Julie Inmon

Deb Stephens wrote:Those thread-like things coming off the individual fruits are just the styles leftover from the super tiny flowers. Mulberries form catkins with each individual flower composed of a calyx with 4 sepals. They don't actually have petals like most flowers. So that is what you are seeing--not bugs or worms, but flower parts. Enjoy them, they're delicious!

Pretty sure I know what you’re talking about though it’s been a while. But if I remember correctly, ours “wiggled”....

I grew up with a large mulberry tree in the backyard (Maryland). Not sure the variety, but the fruits were dark like a blackberry, and many silkworms were successfully raised on its leaves. :) It was a favorite project of our fourth grade class.

I did notice that the fruits were ALWAYS covered in tiny bugs like someone else mentioned. I want to say they were extremely tiny worms of some sort but my memory isn’t great. Does anyone know what they could’ve been and how to prevent/fix that? I’d love to have my own mulberry tree again one day.

Thanks all!

-Julie

Oh!!! Anne, you’re brilliant! I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me to reach out to the management companies and let them keep an eye out for me! Thank you so much for the idea!!!

Thanks Ron! I appreciate the info very much. :) Rent is still cheaper than LA for now, thankfully! I’m looking a little south of Raleigh in Lee/Moore/Harnett counties and it just seems that more rural properties are scarce. I guess that makes sense. I’ll definitely be discussing any gardening/chicken aspirations with any potential landlord - no one needs more drama in their lives, right? :)
I’d love to send y’all some rain but it IS Southern California here - we forget what rain is.

Thanks for the feedback Bruce! I may end up closer to Asheville one day - it sure is beautiful, and I am lucky that I have some flexibility with where I settle, as long as there’s good internet. :)

You have a good point about rent to own being easier for homesteading. It’s a tricky thing when how you want to live is outside the typical rental norm. :)

-Julie

Hello everyone! This is my first post here but I’ve really enjoyed reading the forums etc off and on for a few months. Thanks for sharing so much info - it’s a great resource for newbies like me!

I will be moving to central North Carolina in December/January, and wanted to see if anyone had any advice on how to find rural (or chicken n garden friendly) rental properties in the area? I’ve been hunting on Craigslist, Facebook, house rental sites and it’s been slim pickings- though maybe that’s just the way the market is? I am in California currently so that does make the search more challenging.

Also - I’ll take any advice I can get! :) I’m looking to just do some gardening and maybe have a few chickens for the first year or so while I really get my bearings. NC is so beautiful but the terrain varies so much that I feel like I’d have a lot to learn before I’d be ready to buy land. What would a person new to the Raleigh/Sandhills area need to know before signing a lease? :)

-Julie