Mountain Laurel Makers and Farmstead

Mountain Laurel Makers and Farmstead Husband & Wife mini farm and nursery.

09/13/2026

We have over 20 different varieties of heirloom mums for sale. Self-serve farmstand is open daily 8 am to 8 pm. Come out to check our selection of fruit trees and bushes. We have over 65 varieties of apple trees, along with plum, quince, pomegranate, pear, fig and rose and berry plants.

Come see us at JonesboroughFarmersMarket this morning!
09/12/2026

Come see us at JonesboroughFarmersMarket this morning!

Tonight's Tree Spotlight is the Green Ischia fig (Ficus carica ‘Green Ischia’) is a distinctive, high quality fig valued...
09/11/2026

Tonight's Tree Spotlight is the Green Ischia fig (Ficus carica ‘Green Ischia’) is a distinctive, high quality fig valued for its bright green skin, vivid strawberry red flesh, and excellent sweetness. It is one of the few green skinned figs with truly rich, berry like flavor, making it a favorite among collectors and home orchardists. The fruit is medium sized, smooth skinned, and attractive, with a small, tight eye that helps resist spoilage and souring in humid climates. When fully ripe, the flesh becomes soft, juicy, and intensely sweet, with a pleasant balance of berry notes and honeyed richness It is moderately vigorous, upright, and well branched. They adapt well to a range of climates and are known for reliable cropping once established. The variety produces a main crop in late summer into early fall. The fruit is excellent for fresh eating, preserves, and dehydrating, where its red flesh and concentrated sweetness stand out. Green Ischia figs are native to Italy on the island of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples. The first well-known record of Ischia figs was mentioned in English gardener and writer Philip Miller’s book The Gardener’s Dictionary. The first edition was published in 1731 and noted that the author brought several fig varieties from Ischia Island in Italy to England. Some of the variety labels were allegedly lost, leading Miller to name the fruits after their discovery site, such as the green figs from Ischia Island. Miller released another edition in 1759 and specifically referenced Green, Brown, and Yellow Ischia figs, highlighting that there were several types of varying colors. The Gardener’s Dictionary became a frequently referenced book throughout England and later the United States, and Thomas Jefferson had a copy of the 1768 edition in his library at his Monticello Estate home. Jefferson grew Green Ishia at Moniticello. Green Ischia figs were documented in nursery inventories in Massachusetts as early as 1832, and were introduced to California in 1853 by a nursery in Boston. Over time, the variety also spread into the Southern United States.

We will be at the Jonesborough Farmers Market tomorrow morning 8 am to noon.

09/05/2026

Figs, apples, plum, pear and pomegranates trees, turmeric, ginger, roses, mums and more!

After we get through this last heatwave of the summer, its time to dive into Fall planting season! We have heirloom fru...
09/04/2026

After we get through this last heatwave of the summer, its time to dive into Fall planting season! We have heirloom fruit trees all ready for you to start your backyard orchard. This week's spotlight is the Tyson Pear which is an early ripening American heirloom of the European pear type (Pyrus communis), long valued for its excellent dessert quality and dependable performance in home orchards. It produces small to medium sized fruit, typically pyriform to obovate, with smooth yellow skin that often carries a soft red blush on the sunny side. The flesh is white, fine grained, buttery, and very juicy, with a sweet, aromatic flavor that places it among the best early season pears. Tyson is a true melting flesh dessert pear, meant to be eaten fully tree ripe or just after picking. Tyson trees are moderately vigorous, upright in youth, and develop a balanced, spreading canopy with age. They begin bearing relatively early and produce reliable annual crops. Bloom occurs in mid spring, and the fruit ripens early—usually late August, well ahead of most classic European pears. Because Tyson ripens early and has tender flesh, it is not suited for long storage or canning. Its value lies in providing high quality fresh pears before the main autumn harvest begins. The Tyson pear originated in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, discovered as a chance seedling by Jonathan Tyson in the early 19th century. Recognizing its exceptional flavor, Tyson propagated the tree and shared it locally. The variety gained wider attention when noted pomologist Dr. William D. Brincklé evaluated it and recommended it for broader distribution. By the mid 1800s, Tyson had become one of the most respected early dessert pears in American horticulture. It appeared in nursery catalogs, pomological reports, and regional orchard plantings throughout the Northeast and Mid Atlantic. Although it never reached large commercial acreage—due to its small size and limited storage life—it remained a favorite among home growers and collectors of fine pears. Resistant to fire blight. All our heirloom fruit trees are available each Saturday morning at and our farmstand daily 8am to 8 pm.

Should be a lovely weather day! Cone out and shop local.
08/29/2026

Should be a lovely weather day! Cone out and shop local.

We will be back at Jonesborough Farmers Market tomorrow morning. Tonight we are spotlighting one of our many heirloom ...
08/29/2026

We will be back at Jonesborough Farmers Market tomorrow morning. Tonight we are spotlighting one of our many heirloom apple trees we have available. The Golden Sweet apple is an old American sweet apple variety known for its pure honeyed flavor, low acidity, and soft, tender flesh when fully ripe. The fruit is medium to large, round conical, with smooth yellow skin that deepens to a warm golden tone as it matures. The flesh is pale yellow, fine grained, and very sweet, often described as “honey sweet” or “syrupy” when tree ripe. It is a classic sweet dessert apple, meant for fresh eating rather than cooking, and historically prized as one of the finest sweet apples of late summer. Golden Sweet trees are vigorous, upright, and productive, often bearing heavy crops even in less than ideal soils. Bloom is mid season, and fruit ripens late summer into early fall, typically September to October in the South. Golden Sweet originated in Connecticut in the early 19th century, discovered as a chance seedling and quickly recognized for its exceptional sweetness. Although Northern in origin, Golden Sweet became well established in parts of the Upper South and Southern Appalachians, including Tennessee, western North Carolina, and northern Georgia.
All fruit trees along with mums, herbs and flowers are available at our self-serve farmstand which is open daily 8 am to 8 pm.

We are back tomorrow at Jonesborough Farmers Market with plum, fig, and apple trees along with mum , rose, turmeric and ...
08/21/2026

We are back tomorrow at Jonesborough Farmers Market with plum, fig, and apple trees along with mum , rose, turmeric and ginger plants.

Today's we are spotlighting The Italian Prune plum which is one of the most enduring European plum varieties (Prunus domestica), valued for its dependable cropping, excellent flavor, and versatility in both fresh use and drying. It produces medium‑sized, elongated, egg‑shaped fruit with deep blue‑purple skin and firm, golden flesh that separates cleanly from the pit. The flavor is rich, sweet, and concentrated, with a natural sugar level high enough to make it suitable for drying into prunes, though it is also widely grown for fresh eating, baking, and canning. Italian Prune trees are moderately vigorous, upright when young, and develop a well‑balanced canopy with age. They bear heavy, consistent crops, often without the biennial tendencies seen in other European plums. Bloom is mid‑season, and the fruit ripens from late August into September, depending on climate. Reliable productivity even in cooler climates, Excellent keeping quality both fresh and dried. The fruit’s dense flesh and concentrated sweetness make it ideal for traditional prune making, but unlike the Improved French, it is equally prized as a fresh dessert plum. Despite its name, the Italian Prune plum is not strictly Italian in origin. It belongs to the broader group of Central European prune plums that have been cultivated for centuries across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and northern Italy. The variety became widely known in North America during the 19th century, when European immigrants brought prune plums to the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes region. The Italian Prune proved exceptionally well‑suited to these climates—cold‑hardy, late‑blooming, and dependable—leading to its adoption in home orchards and small commercial plantings. By the early 20th century, it was one of the most commonly planted European plums in American backyard orchards, especially in the Pacific Northwest, where it remains a standard variety today.

Thank you to everyone that came out this weekend! Remember the self serve stand (and currently now greenhouse) is open e...
08/17/2026

Thank you to everyone that came out this weekend! Remember the self serve stand (and currently now greenhouse) is open everyday 8 am to 8 pm. Trees, bushes and plants are all labeled with info and pricing but if you have any questions, call, text or email if we are not onsite.

Antique roses, heirloom varieties of mums and dahlias, fig and pomegranate trees, hydrangea and blueberries bushes, tur...
08/16/2026

Antique roses, heirloom varieties of mums and dahlias, fig and pomegranate trees, hydrangea and blueberries bushes, turmeric and ginger plants…so much more. Come shop the stand and greenhouse. We are open until 8 pm.

Address

1801 Highway 81 South
Philadelphia, PA
37659

Telephone

+12677976020

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