Rare heirloom cottons have fallen out of production for the conventional white cotton grown today. Unless organic, this conventional cotton is heavily sprayed & one of the top GM crops grown along with crops such as corn & soy.

Grow your own olive green Non GMO cotton for spinning, textiles & more! If you spin, you will welcome having your very own chemical free cotton. Everyone should try growing cotton at least once, it is a memorable experience rich in American history.

Cotton is an annual plant that requires a long, warm growing season to mature properly. Needs full sun. In zones 8–10 it can be sown directly after the last frost. In zones 5–7, treat like tomatoes, start seed indoors and transplant out 4–8 week-old seedlings after last frost. Seed germinates in 7–21 days at 70°F. Plant 18–30 in. apart in rows 5 ft. apart. Plants start flowering in mid-summer. Bolls take a few more months to mature; warm late summer weather is necessary for a good crop. Plants grow to 5 ft. tall.

130 days.

Direct Sowing: Sow seed in a light, well drained, slightly acid to neutral soil. Supply soil generously with compost or other organic matter, especially in clay. Sow no deeper than 2 - 4 times the seed diameter. Do not sow in waterlogged soil or heavy clay.

Transplanting: Use a good quality sterile seed starting mix. Sow pots or flats 4 - 8 weeks before transplanting. When several leaves have developed, harden off the seedlings by placing them outdoors in direct sunlight for no more than an hour. Gradually increase the outdoor exposure over a period of several days. Transplant to the garden after the last frost.

Harvest: Wait for bolls to split open before harvesting.

Seed Savers: Isolate varieties by 1/8 mile for home use, or 1/4 to 1/2 mile or greater for pure seed.

A few considerations: This is a long season (130 day) crop. Out of all the heirloom cottons that I have grown, Erlene's Green has proven to be the most difficult for me so far. I noticed that these plants were much more prone to aphids than other heirloom cottons.  I didn't do anything to treat the aphids. The plants didn't seem to suffer from the aphids (probably due to the abundance of beneficial insects feasting on the aphids) so I didn't feel that intervention was necessary. If you find your plants are suffering, I recommend using neem oil.  It is also good to make sure you have other crops growing with your cotton to attract beneficials.

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When we first moved here we discovered that our humble little home was popular with the locals. Our neighbors showed us the picture (above) of a painting one of their guests did of our home because they were so entranced by the idyllic scene our home created. Our neighbors still have the original. I asked if we could take a photo of the painting & they said "Yes.".  So here it is.  Isn't it lovely?

I am excited to also share this brochure by MAP (Marketing And Promotion) of Doddridge County from 2002 with you. The entire back page (pictured above) of the brochure features a photo of our home. It is a historic log cabin that is believed to be build in the late 1700's or early 1800's. 

We were told when we bought our home that the cabin (the logs & the stones for the chimney/fireplace) originated in one of the New England states. As the story goes, it was moved to where it is now in West Virginia sometime in the 1970's.

A few stories were shared with us from the locals. Mostly that our home was used as a hunting cabin. Our first year here, nearly everyone we met told us they hunted at our cabin when we told them where we lived. It was also a party cabin. We were told about some wild parties held within these historic logs. We met two young women who were so pleased by their party days (they also had a bit too much to drink when they met us) they proudly announced how they danced around the cabin in their underwear. How they fit so many bodies into such a small space or stayed warm wearing only a bra & panties is a mystery - it gets very cold in here! 

One of the most interesting stories we heard was about a woman who wanted to experiment on what it was like to be a deaf mute. She spent a month living in our cabin. She spoke to no one. The neighbors seemed to think there was something wrong with her. They couldn't understand why anyone would want to live in a rustic cabin with no running water, no bathroom, & no electricity for a month all while pretending to be deaf & mute. Granted, the locals didn't seem to have a problem with the lack of amenities when utilizing our cabin as a hunting shack or party house.  It's all about perspective isn't it?

When our neighbors came across this pamphlet while cleaning out their house, we were ecstatic. We heard many times from the locals that our humble little home was famous 'round these parts, featured in a brochure, but this was the first time we actually saw it.

Originally I planned on just sharing the photo of our home, but realized that this was also a great opportunity to share with you what our little town & county is all about. Granted things have changed since 2002, mostly due to the Marcellus Shale (Oil/Gas/Fracking) but it is still a wonderful little town, where everybody knows your name. Just like in the movies. 

Here is an example of typical small town life, one of the shipping labels on a mail piece had our address nearly completely removed. By nearly completely, I am talking the barest suggestion of an address remained, yet the folks at our local post office knew exactly where to deliver our mail from what little was there was to work with. On the opposite end, we recently had a customers package get returned to us because the customer put in one wrong number for their house number. All the other information was correct yet rather than deliver the package, it was sent back. Naturally our customer wasn't happy with their mail person. It is amazing what a difference a truly small town makes. 

Our narrow country roads are now pitted & crumbling thanks to the huge Oil & Gas trucks that use our roads 24/7. If you decided to visit, please drive slowly, aside from trying to avoid all the holes in the roads, many of the Oil & Gas folks like to drive on the wrong side of the road rather than slow down for the countless hairpin turns our WV roads are known for; they will live if they hit you, you probably wont survive. If you want to speak out for all of us country folk, record your trip & show the world what it's like in a small rural mountain town.  Show the good & the bad, we have both, but we can practically guarantee that even with Oil & Gas ruling, you will love our town & our people.

Our small town now has a brand new library (there was a library when we moved here, but it was in an old building & very cramped) with a huge community room, a section for teens complete with furniture, a main area with comfortable seating & a huge fireplace & more. You will surely enjoy the nostalgic feel of a time gone past as you meander past many historic buildings & enjoy our towns Main Street which has been re-done with old fashioned street lights & bricked sidewalks.

There is a lot of outdoor recreation available for anyone who enjoys getting back to nature.  If you decide to visit, I personally recommend the Rail Trail. You can bike it, hike it, or horseback it. There are various tunnels & bridges to cross, places to picnic & enjoy.

While Oil & Gas are King, if we can get more people here to support what else West Virginia offers (WV has one of the best wine growing regions in the country among many other things), maybe we will one day see a change for the positive in our beautiful state.

Now this is a place we have made our own, a place we have made our home in Wild & Wonderful West Virginia, Almost Heaven.