>>One of our residents, she was able to do some fundraising.

We were able to buy two shelves with seedling lights and we took the old shed where we used to get screened for COVID, and we turned that into our seedling shed now.

>>Wow, that's very nice to have a new life on something that's a little dark.

>>Yeah, so in there, we'll probably do about 9,000 plants.

>>These daffodils are a byproduct of our namesake, Dr. Charles Culpepper, he sold them to the neighbors over time.

People have come to us to say, "Oh, when I was child, he'd have a wheelbarrow with bundles of daffodils for 25 cents or 50 cents."

So, we love the spirit of the daffodils and we are continuing on today.

>>Production funding for "Virginia Home Grown" is made possible by.

(birds chirping) (upbeat music) >>Welcome to "Virginia Home Grown."

Thanks for joining us for another season of gardening and growing together.

Spring is officially here, but the weather has been topsy-turvy and I know as difficult as it is to wait, remember, our last frost dates are not until mid to late April.

Today, we're exploring the role that gardens play in senior living communities and the benefits they bring to residents and the community.

But before we get started, I wanna remind you to send in your gardening questions on our website at vpm.org/vhg.

We always enjoy hearing from you.

A little later, we will visit Covenant Woods in Mechanicsville to learn about their Farm to Table program, where residents assist with growing vegetables for the campus restaurants.

But first, I visited Culpepper Garden Senior Living in Arlington to learn about the significance of the daffodils on their property and to see their display of over 30,000 blossoms, some blooming annually for decades, so let's get going.

>>They are so wonderful.

We get people come and take pictures.

But for the residents is an outlet, it's a pleasure, and for me, it's always a pleasure to be a gardener.

This is such a reasonable place to live.

When I moved here, I thought, "My goodness, I have to give back."

I just feel like that volunteerism is important.

>>I've been here four months, I guess, you know, I'm a newbie.

Everyone who really is successful living here, which means living for a long time, has a project.

That's the key to being old, is having a project that you really care about, and it consumes you.

So my project is gonna be helping the management make the best of this place.

>>Charles Culpepper, our namesake was a botanist, and he loved to create hybrid daffodils, and he created many, many, many that are planted here today.

So here we are 70, 80 years later, and we have his daffodils.

>>So how many did he create?

>>We don't know.

But we've identified 18 in our wooded areas and throughout the property, different types, so- >>I bet you they're beautiful.

>>Oh my gosh, they're magnificent.

And we have cream with orange trumpets and yellow and all different colors.

So I think a lot of people think of a daffodil as just a yellow flower, right?

But this is a far different thing, what this gentleman had created.

>>Well, that's exciting.

And so how many acres of property did he have?

>>We are on almost five acres, just under five acres.

So he sold it at a steep discount.

>>Right.

>>To the organization that started Culpepper garden, which was the Unitarian church, and he was a member there.

>>Right.

>>So he did this is an act of good faith.

And his legacy continues.

So we have low income senior housing here, and we have assisted living and independent living.

And many of our residents have very little so we provide a beautiful environment for them.

And it's sort of a diamond here in Arlington, Virginia.

>>Obviously, you've kept planting daffodils because we're walking through this lovely corridor of daffodils.

And I'm quite amazed at all the different colors and varieties you have here.

Particularly the way you've staggered the bloom season, you've got some that are in full bloom, others that are starting and others that are just coming out of the ground.

>>So every fall, we have volunteers come and we plant about 5000 daffodils, and then we see what happens then and then the next year we'll plant more so it's an annual event, we have a daffodil society that we raise funds to sell some daffodil bulbs.

So it's really a fun project.

>>That sounds like a fun project.

But I also love how you have taken these daffodils and you've underplanted or put them amongst many, what I see are native plants here and some other perennials so that it's not just daffodils and then it's a garden that's bare and mulch.

>>Right.

>>Ugh.

It's daffodils, but it's got the rest of the season covered as well.

>>Well, that's right.

And so we love that, we can't wait for the next plantings to grow and see what's coming up color, flowers to bring the butterflies in and the bees and all the wonderful things that some of the natives can bring us.

>>But what are you moving forward with in the future with these daffodils?

>>Well, we're going to be doing more planting in the fall.

And we're going to be identifying this year some of the flowers that we have and see what else we can find to sort of create more of a mix.

We're also gonna look at some of the flowers that we have in other parts of the garden from Dr. Culpepper to see if we can replicate those.

>>Oh, that would be great.

So you can sort of bring it some of the older cultivars back in.

>>Exactly, exactly.

It's a lovely story and our residents to this day here at Culpepper garden really enjoy the flowers and the garden all year round.

>>Oh, that's fantastic.

And to be surrounded by a garden to look out a window in your apartment down to this beautiful space, it just must bring them joy.

>>It does, and when COVID, when they were all locked down, we planted the daffodils.

And in that spring of 2021, it was spectacular and that brought a lot of joy.

And there were a lot of happy residents.

>>Oh, I couldn't think of a better way to do things.

(laughs) >>Yes, yes, it's great.

It's really great.

And they get engaged.

They want to know what we're planting while we're out here.

They stop by, what are you planting?

We have a gentleman here, he's a naturalist.

So he wants to make sure we don't have invasive species and he's a resident here.

He's 81 years old.

>>Well, this is a site that has both characteristics of a garden and characteristics of a remnant forest.

I would argue all the native plants deserve to live.

Most of the introduced plants are legacies and they deserve to live too.

I'm not into pulling out plants.

(chuckles) I love plants, but we want to get rid of the invasive plants particularly.

>>I'm sure it must be difficult for you like everybody else to just leave that daffodil foliage alone as it yellows.

>>Yes.

And you gave me a little tip today because sometimes people will go on to come down and tie the- >>Oh!

>>Right, right, (Peggy laughing) tie everything in knots.

And so when it's drooping, and we're in between seasons, I don't have Azaleas blooming, I don't have everything quite where I want it.

And I think, "Oh, my garden looks so sad."

But to have it look like this in spring, it's the price we pay, is that right?

>>Exactly.

(Martha chuckling) That's the way I feel about it.

Just remember the glory.

>>Yeah, yeah, that's right.

(Peggy laughing) >>Just remember being dazzled by the daffodils.

>>Dazzled by the daffodils.

Thank you, Peggy.

(Peggy laughing) >>But as we're walking down this walkway, we've gone from a full sun area and we're moving into a shade area and a partial shade area under these beautiful American Hollies.

And yet the daffodils are still blooming, and that's something else.

So I applaud you for choosing cultivars that can handle the shade as well.

>>We got some good advice.

So we've had some people come and give us some guidance, and we're looking for more guidance, because we really want to respect all these beautiful daffodils and plant them in the right place so we get the best result.

It's a lot.

>>Yes.

>>It's a lot to manage.

But it's pretty spectacular.

>>It is.

And people don't understand too the importance of fertilizing daffodils, they think in a few years, they have to dig them up and divide them.

And that is one way of managing this collection here.

But on the other hand, if you continually fertilize every year, then you'll be able to keep those bulbs strong and they'll keep blooming for you.

>>But of course as you see on the side of the road in Virginia, there are daffodils coming up from everywhere, and they probably didn't get fertilized.

What's going on?

(Peggy chuckling) >>Well, they get all that organic matter, remember?

>>I guess that's right.

That's right, that's fair.

That's fair.

>>Yes.

(laughs) >>That's fair.

We have a lot of other plants.

We have azaleas, camellias, all kinds of fabulous trees.

And a lot of these things started with Dr. Culpepper.

So we have a very unique garden here.

>>I do, I know, and you've got some very unique plants because I saw wintersweet blooming here.

>>That's right, you said- >>And I just was very thrilled.

That is not a common plant.

So Dr. Culpepper knew his horticulture.

>>He did, he did, and we are excited to have it here.

We treasure it and we want to continue to honor it.

Our residents never tire of it.

They also have their own gardens, raised garden beds where they can grow their own plants.

So we really have a nice mix here.

>>Marta, I thank you for sharing this.

You've got a very special place here and the residents of Culpepper Garden are just so blessed to be able to have this garden and the legacy of Dr. Culpepper.

>>I think so too.

>>There's nothing like it anywhere as far as I know in Arlington or any area around here.

And to have almost five acres to play in is wonderful.

And I don't think I'd want to be anyplace else.

>>I enjoyed visiting this oasis of flowers in the midst of Arlington.

They provide peace in an urban setting.

And with all those daffodils, there are quite a few favorites and Marta is here to show us how we can propagate our favorites, but before we get started, remember to send in your gardening questions on our website at VPM.org/VHG.

Well, Marta, these bulbus plants, you know, they're so slow to propagate, no matter what, from seed to offsets, but you've produced, well actually, you've found a way of producing them in a much shorter time so let's start with first, before we get into that, talking about these wonderful flowers that I'm smelling, so tell me about these.

>>Well, these are some of the flowers that are currently in bloom at Culpepper Garden and some of them are actually unique to Charles Culpepper, which is the Snow Gem, which is the one right over there with the little red face and we've identified that as one of his originals so that is actually over 80 years old and we are looking to replicate that within the garden.

Yes, I could see why.

>>Cause it's not available anywhere as far as we know.

>>Oh, this is beautiful.

>>It is.

>>Absolutely beautiful.

Well, you know, traditionally there's very slow methods to propagate plants and that's usually by seed.

Can you show us where those seeds are in a daffodil?

>>Well, you'll find it in this little pod and if we just cut it right open, you can see.

>>The seed starting to form.

>>The seeds starting to form, so there they are.

But that's kind of the hard way.

>>Yes, that is kind of the hard way.

>>So there are other ways to go.

>>What's another way that nature provides for?

>>Well, one of the ways that nature provides is you can actually find a bulb that's actually split and then now you've got two, so this is the handy way to do it and we've got a couple examples of that that we have found from our bulb collection that we haven't planted yet so you can see that that's pretty easy.

But another way to do it is to actually take bulbs and split them and then there's a whole process that we'll go through that we can show and you can actually create multiple bulbs from one.

>>Oh, that sounds so great and so easy.

So what's our first step?

>>Well, I'm gonna snip the top up here and then you can peel the layers off so that it's almost like garlic, but you don't have to.

And here's your basal plate and that's really the key.

You wanna make sure when you divide it, and I'm just gonna cut it top to bottom here, that you have part of that basal plate so that you're sure.

>>Right here.

>>Exactly.

>>Okay, how much can we divide this basal plate up?

>>Well, we're gonna do it in quarters because that's what we think is good.

You could actually do it more, but to ensure success, I prefer a hardier cut, so this is what you're left with is these pieces and you've got part of the basal plate here and then the interior of the bulb.

>>And you've actually, you can see the blossom that's in that bulb and all those scales are what becomes the leaves, which is why it's so important to allow your daffodil bulbs and all your other bulbs to die back into the bulb.

Don't braid 'em, don't cut 'em.

>>I know we've talked about that, Peggy.

>>Yes, we have.

>>I'm waiting for them to get yellow and droop, but it's painful, I have to say.

>>It's so painful, I know, but you've gotta allow all of that energy to go back into that bulb so next year they'll just be equally as beautiful.

>>Yes and fertilize.

>>Yes.

>>So we're gonna fertilize this year too.

>>Excellent, excellent.

>>So now we move on.

>>Okay, what do we do now with these?

>>Well, normally what you would do is put them in a fungicide, which we have done here, and they need to be in about 12 to 15 minutes, would you say?

>>Yes.

>>And that just ensures their strength gets any of the garden cooties out.

That would be my technical term, but you're the gardener.

>>So what it does is the fungicide inhibits the growth of fungus and disease.

>>That's why it's your show Peggy and not mine.

Okay, and we're gonna take these out and then we're gonna actually put them in about halfway so their little noses are up.

>>Okay.

>>And kind of let them drain a bit.

>>So we're gonna plant them.

>>We're gonna actually plant them.

>>Okay, you wanna plant two or three real quick?

>>I'll do a few more.

>>Okay.

>>And we'll get them going.

>>And I notice you're putting them halfway down and I also notice that we're using vermiculite.

We're not using a peat moss-based putting mix.

>>Goodness, no.

>>No, we wanna preserve our peat moss bogs up in the hinterlands and so we are trying our best to avoid using soilless mixes or any of our potting mixes that contain peat moss.

Vermiculite's a good substitute.

Perlite's a good substitute.

Even coconut coir is a good substitute.

All of these are excellent for propagating and growing plants in.

>>There we go.

>>All righty.

>>So now we're set.

>>So we got them in our pot and then we've got it pretty easy.

I'm gonna make a lot of noise here.

But what we've got is we've put them on a piece of cardboard and we are going to make a little greenhouse for them, right?

>>Right.

>>But I have learned that it's a lot easier to take barbecue steaks and put them here so that when we put the bag up and around, it stays supported above our plants and it will not fall onto them a lot.

(cellophane crinkling) So we wanna take it, the bag, crunch it up, and I'm sorry for the noise, and we wanna twist tie it.

Can you help me here, ma'am?

>>Of course.

>>Yeah, thank you.

So we wanna create a little greenhouse >>And that gives you some nice humidity.

It kind of gives that moist environment, especially having a bit of the tenting over it.

>>Exactly, and how long do we wanna leave these in about?

>>What would you say?

13 weeks, something like that.

>>Yeah, I would check 'em at 10 weeks very carefully.

I'd put 'em in a nice warm place and keep 'em where there's some light and just keep checking on 'em because we already moistened that vermiculite, so mother nature will do its thing.

The sun will come in and create a nice little ecosystem in there and we'll have beautiful rooted cuttings, and they'll root right from the basal plate so we'll be able to plant them out this fall.

>>It just seems so easy.

>>Yes, it is.

(Peggy laughing) >>If you know how.

>>But it is fantastic, especially with some of the flowers that we have that are not available anymore.

>>Yes, exactly, and Marta, this is a great demonstration.

It's something that everybody can do at home if they have their favorite daffodil or even their other types of bulbs, tulips, hyacinths, you can use all of these and this method will work just fine, so thank you for showing us.

>>Thank you.

>>And now we're going to get ready to answer your questions.

But first, Randy Battle has the garden safety tips for seniors, or really any of us working outside.

(upbeat music) >>Gardening is a great way to get outdoors and enjoy Mother Nature while growing your plants, fruits, flowers and vegetables.

This should be available to people of all ages, especially our seniors, you guys.

As we get older, our bodies tend to adjust and we have to adjust with it, especially when it comes to working in the garden.

Here are a few tips to get you started.

Safety first.

One of the number one causes of injuries for seniors is falls.

So you wanna make sure you're keeping your walkways clear, your pathways clear of any debris, gardening tools, sticks.

Also, remember to dress the part.

When going out in extreme heat or extreme cold, make sure you dress appropriate.

If you have to go out in extreme heat, wear lightweight clothes.

If you have to go out in the extreme cold, bundle up.

Keep yourself safe.

Make sure you have your sun hats, your sun shades, protective gloves and any other protective gear that you may need to make you feel safe and comfortable while in your garden.

Also, try container gardening.

This way you don't have to do as much bending or kneeling and it's much easier on your body.

You can move the container as necessary if you need to bring it in or outdoors.

Today we're gonna be planting up some turnips and I'm gonna show you how you can use a ladle instead of a sharp object.

This is another part of our safety tips.

So I'm just gonna dig a little hole into my container.

And today we have turnip greens, you guys.

And I started these indoors and all you want to do is just simply pop it out of its container, good soil, good root system and we're just gonna plop it down in there and give it a nice firm pressing, not too hard.

And then we wanna water that in.

And there you have it.

You're on your way to a successful gardening.

Remember, when you can, garden with a friend.

Not only is it safe, it's fun.

Remember, have fun with it.

Live, love, laugh, grow stuff and eat it.

>>Randy's provided an excellent tip.

And right now on Facebook, Randy and other members of our team are answering your questions.

So please send them in via Facebook or through our website, and we always enjoy hearing from you.

Well, this season, we're pleased to welcome Shana Williams, and she's gonna become a new member of our "Virginia Home Grown" team.

And Shana is here to help us in the studio tonight with the questions.

So, Shana, we're excited, and what do we have?

>>Well, we do have a question for you, Marta.

Our first question is from Matt.

Are the grounds at the Culpepper Gardens open to the public?

>>They are open from time to time.

Because it is where the residents live, we do try to schedule different events where people can come.

Every spring, we wanna show off our daffodils.

So we always have events around that.

And then throughout the year, we have various opportunities for the community to come in.

Actually, for Easter, we're doing an Easter egg hunt in the garden with children.

>>Oh, really?

>>So they can be in the garden and experience it.

So we do multiple things throughout the year.

>>Yes, and I noticed that your gardens are beautiful.

Very beautiful.

>>Thank you.

>>Okay, so our next question is, oh, you know, it had to do with your episode.

So how often should daffodils be divided?

>>Well, we haven't divided them yet, but now that Peggy and I have had this experience together, we're going to be doing it more often.

But I think you can do it every year really, depending, not the same ones over and over.

But we have over 40,000, so I've got a lot of work to do.

But how often would you say, Peggy?

>>Typically when you see a clump slowing its bloom or stop blooming or even seven years will pass.

I typically watch my clump of daffodils and when I see them get very tight and very solid and just be all green, then I know it's time to divide them.

And I- >>So when I see some in the community growing, it's okay for me to snag some then, huh?

>>Yes.

But it's best to snag them when those leaves are yellow so all of that energy is into that bulb, okay?

>>I'll be patient.

I'll try.

>>Thank you.

(all laugh) >>So this question is from Nancy.

Have you identified any hybrids at the Culpepper Gardens?

>>Well, multiple hybrids of camellias and azaleas.

Those were also specialties of Charles Culpepper.

So we have some camellias in bloom right now that are so spectacular, we don't even know what to do with ourselves.

So we've asked some master gardeners to come out and give us some guidance to really help us better understand what we have.

And so we have multiple flowers, especially the daffodils, which were his specialty though.

Again, we have 18 to 20 different hybrid daffodils, many of which do not exist anymore.

So we're looking to expand that and keep them alive with the legacy.

>>Oh, that would be wonderful.

And I know that the people in the community will love to be part of that, you know.

So great.

>>And they bring their families.

They're very proud.

And when the flowers come out, everybody wants to come outside, which was something we started after COVID.

So it's been a real blessing.

>>Well, that's wonderful.

>>You know, Marta, recently the American Daffodil Society here in town had their annual show at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, and I was wondering, maybe you'd wanna connect with them here at the Richmond chapter 'cause I'm sure there's some daffodil aficionados who'd love to come up and see those gardens.

>>Definitely.

That's fantastic.

Yes, for sure.

>>Yes, yeah.

You can go on their website.

>>Okay, great.

>>Okay, so this is for you.

>>Oh.

(all laugh) This is from Mary in Williamsburg, "Why are my peas not germinating?"

>>Oh, Mary, this has been a fickle season.

(laughs) >>Yes.

>>If you put them in and those temperatures dropped, they're not gonna germinate for a while until the temperatures come up.

I was fortunate to put them in in February when the temperatures were warm and mine germinated, but they've been sitting there.

They're about two inches tall and that's where they've been for a few weeks.

So just keep watering them, keep being patient, and that sun will come back out and warm up that soil and they'll start growing.

>>So that's why I'm waiting right now.

>>Exactly.

>>Because our weather has been tipsy-turvy, just too volatile right now.

>>Too volatile, yes.

>>So this is from Carol, "What seeds should be saved in the refrigerator and how should they be prepared and when is the right time to remove them and plant them?"

>>Oh, yes.

I love saving seeds in the fall.

And this is the time of year when as I'm planting my seeds, I mark down on a, you know, somewhere whether the plant I'm putting in is a hybrid or not because I don't wanna save seeds from hybrid plants because they don't grow true, which means they're gonna come out kind of funny and different.

But the ones that are not hybrids, I save in the fall, I dry them, and then I put them in envelopes with their names on them and I put them in the bottom, you know, vegetable bin of my refrigerator.

And then I usually take them out a few days before I wanna sow them just so they warm up.

And you're fine with that.

I've actually saved seeds for two and three years and have had great success with growing them.

>>I've even frozen some of my seeds before in just regular seed packets.

And then just like you said, just defrost them a little while, let them come up to room temperature, and they're just good as new.

>>Plant away.

>>Exactly.

>>You know, over a period of time, the viability of the seed decreases percentage wise out of a hundred seeds.

So, you know, when you buy them new, typically your germination rate's about 99%.

So, you know, two or three years later, your germination rate might be down to 80 or 70%.

But that just means you put a few more seeds in your cell to make sure that, you know, you take up for that percentage.

So rather than putting three in, I put in five, you know, something like that, so then I know statistically I'm gonna get some plants.

>>And I've definitely had that experience recently.

(Shana and Peggy laugh) Okay, so we have Cheryl from Ashland, "Is it important to use clear plastic when tinting?"

>>Well, yes.

You want to be able to allow that sunshine to come in.

And if you're trying to create, like we just, you know, were doing with trying to create a terrarium type, you need the clear plastic to allow Mr. Sun in, to create that, you know, old Wardian case slash terrarium slash little microclimate.

Outside, you wanna be able to use, you know, if you want to put down a fabric over plants that you're protecting, you want that to be a light color, usually a white or something, and again, to let that sunshine in.

If you put darker materials down on your plants outside protecting them from the cold, you have the possibility of the sun being absorbed into that and producing heat and possibly burning the plants underneath.

'Cause we use black plastic as a way of killing weeds in our walkways and things.

So we don't wanna do that to the plants that we're nurturing.

>>Mm-hm.

So that was very important because right now what I did in my garden is I put, I'm trying to change a flower bed, so I used a lot of my compost and I just threw a whole lot of seeds down and then but I do have that black cover over top of it just to keep the birds out for right now.

(Peggy and Shana laugh) But what you just, yeah, I know what I'm gonna do.

I'm going to take the black cover off and I'm going to put white on.

>>Very good.

>>You know, Marta, at Culpepper, you could possibly use the black plastic to kill some of those invasive plants that you have on your site.

>>Yes, that's exactly right.

We have more invasives than we care to discuss publicly, but we're trying to get rid of that, rid of them, so that we can really have all native plants in Virginia.

So we've had some people come and dig them up and there's a whole process to that, as you well know.

And then as we identify additional, I think that's a great suggestion.

I will share that with my, (Peggy speaks indistinctly) with my gang, who is, I have a whole team of people after the invasives, yes.

>>And you keep it down for, you know, just a few months and then you take it up.

You don't leave it there.

>>Is that right?

>>You don't.

>>And then you don't need to dig them up or?

>>Usually dead, gone.

>>Okay, but no residue or you don't have to worry.

>>You've usually fried them.

(Shana speaks indistinctly) >>Then they just basically just rotten back down and they become like that organic material that you need, so.

>>Oh, terrific, okay.

>>It's a great way to do this.

>>Good to know.

>>Yeah, I actually do that and cover up my compost bins that way and they start to just burn down.

>>Burn down.

>>And basically the worms do their job 'cause they're hidden from the light.

>>Magic.

>>Yeah.

>>But again, you don't wanna leave the plastic in place.

>>No.

>>We've been told.

(all laugh) >>Well, we've got time, real quick, short one 'cause- >>One more?

Okay.

So this one has, "So why are my daffodils not multiplying?

I had them for several years."

>>Oh, they need to be fed.

They do need to be fed.

And there's specialty products and special fertilizers for bulbs and you wanna put them down about January 'cause that's when all the roots start to grow out and the chutes start to come up shortly thereafter.

You've got to feed your daffodils.

Or they're not getting enough sunshine.

It's important to get six hours of sunshine on your daffodils.

However, Marta, the architect that she worked with identified daffodils, there's a handful, you know, a short list, that can take the part shade, but part shade is not full shade, so.

But again, but anyway, I think this has been great and I thank you and it's about all the time we have right now, but we look forward to answering more questions, you know, later on in the show.

So please keep them coming.

And I wanna thank you tonight, Marta, for being with us and for sharing your passion for gardening.

>>Thank you.

>>Thank you.

>>Next up, Serome Hamlin visits Covenant Woods in Mechanicsville to chat with farm manager Jen Alexander and to learn more about their farm to table program.

So let's check it out.

>>I am a really good weeder.

I know it's hard, but a lot of people can't go down on their knees and crawl around.

That's the best part.

If you crawl around in this soil, it's all worms.

It's just beautiful, beautiful worms.

I come here because it is just so relaxing and I find a lot of peace here.

>>My favorite volunteer duty for this garden is harvesting some of the produce, just because I know it's going into the kitchen and we feel like we're eating so much better and it's very much more flavorful than what we can buy at the store.

>>I started volunteering in the garden when everything got closed down because of COVID, and I figured I could this is something I could do, I'd be outside.

We still, you know, if we were in close contact, had a mask it's good exercise and it's out in the fresh air and so I just took that on as the thing I was gonna do.

>>Right now we're walking through the resident portion of the garden.

They can grow food in their own plot.

Some of them were farmers and so this is a nice transition for them to grow their own food still.

Lots of them like to take their own food back to their cottage or to their apartment and cook for themselves or you know it's a pretty good walk back to the main building.

So along the way there's plenty of neighbors to share with.

>>Oh yeah it definitely looks like a nice productive garden area >>Along this edge I like to grow herbs, some trap crops like amaranth I'll put some sunflowers here as well as some native plants and pollinators and that really helps balance the whole ecosystem and just makes everything grow a lot better over in the garden.

>>Nice, so let's take a visit to the production garden.

>>Right now we've got some cabbage and that overwintered, we had some things that did not overwinter like that one really bad night that we had, that pretty much did the chart in, but I was able to keep some arugula, some spinach, the collards we just took in.

We've also got some lettuce going now.

I have to keep an eye on that.

If it gets 28 or below I'm gonna get some buckets on top of that and protect it.

>>I know, we are having a weird, weird season, so >>Right, it's a lot of back and forth but if I put the netting on that's gonna knock off a little bit of the frost and then there's nothing out here that isn't good with the cold and then I've got blankets staged on each row.

That way those can go on quickly.

>>So you have your residents and they have their own gardens and I know how this is split up into two different sections.

So does the residents kind of help you out as far as volunteers?

>>Yes, and I couldn't ask for anything better really than to have that kind of help and assistance.

They take a lot of pride in both their individual garden and helping with something that helps the whole community.

>>What opportunities do they have helping in the production garden?

>>They can help with harvesting, they can help with seeding trays and just generally anything that we do in the garden.

And they can choose their own schedule.

Some of them prefer to do like a day of the week and they will come every week and then others are on the periphery and they will, you know, have a looser schedule.

And then even some people do things like make art for the garden.

We have a woman who makes false wasps nest.

She crochets them and knits them and we hang them in the shed or the greenhouse to kind of deter wasps in there.

We have other residents that will bring their compost to the compost pile and there's a wood shop here.

And so residents in the wood shop have made bluebird feeders.

They've made the seedling frame for the netting to protect seedlings where we harden them off.

I depend on everybody very much and it really shows with what we're able to produce here.

>>What is the production rates for the kitchen >>As is in poundage?

>>Yes.

>>Like the first year we only had 4,000 square feet and we were still getting started and still gathering supplies.

So the first year we did about 2200 pounds.

Right now we've gotten 4,500 pounds and I go by their fiscal year, so I'll go April to March.

So we're almost done with the year and we're about at 4,500 pounds.

>>Wow, so it is a nice productive garden.

>>Yes.

>>It's simple fresh food and that's what our focus has always been how that farm ties into the kitchen program.

It just brings the fresh to the highest level.

Being a formerly trained chef, I've always wanted to for probably the past 25 years, start an actual farm to table program utilizing the land that's on the campus.

It all really started for two purposes.

One was to obviously give the chefs the greatest and freshest food to work with.

The other part is the relationships that the farm built with the residents and some staff members allowing them to be outdoors and work with Jen, I think it keeps them young keeps them vibrant and it's wonderful for both the staff and the residents and the community.

Typically Jen and the chef will get together.

They'll talk about how much is going to be produced.

Jen is excellent about weighing the product so she'll know and let us know how many pounds are coming in.

We try to utilize those product in different aspects.

So in the past we've made tomato sauce.

We've made tomato pie, which is extremely popular.

We've even made Bloody Mary mix for the residents to utilize the product.

So yeah, it's pretty strategic in that way.

Knowing the amount that comes in and how much we need to use.

>>Starting in January, I'll meet up with the chef and we'll talk about what he wants for his dishes for the upcoming spring season.

And then we'll pretty much go back and forth about what can be successful out here.

Because sometimes mother Nature makes the decisions for us so really we can, we can really come up with something good.

>>So how do you keep everything organized?

>>When I meet with the chef, I'll bring a list myself and then he'll have in mind what he wants and we'll just go row by row and talk about it and really talk about what varieties he would like, take for instance, tomatoes, like he wants a slicer tomato.

And then I also know that like I will choose a bush tomato as opposed to a vine tomato just so that it is easier for me to harvest.

>>A lot better to maintain.

>>Yes, a lot easier to maintain.

>>And what other kinds of veggies do you get to have for the kitchen >>A lot of the times we'll do gold beets, red beets we'll do different kinds of kale.

They always have a really good curly kale salad or a beet salad.

The residents love green beans and potatoes >>And knowing that you're having to produce crops for the residents here.

So how do you manage pests?

>>We do integrated pest management.

We like to garden with wildlife out here.

So you know, a lot of our employees are parasitic wasps.

We grow a lot of mountain mint.

Like I've never had to spray the tomatoes because the mountain mint is down this center aisle and that pretty much takes care of all the tomato horn worms.

>>Well, it's nice to have mother nature on your side when it comes to pest management >>Right, right.

If she's gonna get us with the weather, then you know, she can give us some insects to do some work.

>>Thank you for giving me a tour of this garden.

What a great opportunity for people to come out and not only produce their own food where they know where it's coming from but to get outside and be active.

>>Yes, it's a great opportunity for them to get outside and I appreciate what they do and I'm so glad you were here today.

>>When people come to visit me, I always bring them to the garden because I'm so proud of it.

We've really got it well organized and Jennifer has done a great job of making sure that the plants get what they need.

It's just a really it's a wonderful thing for this institution.

>>Fresh produce rich in nutrients is one of gardening's great reward and the enthusiasm the residents have for the program there is just wonderful.

And, you know, now Jen is here with me to share some of the unique tools the volunteers use in the garden.

But before we begin, I wanna remind you to send in your gardening questions through our website, vpm.org/vhg, or through Facebook.

Well, Jen, you've got some unique things here and I'm excited to share them with everybody and to learn more.

But, you know, let's start with seeding because, you know, those super tiny little seeds are so difficult for just about everybody to manage except a two year old, I wanna say, you know?

(laughs) >>Right, we definitely wanna garden smarter, not harder, and we wanna make it easy on ourself.

So we have this hand seeder.

>>Uh-huh.

>>And you can dump the whole packet of seeds in here and not really worry about spilling them too much.

>>Too much, okay.

>>Yeah.

And then you don't have to hold them in your hand and slide through your hand.

>>You have to put them in your palm.

>>This is also set on numbers.

>>Oh my.

>>Yeah, it's like a little dial.

It has certain openings.

Like if I want one seed, like, these are really small, these are ground cherries.

Who doesn't love ground cherries to have a little snack on the side in the garden while you're working?

>>Exactly.

>>Yeah, so you're going to set it on one since these are extra small.

>>So tiny, yeah.

>>And then you just give it a little tap and they fall right in the hole.

>>How easy is that?

>>Yeah, it's really nice.

>>So nice and easy.

And then, you know, so people can easily tap.

You can even use two hands if you have to, you know, hold one and tap with the other.

But it makes seeding, rather than out here wiggling and squiggling, so much easier.

>>It really does.

>>And you can adjust that opening to the size of the seed.

>>Yeah, especially when we're having our little garden parties and all sitting together.

We're not distracted as much.

>>Exactly, yes.

You know, how many seeds did I put in there?

>>Exactly.

And that kind of leads to this next seed that we use.

We use the pelleted seeds.

>>Okay.

Oh, I love those.

Yes, and what they are is they've just been coated.

The seed's in there.

>>Yeah, they've been tumbled in clay.

And you can kind of see that it's even a contrasting color.

Like, we were talking about getting distracted.

If you're having your little seeding party, you can go, "Oh, well, did I miss that row?"

You can actually see which you did or not.

>>That's great, yeah.

>>And they just fall right in there.

>>So you can tell, oops, did I miss that cell or that row?

And there are those seeds.

>>Exactly.

>>So nice and easy.

So absolutely nice and easy.

But you've got an even easier step.

>>Right.

So we try to take it easy on ourselves.

There's a lot of activities at Covenant Woods, so we don't want to expend all our energy in the garden.

Maybe we wanna go in the restaurant and have a farm to table lunch or there could be pickleball tournament later.

>>Exactly.

>>So we wanna save ourselves a little bit.

And to save our knees and to save from bending down all the time, you can do a seed tape.

This is already spaced out for you.

You just press it in and then cover it and water and you're done.

And then later, you don't have to thin your seedlings.

It's already done for you.

So no bending over or getting down- >>So easy.

>>On your knees there.

>>But does the fabric, is it biodegradable?

>>Yes.

You can DIY this at home.

You can do it with all natural ingredients too.

Instead of using a glue with plastics, you can mix some flour and water and then that can be your glue.

>>Okay.

That's wonderful.

Oh, so easy.

So, so easy.

That's fantastic.

So what else?

You've got some wonderful gizmos here.

All right, my seedlings have grown, or I'm seeding outdoors.

>>Right.

So we have one resident and he loves to grow sunflowers and to make that easier for him, we've DIYd this large seed seeder.

So it's got this arm on the front and this actually makes the hole and then you would follow putting the open-ended PVC pipe over the hole you just made.

And you will take the seeder out, the seed out of the cup and drop it in the hole and it goes right into the hole you just made.

>>How awesome is that?

>>And then you can either just cover it like that or cover it with your foot.

>>Right, and then you just wrap it around again and you've got the perfect spacing as well.

>>Right.

And this is just $6 or less to DIY.

>>(chuckles) Oh, yes.

Again, not bending over.

>>Exactly.

>>But this one here has me intrigued.

Now, you had this made onsite, correct?

>>Correct.

So my husband works out in Black Creek and he was driving around and he saw fellas planting tomatoes and using this spacing protractor and I said, "We need one of those."

So we went to the residents who work in the wood shop and they made this for us.

>>That's awesome.

So simple too.

Absolutely so simple.

>>Yep.

And we've got all our spacing on there.

>>And what you don't see is there's wing nuts on the back that you can undo and adjust the protractor to the distance.

So how do you, how do residents use this?

>>And you're still standing up.

We haven't bent down once in the garden.

>>No, we have not, yes.

>>So let's say our row is going this way.

You place it down, here's your spacing, and you're just gonna place it exactly where you just made the first hole there.

>>And you've got another hole.

>>Mm-hm.

>>This is wonderful.

I love a well-planned garden.

(laughs) >>We like to be organized.

>>Yes, yes, I can tell you that.

But, you know, I am a power tool kid and there's a piece, there's a power tool on this table.

So tell me about this one.

>>So sometimes your protractor doesn't make big enough holes in the ground.

Say you're gonna do tomatoes and you need an extra deep hole.

You wanna plant those as deep as you can.

>>They got a little leggy while they were growing.

>>Right.

(Jen and presenter laugh) Because everybody seeds early.

>>Yes.

(laughs) >>But we can't help it.

>>Yes.

>>So we use this auger.

And there's different size augers.

You can get this at the hardware store and you just run it with a drill.

>>That's fantastic.

And again, we have not bent over.

>>No, not at all.

>>Until we have to plant that tomato.

(laughs) >>Right, right.

>>But through these seeding methods and through these measurement methods, and even through this extended, you know, auger here, you know, many people can garden who thought they couldn't anymore.

>>Absolutely.

>>And these wonderful techniques, and I truly, I thank you for coming in and sharing them with us.

>>Thank you.

>>I hear from so many people, "Oh, I can't garden anymore," and I'm like, "Oh, yes you can."

And now I can say, "Yes, you can."

There's some good ideas.

>>Absolutely.

>>So, great ideas.

I love the ingenuity.

>>Thank you.

>>These are so unique and I'm so impressed.

So, again.

And now we're going to get ready to answer more of your questions.

But first, Dr. Robyn Puffenbarger has tips to share on how to keep gardening when knee, hip, or back aches become an issue.

(playful music) >>Gardening is for everyone, and we wanna try to take care of our knees, hips, and back as much as we can so we garden for longer and feel healthy and safe in the garden.

Today I wanted to show some tips on how to get off the ground so you don't stress your knees and back while you're getting ready to garden this spring.

So one of the things I like to do is to come here to the greenhouse at Bridgewater College and use this elevated table that puts me at exactly the right height.

So I have no stress I'm just putting the seeds right on the soil.

And this is just so easy.

No bending, no lifting and just watering in the little seeds.

If you don't have such a nice high table.

Conveniently in your house or in your garage you could always think about maybe a cheap card table or a folding table that you could take outside and either use in the garage if it's windy or wet or in the garden on a beautiful sunny day.

There are a number of other things you can purchase at your garden center or online if the height you need may be different because you're in a wheelchair.

I have another instrument that I really like for me and my garden.

I love a kneeler.

It has a pad, so I put my knees on this instead of the cold wet ground.

It's a little bit elevated and it has these wonderful handles so I can push up and lower myself very comfortably and carefully.

This has really come in handy for getting up and down in the garden.

The other thing that's a really great trick is this one flips so you have a wonderful little stool so you can sit in the garden and prune, pick and do whatever you need to do without being on your knees.

So make sure you take care of yourself in the garden.

Your knees, hips, and back, you want them to last as long as possible.

And when it comes time and you can't get down on the ground think about containers on your patio or deck and raise beds as another opportunity to stay in the garden getting your fingers in the soil and enjoying your plants.

>>Gardeners of all ages can use these tips to keep moving in the garden and we received more questions, so let's get started with them.

The first question is, and I can address this to both of you, is "Do you accept volunteers from the community to help out in your gardens?"

Why don't we start with Jen.

>>We absolutely do.

There's a lot of volunteerism at Covenant Woods and we keep our hours recorded.

I have had a volunteer who worked in marketing and would come out and work with me.

My husband volunteers as well.

He's a fireman.

He has lots of extra hours so he does a lot of the things that I don't like to do and he has built the three-compost bin system, the work table, the rinse table, so there's a lot of opportunities for volunteerism.

>>Sounds good.

>>Everybody gets to play to their strengths too.

>>Yes, Shana.

>>I need your husband to come and volunteer.

(all laughing) Yeah, I need one of those tables >>All right, he's signed up.

>>Okay, great.

Yes, we definitely need volunteers.

Luckily the Boys and Girls Club across the street, they're actually gonna start volunteering with us on a weekly basis, but we- >>That's gonna be fun.

>>Would love to have more volunteers come out in the community.

We always have activities and things for them to do from planting.

I love your ideas and I'm gonna take some of those to limit some of the bending down.

>>Okay, that's great.

(all laughing) We have another question.

Mike from Bon Air asked, "What was involved in setting up your potting shed, Jen, and do you save seeds or buy fresh ones every year?"

And then I'm gonna put it to you Shana.

>>So, I really needed a greenhouse with, you know, temperature controlled and one day I'm driving into work and I'm like the old ceiling, the old COVID shed because you know, you would go there and get screened for COVID and it's got heat and it's got cool and I'm like, "Let's do that."

So I just researched some different shelving and lights and made the choice.

My budget afforded one and then the resident volunteers did a fundraiser and bought the other one.

>>Wonderful.

>>Yeah.

>>That's excellent.

So do you buy seeds every year or do you save any from year to year?

>>Both.

>>Both, okay.

>>So I will do, you know, easier seeds like cilantro or hyssop, parsley, things that I can let go to seed on the side and it doesn't really interfere with the rest of the production.

>>Right, sounds great.

Shana, do you save your seeds?

>>Oh, definitely.

Actually what we try to do is we try to allow like the mustard greens and the collards to go to seeds because at the same time, if we're starting to get our tomatoes up and running, it brings in our pollinators.

>>I was gonna say, it's pulling in it's pollinators.

>>Exactly, I want them to know that this is your home and you're welcome.

>>Yes, please stay.

>>Exactly.

But it's also really fun to allow people to start seeing them, the seeds turn into pods because they're not familiar.

That little blossom will turn into a pod and then they have hundreds of seeds all right there and it's that whole educational cycle and that's what I want the kids, and anyone who comes to the farm.

So I literally have jars of collard green seeds and arugula and different ones because we also do seed giveaways.

But we do buy some seeds because it's kind of hard to, you know, do the tomatoes.

>>Yes, you have to ferment them.

>>Yes.

>>I learned about those.

Speaking of, we have Heidi from Richmond who is asking, "Is it too late to start tomato seedlings?"

>>Oh no, no, I've started already.

>>Yeah, it's not too late, please start.

Actually, yours won't be so leggy and long 'cause you waited.

>>And succession sow.

>>Yes, it's so important.

People don't think about succession sowing and I do it with my carrots and my lettuce and you can even do it with your squash and sometimes miss those nasty squash bugs, but you can also do it with your tomato plants.

You can do it with any vegetable within reason.

Just watch your days.

Gotta beat the master frost there.

>>Just in case it freezes, you know, you'll have that next layer coming up.

>>Yes.

Well a question here from Rose wants to know, from Chesterfield, "How does mountain mint work for keeping horn worms away from tomatoes?"

>>So a plant like mountain mint will have a small flower and that will attract parasitic wasps and parasitic wasps love to lay their eggs on caterpillars because when the larvae born they will parasitize the caterpillar.

>>That's great and so the more mountain mint you have, the more parasitic wasps you'll have, which then can lay their eggs on what I call that lovely caterpillar, whether it's a horned worm or not.

But it's a great way, circle of life is what I call it.

So thank you.

Another question is, and both of you can answer this, you spoke of mother nature dictating what you grow in your garden.

What types of vegetables do well and don't do well in your garden.

So do you wanna go first, Jen?

>>Sure.

I try to stay away from anything that has a really long growing period.

Like I'll stay away from Brussels sprouts just because I need to flip rows quickly, and then on both sides of the garden I have trees so I don't wanna get into too much shade at the end of the season.

>>That's interesting, that's a good point.

Shana.

>>Yes, at the end of the season what I might try to grow is Brussels sprouts and things like that and see if they'll start to produce, just let 'em over winter and see what happens.

Because if they don't produce then I gotta pull 'em out and sometimes they are still pretty small and I don't get very much so probably most likely the Brussels sprouts, but a lot of other things grow fairly well.

I'm fortunate.

Strawberries already have blossoms on them right now and people are already asking about them.

>>So are the ones you gave me.

>>Yes.

(both laughing) >>And of course the asparagus is up and going.

But we have another good question here, was "What vegetables do well in the shade?"

Our viewer has five hours of sunshine and she wanted to know or he wanted to know and I'm trying to find it, so we'll just ask the question.

What vegetables grow well in a partial shade kind of wooded area of dappled sun?

>>Well- >>Go head.

>>Well, I was just gonna say we used to have a treed area on one side of us and we had a building on the other and we had so much shade that some areas only got five hours, so we would put, let's say for instance, like our mustard greens and those kind of things.

Our strawberries actually got a very small amount of sunlight, but they produced abundant, but allowed our soil to also stay moist and we didn't have to water it that often either.

>>Exactly.

Plus true native blueberries, they grow in the woods.

>>Yes.

Jen, do you have anything to add?

>>On the one shady end I have.

I have the cilantro lettuce.

I put some parsley and dill.

>>And that's about, yeah, I would think on my one shady end, it's about what I grow too.

I even put my onions in there and they didn't do too well.

They were not as robust as the ones in the full shape.

>>I might put bunching onions 'cause they grow quickly.

>>Yes, and I've got seed going 'cause Shana gave me seed of bunching onions and I've got them growing, so I'm excited to learn and to see what's gonna happen with those.

All righty, well, we're out of time, and Jen, I wanna thank you for joining us today.

It's been a joy.

>>Thank you.

>>Thank you.

>>And being outside has so many health benefits and has been great to see the ways that seniors can continue to enjoy plants and growing them even while living in retirement communities.

Remember to visit Virginia Homegrown Facebook page for upcoming opportunities, including plant sales and my speaking engagements.

If you're not watching on Facebook already, then switch over to catch Randy Battle take what you have and make it work.

This month he explains how to create drip irrigation with just a few household items.

Thanks again to our guests, to Jen and to Marta, and thank you for watching and I look forward to being with you again next month and we will explore a state park and visit a mining company with an industry-leading environmental stewardship program as we talk about land management.

And remember, gardening is for everyone.

We are all growing and learning together.

Happy gardening.

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