Highlights from the August 2023 tour
Katz garden, 1704 Shelor Lane, Blacksburg. Zoe Katz has created a diverse food and flower garden in a small rental house backyard using the “easy-care bag garden” methods described in the book, Starter Vegetable Gardens, by local author Barbara Pleasant. Using organic seed in organic soil, Katz is able to grow a lot of her own food, much of it actually grown in the bags of soil. The garden also serves as inspiration for her painting and is an inviting space for birds and pollinators, with companion plantings helping to control pests naturally.
Swinfen garden, 777 Craigs Mountain Rd, Christiansburg. Take a little drive in the country to enjoy this beautiful locaion! Set on 12 acres, with fruit and nut trees, a vegetable garden, pond and compost bins, the property owners encourage natives and have been eradicating invasives. They have installed solar panels and an impressive rainwater collection and pumping system to water their gardens.
