Narrator> Making It Grow is brought to you in part by Certified South Carolina.

This cooperative effort among farmers, retailers and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture helps consumers identify foods and agricultural products that are grown, harvested or raised right here in the Palmetto State.

McLeod Farms in McBee, South Carolina, family owned and operated since 1916.

This family farm offers seasonal produce, including over 40 varieties of peaches.

Wesley Commons, a full service continuing care retirement community located on more than 150 wooded acres in Greenwood, South Carolina.

Additional funding provided by the South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation and Farm Bureau Insurance and Boone Hall Farms.

♪ ♪ ♪ Amanda> Well, good evening and welcome to Making It Grow .

I'm Amanda McNulty, and we are so happy to start a new season with you.

We're going to get to see all of our old friends again and go to wonderful places around the great and fascinating state of South Carolina.

I am a Clemson Extension Agent from a long, long time ago.

And, I get to come here with my co-host, Terasa Lott, who's now an Extension Administrator.

And so that's why she has these nice jackets on.

And we just have a grand time Terasa, because we say this is like continuing education.

Terasa> It really is, and I share your enthusiasm.

For such a long time, it felt like the landscape was dreary and bleak, and now everything is coming back to life.

And it's a perfect time to start a new season of Making It Grow .

Amanda> Yes it is.

There's so many pretty things to see.

And across the Wateree Swamp and the red maple, Ah... you know, just magnificent looking too.

So it's just so many things are already in flower.

It's great.

Well.

So, Phillip Carnley, you are a Commercial Horticulture, Horticulture Agent, in Calhoun and Orangeburg.

Orangeburg is a big, big farming community.

> Huge farming community.

That's one of the largest ones in the state of South Carolina.

Amanda> Good soil.

Phillip> Fair, fair to midland.

Amanda> Yeah.

Phillip> It's not too bad.

Amanda> Yeah.

Well, and, you know, in Calhoun, which is where I live, in Saint Matthews, when I go out to come over here to work, I go through those Fort Motte red clays.

And if you know how to use red clays, they can be very productive, I think.

Phillip> They very well can.

That's a great corn area as well as peanuts and cotton.

Amanda> It's fun to see all that stuff.

Other people have to, you know, go on the on the highway and see nothing but cars.

And I'm just out there looking at the beautiful landscape of agriculture in South Carolina.

Thanks for being with us today.

Phillip> It's my pleasure.

Amanda> Carmen Ketron, you are an Urban Horticulture Agent in Darlington and Florence, and we are thrilled that you've come.

Cause you always bring kind of crazy things.

Have you got some show and tell that might be fun?

> I do.

I've got some fun stuff that we're going to talk about today so- Amanda> I wish I'd had you for a mama, because that little, Judah, is just so fortunate to have you for a mom.

Because you're always doing... First, I mean, even since she's been little, you've been carrying her out in the yard and showing her things, and... Carmen> Oh, yeah, it's like a second home.

She's always just outside.

It's fun.

Amanda> I don't think she's a baby sat by the TV.

Carmen> No, no, no, no.

We enjoy outdoors.

Amanda> ...I haven't ever met her.

You'll have to bring her one day.

Carmen> I will.

Amanda> And she's going to be, tall.

Carmen> Yeah, she will be tall.

Amanda> Takes after her daddy.

But I hope she's got your wonderful personality.

I haven't met him.

I'm sure he has a wonderful personality too.

Nicole Correa, so happy to have you here for your first time.

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

And you are a Livestock and Forages Agent over in Calhoun, Lexington, and Orangeburg.

And I think that you come from a kind of fascinating state.

Nicole> Yes.

Originally I'm from Hawaii.

I've been in South Carolina for about five years now, since 2020.

And, loved it there.

And I love it here, too.

Amanda> And I think you brought these wonderful flowers for us, which are great fun.

Thank you, that was mighty sweet.

So, forages is a thing that... that cattle eat.

Tell me what the difference is.

Nicole> Yes, yep.

So, my specialty is livestock and forages because we want to make sure that we take care of our animals, but we also have... give them something to eat on a regular basis.

And so allowing them to be out in pasture and walk around is great for them.

Amanda> Yes, yes, yes, instead of just cooped up in some place.

Yeah.

So you have both, dairy cattle and beef cattle.

Nicole> Well, I work with, all livestock, so I can work with beef, dairy, chickens, sheep and goats, whatever anyone needs.

I haven't gotten emus yet, but I'm sure we'll get there.

(laughter) Amanda> We will see.

Yeah, yeah.

There are a lot of people who like unusual animals.

I have a friend who used to have a capybara.

Nicole> Oh, man.

Yeah.

Amanda> Which is the world's largest rodent.

Nicole> I don't know if I could help too much with that.

But I'd be happy to, get them a smoothie.

(laughter) They do like smoothies.

Amanda> Do they?

Whoa.

Well, I like smoothies too.

Yeah, I guess I have something in common with the world's largest rodent.

Who knows?

So we are going to have some fun things for you to see.

Carmen went to Kalmia Gardens.

Because even in the winter, it's a great place to go.

It's just... And it's so fascinating because they have all these different levels of elevation.

And we'll talk about that a little more.

We talk about that.

And, it's open if you'd like to go.

It's open like every day of the year practically.

And it's free.

How about that.

That's kind of fun.

And then we went to Humble Acres Organics in Blackville.

It was just fascinating the way they're making these soils.

You will really, really enjoy that trip.

We were just like, "whoa, wow look at this."

Anyway, I think you're going to enjoy it.

Well, Terasa, usually some people send in some pictures and I don't know what they sent this time of year, but somebody might have a flowering apricot or just something wonderful that's green.

Terasa> That's right.

We call this "Gardens of the Week."

It has become quite popular, and it's your time to show off what you're doing in your yard, your garden, or perhaps you've captured one of the many beautiful places in the great state of South Carolina.

Let's take a look at what was submitted.

From Milton Vidro-Martinez, we have pink flowered Kalanchoe.

And Kalanchoes are known for their long lasting flowers.

Karen Neely shared, some early flowering plants like hyacinth and daffodils that she has decorated her table with, and she titled it "Getting a Jumpstart on Spring."

Ethan Hodge has some deep maroon hellebores that we also call Lenten Rose.

From Clay Williams in Florence, assorted daffodils also brought inside to enjoy in a vase.

And last but not least, from Becca Kemple, a gift from her mom at Christmas that is now showing signs of spring.

We thank everyone that submitted photos for "Gardens of the Week."

You can see the remainder on our Facebook page, and you may be a little out of practice, so make sure you look for that call for "Gardens of the Week."

That's your cue to post your photos in the comments, and you might just see it on air.

Amanda> Thank you Terasa.

And I bet we've got, some questions that people need some help with.

Terasa> We sure do.

There never seems to be a shortage of questions.

This one is looking for...

Looking to win a prize, it seems.

Glen wrote in from Branchville and said "What is the secret to growing record-breaking sized tomatoes?"

Amanda> Whoo, I just want to grow any tomato.

Terasa> That's what I was going to say.

I'm just happy if I get one.

Especially those slicing tomatoes.

Amanda> They're hard.

I just use cherries these days.

And they're real tasty and easy to do.

Well, Phillip, I know you probably have some people who grow tomatoes commercially, but he apparently wants to win some kind of prize at the state fair or something.

> Well, tomatoes are fun.

They come, they come in two different varieties.

You get your, your indeterminate, and your determinate varieties, which grow differently.

Your determinate varieties set all of their fruit at one go at one level on the plant.

And your indeterminates grow indeterminately, they keep growing, keep flowering throughout the season.

And they get huge.

Amanda> You got to stake them, hold them up.

Phillip> You do so, so variety selection is key.

You want a large slicing type tomato usually, a beefsteak is the type of tomato.

And they are known for large tomatoes or sandwich types.

<Okay> Slicers.

Amanda> One will make a tomato sandwich.

Phillip> Yes.

<Okay> So once you've got your variety selected, then you, look at location and sunlight.

They need at least eight hours of full sun, direct sunlight.

And then you have to maintain fertility.

Tomatoes, much like other plants, need fertility consistently through the season with consistent watering, consistent moisture.

That way you also avoid, blossom end rot.

Amanda> Phillip, a lot of things in the garden, we kind of let them dry out a little bit for watering, but I think tomatoes, do they want consistent moisture?

And so you need to not... you need to pay attention to them separately from the other things- Phillip> You do, especially for large tomatoes.

You don't want to let them dry out at any point, because that can cause, blossom end rot from the lack of magnesium or, or, calcium uptake.

So that consistent moisture helps keep your- Amanda> Helps keep that, those things in suspension.

Phillip> Correct.

It keeps them at the right levels for an extended period of time.

You also want to look at reducing your fruit load.

So, let's say you've got 10 to 15 blooms and you're wanting to grow these large one pound tomatoes.

You might take that 10 to 15 blooms and reduce it down to six.

<Oh> That way the nutrients are more evenly split between a smaller crop.

So there's more nutrients per tomato.

<Okay> Amanda> And, if he wants to enter it in something, when do you pick tomatoes?

Because if you leave them out there too long, somebody's going to come...

Some insects going to come and just munch them to pieces.

Terasa> Or birds.

Phillip> Birds especially.

Or other- Amanda> Squirrels.

Carmen> Or neighbors.

Phillip> Yes, neighbors are awful about gardens.

But, it all depends on what you're looking for out of that tomato.

If you, if you're like me, I don't eat very many tomatoes, but I do like fried green tomatoes.

You pick those well before they're ripe.

And if you are looking for a sandwich tomato that is ready to be sliced, you, the more red or vine ripe, the better.

And it's all personal judgment, based on color at times, firmness.

And what you're looking for out of that tomato.

Amanda> Well, I hope he has some luck.

Phillip> I think he'll, he's on the right, in the right direction.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

Okay.

Well, that's great fun, and we'll have to ask him what kind of mayonnaise he likes on his tomato sandwiches, because that's a whole 'nother topic.

Phillip> That's opening up, a round for fights.

<Yeah> Amanda> Okay.

Terasa, who we got next?

Terasa> Well, you know, we have had so many people move to South Carolina.

I happen to be one of them... we decided to stay.

So, rapidly growing state, influx of people, some of which might be coming from places that had very different growing conditions.

So I'm wondering what kinds of things we might be offering to help those people get acclimated and start growing right here in South Carolina.

And I think Carmen has some ideas for us.

Amanda> Okay, well, if you can take a master gardener course that would probably help, but a lot of people work and they just can't work that in.

And so Carmen, what resources are there that you think could help people make good decisions?

Carmen> One of the big programs that we are just launching this year is going to be the Home Horticulture Foundation's online class.

Specializing in lawns and landscapes.

So this one, kind of like the Master Gardener, but a little bit, backed off, and it is self-driven.

So all the classes are emailed directly to them.

They can watch a number of videos.

It's going on through the month of March.

<Oh> So it's a great time.

They can do it whenever they're hanging out at home.

They don't have to go into an office to get the information.

And it's great, easy, kind of pithy, research based videos that all of the Clemson Extension Agents in the Horticulture Team are, kind of supporting.

Amanda> Okay.

So have you made some?

Carmen> I have.

Amanda> What did you make yours on?

Carmen> I did mine on soils because South Carolina soils are very special.

All the different types- Amanda> And these new places, they just go in and bulldoze everything.

So Lord knows.

Carmen> Exactly.

And that's one of the big ones, is if you have maybe a new house, what do we do with that "new fill dirt" kind of lawn that we have.

But also how to deal with the changing weather and all of our different, weather disasters, hurricanes, wildfires.

How to garden for preventative measures for wildfires, as well as what to do after a hurricane in your garden.

I did that one too.

Amanda> Did you?

Carmen> Yeah, but we talk about all the different plants that are great for this climate.

What kind of lawns you want to do?

How to take care of the lawns and they're all very short, easy videos.

And you can just go online and register.

And we have a field day, 4th of April.

At Moore, at Moore Farms Botanical Gardens.

Amanda> Do you?

Isn't that fun.

<Yeah> And you get to go see that beautiful... Oh, Darla Moore just gave such a gift to the state, didn't she?

Carmen> Oh it is absolutely, it's fascinating to go there and then just so peaceful to walk around.

We're going to do a whole tour and a hands on demos talking about maybe if you're new to gardening or gardening in South Carolina, what kind of tools are really helpful in the garden?

What do you need to manage your lawn?

How to work an irrigation clock.

There's a lot of fun stuff that is practical and very specific to South Carolina.

Amanda> And I want to remind people because we may show this next year, we're talking about, '25.

Carmen> Yes.

Amanda> 2025.

Carmen> Hopefully this will be on, an on demand class.

Amanda> Be fun- Carmen> Moving on for years to come.

Amanda> And also, I've always said that the most incredible thing I ever learned, I was at Clemson, Terasa, and a woman from the library came and talked to us, and she said, "when you look things up, put site:edu."

And I mean it just changed my life, because if you just look up something on the internet you're gonna get every Tom, Dick, and Harry, who thinks he knows everything and they don't know- <True> Terasa> And there are lots of gardening "hacks" out there.

And so I would encourage folks to, to be wary that everything you read is not necessarily backed in science.

And that's what you can count on coming from Clemson Extension.

Amanda> And also, don't read one of those sites from California or Minnesota.

I mean, you can look at like South Carolina, Maryland has a real good one.

Sometimes Georgia and Tennessee, I mean, look at the- Carmen> North Carolina State has a fabulous website.

Amanda> Yeah.

So site:edu.

And you can also put site:gov and go to some, and sometimes you get like... you know, wonderful things about plants at the government site too.

So, it's just, I just think it's the most important thing I've ever learned.

Carmen> And one of my favorite things not to plug Clemson too much is I'll put just whatever I'm looking at, and then HGIC, Clemson HGIC, and it will pull up all of our fabulous fact sheets.

Amanda> Yeah, and they are good and very, very helpful.

Thank you so much.

Yeah, yeah.

Welcome new people.

Okay, Teresa.

Terasa> Let's see what we have next.

Moving to a different area of the state.

From Hilton Head, Theodore wrote in and said, "We're just starting a homestead and we'd like some information on sustainable practices.

What can you tell us?"

Amanda> Okay.

Well, Nicole, do you have any ideas?

Nicole> Yes, absolutely.

We are actually hosting a sustainable agriculture series in April, to talk about different aspects of homesteading, talk about different aspects of sustainable farming.

So our first class is going to be on April 10th.

And it's going to be on the horticulture side of things.

Then we'll move to April 17th, where we're going to talk about livestock.

And we will, everything is also hands on.

So, yeah, it's great.

They'll get the, the information, via PowerPoint, but then they'll also get a chance to be out in the field.

And then our third class is going to be on- Amanda> So you get a PowerPoint, but then you say you go somewhere too?

Nicole> Yes.

Yep.

You will...

So, we're for example, on the 17th, we're hosting at the Calhoun Library and then we will be going out into, a neighbor farm where we're going to be looking at different types of winter grazing crops and, talk a little bit about that and talk a little bit about bees.

So it'll be a great program.

Amanda> Yeah.

And we have a wonderful library in Calhoun County.

I'm just going to say, it is a great, <beautiful> beautiful place.

And everybody that works there is so nice and helpful, and, people like me... And if you need to send a fax, you can go there and send a fax.

They are just super kind and nice.

<Yeah> Okay.

That's very, very exciting.

So where do you go to find out about this?

Nicole> You can go to the Clemson calendar.

You can check our Facebook pages, either Lexington, Calhoun, or Orangeburg if you just type in Clemson Extension Lexington or Clemson Extension Orangeburg.

We will be posting it on Facebook or I mean, they're welcome to call me directly.

Amanda> Goodness gracious.

Okay.

So you're... well you carry your phone with you everywhere you go.

Nicole> I sure do.

Amanda> Okay.

Okay.

Well, Carmen, you made a great trip to Kalmia Gardens.

And we are going to share what she saw when she was there with you now.

♪ > Hello everybody, my name is Carmen Ketron.

I am the Clemson Extension Urban Horticulture Agent for Florence and Darlington Counties.

And today I'm at one of my absolute favorite places, Kalmia Gardens.

And I get to be here today with Lucy Contreras, the new Assistant Director for Kalmia Gardens.

Lucy, thank you so much for having us.

> Thank you so much for coming today Carmen.

We are so glad to have you at Kalmia Gardens of Coker University.

This is a wonderful garden to experience throughout the entire year.

And just like with any garden, you can have a great time in the spring, the summer, the fall, and of course, in the winter.

And what we are looking at now are some of our winter flowering plants.

But it's not just flowers that bring you to the gardens in the winter, but it is definitely something neat to see.

Carmen> Yes, I love it.

And one of the best things that we can do is look at all the different parts of the plants.

But tell me a little bit about what we can see right now in winter at Kalmia.

Lucy> Absolutely.

So there are a few things that are absolutely amazing right now.

One of them is Edgeworthia or Paperbush which is just starting to flower.

We still have a lot of flower buds on them right now.

Since they are a plant that like growing in the shade, they can certainly light up a shady area with those white flower buds.

They also have an intense fragrance which is absolutely amazing.

So you might smell the plant before you realize that it's flowering.

Another thing that we have flowering now is Prunus mume or the Flowering Apricots.

And they are another super early flower that you get to experience and just love in the winter.

And we have a cultivar called Cobaea which is flowering and it has semi-double flowers, is also quite fragrant.

You can also catch the Japanese camellias or Camellia japonica.

Many different cultivars that are flowering now like Pink Perfection.

Carmen> How gorgeous.

And you would say that Kalmia has a whole collection of beautiful different color double bloom camellias still rock 'n' rolling probably till March.

Lucy> Absolutely.

With the camellias they will flower...

They won't all flower at the same time.

The different cultivars will flower at different times.

So even just walking through, I will see some that have heavy bud set for their flowers that haven't quite opened yet, so we'll be able to look forward to them as the winter moves on.

So I am cautiously optimistic to say that even in March we will still have some flowering.

Carmen> Sometimes the best part about our trees and shrubs and things like that is when there's the absence of some stuff so you can really appreciate things like bark.

Anything like that we can kind of take a look at?

Lucy> Absolutely.

The winter is a perfect time to really appreciate those parts of the plants.

So things like Crape Myrtles and Sycamores, they have really beautiful bark, and while they have that year round, you can appreciate it a lot more in the winter when there is less to see.

Carmen> Yes.

And in winter, one of the big things that I always try to do not because I'm just a lazy gardener, but because I'm doing it, for the nature of it all is leave a lot of our plants.

And so here, when I walk through in winter, I see a lot of stuff that is, left for the birds almost.

Was that intentional?

Lucy> Exactly.

And you can definitely use it as an excuse to get out of some yard work.

But you can go and leave stems, especially on some plants like Helianthus angustifolius or Swamp Sunflower.

And that is your own natural bird feeder to attract the birds to your yard.

And they will eat those seed heads.

You can do other things like, again not, not cutting back, and with that you will also provide some habitat for overwintering insects.

Sometimes in those stems you can leave the leaves and that will provide some overwintering habitat too.

And also a natural mulch if you move it into your beds.

Carmen> And that's wonderful, Kalmia is not only a gorgeous place to see beautiful plants, but also see, sustainable and intentional gardening practices.

It kind of makes me so excited.

And that's why I know the birds here are abundant in winter.

Do you have a lot of bird watchers?

Lucy> We do.

We are definitely a great place to see a neotropical migrant birds.

Carmen> I love it.

And even with all the stuff that's budding now, I know there's more to come.

What else can we look forward to?

Lucy> That's a great question.

So things like the Flowering Quince or Chaenomeles are starting.

There are things like Magnolias, specifically the Saucer and Star Magnolias Magnolia x soulangeana and Magnolia stellata.

And if we look even a little bit further, we'll have things like the Azaleas that are going to be flowering a little bit later on.

Carmen> Oh, how wonderful.

Well, I would be remiss if we didn't get to talk a little bit about the namesake Kalmia.

Lucy> Yes, Kalmia Gardens is named after Kalmia latifolia, or the Mountain Laurel.

And we have them growing along our 60 foot bluff.

And we even have a Kalmia loop.

So you can walk through, and the way that we have it maintained is like you're walking through a tunnel of these beautiful Mountain Laurel, and they tend to flower in May.

So that is going to be really great.

Carmen> Oh, and that's going to be so excellent to see.

And it's one of the kind of a specialty specimen that you can't really see anywhere else, on this side of the state.

So, how exciting.

Lucy, thank you so much for having us today.

If others wanted to get any more information on how to visit, things happening, where do we go?

Lucy> Thank you so much for visiting us.

They can head to our website, kalmiagardens.org where they can find out more about what's going on.

They can scroll down to the bottom if they'd like and sign up for our newsletter, the "Laurel Branch."

We also have a Facebook page and an Instagram page.

So if you search, Kalmia Gardens follow us there and you will stay in the loop.

Carmen> Lucy, thank you so much for reminding us that it's great to be in the garden even in winter.

♪ > Kalmia Gardens is a real gift for the people of South Carolina, given by the Coker family and open all the time.

Free to go there from daylight, sunrise to sunset, not daylight, perhaps.

But anyway, it's just a wonderful, wonderful place with fascinating plants.

So, Carmen, did you have a real good time over there?

Carmen> I had a fabulous time.

I always enjoy going there and then going to see the new Executive Director, Lucy Contreras.

She's fabulous and just a wealth of information, and it's just nice to go there and kinda get lost.

<Yeah> And I always love, especially the Paperbush right now it's fabulous Amanda> And smells... wonderful.

Sometimes I'll go outside and it doesn't seem to smell.

And then the next day it does, it's kind of peculiar.

Even tea olives are occasionally that way.

But right now it is... And it's a peculiar plant to have in the garden because it branches like this wants to give you, you know, the peace symbol.

And, so I was cutting some for my hat.

And what I tried to do was, rather than cut this back, I made a cut here hoping that, that would branch because it can be a little, you know, sparse looking at times.

But, it's just wonderful.

And I think Paperbush, it was used to make paper perhaps.

Carmen> Yes, made to use, made for Japanese yen.

Still is today, actually.

<Ah> Yeah.

It's wonderful.

Amanda> Yeah.

I think one time we had somebody who came on had actually made some paper out of her's.

But, I don't think many people have enough to want to do that.

Carmen> It's a lot of work.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Carmen> And even now, a lot of the Paperbush, they make the Japanese yen out of, it's not made in Japan, it's made in Nepal.

All of them are grown in Nepal and then made there.

Amanda> Really?

Carmen> Yeah.

Amanda> What, how warm a place will this grow in then?

Carmen> I've seen it as low as zone eight, nine, so- Amanda> Okay.

I've got it at my house, which is, you know, getting warmer- Carmen> Very nice- Amanda> every year.

Yeah.

But it really is a delightful, delightful plant.

Carmen> And wonderful for winter to have that winter interest.

Amanda> Okay.

Phillip, I think you brought some tools and things- Phillip> I did.

So this is, just a few a nice little smattering, if you will, of some tools for the spring that I get ready every year for pruning and digging around in the flowerbeds.

I always like to tell people hand pruners are, your best friend.

And not all pruning equipment is made equal, despite what people think.

I'm quite partial to the orange handle pruners here.

Amanda> You can say what they are.

Phillip> They're Felco Number Twos.

They're a great hand pruner.

Easy to use.

Return very quickly to their, position when closed.

And they're exceptionally sharp, Amanda> And they come in different sizes.

Phillip> They do.

Amanda> Even for people who are left-handed.

So I get a smaller one, and I've got a friend who's left-handed.

I mean, people who are left-handed really have a hard time trying to prune.

Phillip> That is an underserved community, in tools.

But, but hand pruners aside, they're they're super easy to sharpen.

If you're on a budget, the black handled pair here, super easy.

You can find them at any hardware store.

Easy to sharpen, easy to maintain.

Amanda> And, Edward was telling me, you know, I don't know how to sharpen anything, according to him, anyway.

But you just sharpen one side of it, is that correct?

Phillip> Correct.

Here on, these are, be the easiest way, place to show.

But on the back edge here, it's completely flat.

Flat, like a table.

Amanda> So leave that alone.

Phillip So you leave this backside here on the cutting edge alone, and you only sharpen the front face here at the bevel.

Amanda> Okay.

Phillip> And it's very easy to touch up with in the field with a stone.

Amanda> Really?

Phillip> Felco actually makes a pocket diamond stone for sharpening in the field, that works very well.

And I've used wet stones at home to to manage my own pair.

Pruning saws, I always like to keep a good pruning saw on hand.

A very aggressive saw, especially dealing with fruit and vegetable production.

Fruit production specifically, apples, pears, peaches.

Amanda> So how big a limb can you use... Phillip> So usually a saw like this one here, you are capable of cutting anything up to two inches.

Amanda> Woo.

That's a lot.

Phillip> It is a large, pruning implement.

Anything that you can't get with a pair of loppers, you can get with a pruning saw.

<Whoa> It's a very precise tool, when used properly.

And most of them cut on the pull stroke.

So as you're pulling back towards- Amanda> Oh, that's nice, because it's hard- It's easier to do that, than to push.

Phillip> You get a lot more force generated.

<Okay> So they're super easy.

And then, your hori hori knife.

This was actually a gift, when I first became an Extension Agent, and I have used it extensively.

Amanda> And tell me, how do you say it again?

Phillip> Hori hori.

It's, It's a Japanese, tool.

Amanda> Oh.

Phillip> I have used this one, days on end.

The serrated edge is great for cutting through roots and flowerbeds.

And it also has a sharp, more, a sharpened side on one end that you can cut through bulbs and separate and divide things with.

<Ooo> And for me, in plasticulture, vegetable and fruit production, it's great for digging out plants, to check root systems.

To split crowns on strawberries.

I use it pretty regularly in the spring.

Amanda> And do you have to sharpen that one?

Phillip> You don't have to sharpen this one.

You can if you would like, with this one, it's a lot easier to use with it a little less sharp, it's less dangerous for you.

And Carmen, as Carmen pointed out, it does have a little string cutter here, at my fingertip.

Carmen> That's my favorite.

Phillip> Yeah.

It's awesome.

And if you're a bulb planter, it has the depth gauge built in as well, Terasa> A truely multi-purpose tool, Phillip> It is.

It's a phenomenal tool.

I love this thing.

I highly recommend getting one.

They're fairly cheap.

Amanda> Are they easy to find?

Phillip> They are very easy to find.

Most of your, gardening... gardening places will carry them.

Now I will say "you get what you pay for."

So, and that's like that with most, horticultural equipment.

Some of it, you have to ante up and, I like to use the phrase "pay once, cry once."

Amanda> Okay.

Phillip> That way you get what you need upfront.

You can maintain it, for an extended period of time, and you're always ready.

Amanda> And I'm going to say I like the red handle and the orange handles because I don't know about you, I have lost so many things.

Phillip> Oh, absolutely.

Amanda> If I had a black pair like that, I'd probably put fingernail polish or something on it.

Phillip> So I bought the red pair or... the black handled pairs for a pruning clinic that I ran when I first started with Extension.

And I bought 40 pair, and of those 40, I think I might have four.

(laughter) That have made it back to me in the last five years.

But the Felcos, those are my personal ones.

I don't loan those to anybody.

I enjoy using those quite frequently.

Amanda> Well, you know, we're getting ready to start doing all that stuff.

I think that was wonderful.

that you share these, good tools.

And like you said, "you get what you pay for."

Phillip> You do get what you pay for.

Amanda> If you don't lose it.

Okay, well, Teresa, who can we help next, Terasa> We're going to try to help Declan in Socastee, who said "I saw a lot of shamrocks available leading up to Saint Patrick's Day.

Do they grow well outdoors?"

Amanda> Well, Carmen, I think you have some information on that for us.

And, it's kind of fun too.

Carmen> I do.

I actually brought some of my favorite.

These are what we commonly call shamrocks here.

And this is our Oxalis.

And they can come in, green or purple, and they're a lot of fun.

One thing that I have found is that, this is a little bit different than our wood sorrel that we consider a lawn weed.

Amanda> Don't get worried about that.

Carmen> Yeah, exactly.

But this one a lot of people will have.

They can have it indoors or in zones eight and nine.

A lot of people put it out in the garden.

We have found that they spread a little bit too easily, and it's really hard to keep track of them, because the little bulbs keep spreading and spreading and spreading.

So, a lot of people would probably not do outside but enjoy them in pots.

And I actually brought a little bit, so, a pot that I have for the season.

And this actually doubles as our leprechaun trap.

Amanda> A leprechaun trap?

Carmen> Leprechaun trap garden.

So you can see the Oxalis it goes really great, right in a pot.

And you can enjoy it, likes, some bright but indirect sun that goes great with your other houseplants, like your spider plant, your Pothos.

And then, what we've done at my house is, you know, those leprechauns, they're a big pest in the month of March.

So, you can set up a little mechanical trap just like that.

They're attracted to the green and white.

So you want to make sure that in your leprechaun garden trap, you have some type of green and white, and then you set up, your little drop trap.

Amanda> Okay, so be the little leprechaun and walk into and show me.

Carmen> Exactly.

You just... here.

Walk on in.

Walk on in.

Ha!

Gotcha.

<Caught> (laughter) You can put a little bit more of the Oxalis right on the bottom.

And then you just, it'll just drop trap.

And that's how you get the gold.

Amanda> What do you do, if the leprechaun... Oh, you get the pot of gold if you catch the leprechaun.

Carmen> Exactly, exactly.

And you, you take care of your, your garden pest problem.

(laughter) It's troublesome in March these leprechauns.

<Yeah> You gotta be really careful.

But attracted to the green and white.

I really enjoy it because, in any of your early spring, garden planters, there's not a lot of color into the early months, but using different textures really makes it as exciting as if it was a big, showy- Amanda> Oh, I know, I mean, look at the different leaf shapes and then white and green in there and green as a color.

I mean, there are lots of colors of green, don't you think?

Carmen> Oh, yes.

And you can go in with I like also, some of the little ruffled ferns, you can even get crazy with some of the ficuses.

<Gosh> And so there's a lot of options in early, early spring.

And definitely once again, we're, we're trying to get those leprechauns.

Amanda> Yeah.

We don't want them to- Carmen> You got to manage them effectively.

Terasa> We have to make a disclaimer that... (laughter) Carmen> What are you talking about?

Terasa> Even though we're talking about science-based information, this might be on the whimsy, fun, fantasy side of things.

Carmen> Exactly.

Amanda> Thank you Terasa.

Carmen> It is a lot of fun to do with kids and grandkids.

And that way you can end up, hey, have you gone and checked your leprechaun garden and then trick them into watering your pots for them.

Amanda> Cool.

<Yeah> Okay.

Fun, fun, fun.

Thanks so much.

Okay, Terasa, next we're moving into the upstate to the Greenville area.

Valerie wrote in, "What could we do to provide food for our livestock during the winter?"

Amanda> Goodness.

Well, that's forages, I guess.

Do you have any suggestions?

Nicole> Yes, absolutely.

There are a variety of things that they can do.

At this time of the year, it's kind of late.

We're towards the end of the season.

Amanda> Talk about what they could have done earlier, so they can make some notes for next year too.

Nicole> Yes, for sure.

So around September time frame, they're going to want to look into different, varieties that they can plant in their pastures or they can provide hay throughout the season as well.

So, you know, we can grow cereal rye here, we can grow rye grass, we can grow some clovers.

Add some nitrogen back to the soil.

Or they could decide on coastal hay, which is one of the most common types of hay in South Carolina.

Amanda> Coastal Bermuda?

Nicole> Yep.

Coastal Bermuda.

Exactly.

So there are a lot of options.

And there's no reason why they can't do a little bit of both.

They could do some pasture and some hay throughout the winter season.

But the main thing is, those animals have forages, 24/7 available to them.

Amanda> And do some people, go with this rotational grazing that I've heard about.

Is that a new thing that people try to do?

Nicole> Actually, you'd be surprised.

A lot of my producers have been doing it for a number of years.

Yep.

And even planting things in the winter, you know, they don't, they don't call it cover cropping.

But that's exactly what they're doing, is they're planting cover crops.

And so, they do rotate their animals.

It is good to make sure you give about six to eight weeks of growth, ideally minimum.

And if you have any questions, I mean, you can reach out to your livestock agents.

We partner with places like the Natural Resource Conservation Service, South Carolina Forage and Grazing Lands Coalition.

They're a great partner of ours.

And so if anyone has questions or needs us out in the field, we're happy to help.

Amanda> Well, and while you're here, all I do is hear about bird flu, bird flu.

And now it's in some cattle, apparently.

Can you talk a little bit about that, what y'all are doing to kind of monitor it and keep ahead of it?

Nicole> So our Livestock Poultry Health Division, they're located out of Columbia.

They're doing a fantastic job of monitoring.

For anyone who doesn't have what's called a Premise ID number.

We recommend that you, go ahead and register any animals that you have under a Premise ID, and then that way, the Livestock Poultry Health Division can go ahead and send out any updates to you.

If there are any concerns in our area and so they're doing a fantastic job of biosecurity and keeping our food system safe.

Amanda> Oh, goodness.

Yeah.

Thanks.

It is... and I mean, eggs are expensive because, I mean, so many birds, chickens have had to be culled, I guess a lot of them.

Nicole> Yep.

So- Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

I've got a friend who's got backyard chickens, and so she brings me some eggs sometime.

But my sister in Columbia, we had to go up and see her.

We had to take her eggs because she couldn't, she went to four stores in Columbia and couldn't find any to get.

Isn't that something?

Well, thank you so much for all that good information.

We thank you very much.

Nicole> You're welcome.

Amanda> We took a wonderful field trip down to Humble Acres Organics in Blackwell, South Carolina, and I think you'll be fascinated by seeing all the steps that go into this compost that they produce.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ > I'm in Blackville, South Carolina at Humble Acres Farm, speaking with Tim McCormick.

Tim, y'all in this area, there are a lot of people who produce eggs, which are then sent to become the chickens that we enjoy so much, and so that means you've got I think 40,000 hens are in there just laying eggs right and left, because of that, you had chicken manure.

Tim> That's right, Amanda.

We started off with just the chickens and we can only get at the manure once a year because it has a raised floor in it.

And then it doesn't spread as good as some of the other manures because there's not a lot of organics in it.

So we started studying composting and as a way of, we chose to do a value added compost and that means you really get your carbon and nitrogen ratio right and then you blend it up and we have a turning machine to keep the, get oxygen in the rows.

And once we do that, we start making compost.

It takes...about 90 days.

Amanda> And it says I can't believe it's chicken manure compost because there are a lot of compost in the market and yours has been given the name of exceptional compost by DHEC.

But besides that, let's just talk about the benefits of compost in a garden, or to use as top dressing on your, on your grass, or even one of your products is a potting soil.

So, what are the wonderful things about compost when you add that to our soils Tim> Really compost you know, we first of all, we make it into humus where it looks like soil and there's no smell, and when you add that to your garden, it takes two or three years to get all the value out of it.

You get a 60-30-10.

You get 60% of the good the first year, 30 the second, and 10% the last.

So it extends the life and grabs hold of water, as you irrigate, or it rains, it grabs that moisture, and then it, lets it go as it turns dry.

and the fertility is a nitrate.

So the ammonia in the chicken manure, which would be a root burning issue that has been converted to organic form of nitric called the nitrate and it takes a little time to get that done.

Amanda> Also, soil structure is so critical to a healthy environment for our plants, most of what happens is below the soil, and as you said, it increases organic matter, but the soil structure means that it makes little aggregates and so that it's real important for air to move into the soil, and also that means that it's easier for any rain or anything to go into the soil.

It just and it's easier for the roots to work also in the soil so there's just so many benefits.

Tim> And as well it brings the microbiology community, you know, the same microbiology that breaks things down, produces some that produce nitrogen it's millions of them, and it is bringing that with it as a benefit to whatever plant it is affiliated with.

Amanda> I know that your, one of your son in laws, who does row cropping here, just does strip tilling and is really using cover crops which is all increasing the organic matter of soil and you've made it easy for us to do that at our house.

And so there are two size bags here that say organic compost, and I think the same thing is in both of them.

Tim> You're right.

"Bloomin' EZ" was our first bag.

When we first put our bag together one of my daughter says Pop, "it's just blooming easy to grow flowers in your compost," and so we chose that as our first name.

It was a smaller bag, we figured it was going toward high end market.

And so you know, Amanda> Easier for people like me to put it in the car and get out.

Tim> Pick up.

Amanda> This third one here is for people who want to have beautiful flowers around their house and pots.

Tim> Right.

We made a potting soil.

We've been making it about three years and we've been continually trying to improve it and so it's is 50% compost, 40% pine bark fines and 10% perlite and it'll hold the water and it reduces the watering needs.

Fertility will last you for two or three years in a pot, and you know it's if you water it too much you water the good stuff away.

You wash it out Amanda> And tell me what your wife said.

> My wife said "she could extend the watering around the pool in pots in 100 degree weather to about twice a week."

Where routinely you were watering it every day.

Amanda> Yeah, You've got this chicken manure, which is about 30% of, these products, the compost.

And then you have to have a lot of carbon to offset that.

Like, it's 30 parts carbon to one part nitrogen.

And so tell me, you source your carbon from many different places.

Tim> Yeah, that was my biggest learning curve.

When we started composting was the amount of carbon we really needed.

We thought we'd blow a little straw in it and that would do it.

But that didn't change anything.

And so you have to cut it to 30 carbon, 30 parts, you have to have 30 carbons, to one nitrogen The manure is the nitrogen.

So you got to have three times the carbon.

So we source wood ash from power plant that burns wood for Santee Cooper.

And so we get some of that.

We use saw dust.

We use some straw that comes off of farms usually is stuff that the cattle don't want, and we use some paper.

And can get paper and we have had some coffee beans.

Amanda> And then so you've got this manure and you've got this carbon, and we want to turn it into compost.

So how in the world are we going to do that?

Tim> Well, you got to do a calculation on the sheet first, so you know what per yard each each product is a carbon/nitrogen ratio.

We got a book that tells us that.

Amanda> So you going to mix those together?

Tim> We're going to make them together.

So I come up with - I calculated on paper that I need one bucket of manure, that's maybe two yards and a three yard bucket of this kind of carbon and a three yard bucket of this kind of carbon.

I call it a bucket, that's a tractor (Amanda laughs) a loader bucket, not a 5 gallon bucket, but we calculate it in yards.

And then I give the recipe to my son in law or one of the guys that worked for us and they go out there and start laying it in a windrow that by that recipe.

Amanda> Then you've got to mix it and it has to go through a pretty strong heat to kill the things that you don't want in there, weed seeds or other things like that, and some of the pathogens, and there's a certain art to having that happen.

Tim> Right, we bought a compost turner.

That means we can turn that row upside down and it'll mix it, and we have to first of all, as we get it in the road, and we then we blend it up And we have to get the moisture to 50%.

Sometimes we have to add water, but in the last few years, we hadn't had to add water.

And so the first two weeks after we got it blended and gotten the moisture there, then we're in the high heat stage or what they call incipient stage.

And it's 130, got to get it over 131 degrees for those two weeks, but you got to realize that's a core in the middle of the bed, that's maybe within six inches of the outside, and so we have to turn that five times in that two weeks to fold that wasn't 130 into the center.

In that time, that two week time, every bit of the product in there, got over 131 degrees to kill all the weed seeds, and any other thing that's not wanted, and we do aerobic composting, that means we're putting oxygen in there by doing a turning.

And then so anaerobes like salmonellas and those sort of things cannot live in an oxygenated environment.

So we have to turn it often enough to keep that oxygen inside that windrow.

Amanda> Then you're going to keep on turning it and we've killed all the path, all the microorganisms, many of which are beneficial, and you are real careful about your topsoil, and so you've got this nice warm place that's very friable and easy to move up to and I think those beneficial microorganisms are just saying, "this is a nice place for me to get in."

Tim> We do that in two ways.

One way is that some of them come out of the ground, we're working on top of topsoil, and another way is when we screen our compost, then some larger particles or some will come out and we will take that and put it back into windrows to inoculate and bring some more.

Bring those, let those bacteria begin to increase Amanda> Because it is living product.

Tim> Amen.

That's right.

Amanda> Yeah, and a living soil is what, that's where all the action has taken place in that living soil.

Tim> Right.

It's kind of like a soil has been laid out for a long time and has, the top has folded down and has kind of grown over it and built that.

That was original agriculture, an original part of agriculture was just leaving the soil alone for so many years and then working it.

Amanda> Leaving fields fallow, but then also to get it bagged up and be sure that it doesn't have anything in it for the for the customers.

Do you have to screen it?

And then what all do you do, to get it... in the bags?

Tim> Yeah, we screen everything to three eighths of an inch- Amanda> Which is why it's so nice to work with in my hands.

Tim> That's really small, that's really small, and people like it, because it'll spread well.

And we try to get it dried down to 35%.

You can never get it hardly less than that, because it's going to suck up water every time it rains, but we've gone from 50 to 35, screen it, we also have a shredder if we need to that can just break up a ball and if it gets rained on and then we have a bagger, and we can drop it in there and it weighs these bags, and we got a sealer.

You can see all this was stacked by hand.

(laughing) Amanda> So here we are with five generations of your family involved in farming and it looks like y'all are going to go forward with this, this property is going to stay in agriculture and provide all these benefits to the natural resources, animals and all that use it.

And also, it's a product that we can use in our home gardens and find that we can reduce our water needs and our fertility needs.

It's just all around a win-win.

Thank you so much.

Tim> Thank you too, Amanda we enjoy seeing people smile with the products we can make.

♪ ♪ > The family that's involved in Humble Acres, is just a remarkable, fun family.

And they made us feel so welcome.

And we enjoyed learning about their process.

Well, Terasa, can we help someone else?

Terasa> Let's see who is in the magic book of questions.

From Cope, in South Carolina.

Preston wrote in, sent us a photo and wants to know, "Can you tell me what's wrong with my strawberry plant?"

Amanda> Oh, strawberries.

And people don't realize that some people have winter strawberries.

The foliage, I think, is cold hardy, but it's the fruits that don't like the cold, right?

Phillip> The fruits definitely don't like the cold.

Amanda> Tell us what you think is going on with this.

Phillip> So this is a very, cut and dry case of anthracnose crown rot.

<Uh oh> It's a very common disease in strawberries, particularly as we're starting to warm up for the spring and summer.

You see it more in that time frame where as it has a close cousin, I'll say, not, not botanically speaking, but in resemblance, called Phytophthora crown rot, which they very closely resemble because there's a discoloration in that crown tissue.

Anthracnose crown rot has this weird marbling like fat in meat.

Amanda> But not positive like that.

Phillip> Not positive.

No.

And, the Phytophthora crown rot is a large dark chocolate brown, necrotic tissue of the crown.

Amanda> So which one is this?

Phillip> This is anthracnose crown rot.

And you... the picture, shows that nice little, squiggly veining throughout or marbling throughout the crown.

Amanda> Well, is it, does it stay in the soil?

I mean, is there anything you can do?

Phillip> So you can treat, with fungicides.

Usually systemic fungicides work best.

I can't recall- Amanda> That means you have to put it on the soil and it be taken up- Phillip> And it would be absorbed by the roots.

Usually we treat, with a systemic pre-plant, as a drench.

As a preventative measure for these crown rots because they do come in, from the nursery stock, preinfected or inoculated with these fungi.

Amanda> And I know they do the best they can.

But things happen.

Phillip> We have some fantastic strawberry producers here in South Carolina.

And, and then the acreage is getting larger.

So, I expect to see more of these issues popping up, especially moving forward.

Amanda> Does it last from year to year?

Phillip> So it is cyclical.

And some years, some years it is worse than others.

And it depends on heat and humidity.

As, as we get more humid and the heat increases also, so does our fungal load.

Amanda> Oh goodness gracious.

And that's a good crop for people to grow.

Phillip> It's a fabulous crop.

Amanda> I mean, you could make some money if everything goes well.

Phillip> If you do what you're supposed to, maintain a, strict spray regiment, and are in your fields paying attention, scouting for insects, disease.

You can, you can make money with strawberries.

Now... what we've seen this year is a new disease, a newer disease called Neopestalotiopsis.

Or "neopest" for short.

And it infects crown tissue as well and causes rapid decline of crowns.

And it can resemble some of these other fungal infections.

And we have, it has been confirmed in South Carolina in multiple sites.

So we are taking those samples, treating them preventatively trying to prevent the spores from germinating.

Amanda> So, I mean, you've told us how you can discriminate between them, but your Extension Agent could help you- Phillip> Absolutely.

Our Extension Agents, especially with the Fruit and Vegetable Team, are great.

We make, field visits to our producers weekly.

So, if you need a field visit, please contact one of us- Amanda> And I like to visit, I like to make field visits for "pick your own."

<Absolutely> Don't you think that's so much fun?

Phillip> It is a lot of fun.

And we've got several real good "pick your own" places in South Carolina.

Amanda> And they... they don't weigh you before you go in and when you come out- (laughter) I think you're allowed to eat in the field aren't you?

Terasa> -Great memories of picking strawberries with my grandfather, when I was a tiny tot, but I don't know how many made it in the bucket.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah, they are absolutely delicious.

Oh, wonderful strawberries.

Well, that was great, I'm glad that this is a new crop that people can grow and supplement their farm income.

Okay, well, we're almost out of time, but I want to thank everyone for coming.

So pleased to have our Hawaiian girl.

Oh, this was so much fun.

♪And for bringing us these wonderful flowers.

Nicole> Thank you for having me.

Amanda> Yeah, come back soon.

And to all of you at home, we say night, night.

Join us next week.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Narrator> Making It Grow is brought to you in part by Certified South Carolina.

This cooperative effort among farmers, retailers and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture helps consumers identify foods and agricultural products that are grown, harvested or raised right here in the Palmetto State.

McLeod Farms in McBee, South Carolina, family owned and operated since 1916.

This family farm offers seasonal produce, including over 40 varieties of peaches.

Wesley Commons, a full service continuing care retirement community located on more than 150 wooded acres in Greenwood, South Carolina.

Additional funding provided by the South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation and Farm Bureau Insurance and Boone Hall Farms.