WV Homesteaders Guide Browse our collection of articles: Amaranth — Amaranthus species (Grain Amaranth & Leaf Amaranth) Ancient Wheats: Spelt, Einkorn, and Emmer Apple — Malus domestica April in West Virginia Arugula — Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa Asian Greens (Bok Choy, Tatsoi, Mizuna, Gai Lan) — Brassica rapa varieties Asparagus — Asparagus officinalis August in West Virginia Barley (Hordeum vulgare): The Ancient Grain Barrier 01 Autumn Olive Barrier 02 Russian Olive Barrier 03 Sea Buckthorn Barrier 04 Siberian Pea Shrub Barrier 05 False Indigo Barrier 06 New Jersey Tea Barrier 07 Redbud Barrier 08 Black Locust Barrier 09 Honey Locust Barrier 10 Alder Barrier 11 Black Eyed Susan Barrier 12 Sunflower Barrier 13 Cosmos Barrier 14 Borage Barrier 15 Phacelia Barrier 16 Bee Balm Barrier 17 Coneflower Barrier 18 Calendula Barrier 19 Arborvitae Barrier 20 Eastern Red Cedar Barrier 21 Norway Spruce Barrier 22 White Pine Barrier 23 Bamboo Barrier 24 Osage Orange Barrier 25 Hawthorn Barrier 26 Elderberry Barrier 27 Currants Gooseberries Barrier 28 Roses Rugosa Barrier 29 Blackberry Raspberry Barrier 30 Comfrey Barrier 31 Yarrow Barrier 32 Stinging Nettle Barrier 33 Dandelion Barrier 34 Dock Barrier 35 Buttonbush Basil — Ocimum basilicum Bee Balm / Bergamot — Monarda didyma (Scarlet Bee Balm) & Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot) Beets (Golden, Chioggia, Detroit Red) — Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris Black Walnut — Juglans nigra Blue Lupine (*Lupinus angustifolius*) Boysenberry — Rubus ursinus × idaeus Broccoli — Brassica oleracea var. italica Brussels Sprouts — Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum): The Clay-Breaking Pollinator Bush Beans — Phaseolus vulgaris Cabbage — Brassica oleracea var. capitata Calendula — Calendula officinalis Canning and Preserving Food at Home Carrots — Daucus carota subsp. sativus Catnip — Nepeta cataria Cauliflower — Brassica oleracea var. botrytis Chamomile — Matricaria chamomilla (German) & Chamaemelum nobile (Roman) Cherry — Prunus avium (Sweet) & Prunus cerasus (Tart/Sour) Chestnut — Castanea spp. (American, Chinese, Hybrid) Chickweed — Stellaria media Chives — Allium schoenoprasum Cilantro/Coriander — Coriandrum sativum Collards — Brassica oleracea var. viridis Comfrey — Symphytum officinale Compost Systems for West Virginia Homesteads Cool 01 Lettuce Cool 02 Spinach Cool 03 Kale Cool 04 Collards Cool 05 Cabbage Cool 06 Arugula Cool 07 Broccoli Cool 08 Cauliflower Cool 09 Brussels Sprouts Cool 10 Radishes Cool 11 Carrots Cool 12 Onions Cool 13 Garlic Cool 14 Peas Cool 15 Beets Cool 16 Turnips Cool 17 Asian Greens Cool 18 Leeks Cool 20 Fava Beans Corn (Zea mays): The Foundation of Food Sovereignty Cover Crop Legumes: Nitrogen-Fixing Soil Builders Cover Crops for West Virginia Gardens Cowpeas (Black-Eyed Peas) — Vigna unguiculata Cucumbers — Cucumis sativus Dandelion — Taraxacum officinale Daylilies (Edible) — Hemerocallis fulva and H. lilioasphodelus December in West Virginia Dill — Anethum graveolens Drought Resilience for West Virginia Homesteads Drying and Dehydrating Food at Home Echinacea (Coneflower) — Echinacea purpurea Eggplant — Solanum melongena Elderberry — Sambucus nigra (European) & Sambucus canadensis (American) Essential Homesteading Tools for Beginners Fava Beans (Broad Beans) — Vicia faba February in West Virginia Feverfew — Tanacetum parthenium Field Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris): The Protein Partner Field Peas (Pisum sativum & Vigna spp.): The Southern Legume Fig — Ficus carica First Steps in West Virginia Homesteading Foraging Wild Plants in West Virginia Freezing Food at Home Garlic — Allium sativum Good King Henry — Chenopodium bonus-henricus Gourds — Lagenaria siceraria / Cucurbita species Grain 01 Corn Dent Flint Grain 02 Wheat Grain 03 Oats Grain 04 Rye Grain 05 Barley Grain 06 Buckwheat Grain 07 Sorghum Grain 08 Millet Grain 09 Ancient Wheats Ground Cherries — Physalis pruinosa / Physalis peruviana Hardy Kiwi — Actinidia arguta Hazelnut / Filbert — Corylus spp. (American, European, Hybrid) Herb 01 Parsley Herb 02 Cilantro Herb 03 Dill Herb 04 Basil Herb 05 Oregano Herb 06 Thyme Herb 07 Rosemary Herb 08 Sage Herb 09 Chives Herb 10 Mint Herb 11 Lemon Balm Herb 12 Lavender Hostas (Edible Shoots) — Hosta spp. Irrigation Methods for West Virginia Gardens January in West Virginia Jerusalem Artichoke (Sunchoke) — Helianthus tuberosus July in West Virginia June in West Virginia Kale — Brassica oleracea var. acephala Lavender — Lavandula angustifolia Leeks — Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum Legume 01 Field Beans Legume 02 Field Peas Legume 03 Cover Crop Legumes Legume 04 White Lupine Legume 05 Blue Lupine Lemon Balm — Melissa officinalis Lettuce — Lactuca sativa March in West Virginia May in West Virginia Melons — Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Honeydew (Citrullus lanatus / Cucumis melo) Millet (Panicum miliaceum and others): The Fast-Maturing Grain Mint — Mentha spp. Mulberry — Morus spp. (Red, White, Black) Natural Soil Amendments - Loop Farmstead Standard New Zealand Spinach — Tetragonia tetragonioides November in West Virginia Oats (Avena sativa): The Versatile Grain October in West Virginia Okra — Abelmoschus esculentus On-Farm Animal Byproducts: Closing the Loop Onions (Bulbing & Scallions) — Allium cepa Oregano — Origanum vulgare Ostrich Ferns (Fiddleheads) — Matteuccia struthiopteris Parsley — Petroselinum crispum Pawpaw — Asimina triloba Peach — Prunus persica Pear — Pyrus communis (European) & Pyrus pyrifolia (Asian) Peas (Snap, Snow, Shelling) — Pisum sativum Pecan — Carya illinoinensis Peppers — Capsicum spp. Peren 01 Asparagus Peren 02 Rhubarb Peren 03 Jerusalem Artichoke Peren 04 Sorrel Peren 05 Good King Henry Peren 06 Sea Kale Peren 07 Walking Onions Peren 08 Perennial Brassicas Peren 09 Daylilies Peren 10 Hostas Peren 11 Ostrich Ferns Peren 12 Ramps Perennial Brassicas (Daubenton's Kale/Tree Collards) — Brassica oleracea Persimmon — Diospyros virginiana (American) Planning Your First Year of Homesteading Plantain — Plantago major (Broadleaf) & Plantago lanceolata (Narrowleaf/Ribwort) Plum — Prunus spp. (European, Japanese, American Native) Pole Beans — Phaseolus vulgaris Pond and Spring Development for West Virginia Homesteads Pumpkins — Cucurbita pepo / C. maxima / C. moschata Quince — Cydonia oblonga Radishes — Raphanus sativus Rainwater Harvesting for West Virginia Homesteads Raising Chickens in West Virginia Ramps (Wild Leeks) — Allium tricoccum Red Clover — Trifolium pratense Rhubarb — Rheum rhabarbarum Root Cellaring: Traditional Cold Storage for Homesteaders Rosemary — Salvia rosmarinus (formerly Rosmarinus officinalis) Runner Beans — Phaseolus coccineus Rye (Secale cereale): The Cold-Hardy Survivor Sage — Salvia officinalis Saving Seeds: Your Garden's Future Sea Kale — Crambe maritima September in West Virginia Serviceberry / Juneberry — Amelanchier spp. (A. arborea, A. laevis, A. alnifolia) Smoking and Curing Meat at Home Soil Types and Testing in West Virginia Solving Clay Soil Problems in West Virginia Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor): The Drought-Tolerant Grain Sorrel (Garden/French) — Rumex acetosa Spinach — Spinacia oleracea St. John's Wort — Hypericum perforatum Summer Squash — Cucurbita pepo Sweet Corn — Zea mays Sweet Potatoes — Ipomoea batatas Thyme — Thymus vulgaris Tomatillos — Physalis philadelphica / Physalis ixocarpa Tomatoes — Solanum lycopersicum Turnips — Brassica rapa subsp. rapa Valerian — Valeriana officinalis Walking Onions (Tree Onions/Egyptian Onions) — Allium × proliferum Warm 01 Tomatoes Warm 02 Peppers Warm 03 Eggplant Warm 04 Tomatillos Warm 05 Ground Cherries Warm 06 Bush Beans Warm 07 Pole Beans Warm 08 Runner Beans Warm 09 Cowpeas Warm 10 Yardlong Beans Warm 11 Summer Squash Warm 12 Winter Squash Warm 13 Pumpkins Warm 14 Cucumbers Warm 15 Melons Warm 16 Gourds Warm 17 Sweet Corn Warm 18 Okra Warm 19 Sweet Potatoes Warm 20 Nz Spinach Warm 21 Amaranth Warm Season Crops West Virginia Climate Zones Explained Wheat (Triticum spp.): The Bread Grain White Lupine (*Lupinus albus*) Wild 01 Dead Nettle Wild 02 Persian Speedwell Winter Squash — Cucurbita maxima, C. moschata, C. pepo Yardlong Beans — Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis Yarrow — Achillea millefolium