News & Events

Winter is coming, but don’t put away your gardening tools! November-December is the best time to plant garlic outdoors. There might be snow on the ground from January to March, but these colder months are a great time to jumpstart seedlings indoors for crops such as onion, leek, cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, eggplant, and pepper. While folks are finishing out the year with final tax planning and finding the right Smoky Mountain land for sale, now’s the time to plan for a banner crop in 2017.

Start planning for Spring, and see what community gardens are available to you. The best plants to sow outdoors are sweet potato, Swiss chard, watermelon, tomato, radish, squash, pumpkin, potatoes, parsnip, kale, cucumber, and peas. To improve the condition of your soil, consider adding ground up bark to improve the structure, or lime to raise the PH of acid soil and help loosen clay soil. Peat moss will condition the soil and help it retain water. If you have silt soil, add coarse sand or gravel and compost mixed with fresh straw. Sand (not beach sand) will also improve drainage in clay soil. Beets, carrots, and arugula grow in Lenoir all year round.

Community gardens are joyful places where residents can get their hands dirty to raise their own produce near their Carolina mountain homes. At The Coves, residents can plant fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in Isabel’s Garden. Seated along the Johns River, the manicured dividers between the garden plots make for an English-style atmosphere. Peppers, tomatoes, peppers, radishes, watermelon and greens are among the popular fruits and vegetables grown in Isabel’s nutrient rich soil. Flowers commonly grown in the garden include sunflowers, daffodils, tulips, lilies, and various mountain wildflowers.

Herbs such as rosemary, sage, mint, and oregano are also easy to grow in Isabel’s Garden. Residents can test their talents at winemaking in Evelyn’s Vineyard, a riverside vineyard with craftsman-style trellises that divide the opened grassed lanes. Grapes are successfully grown in the North Carolina foothills because they need fewer chilly nights and thrive on the summer heat. This year will be the community’s first harvest.

Residents at The Coves Mountain River Club have the option of maintaining their own garden plot or retaining assistance from the garden committee. Not only does it add convenience to have a large garden in the neighborhood, it also provides social opportunities and even creates a little neighborly competition as to who has the best green thumb.

In addition to community gardens, property owners enjoy the beautiful mountaintop Pigsah Mountain Lodge, hiking along the Johns River, horseback rides, or a dip in Coleton’s Swimming Hole during the warmer summer months.

Residents love the spectacular mountain views, friendly community atmosphere, and wellness amenities found at The Coves. If you’re looking at beautiful Carolina mountain homes, look no further than The Coves. We offer many homesite options, with a generous amount of Smoky Mountain land for sale. Prices from $39,000 and up.

You can choose from a private cul-de-sac to a river frontage on the Johns River or home sites with breathtaking mountain views or near the community gardens. There are many builder floor plans available that include everything from master suites, generous guest bedrooms, detachable garages, vaulted rooms with exposed timbers, and screened outdoor living porches.

If you’re exploring the area for the first time, ask for our 70 page complimentary Western North Carolina Visitor’s Guide which provides more information about living in the foothills.