Category Archives: farmer’s market

Sep25

No Wining Just Relaxing

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Deanna Greens and Garden Art vended at the Chandler Hill Vineyards’ Farmers’ Market this past Sunday afternoon.  Talk about a beautiful autumn day!  Crisp breeze with the sun peeping between tents and grapevines.  I loved the ambiance, music, and magic of the countryside, just 1 mile from our greenhouse site in Defiance, MO. Chatted with familar fellow vendors and met a few new friends.  I did not partake in the wine as my Dean was down the road working at the greenhouse site.  It only takes 2 drinks, and I am ready to dance the table tops!  Though last time we were vending at Chandler Hill Vineyards I savored their River Birch Sparkling Red, a Missouri sweet wine with red raspberries, black plum, and sweet cherry sharing  a bottle with Dean and his parents.   After my Monday yesterday at my full-time job in the midst of flu vaccine clinics and onsite fitness class set-ups for 4,000 employees , I am ready for another autumn afternoon wining Sunday! 

Sep14

Herbs, Herbs, and More Herbs

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“Much Virtue in Herbs, little in Men.”
Benjamin Franklin,Poor Richard Almanac (1706 – 1790)


 Deanna Greens and Garden Art will be at the Lake Saint Louis Farmers’ and Artists’ Market tomorrow morning bright and early.  We are having an Herb Sale.  Kitchen herbs such as  sweet basil, chives, marjoram, common and pineapple sage, lemon and winter thyme growing  in 3-1/2 ” terra cotta pots will go for 4 pots for the price of 3.  $15.  Pesticide-free.  Great for your favorite  autumn and winter dishes.  Come buy, cook, and savor.

Sep6

Our Tropical Jungle

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I wanted to share some photos my daughter took of our tropical jungle.  Our front and back yards have been lovely, especially since the extreme heat has subsided.  The plants are lush green flourishing in the humidty.  We had a rainy Labor Day weekend bringing much needed rain to our area.  God’s provisions in the midst of the  longest drought in years …

Above:  Simply cuttings from our moses-in-the-cradle, swedish ivy, and sweet alyssum planted in a moss basket this spring … this planter loves our humid summer!  Below:  Patio plants are rearranged and changed up weekly, creating varied vignettes …

Above:  A cart full of gernaniums  sheltered under the shade of a huge maple tree. They need more sunlight to continue blooming.  Philodrenrons, ferns, and peace lilies are scattered about the front yard landscaping.  Below:  A bird of paradise blooms in full color.  Deanna Greens And Garden Art sold this beautiful plant at the Lake Saint Louis Farmers’ and Artist Market last Saturday during our Tropical Plant Sale.

Aug30

Urban Farmers & Their Markets

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EarthDance Farms is a non-profit organization that grows farmers as well as organic veggies and herbs.  I participated in their freshman program last growing season.  This program is what spurred my husband and I to purchase a greenhouse and created Deanna Greens And Garden Art.  The farm is in the heart of the urban culture of Ferguson, Missouri.  But while farming in the middle of a field, you feel like you are miles from the next neighbor.  The female staff at EarthDance Farms are featured in a recent article “Organic Farming Attracts Women”. Please read about their adventures. http://magissues.farmprogress.com/MOR/MR07Jul12/mor008.pdf magissues.farmprogress.com.  Here is a EarthDance Farms photo taken at the Ferguson Farmers’ Market, as urban and farmer you can get at one time.  Visit there one Saturday morning! http://fergmarket.com/

Aug27

Jade Plants & Trees

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This past Saturday I prayed for good sales  as they have been petty the past couple of farmers’ markets.  No one is in the mood to see another plant die in this summer heat.   So we focused on indoor plants, and the people loved our jades!  Answered prayer.  We had littler jade plants in small terra cottas or vintage pots.

 And then we had trees …  have you ever had a jade plant bloom?  Please tell me about it!

Aug6

Porch Meals and Hearts Mesh

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The rains came twice over the weekend!  It was like a miracle!  And with it came cooler air, more like normal summer temps, low 90’s.  We loaded our plants into the van in the wee hours Saturday morning, to make it to the Lake Saint Louis Farmer’s Market.  It was storming, but I kept at it in my rain poncho and Dean with his hat.  Our plants seemed happier, as well as their gardeners!   Later, I trimmed sun-scorched branches from some ferns, and moved them to more shade under the dogwood tree.  Sunday we repotted plants.  Our tropicals are gigantic, growing as long as they have water in their roots.  They thrive in this humidity. Dean & I met  at the front porch on several occasions this weekend. We  watched the storms come in and shared porch meals.  The green ambiance allows conversation to flow.  The electronic devices in the house don’t have that skill!  Our hearts mesh when surrounded with nature.  Whether camping, walking in the woods, and sitting on our porch bench with lovely greenery and birdhouses surround, life is simpler with plants and birds.  At least, most of the time!

 

Aug3

Purple Haze Carrots and Other Veggies

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This record breaking summer heat and drought is making for miserable working conditions for Missouri farmers.   Dean & I are a part of the local agriculture scene, though we farm more for organic promotion, recreation, and creation purposes.    For the farmer who is required to be outdoors all day and everyday, it is disheartening to see your crops dry up and wither in the sun.  My friends at EarthDance Farms as well as all the local farmers cannot seed any more carrots, beets, and beans for a fall crop because the earth is rock hard, and the seeds cannot germinate without rain.  I miss my favorites: purple haze carrot, candy cane beets, and tender  bush green beans!   Please pray for rains, several rains for Missouri and our neighboring midwest states.  We need God’s divine intervention. Deanna Greens and Garden Art’s tropicals and houseplants such as bird of paradise, hibuscus, banana trees, spider plants, red leaf philodenrens, arrowheads, rabbit foot ferns, and asparagus ferns love this heat and humidty as long as they are under our shade trees during the day and have plenty of water.  We water everything twice a day when it is over 100 degrees, which means almost everyday for the past 6 weeks!  Our oldest daughter took care of the plants, cats, and house while we vacationed in cooler Minnesota.  We were so thankful for a much needed break!   Now onward to the Saturday markets and the rebuild of our greenhouse.

Jul9

The Movement of A Summer Storm

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St. Louis, Missouri and surrounding areas have encountered 10 days in a row of record high temperatures, triple digits with no or trace rain for almost a month.  The corn is turning gray and rustles with the wind like fall leaves. We have had to water our plants 2 times a day during the drought.  God, the plants need rain!  Nothing beats real rain water!  It finally brewed up yesterday, some places more so than others.  We marketed at the Chandler Hill Vineyards Farmers’ Market yesterday afternoon, watching the clouds turn to thunderheads and shift different directions.  Wind gusts would sway the tents one direction and switch in another minute.  Maybe movement for the better?  On our trip home we left the storm further behind us.  Awesome views while in the wine country hills of Defiance.  But yesterday evening finally my hometown St. Peters received 1/4 – 1/2″ of rain with the summer storm.   My cats even seemed curious about that rumbling outside.  We had not heard this in weeks.  Hallelujah, our rain buckets are full now!  Our plants are saying “aaahhh!”  Another summer storm is brewing up this afternoon.  Maybe more rain?!

May16

Media Coverage

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Blooming and green plants, and planters, these have been my focus for the market the past couple of weeks.  Mother’s Day weekend went well.  I anticipate this coming weekend to be another great day at the market.  Rain or shine, the families come to buy local!  The Lake Saint Louis Farmers’ and Artists’ Market made the “Show Me St Louis” show on April 30.  And I am proud that the Deanna Greens and Garden Art booth shows up on the segment after about 1 minute into the video.     I am servicing a woman and her daughter in this short clip.  Here is the link: 

http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=318235

 

May11

Restlessness

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I have been everywhere and back this past 10 days.  Yes, it has been that long since I posted on my blog.  Besides my full-time job and everywhere it sends me any given day, I have spent time with family, and of course at the greenhouse.  The greenhouse is not so crowded these days.  Yeh!  We have been selling many botanicals, perennials, and herbs, mostly at the Saturday farmers’ market.  Our wild-looking tomato plants have not been a hot selling item.  Not because of their looks we do not suppose, but because the township where we sell does not allow its residents to plant vegetable gardens!  Yes, you read that correctly.   I could not believe what I heard residents saying.  So our healthy, long-stemmed tomato plants have made new homes in organic farm fields as well as in family and friends’ yards where they are wanted.  Our farmers’ market clients have swooped up bedding plants and hanging planters.  Our greens are loved by others besides ourselves!  With my restless personality, we have started moving some other plants out of the greenhouse to our yard in preparation of our move Memorial Day weekend. Our “momma” plants, a huge arrowhead, rabbit’s fern, and red-leaf  philodendron are sheltered under the Japanese maple near our front porch.  The beautiful geraniums made their way to the wagon in our front yard.  And the Kingston ferns are loving the filtered sunlight under the big sugar maple.   My husband put up the screen house in the backyard ready to put the little plants on tables inside after this busy Mother’s Day weekend.  It the midst of all this activity, one evening I found an immature robin bird sleeping in the “momma” red-leaf.   It was awaken by my watering.  He scurried away from me in short flight, but hung around the front yard.  I think this robin bird became as restless as I feel.  He was not around the next morning.  So happy our plants made  a home for him while he was learning to fly.  Just hope the neighbor tom cat did not come around.