2810[high]5: Remembering Jeff

Yesterday, Jeff Rieves, friend, Beacon contributor, and exceptional gardener passed away. His final Facebook post was a meme that reads, “The idea is to die young as late as possible.” I guess that’s what he did. Today, we remember Jeff for his insight, humor, and that well of knowledge he loved to share. Our gardens and our lives were and will continue to be, enriched by him.

Turning a New Leaf,

December 2018

“I’ve been “up on the mountain”, as the locals refer to the part of Patrick County, VA, where my mother lives, giving thanks for the gifts in our lives, and helping Ma with some winter lawn and garden chores... ”

How to Read a Garden, November 2018

“Most of my Life has been spent with books and gardens. Even my career has revolved around the the worlds of plants and words. They have informed each other, shaped how I see the world, and helped make me who I am today. ”

The Successful Gardener Says: Go Forth and Multiply, November 2018

“This Old Testament admonition to the children of Israel is a call to action for gardeners in the Fall. While more gardeners are always welcome, in this instance, we are multiplying the plants in our garden.”

Join the Alliuminati, October 2018

“Fall planted garlic gets a light mulch to protect it from the wide variations in temperature that we often experience in winter. Normally I use leaves, but wheat straw is OK, too. Before you ask, pine needles will work, but I personally don’t like using them. (That’s another subject I’ll cover some other time.) ”

Eat, Play, Love*: Edible Landscapes, September 2018

“We tend to segregate our plantings...We plant an herb garden here, a vegetable garden there, a perennial flower border somewhere else, but there are lots of ways to include more food plants into all of our landscape, a technique called edible landscaping.”

Join the Alliuminati

Onions and garlic are easy to grow,

overwinter in our mild climate,

and are powerhouses of nutrition and healing.

This time of year is a really good time to plant lots of perennial plants, everything from trees to shrubs to flowers and vegetable plants. Planting in this cooler season gives your plants weeks of root growing before the warming temperatures bring on the riot of growth that is Spring. So cool-season planting is the start of your 2019 garden!

Let’s start that planting with onions and garlic! These plants are easy to grow, overwinter in our mild climate, and are powerhouses of nutrition and healing. There are several types and varieties to choose from, as well.

Garlic is a member of the Allium family, as are all onions. While there are several types of garlic, most of what is grown in the Southern Piedmont is called soft neck garlic. This refers to the lack of a central flower scape coming from the bulb. That scape makes the neck “hard”. If you cook with garlic, you know it forms a bulb of several individual cloves. These cloves are separated for use in cooking, and you separate them for planting as well. Plant them unpeeled, root end down. Plant them about 1” deep, and about 6-8” apart. Rows should be at least 12” apart, but I usually make my rows 18”-24” to make it easier to cultivate and weed. Needing loamy, well-drained soils, raised beds or raised rows with lots of compost are a great place to plant garlic. Fall planted garlic gets a light mulch to protect it from the wide variations in temperature that we often experience in winter. Normally I use leaves, but wheat straw is OK, too. Before you ask, pine needles will work, but I personally don’t like using them. (That’s another subject I’ll cover some other time.) let them grow on through the winter, with harvest next Spring. Elephant garlic is a different type, with a bigger, milder tasting clove. Plant it a little farther apart (9-10”) and stay with the 18-24” row spacing.

There are a few types of perennial/multiplier onions that are hardy old varieties that your parents and grandparents may have planted. Potato onions, walking onions, bunching onions, and shallots all multiply from a single set, or bulb. You’ll need to separate the individual onion bulbs in order to plant them. Like all the Alliums, they thrive in raised beds/rows with lots of compost. Plant the individual bulbs in mid-late Fall, spacing them 10-12” apart. If you are planting in long rows, give yourself plenty of room to weed and cultivate. Depending on the method of cultivation, I’d stick with 18-24” between rows. Bunching onions are grown from seed, and are great mild onions to use in salads and raw recipes.  

Most of you will be more familiar with onion sets, or small onion plants that have been grown out and harvested for later planting. Usually available in red, white, or yellow varieties, they can be planted in both Fall and Spring. I’d recommend doing both to give yourself a longer harvest. Plant your sets in those compost-rich beds or rows on much tighter spacing, even 3-4” apart. As they grow, you can pull every other one and use it in your cooking. Run your rows 18-24” for ease of cultivation. I usually give these onions a bit of slow-release fertilizer as they are starting to grow again in the Spring. They seem to need a little more water during the growing season, too.

Plants and seeds are available for onions, too. I prefer to plant those in the Spring. They seem to do better if you avoid the cold temps. Growing and Spacing for most of them is the same as the other onions, but seeded onions can be planted closely, and the thinnings used in salads.

I mentioned early on that onions are very nutritious. While some amazing claims are made, some basic facts are onions are high in Vitamin C and antioxidants, low in calories, and high in fiber. That pungent flavor works with lots of other foods, from veggies to red meats. They are used in all kinds of cultures, and can be adapted for almost any dish. For cooks on a budget, a little onion can go a long way.

Even if you don’t want to plant anything else this year, you can still get started on next spring’s plantings with some onions and garlic.  Give some of them a try!

Jeff Rieves reminds you to enjoy your garden, because THAT’S what makes you a Successful Gardener!!

Join the Alliuminati

Onions and garlic are easy to grow,

overwinter in our mild climate,

and are powerhouses of nutrition and healing.

This time of year is a really good time to plant lots of perennial plants, everything from trees to shrubs to flowers and vegetable plants. Planting in this cooler season gives your plants weeks of root growing before the warming temperatures bring on the riot of growth that is Spring. So cool-season planting is the start of your 2019 garden!

Let’s start that planting with onions and garlic! These plants are easy to grow, overwinter in our mild climate, and are powerhouses of nutrition and healing. There are several types and varieties to choose from, as well.

Garlic is a member of the Allium family, as are all onions. While there are several types of garlic, most of what is grown in the Southern Piedmont is called soft neck garlic. This refers to the lack of a central flower scape coming from the bulb. That scape makes the neck “hard”. If you cook with garlic, you know it forms a bulb of several individual cloves. These cloves are separated for use in cooking, and you separate them for planting as well. Plant them unpeeled, root end down. Plant them about 1” deep, and about 6-8” apart. Rows should be at least 12” apart, but I usually make my rows 18”-24” to make it easier to cultivate and weed. Needing loamy, well-drained soils, raised beds or raised rows with lots of compost are a great place to plant garlic. Fall planted garlic gets a light mulch to protect it from the wide variations in temperature that we often experience in winter. Normally I use leaves, but wheat straw is OK, too. Before you ask, pine needles will work, but I personally don’t like using them. (That’s another subject I’ll cover some other time.) let them grow on through the winter, with harvest next Spring. Elephant garlic is a different type, with a bigger, milder tasting clove. Plant it a little farther apart (9-10”) and stay with the 18-24” row spacing.

There are a few types of perennial/multiplier onions that are hardy old varieties that your parents and grandparents may have planted. Potato onions, walking onions, bunching onions, and shallots all multiply from a single set, or bulb. You’ll need to separate the individual onion bulbs in order to plant them. Like all the Alliums, they thrive in raised beds/rows with lots of compost. Plant the individual bulbs in mid-late Fall, spacing them 10-12” apart. If you are planting in long rows, give yourself plenty of room to weed and cultivate. Depending on the method of cultivation, I’d stick with 18-24” between rows. Bunching onions are grown from seed, and are great mild onions to use in salads and raw recipes.  

Most of you will be more familiar with onion sets, or small onion plants that have been grown out and harvested for later planting. Usually available in red, white, or yellow varieties, they can be planted in both Fall and Spring. I’d recommend doing both to give yourself a longer harvest. Plant your sets in those compost-rich beds or rows on much tighter spacing, even 3-4” apart. As they grow, you can pull every other one and use it in your cooking. Run your rows 18-24” for ease of cultivation. I usually give these onions a bit of slow-release fertilizer as they are starting to grow again in the Spring. They seem to need a little more water during the growing season, too.

Plants and seeds are available for onions, too. I prefer to plant those in the Spring. They seem to do better if you avoid the cold temps. Growing and Spacing for most of them is the same as the other onions, but seeded onions can be planted closely, and the thinnings used in salads.

I mentioned early on that onions are very nutritious. While some amazing claims are made, some basic facts are onions are high in Vitamin C and antioxidants, low in calories, and high in fiber. That pungent flavor works with lots of other foods, from veggies to red meats. They are used in all kinds of cultures, and can be adapted for almost any dish. For cooks on a budget, a little onion can go a long way.

Even if you don’t want to plant anything else this year, you can still get started on next spring’s plantings with some onions and garlic.  Give some of them a try!

Jeff Rieves reminds you to enjoy your garden, because THAT’S what makes you a Successful Gardener!!

Jeff Rieves, Matthews' Own Successful Gardener

Jeff Rieves * Threefold Company * www.jeffrieves.com * jeff@jeffrieves.com

If you've been to Renfrow's in the spring and had a tough question, they may have directed you to a bearded man in a tie-dye shirt lingering around the seeds. That's Jeff Rieves and he's the subject of our ‪Local Business Interview this week.

Jeff recently moved to Matthews, and I, for one, am excited to have such a valuable resource just up the road on John Street! Don't miss his upcoming classes at Renfrow Farm, an urban farm located on John Street. 

Jeff Rieves has been a gardener his entire life, though in his younger days, often a reluctant one. Jeff brings years of experience to any class he teaches. Growing up on his grandparents’ farm, gardens, orchards, chickens, and milk cows were simply a part of life for him. After a few years in other endeavors, he planted his hands in the soil of Chatham County, NC. Jeff spent the next 20 years as managing partner of Southernwood Farm & Nursery, growing vegetables, cut flowers, plants, and children.

Later he served as an original instructor of Central Carolina Community College’s Sustainable Farming Program, was the Chatham County Director of the Small Business Assistance Center, an agent with the NC Cooperative Extension Service, and helped create The Teaching Garden, an outdoor classroom and demonstration garden, to further his concept of SIMPLE sustainable horticulture.

Since 2013, Jeff has worked as an independent educator, consultant, and agripreneur, continuing his work to rebuild the Local Food culture. He currently teaches at Renfrow Farm in Matthews, and other venues in Virginia and North Carolina.

Currently, Jeff travels the southeast teaching his philosophy of simple, sustainable horticulture. He consults with individuals and businesses, concentrating on helping small farms and food businesses.

What brought you to establish a business in Matthews? David Blackley, the owner of Renfrow Hardware, has been a supporter of my work since my days in Extension. When I went out on my own, David was one of my first clients. When he offered the chance to hold classes at the Hardware store and at the Farm, I knew it would work well. It has worked so well, in fact, that I have moved my base of operations to Matthews.

As a gardener myself, I feel like we have the perfect climate to grow a large variety of things. What’s your favorite edible to grow? What’s a favorite ornamental that thrives here? In NC, You can have something in bloom or producing food almost all year long. I like growing a lot of things, but the most productive thing for me lately has been Irish potatoes, particularly the white Kennebec. But I did have a single “California Wonder” green pepper that lasted from March to November, out-producing all the rest of my peppers combined. As for ornamentals, the crape myrtle is hard to beat, especially since the US Arboretum has introduced so many new varieties. It loves the heat of summer and blooms a long time.

What does the phrase “Preserve Matthews” mean to you? Retaining the quality of small-town livability that makes a place so vital. Right now downtown, we have a mix of new and old that is easy to walk to, provides quality products and services, and is not dominated by big box stores. On the other hand, if chain and discount stores are your thing, they are just a short drive away.

Rieves is set up at Renfrow Farms to teach a class on home composting. Photo by Charles Lybrand.

What’s another business in Matthews you love to support? Renfrow's, obviously. The selection of seeds, supplies, and service is the best in the Charlotte area. I also like Brakeman’s, the new coffee shop. Mo’s Barbeque is a great place to eat. And while it isn’t a business in the strict sense, Matthews Library is just fantastic.

Do you have any promos or specials you'd like to offer our community members? One of my most popular services is the home garden and landscape consultation. I’ve designed and installed all kinds of landscapes, from formal herb gardens to Permaculture homesteads. In an hour visit to your home, I can solve problems in the landscape, identify those “mystery” plants we all have, show you some opportunities to improve your gardens and help you enjoy your garden even more! You get one hour of access to 30 years of experience and knowledge for $100. Readers interested in a home garden or landscape consultation gets a 10% discount, just mention this interview.

Photo courtesy Jeff’s Successful Gardener Facebook Page.

Photo courtesy Jeff’s Successful Gardener Facebook Page.

Photo courtesy Jeff’s Successful Gardener Facebook Page.

Photo courtesy Jeff’s Successful Gardener Facebook Page.

Photo by Charles Lybrand

This interview was originally posted on Preserve Matthews' Facebook page.