-Tanner Frizsell- As someone with years of beer brewing experience, I’ve been interested in trying my hand at other types of fermentation. Fifth Season stocks a selection of Brewer’s Best Cider Kits including Apple, Pear, and Cherry. I decided to try out the cherry kit for my first venture in cider brewing. The kit is packaged in a double-layer pouch containing the juice concentrate, yeast, flavoring sachet, sweetener, and instructions. The recipe calls for additional corn sugar that … [Read more...] about A Review of the Cider House Select Cider Kit
A Brew For Every Season, and Every Season a Brew
-Elliott Richter- One of the best things about homebrewing is the vast selection of beers, ciders, meads, kombucha, and wines that you can create for any occasion. As the year unfolds, a cornucopia of flavors and ingredients is opened up for us to peruse and sample. We are able to create and develop, with high hopes, our year’s best concoctions and libations to be enjoyed, by not just ourselves, but in the company of our loved ones and companions. One of the most celebrated homebrew … [Read more...] about A Brew For Every Season, and Every Season a Brew
Growing Poinsettias Year Round
-Pam Scott- This time of year, many of us are decking our halls with boughs of holly, evergreens, and the perennial favorite… poinsettias. I have to admit that in the past I have had a rather “whatever” attitude when it came to treating poinsettias as an indoor tropical houseplant. I love to use them to fill in spots that need seriously fabulous seasonal color in my home or as the perfect holiday gift to give to a friend or relative when I have no clue what to give them. I considered them as … [Read more...] about Growing Poinsettias Year Round
DIY Pizza Dough with Brewers Yeast
Not everyone shopping our homebrew department for yeast is actually brewing beer. We often get folks looking for fresh yeast for baking. This summer, a friend turned me on to what she described as “hands down, the best pizza dough in town” from White Labs Kitchen & Tap here in Asheville, NC. White Labs is a San Diego-based yeast production company and a popular yeast brand among homebrewers. In 2017, they opened a second location in Asheville that aside from the lab has a restaurant concept. … [Read more...] about DIY Pizza Dough with Brewers Yeast
Water: The First Step in Hydroponics
-James Gordon- Interested in Hydroponics? If you said yes then this blog is for you. Let’s start at the very beginning (a very good place to start): in any gardening application water is one of the most important things to consider. When talking about Hydroponics it's even more important! Being educated and getting your water dialed in right will only improve your success rate, so let's dive into this and see what are the most important things to cover when looking at water in hydroponic … [Read more...] about Water: The First Step in Hydroponics
The Magical World of Fairy Gardens
-Pam Scott- Here at Fifth Season Gardening we sell beer, wine and cheese-making supplies, hydroponic equipment, organic soils, amendments, seedlings, tropical plants and… fairies. We sell fairy figures, fairy friends, fairy decor and all the elements you will need to build a fairy garden. “Why fairies?”, you may ask. Well, building fairy gardens is certainly a delightful way to introduce children to the world of gardening and landscaping. Building a tiny garden is also a whimsical way to … [Read more...] about The Magical World of Fairy Gardens
Product Spotlight: Photontek LEDs
-Mike Weeks- With cooler temperatures upon us and outdoor gardening slowing down, we thought this would be a good time to introduce you to a recent addition to our LED offerings that we are excited to bring to you for your indoor growing space. We love these Photontek lights for many reasons, but their clever design, diode quality, pricing, and sizing options were a plus when making our decision to offer these in our stores. LED lighting has finally earned a place in the indoor … [Read more...] about Product Spotlight: Photontek LEDs
October Planting and Vernalization
-Pam Scott- October skies are clear, the air is crisp, and it's the perfect time to work in the garden. There are plenty of gardening chores to be done before we hang up our trowels for the winter. Fall crops need to be mulched, protected from frost, and harvested. Potted plants need to be trimmed, sprayed for bugs, and brought indoors for the winter. October is a wonderful time to plant fruit trees, strawberries, perennials, garlic, shallots, and spring flowering bulbs. Carrot and … [Read more...] about October Planting and Vernalization
The Art of Making a Whisky Mash
-Ryan Blankenship- Whisky has been around for many centuries. In fact the “Guild of Barber Surgeons” were some of the first monks to make whisky in Scotland back in the early 1400s. It was originally made for medicinal purposes and to help cure smallpox and colic. James IV of Scotland enjoyed whisky so much that he purchased over 500 bottles from the Barber Surgeons. Now at this time whisky was still so new that they didn’t even age it in barrels, so the spirit was extremely harsh to … [Read more...] about The Art of Making a Whisky Mash
A Simple Formula for Perfect Container Gardens
Let’s set the stage: You find a great deal on the perfect ceramic pot to go beside your front door. It’s time to do it up, so you peruse Pinterest for inspiration and excitedly take a trip to the local nursery to purchase your plants, but when you get there and begin looking around you become completely overwhelmed, paralyzed. Dang, I’ve been there! Creating beautiful, balanced, professional-looking containers doesn’t have to be intimidating. Learning a simple design technique was a total … [Read more...] about A Simple Formula for Perfect Container Gardens