January 2020 - 26

FARM MARKET & AGRITOURISM
Education spreads word regarding plant transplants
By Dean Peterson
VGN Correspondent
Stop by the Shelton Herb Farm booth
at a North Carolina farmers' market in
the spring and you'll see transplants
of cherry tomatoes, golden heirloom
tomatoes, leafy greens, peppers and lots
of herbs - and customers appreciate
education on them all.
Basil is the most popular herb
sold and people start asking for it in
February. " People want basil in the
spring, " said Margaret Shelton, owner
of Shelton Herb Farm near Leland,
North Carolina. " I say if you plant basil
outside any time before mid-April,
it may be dead in a week. Be patient.
Basil likes it hot. "
People want cilantro to spice Latin
foods. " Some people love it. They have
to have it all the time, " Margaret said.
But cilantro is a cool season crop. It
can withstand really cold weather but
bolts in North Carolina's summer heat.
Culantro and pepicha are warm
season substitutes for cilantro from
Central America. " Everyone wants
cilantro but who knows about
culantro? " Margaret asked. " We started
a newsletter because people needed it;
they needed the knowledge. Gardeners
Farmers' markets are a way for Shelton Herb Farm's employees like Jennifer Robinson
to educate people about garden transplants and expand the customer base. Photos:
Dean Peterson
grow better with knowledge. "
Shelton Herb Farm is part of
Goodman Farms, which is a Century
Farm. This North Carolina program
recognizes farms that have been
continuously owned by the same
family for more than 100 years. There
are about 52,000 farms in North
Carolina and a little more than 1,800
are Century Farms.
Goodman Farms started as the
family farm of Margaret's great
grandmother whose husband was a
Civil War veteran.
" I grew up here, " Margaret said. She
worked at the University of North
Carolina Wilmington and her husband
is retired from a nearby power plant. The
family moved back to the farm when
their children were small. A vegetable
garden was planted and was the
beginning of the Shelton Herb Farm.
" I wanted to grow what my family
ate, " Margret said. " I wanted to know
what was applied to my vegetables.
I wanted to grow vegetables without
manufactured chemicals. " Herbs
started being grown as companion
plants in the garden as well as for
culinary additions in the kitchen. " I
had to grow my own herbs because
garden centers did not offer the
varieties I was looking for when I
needed them, " Margaret said.
Involvement with the North Carolina
Herb Association helped. " I networked
with them and have been a member as
long as I've been in business, " Margaret
said. She's also been involved in a
national herb association - The Herb
Society of America.
People don't often realize some of
their favorite herbs - thyme, oregano,
rosemary, sage - are hardy perennials
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January 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2020
