per week while the plant is still establishing itself into the soil.

Soil.
Verbena needs well-draining soil. That’s what makes them PERFECT for a rock garden, but obviously you can plant anywhere. If you’re planting in a garden or mixed container, be sure to plant in a mound formation in order to encourage adequate circulation.

Watering.
The best way to water your verbena is to inspect it every day. If the leaves look limp, then that’s a sign that it’s time to water. They only require about an inch of water a week, but during scorching hot weather, they might need a little bit of extra water.

Deadhead.
This is a very important step if you’re wanting your verbena to continue blooming. It won’t produce anymore blooms if it doesn’t have anywhere to grow. To accomplish this, just clip the top part of your flowers that hold the blooms.

Where to Purchase.
So where can you even get these gorgeous plants? We still have quite a good selection available for purchase at each of our locations at Garden Valley Farmers Market. We are local to the following locations in North Carolina: Greensboro, Haw River, Graham, Elon, and Burlington. So stop by today, and see just how beautiful these gorgeous plants really are.

Thank you so much for joining us here. For more information on what Garden Valley Farmers Market is about, you can visit us here. If you’re wanting to follow along with us, you can do so either on our Facebook or our Instagram. And if you’re wanting to check out our other blog posts or needing more inpsiration, follow us on our Pinterest. We’d love to have you join us in our journey of planting better, eating better, and living better.
Much love,
Your Garden Valley Farmers Market Team

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Here’s a few photos sourced from Pinterest to give you all the Verbena inspiration that you’ll need!

How To Naturally Prevent Weeds

Weed prevention is one of the tasks of gardening that not only is time consuming, but is probably the most annoying. And sure, we could use chemical filled herbicides, but we don’t recommend it and here’s why: herbicides not only wash away and pollute our water, but they also kill important pollinators. Check this post out on why pollinators are important and how you can attract them to your garden.

So what can we do instead?
We’ve put together

5 Ways To Naturally Prevent Weeds

from growing in your yard and garden all year long.

1. Smothering.
So you’ve planted a garden, but you still have weeds growing? No problem! Just cut the weeds low to the ground, and then place either newspaper or cardboard over them. Cover with some mulch, and you shouldn’t have much of a problem with weeds. If you see a few stubborn sprouts shooting up, just repeat the process again. Not only is the method cost effective, but it’s also highly efficient and safe for the environment.

2. Cook Them.
Did you know that you can pour boiling hot water onto weeds and it literally cooks them. The next time you boil some tea, use the leftover water to pour on the pesky weeds.

3. Plant Close Together.
The more space you have between your plants, the more the sun will expose the ground. And the more the sun exposes the ground, the more opportunity for weeds to germinate. To avoid this, we recommend planting some flowers closer together, and digging a deeper hole to allow for root growth.

4. Vinegar.
What can’t vinegar do?! This process should NOT be used near precious flowers and vegetable plants. But it is great for sidewalks, driveways, and anywhere else that doesn’t have your gorgeous plants near them (maybe the ones you got from Garden Valley Farmers Market?). And sure, there are certain recipes that you can look up on Pinterest, but we recommend using undiluted white vinegar. Just add to a squirt bottle of your choice, and spray away!

5. Hand Weeding.
This method is not the most fun, but it is HIGHLY effective. The ideal conditions for hand weeding (if there are any) are with damp soil, maybe after a fresh summer shower? The key to this process is this: do it often. Just like cleaning a house, the more frequently you do it, the easier it is.

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Here are some tried and true tools that we recommend adding to your garden tool collection to make weeding your garden and yard much easier:

• Garden Knife- great for digging in tough areas

• Kneeling Pad- for protecting your knees while digging

• Garden Hoe- cuts weed roots deep under the surface

• Garden Cultivator- breaks up the top layer of dirt

What are some ways that you’ve found to be super helpful in preventing weeds?
Comment below and let us know!

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Thank you so much for joining us here. For more information on what Garden Valley Farmers Market is about, you can visit us here. If you’re wanting to follow along with us, you can do so either on our Facebook or our Instagram. And if you’re wanting to check out our other blog posts or needing more inpsiration, follow us on our Pinterest. We’d love to have you join us in our journey of planting better, eating better, and living better.
Much love,
Your Garden Valley Farmers Market Team

5 Tips On How To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes

Picture this: you’re outside, enjoying the sunset, and enjoying the cooler weather that the day has FINALLY brought. You’re sipping on your souther, NC sweet tea, talking with your friends, and watching the grill master cook up some perfect sirloin steaks. But suddenly, you start to feel something itch on your arms, and then your legs. You look down, and there’s what seems to be a thousand little flying, annoying insects circling you like they’re about to feast on you. Mosquitoes. And just when you’re about to “call it a night” and go inside, you remember this blog post that gave you some tips and tricks to get rid of those mosquitoes.

5 Tips On How To Get Rid of Mosquitoes:

1. Remove Standing Water.
Mosquitoes love standing water and are drawn to it. Why? Because their eggs can not develop into larvae without water, so it’s essential for them to survive. Simply removing any water in birdbaths, dog bowls, or old tires might be just the trick you need to slowly get rid of those pesky insects.

If you’re wanting to have a water feature in your back yard, it’s best to have one that has continuously moving water. A great option that we have available at our stores are these fountains that are pictures above.

2. Plant Mosquito Repelling Plants
At Garden Valley Farmers Market, we recommend the following plants to our customers:
+ Citronella
+ Lemongrass
+ Marigolds
+ Catnip
+ Rosemary
+ Bee Balm
+ Peppermint
+ Lavender

You can plant these herbs and flowers around your porches, in the pots on your picnic table, or up your front porch steps. Basically wherever you spend your time outside, you will want to plant them there.

3. Hang Bat Houses.
Okay, this might seem a little ridiculous. But, in case you didn’t know, bats eat mosquitoes and mosquitoes are terrified of bats. It’s a simple trick to deter those mosquitoes from laying eggs around your home. Try it out and let us know if it works for you!

4. Trim Bushes And Mow Grass
Mosquitoes hate heat and need a place to relax from the hot sun. They also like to eat on the nectar of the plants when they’re not feasting on us… so trimming up your vegetation and keeping the grass mowed is a great way to reduce the population of mosquitoes.

5. Wind.
Luckily for us, mosquitoes are not strong enough to withstand wind. So even if it’s not a breezy day, grab a few fans, hang them around your porch, and turn ‘em on. Another great option is to finally install that ceiling fan on your covered porch that you’ve been wanting to have put up for the past 10 years. It’s worth it.

We’d love to hear your tips and tricks on how you prevent having mosquitoes invading your summer nights! Comment below and let us know.

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Thank you so much for joining us here. For more information on what Garden Valley Farmers Market is about, you can visit us here. If you’re wanting to follow along with us, you can do so either on our Facebook or our Instagram. And if you’re wanting to check out our other blog posts or needing more inpsiration, follow us on our Pinterest. We’d love to have you join us in our journey of planting better, eating better, and living better.
Much love,
Your Garden Valley Farmers Market Team

Heirloom Tomato Tart with Basil Sauce by Our Balanced Bowl

Heirloom Tomato Tart

I was so thrilled when Garden Valley Market reached out to me and asked that I develop a recipe using their product AND write a guest post on their blog! I moved to Burlington 4 years ago and have always loved popping in, being greeted by their friendly staff and always finding top notch produce.

I knew instantly that since it’s finally Summer that I wanted to develop a recipe using heirloom tomatoes. Fun fact: This is only the second Summer of my entire life that I have liked tomatoes! I always hoped that my taste buds would eventually change and lo and behold - they did! Another fun fact: In college, I worked at a produce stand in my hometown. I missed out on so many experiences to try the beautiful tomatoes while I was there - so you can bet that I’m making up for lost time now!

So what even are heirloom tomatoes?

According to some quick research I found on Bon Appetit, “The seeds are what make an heirloom tomato an heirloom tomato. They are passed down from season to season, taken by the farmers from the tomato plants that produced the best fruit. This process allows farmers to select for certain desirable traits like juiciness, size, shape, or color. Heirloom tomatoes are also often open-pollinated, which means that they are pollinated naturally, by birds, insects, wind, or human hands. No weird science-y genetic modification here.”

Basically, these are super cool, quirky tomatoes that don’t look like OR taste your regular ol grocery store ones. They might look super wonky but you can bet they will be extra juicy, most likely pretty large, and full of delicious flavor.

Let me tell you a little bit about this tart:

• It’s baked on a pre-made puff pastry because it’s summer and no one has time to make puff pastry from scratch when you’re just trying to live your summer vibe life

• It’s loaded with fresh, juicy heirloom tomatoes (ranging from german johnson to cherokee purple!)

• Topped with the most insanely fresh basil sauce made

• Also topped with super creamy and tangy feta cheese

• Best part: you can eat it with your hands! Minimal cleanup required! Yes!

It’s insanely easy and the perfect easy weeknight dinner!

Let’s get into how to make it:

You begin by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. I used a specific brand of puff pastry that I loved called Wewalka. I love it because it’s European style, contains no lard, and you don’t have to thaw it like normal puff pastry. It also comes with parchment paper! If desired, you can roll out the puff pastry to make it larger or more rustic looking.

Once you get the puff pastry to your desired size, poke holes all in it! You want to do this to ensure that the air can help escape from the bottom and it doesn’t just “puff” up.

Next, place it directly in the oven to par-bake for about 12-15 minutes. It’s important to do this step because otherwise the bottom of the puff pastry could be soggy.

While this is baking, slice your tomatoes into thin slices and set them aside.

When your puff pastry is done par-baking, arrange the tomatoes on top of it to cover. Add a drizzle of olive oil, a generous pinch of salt and a crack of black pepper. Place back in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

While the tart is cooking for the second half, whip up the basil garlic sauce! Place 1.5 cups of fresh basil leaves into a food processor along with 2 cloves minced garlic, salt and olive oil. Pulse until it’s blended.

By now, your tart should be done! Take it out of the oven, add a generous portion of feta cheese on top and dollop basil sauce if desired (or you could also use the basil sauce for dipping!)

Eat while warm or at room temperature! Enjoy!

Haylie Abele shares mostly healthy, occasionally indulgent recipes on her fun and lighthearted blog, Our Balanced Bowl. For more delicious, easy recipes follow her on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook or find her on her blog!

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Heirloom Tomato Tart with Basil Sauce

Ingredients

Heirloom Tomato Tart
1 lb Garden Valley Market heirloom tomatoes (about 3 medium heirloom tomatoes, any variety)
1 Wewalka sheet of puff pastry
½ cup feta cheese (more if desired)
Fresh basil leaves for garnish
Olive oil
Salt and pepper (for taste)

Basil Garlic Sauce
3 cloves minced garlic
1.5 heaping cups of fresh basil leaves
¼ cup olive oil (more if needed)  
¼ tsp salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare your puff pastry on parchment paper and large baking sheet. Roll out if desired to make it bigger. Poke the entire puff pastry several times with a fork to allow the air to escape. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

• While the puff pastry is baking, slice your tomatoes thinly. Set aside.

• Once the puff pastry is done par-baking, remove it and place the tomatoes on top of the pastry. Add a drizzle of olive oil on top of the tomatoes as well as a generous pinch of salt and crack of black pepper. Put back in the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

• While the tart is finishing up, mince your garlic. Add this and 1.5 heaping cups of basil to a food processor along with ¼ cup of olive oil and ¼ tsp of salt. Pulse until fully blended into a sauce.

• By now, your tart should be done. Remove from oven. Sprinkle generously with feta cheese and fresh basil leaves. Dollop the basil garlic sauce on top as well or use it as a dipping sauce. Enjoy warm or at room temperature!

Sources: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-are-heirloom-tomatoes

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Haylie Abele is the creator of Our Balanced Bowl. Local to Burlington, NC, Haylie loves all foods, fresh ingredients, and creating new recipes. She’s also married to her forever love, Benjamin. If you ever get a chance to meet her, ask her about Ben, and see how her eyes light up. It’s darling.

Haylie has also struggled with an eating disorder in her life, and she shares a bit on her blog about how her thought process finally shifted. Thank you, Haylie, for sharing your story of eating all foods in BALANCE, and creating yummy recipes that inspire us all to eat healthy, while also inspiring us to ENJOY the indulgent foods we eat.

Haylie shares mostly healthy, occasionally indulgent recipes on her fun and lighthearted blog, Our Balanced Bowl. For more delicious, easy recipes follow her on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook or find her on her blog!