Is there anyone in the Roanoke, Va. area with bamboo to spare, willing to give some to a beginner? I'd like to start a grove but have a limited budget. Any help would greatly appreciated.

Milkweed are quite tolerant of sun and drought. Will the runoff from your gutter be washing over the seedlings once they are planted? I don't think they could survive that, especially if you get a heavy rain. These seedlings would prefer as much sun as possible, even all day. I would plant the incarnata plants at least 20 inches apart, and the tuberosa 15-18 apart. You could fill in the spaces in between with nectar-rich annuals such as zinnias, pentas, lantana, asters, etc. As your milkweeds mature and spread, you can expand your butterfly garden to continue to include more and more varieties of plants, if you want. You may not get any blossoms this year, so no seeds, either. I would encourage you to plant more seeds next year, just like you did this year. Once the Monarchs find your garden, you want to be sure you have plenty of food for any caterpillars you might be hosting. Also, females prefer to deposit eggs on young, tender leaves. I found most of my eggs on the very smallest new seedlings, rather than on the established plants that were blooming. I hope this helps. The butterflies don't care what your garden looks like, as long as you have what they need growing there. Make sure you can see it from a window or that you can sit somewhere comfortably to watch and enjoy any visitors. Good luck. Martha

Your local Cooperative Extension agent may be of help. If there's a farm co-operative in the area, contact them. Visit the local farmer's market and make yourself known to the other growers in the area. Ask questions.

I would contact your local ag folks and ask them, there may be some grants available, take a magnifying glass for the small writing-they may require you to grow a certain crop for x amount of years, or get involved in your land more than you'd like. Take a few courses in bookkeeping and find a mentor if you can. Perhaps you could look into starting a CSA, where your future customers buy into part of the farm & in return they get a % of your produce weekly. It's not easy to make ends meet on a farm and it's a lot of work. I personally feel that vegetables are much easier than livestock, but that is just my opinion. As far as what to grow, I would choose 2 targeted vegetables and add as I grew. Maybe pumpkins or butternut squash & tomatoes, research what your customers prefer. I would also set up a small greenhouse to grow plant starts to sell in the spring. How will you maintain the organics of the organic produce? This is something you should research & make sure it's sustainable in your area. I guess I'm not clear on just what you are asking nor if I was much help. Brenda