Making It Grow is brought to you in part by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture.

Certified South Carolina grown helps consumers identify find and buy South Carolina products.

McLeod Farms in McBee South Carolina.

This Family Farm offers seasonal produce including over 22 varieties of peaches.

Additional funding provided by International Paper and The South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation and Farm Bureau Insurance.

♪ (Opening Music) ♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Making It Grow.

We're so glad you could join us tonight.

We're here in historic downtown Sumter in a soon to be historic, because it's so beautiful, new studio.

We really are happy to be back with the new safety guidelines and coming to you this way.

I'm Amanda McNulty.

I'm a Clemson horticulture agent, and I'm so fortunate because every week I get to have all these smart people come, and I get to learn from them.

Our goal is to bring you the researched based, latest in researched based information, but in a way that it won't make you want to jump up and turn off the TV and that you will learn something that will help you be a better steward of the environment.

That's kind of my goal of all of this and Terasa Lott is always helping out master gardeners.

She's in charge of the master gardener program, but she sure does a lot for us Terasa, thank you and what have you got sitting in front of you?

Is that supposed to be a moulage of things to go with that Clemson colored computer?

>> Well I didn't plan anything with the color of the computer, but I like to grow a variety of different cherry tomatoes.

Looks really nice in a salad.

So I think I have some sun gold, some, maybe chocolate, I believe.

I've done chocolate sprinkles.

I think I have chocolate - So anyway the cherry tomatoes are very prolific as you can see.

>> It is - I wish they were packable, more easily packable because they're easier to grow than a lot of other tomatoes.

Much easier, much easier yeah and Chase Smoak is the horticulture agent here in Sumter.

>> Chase, you of course are from this community and you grew up probably going to Swan Lake Iris Gardens, and people just - I mean, it's so accessible.

Tell people a little bit about why it's, I mean how unbelievably special it is.

Well, you know any type of green space in an urban environment is very important not only for learning reasons and getting outside and exercising, but also for, you know, mental problems, as well.

Taking a break.

But the city is doing a lot of great work and really building up an arboretum project, I think we'll talk about later on, but it's great.

<Amanda> Yeah, yeah, a cypress swamp in the middle and free and open, I think, 364 days a year so.

>> That's right and all the species <Amanda> Yeah, just too, too cool for school.

And then Dr. John Nelson who was my botany professor, field botany, >> For one semester.

<Amanda> Yeah, and if you taught, if you were still teaching I'd still be taking it, but I'm still fortunate because sometimes you and I go botanizing and now we go with Chase because if I go with you two I really have a learning opportunity.

>> We need to go again.

We need to go down to the country and look at the prizes of the environment.

<Amanda> Yeah.

Chase has a beautiful piece of property.

Chase, that's a really pretty part of the world that you live in.

<Chase> Thank you.

We're lucky that all those plant communities collide in that area.

<Amanda> It's fascinating, isn't it?

>> Very diverse.

>> Then we're so happy that from Charleston, Zack Snipes who's a vegetable specialist down there and I tell you, if you need a vegetable specialist, Charleston is one place to do it because Zack, that's a big part of the economy of the farmers down there?

I mean y'all aren't, y'all aren't row croppers.

y'all are vegetable farmers.

Isn't that right?

>> Right.

And there, there's a big difference in, you know, how we produce things and the amount and that sort of thing, but we have a lot of big farms, well a few big farms and then we have a ton of really specialized or niche farms that support the restaurant industry and the local food scene and that's kind of what people think about when they think about Charleston is the foods but, you know they come from local farmers.

And so, having the vegetable lab down here and the U.S.D.A.

vegetable lab and the Clemson labs extension is really important to support these farmers down here.

And I'm also jealous of Terasa's sun gold tomatoes because mine are done for this summer.

So, those look very good, Terasa.

>> Was that, can you make a - can you get a, what do you call it, a sucker off a cherry tomato and start a new plant like you do with big tomatoes or not?

<Zack> Yes you can do that.

So right, well, we've kind of missed the window for the Fall planting but, a few months ago that would have been possible.

>> Okay, okay.

Well maybe next year, you'll do it in a timely fashion.

How about that?

[laughs] And we're happy tonight to introduce to our audience Dr. Kirby Player who is on the Clemson campus and he wears a lot of hats up there.

One of which is he was in charge of the nomination and selection for the Roland Austin, Senior Award for excellence in media and I'm happy to, well, Kirby, I'll let you tell people who won that this year.

>> Yes.

Well, Amanda, you're a former winner.

Don't forget that and this year, Sean Flynn, y'all's producer was selected as the Austin Award winner.

So, so excited to see the work y'all doing being recognized, and I'm looking forward to talking to you about this new program, Palmetto Leaf, that's coming from Clemson University and Public Service and Agriculture here at Clemson.

>> Okay.

Well, Terasa, you usually start us off with something fun and sometimes they're whimsical and sometimes they're beautiful and sometimes people send even a bird picture or two.

>> Yeah.

>> So let's see what we've got tonight.

>> Sure, it would be my pleasure to take a look at our Gardens of the Week segment, our time to take a virtual field trip and see what's going on in your yards and gardens, beginning with Joanne Baker who submitted Datura, such striking white flowers against the green foliage.

From Catherine Moorehead Bailey, a lovely limelight hydrangea in full bloom.

Dottie Brown said she had an unusual find, a nest of baby birds and in the photo they are begging for a handout of food.

Pat Cooke sent in Crocosmia and noted the bees on hummers love it, but beware it multiplies quickly and finally wrapping up from Kelly Toadvine, Aristolochia species, otherwise known as pipevine host to the pipevine swallowtail.

So, a great assortment of photos this week.

Keep sending them our way.

It is such a breath of fresh air to see them all come in.

>> Terasa people can submit things on Facebook but not everybody's on that and you are kind enough to share your Clemson email account with people, so remind them of that please because that's a good way to submit questions or send pictures to you.

>> Sure.

My email address is my entire first name.

So, T-E-R-A-S-A at Clemson.edu You're welcome to send your Gardens of the Week.

Please do put that in the subject, so that I can save it in the right file and then we can use them when needed.

>> Okay.

Terasa has lots of files.

I just have clutter.

I'm afraid.

Terasa, fortunately you are very organized and we benefit from that tremendously, but I did want to - we did want to go back to Kirby Player and Kirby, agriculture, like Zack was talking about.

He's got big farmers and little farmers and we got people doing all kind of specialty things, and got you know the natural community, the beauty of the state that's so important for tourism and it's just so diverse and so you're trying to find a way to come to unite people, so tell us what this is all about and what the goals are and how people can get involved please.

>> Amanda, you used the word stewardship, when you opened the program, and that's why Palmetto LEAF stands for leadership, for agriculture the environment and forestry.

Agriculture as you mentioned is our state's leading industry, along with forestry and all the forestry products, but also the beauty of South Carolina is what makes us a state that we all desire to live in and love, from the mountains to the oceans and every sense in between.

So, this program, which stands, as I said Palmetto LEAF is the short name for it seeks individuals 28 years old and above that are professionals engaged in the industries of agriculture, forestry natural resources and environmental stewardship.

From all around the state, we look for participants that are full of diversity, not only in their industry, but their backgrounds and right now we're recruiting for cohort number two, the second class out of LEAF.

That's why I so appreciate being on Making It Grow to let your viewers know they may be interested or they may like to nominate someone that would be an ideal candidate for Palmetto LEAF.

<Amanda> Kirby, what do you think people who participate in this program gain from it?

When they finish, what do you think helps them to promote and better this big topic throughout the state and help them personally?

<Kirby> Well, Amanda as you know there on the program with all your guests, our industries are complex, and they are integrated and so the vision and mission of Palmetto LEAF basically is the idea that if we can get individuals talking then we can solve some of these problems, as well as care for our environment.

The reality that in our current class we have individuals from the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, from the Department Health and Environmental Control.

We have farmers.

We had extension agents.

We have private industry owners, as well as individuals caring for our coastal environments and ecosystems.

These individuals getting to know one another.

We all serve each other better when we have relationship.

And so as these individuals mature in their careers, our desire is that they will be working together because of the power of networking, learning about leadership skills and personal growth, as well as having a better understanding of these life sustaining industries that Palmetto LEAF supports, so that we can continue to have quality agricultural production in our state.

Forests that are not only providing reusable resources, but we're maintaining water quality, the beauty of our land, being wise in how we develop it, is our goal with these leaders when they complete the two year program, they will be equipped to make a difference and be influencers in our state for our industries.

>> And now, this isn't it like being accepted to college.

This is an entirely different thing.

And so tell us a little bit about the application process, and all the things that entails.

<Kirby> Well, Amanda this is an adult education program, professional development is how most people think of it for 28 years old - you must be 28 by January 15th of 2022 to apply for this class.

Our application process is open currently through September 15th and you can go to the website or go to Clemson University and simply type in P-LEAF P-L-E-A-F. That will pull up our website, the application process and information is all there, as well as a link for you to nominate an agriculture or natural resource forest professional, which you think would be an ideal candidate.

So, you might not be interested, but you might know someone who is, and then we can reach out to them to make sure they put the application in.

The application is digital as well as seeking answers to essay questions, as well as references, in your professional resume.

Those applicants are screened and a group will be interviewed and we seek to have up to 24 participants in each class and this selected class will then begin in January of 2022 and we'll conclude in December of 2024.

So, we're just generally excited and are looking for all types of diverse applicants from all backgrounds.

>> Okay, and how much of a commitment is it in time and finances.

<Kirby> Finances it is a tuition based program and you paid two installments for a total of $3,900 for the two years, but I'm pleased to say that with our first class we had many sponsors for individuals that were willing to support individuals in various industries as well as we found that employers will provide professional development funds to their classmates.

That's been wonderful too.

So, we'd like for interested people just explore not to let the finances hold them back, because you do not have to - That's very important to know and then the commitment is over two years but the actual what I would call date count is between 28 to 30 days over two years, which is very manageable and we also understand there are job commitments or sometimes family issues that they're required to do and so there's an amount of grace there though we want everybody to attend every event to just explore the interest and see consider what the schedule is.

It kind of runs on an academic year and that we know that our industries are very busy in the summers as we see those wonderful tomatoes being harvested, and so during the year it's more of a kind of asynchronous learning that you do as an individual and we kind of have our classes during that classic August to May academic year.

>> Well, Kirby, I think that what you're doing is wonderful.

It used to be that every farmer in the state knew every other farmer in the state and everybody the forestry industry knew the environmental people, but you know we have grown and so the more that we can understand about each other, the fewer conflicts we'll have, we'll find out more of what we have in common and we'll find out as you and I were talking that if you know somebody you can pick up the phone, and how much easier it is if you get a good idea or you've got a question or you got a concern, and so I think this is a wonderful way to help support that the ultimate goal as you said of stewardship and the economy of our wonderful state, and so we'll put your email up under your picture, so that people would know how to get in touch with you or again just go to what I was looking up I just put Clemson L-E-A-F.

It took me straight to get all the information I needed.

<Kirby> Amanda, correct.

Thank you so much.

Visit our website.

Contact me and just a reminder that application deadline is September 15th of this year.

So, we're looking for a large applicant pool, and we cannot thank you enough for what you do at Making It Grow to inform the citizens of our state about important programs like this, and again congratulations to Sean for winning the - and you also, Amanda.

>> Well, I think there was only one nominee the year I was there, but I think Sean had a lot of it.

>> Sean, not at all and Roland's legacy continues on.

Thank you all so very much thank Thank you, Kirby!

Bye.

Bye.

<Kirby> Bye.

>> John, I think you've got some Show and Tell for us tonight.

>> I do.

I usually bring something in.

>> All right well is this one interesting or scary?

>> I think it's I think it's very interesting and it's actually a grass.

I'm going to hold it over this way.

>> It looks to me like the mowing height's pretty high on this grass.

>> This is a tall grass and it came from my backyard, actually.

>> Look how long it is.

>>Yeah and I can't remember where I got it, but this plant is about six or seven feet tall when it's blooming and of course you can see it's got plenty of foliage down here.

It's very handsome, but it's also - Reach over here and feel that leaf.

Scratchy on the edges.

My goodness.

It's ewww.

You can almost yourself on the edge.

It's a pretty leaf, but it's.

It's real scratchy.

So, it makes a great big thick clump, and it's a native species.

>> Uh huh!

>> So, it's not an invasive plant, but it does get a bit excited when it's in cultivation.

Let me tell you that, but like all grass, is it has around stem and the stem is more or less a hollow, and grasses produce very tiny flowers, as you know.

And they are hidden away or sequestered in little structures that we call a spikelet.

Now, in this kind of grass there's male and female spikelets on the same stem.

And look at that long - <Amanda> So that's a flowering stem?

>> This is - a flowering stem or a comp and in this case the flowers are uni-sexual so down here all the spikelets are the females and from here on up are the male flowers and you can see that there's pollen being produced in these wiggly stamens that are hanging up and they're male flowers and then after a couple of weeks of being in bloom, the male flowers are all wither up and fall away leaving the female flowers and a long stalk like that.

<Amanda> It looks like they're getting fat so I guess they've been making seeds.

<John> Oh yeah.

And these female or pistol light spikes will come apart in each one of the little spikelets will with a grain inside will fall away, and start a new plant.

Now look at this.

This is pretty cool.

You see sometimes there's only a single spike at the very top.

<Amanda> Yeah.

>> I like that one, and then there's like two or sometimes even three.

<Amanda> Whoa.

>> And so somebody said that <Amanda> Here's one with three.

<John> There you go.

Somebody said that looks like of course, a turkey's foot.

So, a lot of people well I don't know if it's a lot, but some people call this turkey foot grass.

<Amanda> Turkey foot grass.

>> There's a more widespread common name and maybe some of our viewers have heard of this, gamagrass.

<Amanda> Yeah I've heard of gamagrass.

>> This is it, and like I said I can't remember how it got into my backyard and for several years I've spent every season like trying to pull this darn stuff up.

Now, I have one patch left, and it's getting - <Amanda> It's vigorous?

>> It is vigorous and it spreads a bit, but now if you're very, if you're interested in native grasses say in a natural grassland, this will be a great one to grow and it's - Understand that the wildlife go for it, you know, turkeys probably chow down on this.

>> Super cool.

>> Yeah.

>> It's just to me Chase don't you think the green color - I wish my grass would be anything like that green.

<Chase> I was thinking about all the possibilities with it.

I see a lot of times that deer don't like to eat larger, coarser leaves.

It's not saying they won't eat them, but they choose the softer more well sized leaves first.

So, I was thinking about that.

That was one thing that really striked me is maybe they put it further back on their preference list.

<Amanda> So, if you wanted an area that you could protect other than an electric fence, you could put some of that maybe around something.

What a great idea.

And then I guess John in the winter is there some structure that remains, since it's so - >> The old stalks will be up there, but like most grass they grass, they just kind of dry up and wither away but the fruiting stalk spikes will be completely gone.

They'll just shatter, and be gone.

>> So, do you think yours as growing vegetatively and by seeds?

>> Mostly vegetatively, I hope.

>> Since you've got so much other stuff around.

>> Yeah and it's sort of crowding out the other - >> What does that refer to?

>> I don't know what that means exactly.

Somebody probably knows, but I don't know what the scientific name is, and that's what's important.

>> Yes it is.

>> So, the scientific name is Tripsacum dactyloides <Amanda> Tripsacum dactyloides >> What a pretty name.

<Amanda> What does dactyloides mean?

>> I think that suggests fingers.

>> Oh, because it does look like the peace sign.

>> Yeah.

Far out.

>> Far out [laughs] >> But it's a native grass.

<Amanda> Have you ever see it out in the wild?

>> I hadn't run across this out in the wild yet, only in books.

>> Just because you're out there, so much.

What's it's range, John?

>> I can tell you what I'm pretty sure it is.

It's pretty widespread in the eastern United States, you can see this on the highways driving all the way down to New England.

>> Oh really?

>> Oh, yeah.

>> Okay, so it's not rare?

>> No.

>> Gamagrass.

Well, I'll go home and look it up and learn some more about it.

>> Common as dirt but I don't know.

If Chase hadn't seen it, I'm not sure.

>> Well I always look at the trees when I'm going down the road.

I'm still trying to keep my head on a swivel like Dr John in the woods.

It's hard when you're - >> Well, it's another mystery plant.

>> Okay, well that was a really good one to have.

I thank you so very much.

Well, Terasa Oh my goodness a stack of questions from people.

Who can we help?

And what's their query >> Well, Billy in Walterboro reached out to us and said my okra just doesn't look good this year.

I don't see any insects or noticeable signs of disease.

It just isn't growing as vigorously as usual.

Any ideas?

>> Gosh and usually you know I'm so sure about halfway through the summer I have to cut my okra back.

I think, Zack I think you have a term for when you cut stuff back halfway through the season, but this person sounds like their okra is not going to need that treatment.

What do you think might be going on?

>> Yeah.

Billy, Billy, So, if Billy's in Walterboro then Billy probably has pretty sandy soils in most of our sandy soils are really conducive for root knot nematodes.

Really all of our soils are, there are a lot of different species of plant parasitic nematodes, but the one I most commonly run across in gardens and on farms is the root knot nematode.

What these nematodes do, they're tiny microscopic round worms that live in the soil, and they feed on the roots of their host plant.

So they'll go inside of the plant and they'll lay eggs in there and then there will be thousands of eggs from each female and you can imagine you know their life cycle is pretty quick, and so the populations build very, very rapidly, and so you can get robust populations even within one season, and so it's very common on okra, any plants in the Solanaceae family, so tomatoes, eggplant, pepper, potatoes.

They get on carrots.

really bad.

They have a really wide host range and so most of the calls I get are folks that have planted gardens in the same raised bed or are using the same spot year, after year, after year and a lot of these plants can tolerate some nematode damage, but when you've grown tomatoes in the same spot for ten years, that production goes down over time, and there's no amount of fertilizer or water, you know anything like that, that can kind of bring that tomato or okra or whatever it is you know through that damage to really get them yielding like they should.

>> So, is this why we're supposed to keep a map of our garden and do that rotation business?

>> Absolutely and crop rotation is one of my favorite subjects to talk about, and a lot of folks think you just rotate crops based on crop family, but what I really try to do is rotate crops based on the problem that I'm having, and so in most gardens they just- issue we're going to have is root knot nematode in so I would plant a rotation plan based off of the root knot nematode, and so let's say I was growing that okra, my next crop of choice would probably be a lettuce or you know this time of year maybe some brassicas.

So, cabbage or broccoli or collard, they typically don't tend to be as susceptible to the nematodes and a lot of these brassica species especially once you get done with them and you till them and incorporate them back into the soil, they have these compounds that break down that actually have some suppressive effects on nematodes.

So, a lot of our growers go from on a Solanaceae crop or an okra crop to a Brassica crop, as a good rotation.

>> Okay okay, but then the next summer would you, do you think you should wait a whole year or just a growing season?

>> Yeah that's a good question.

It really depends on your population, I mean ideally you'd want to stay out of that spot for five or ten years, but most people don't have that much land or space our garden beds, but a good way to tell and Terasa and I were talking before the show you know I think a good way to tell is to take a a sample of soil just like you would a soil sample and you can send it to the nematode lab and they'll run an assay on it and they'll tell you exactly how many you have and what species, and based on that number they kind of tell you you're at a high risk, low risk or medium risk for population increases.

So, doing that before the season, and then after right after the season would really give you a baseline of how that population responded during that cropping season.

>> Okay.

Now, I don't think there's anything you can put on the soil to control the nematodes.

Is there?

>> No, unfortunately, not.

I wish there was something I could tell you to run to the store and buy and spray or put out that would you know really wipe out the populations, but because they are soil dwelling organism, it's really hard to get stuff down there to kill them.

So the best thing we can do is crop rotation, we can do a lot of soil amendments.

There's a lot of research out there that compost and a lot of chiton material like crab shells and shrimp shells that you can buy in gardens stores.

It really helps with the population, and probably my favorite trick is marigolds.

So, planing an entire banner area to marigolds and marigolds only.

>> Okay, so you can't just plant a couple of marigolds around your okra plant, you'd have to dedicate the whole bed to marigolds one year?

>> Right, right, and I see that a lot, you know marigolds planted beside tomatoes and it has some insect you know interactions there, but as far as nematodes go that actually spiked the nematode population.

So if you're going to do the marigold trick, dedicate that bed to marigolds and leave it for an entire season.

>> That would be so pretty.

I mean, that's not the worst advice, I've ever heard of.

Is it?

>> Oh, yeah it, and it works.

So, and just make sure of the viewers if you want to try this we have some fact sheets on this, but the French dwarf variety of marigolds.

It's important to get those.

Those have I'm more of an impact on the nematodes versus just the standard marigold.

>> Okay, so go to the trouble of ordering that and getting them out and okay.

Well, that was quite fascinating.

Thank you so much.

<Zack> Yes ma'am.

>> All righty.

And Terasa, that was something.

>> It really was.

You know I've had a problem with nematodes in my garden, as well, and currently have a whole bed dedicated to marigolds planted at a 12 inch spacing, so Zack and I did speak a little bit before the show and I'm really sad that I didn't think to take a sample before and then be able to compare to after.

>> I bet it's really pretty to look out there.

>> It really is pretty.

>> Yeah that's kind of fun.

Okay, well what do we got coming up next?

>> Well, Marion Denise Ahee sent in a question to Facebook.

She said how do you get rid of the roots from Royal Empress Paulownia Tree growing under my house with leaves under plastic in the dark?

So what, she's referring to is the vapor barrier.

So, it's root was growing with leaves in the dark, under her house, and she wants to know what to do.

>> Well, I think the first thing to do, because that's such a horribly invasive tree is to cut it down.

Chase, I'll come and ask you for advice maybe I mean it is an invasive.

I agree 100%.

We'll get to some of the reasons why it's invasive here in a second, but yeah the if you look at the South Carolina Invasive Plant Council, they talk about it.

It's a significant threat.

I believes the level it's listed at, and Terasa, I believe mentioned that this lady had seen some leaves coming off the roots underneath there.

<Amanda> Under the vapor barrier she's got leaves under sprouts.

<Chase> So, it's typical for these plants to colonize off the suckers from those roots.

<Amanda> Those are the roots, and they're sending up new little plants.

<Chase> The fact she has a vapor barrier under there, there's probably some moisture in that area.

Some people have vapor barriers and dehumidifiers, but there's still some moisture underneath those.

That's plywood it's tracking.

So removing that tree specifically since it's Paulownia tomentosa, I would remove that get rid of it and that way it doesn't crack your foundation, because that's the big threat.

That's the big threat that can happen.

It doesn't take a big root either.

<Amanda> Really?

When I was have noxious trees, I cut them as low to the ground as I can, and then I immediately use full strength B rush Be Gone or glyphosate and a throw away paintbrush and paint around the edge, the conductive tissue so that it won't sprout again.

Is that - you think - because otherwise a lot of things will just keep on.

Will just sprout again.

>> That's correct.

So, most of your, you know, most of your stores, retail stores in your area that are lawn and garden focused, they'll have 41 maybe up to 51% glyphosate concentrations, and you can just kind of pour that little bucket.

Take a paint brush.

Dip it in there.

Paint it and that's the way to go.

>> Yeah, and I'm always real careful, Chase.

I just use something that I just pour a little tiny bit in it, because you don't want to have pesticides in an unmarked container.

So, I just used like a couple of tablespoons, just enough to go around it and then I triple rinse it and wrap it up and put it in the trash, so I won't worry about it getting in the wrong hands.

That's right even though glyphosate is very low toxicity, it's always best to follow those same procedures for everything Stay on safe side.

>> Read the directions.

>> Please read the label.

It's the law.

>> Dr. Cole, who's a friend of ours and comes on Making It Grow, has some excellent sheet papers.

He's written on glyphosate and about when used properly of the safety and efficacy.

So, thank you for giving us that advice.

I appreciate it.

>> Yes ma'am, thank you.

>> What tree would you plant instead?

>> Well, you know we say right plant, right place.

So, there's a lot of factors that go into that.

Looking up are there power lines?

Are there other trees close by?

We spoke about this before.

Where's your septic tank located and the drain field?

That's important to know and then of course the proximity to your house, because you don't want to just repeat.

If you put it crape myrtle right back there, guess what, you're going to have crape myrtle roots around there too.

I see it all the time.

>> Okay.

So maybe - >> Site specific.

>> Really, maybe this is a place for a shrub or something.

>> That's correct, yeah.

>> Thank you, that was very, very helpful.

It's been a while since, we've had the watermelon queen on because of the pandemic and boy we missed the watermelon queen.

There's such a red letter day for us when she comes and watermelons are so important for South Carolina and they're also just such wonderful things to eat.

So, let's go to a visit from South Carolina's watermelon queen.

On Making It Grow, one of the things we always look forward to his visit by South Carolina's watermelon queen and Serena Allison is our current queen.

Welcome to Making It Grow.

>> Thank you for having me.

I'm very excited.

>> You know when you think of agriculture, which is so important to the economy of South Carolina, people think of corn and cotton, but the value of watermelon within our economy is actually far higher than we would think.

>> Right.

Watermelon has always been in the top four crops produced here in South Carolina.

So, it's very economically important for both our farmers and the consumers.

>> And you said it's good for consumers, because actually it's a good value.

>> It is.

You can get a watermelon from a farmer's market or from the grocery store and it is about seventeen cents per serving.

So you can be a huge family or just your small family in your house for a great price.

>> Well, what are some of the benefits of eating watermelon?

Is it good for you?

It is great for you.

So, a watermelon is 92% water.

So, it is always hydrating, no matter when you eat it throughout the year.

It also has magnesium and phosphorus and potassium and vitamins B-12, 8 and C, so it is the all around multi vitamin.

So, I'd always say if you're not feeling good on a day, just take a bite of watermelon.

It'll always make you feel better.

>> Actually, we can get watermelons all year long now, but within South Carolina, our local watermelons usually come in within a certain time frame.

<Terasa> They do.

Prime season in South Carolina is from mid June to mid July.

So that is the best time to get your vitamins, but they're always here in South Carolina, even coming from other states or in South Carolina we ship them out to other states.

So, it is always a great time to get watermelon.

>> I think y'all have like a slogan about athletes and watermelons.

>> We do.

Our slogan South Carolina is that watermelon fuels athletes.

That's because it's that 92% water, so we always say that if any type of athlete from the NFL to college players even to students that are on a field day, they can take a bite of watermelon and it's going to fuel them all the way throughout their body with that hydration.

<Amanda> Really instead of a sports drink, which is going to have added sugars, we just get the natural fruit sugars within the watermelon.

>> Just take in a big slice of watermelon and eating that immediately after playing a sport, whenever your body is drained, that'll just give you all the hydration back.

>> And y'all do some things that a lot of people are familiar with, the Bridge Run in Charleston.

Good gracious!

>> Yes.

>> How many servings do y'all usually give them?

>> The Cooper River Bridge Run is one of our biggest events that were able to do.

We're planning on doing it in future years, and we do 52 thousand pounds of watermelon that is handed out on that day alone.

So, we're handing them to all those runners that are coming across that finish line, so they can stay hydrated.

>> And yet at schools throughout the state, if they're having a field day, I believe they can get in touch with y'all and y'all will come and give watermelon to the kids.

They can contact the Department of Ag and then get in contact with our coordinator, Ms Ann Bryant and she will help me come into the schools, or our future watermelon queens come in and we can hand out watermelon and tell all their students about the benefits of it.

>> I don't think you'll have trouble getting kids to eat watermelon.

>> No.

They all love it.

Well, you've got a very fascinating sounding recipe for us today.

What are we going to do?

<Serena> We're going to be making some watermelon guacamole.

>> Watermelon guacamole?

That is just very intriguing and it looks like it's going to be pretty simple from what I see in front of us.

<Serena> Yeah it is pretty simple.

This is something that we can make with the family.

This is something you can have your kids help out with as long as you have all of the ingredients prepped ahead of time, it's easy to just throw together, mix it up and this is great for parties or just having a snack at home.

So, we start out with one and a half cups of diced avocados and we're going to mash these up just a little bit.

You don't ask all of them.

You still want to have some of those chunks in there, but we want to keep it nice and soft so that you're able to scoop it up on a chip.

<Amanda> So we're not trying to smoosh it down like running it through the blender or anything like that?

<Serena> No, not like that.

As long as you smash it just a little bit with your fork or whatever utensil you have, you'll be able to get a nice dip.

<Amanda> A nice consistency there.

<Serena> Yes.

<Amanda> And I think that you put a little bit of lemon juice or something on that, so that it wouldn't discolor.

if you're going to prepare it ahead of time, it's that a good thing to do with an avocado?

>> It's wonderful to put some lemon juice on it and we also have some lime juice that is going to be added in so that it'll have that little bit of tang to it, but it'll also help us with keeping it from turning brown.

<Amanda> Okay.

So, we're going to add this right in.

So, this is one and a half cups.

<Amanda> One and a half cups.

of a nice ripe avocado.

<Serena> Yes.

So, you can pretty much do two avocados and it'll pretty much - <Amanda> because these are all - >> different and if you like more avocado in your guacamole, you can do that as well.

So, if you add in that bowl right there, we're going to add a little bit of lime juice.

>> Okay, we've got some lime juice.

[Brrup] <Serena> That was about, two tablespoons of lime juice and we also have some cilantro over there, that'll add a nice green.

<Amanda> I love cilantro, but if people don't care for it they can always just use parsley, couldn't they?

<Serena> Right.

This is one third cup, so that gives it a good amount so that you can pretty much have some in every bite.

>> That dark green with a light color, the cilantro, I mean with the avocado is a nice contrast.

<Serena> It is.

Then when we add in that bright red color, it's going to liven it up.

So in this bowl, we have a four ounce can of the green chilies.

>> Okay.

>> We have some jalapenos that have been chopped down very finely.

That's about two tablespoons, and then we have two tablespoons of minced garlic, as well, to add some more flavor in there.

[Amanda laughs] We'll add that in.

>> So, maybe on your second date, not on your first date.

>> Yeah maybe.

If you don't like all the spice in it, you can take out some of these green chilies or not add as many jalapenos or if you really like a kick to it just add extra jalapenos or leave the seeds in the jalapenos if you really like that.

>> Now, that's really good on the hot side.

>> I know.

Some people really like it extra spicy.

and then we have some diced up watermelons.

So, this is a seedless watermelon.

Make sure that you take the seeds out of that so that you're not - [laughs] in your guacamole.

but then we have some diced up watermelon that we're going to add in here just to add some flavor and color and hydration Did you know that guacamole sometimes it'll dry out a little bit.

So this watermelon will help keep it nice and hydrated.

That's about one and a half cups of the diced watermelon.

<Amanda> And with the seedless ones, it's just so easy.

I mean, I'm of the age when we go you know spitting watermelon seeds off the front porch, and that's still kind of fun, but and whatever kind of watermelon people prefer, but the seedless when certainly are fun if you're making these dishes.

They're just a lot easier to chop up - >> If you're making something like this, it's easier not to have to take those seeds out of there.

<Amanda> A friend of mine just made me some watermelon ice.

It was like a frozen desert and it was so refreshing.

I love doing anything frozen with watermelon is great for the summer, because then you can pop it in the freezer and pop it out.

It's great right there.

It's all that hydration and you can even make like popsicles and things like that for the kids.

>> Of course you could - >> Blending it down maybe add a little bit yogurt to it.

>> Aha.

>> And make it more like an ice cream.

>> That's a wonderful idea.

Sure they would.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

>> So, here is our watermelon and guacamole.

if you'll grab that plate over there.

We have some chips ready.

We'll slide this on here, so that we can see everything.

Look at that.

<Amanda> Wow!

<Serena> This looks beautiful.

<Amanda> It really does.

So to schedule a visit from the watermelon queen, we contact the - >> Our Coordinator, Ms Ann Bryant.

You can find her on our website at SCwatermelons.org or if you'd like to find more recipes about these watermelons and what we can do with them with our families just go to www.watermelon.org >> Then the South Carolina Department of Agriculture also is a way that we can get in touch with you.

<Serena> Yeah.

If you contact them, and just ask for the Watermelon Association they can help you get in contact for more events.

>> Gosh.

Well, I just can't wait, because I've got a lot of people coming in.

My children are coming to visit and they love watermelons I want to try some other recipes.

I want to thank you so very much for coming and sharing this wonderful, usual recipe too, and if you don't mind, I'm going to try a bite.

>> There you go.

Get lots of watermelon in there.

>> Mmm, Mmm >> I can hear the crunch of the avocado.

>> Mmm.

>> Mmm.

Wonderful >> Thumbs up.

>> So good.

[both laugh] >> Serena Allison was just a delightful young woman and we wish her great luck at the nationals.

That'll be fun to have our watermelon queen be the national watermelon green, because after al, our watermelons are the best.

Anyway, so I went to my husband with a cup of coffee this morning and I said hurry up, hurry up, hurry up and you have to make a watermelon hat for me.

He kind of after a cup of coffee actually too, because Edward doesn't move real fast in the morning.

He came down and made me this hat.

and it's been in the refrigerator, and it's very, very cold.

So, I'm probably the coolest person at the moment in the studio.

I think it's kind of a fun hat and this is an honor of all the people who make all these wonderful watermelons, grow all these wonderful watermelons for us in South Carolina and a special shout out to Gilbert Miller, who we've missed coming down, Gilbert to the Watermelon Festival, and we sure hope we're going to get to come down and see you this year with that fabulous shirt that I think, Minnie made for you a couple years ago.

All righty, well John you've got another show and tell for us and this one I don't think is going to be taller than me.

>> No no.

This is not taller than you, although - >> I know it didn't' take much.

>> This is a plant that, not a lot of people in the audience will be familiar with.

Let me just hold one one of these sprigs up.

>> You got a pretty pink flower.

>> Beautiful little flowers and everybody seems like in the spring time likes to complain about Florida betony.

<Amanda> Yeah, we sure do.

<John> If you look in your garden now, you won't see any.

<Amanda> That's true.

<John> Because it's gone.

It dries up, like by the end of May it's all underground, but this is not Florida betony, although it's related to it.

So, this is a native species of what we call hedge nettle or we're not going to call it Florida betony, because its not Florida betony, but it's in the same genus Stachys.

>> Stachys.

Say it again.

Well, you can say "Stach-eese" or "Stake-is", or "Stack-eese.

It doesn't matter how you pronounce it.

Okay, but it is in the mint family just like Florida betony.

It's got a perfectly nice square stem.

>> Uh huh!

>> There's a few little hairs on the stem angles that you can feel with your finger.

>> I'm not getting fragrance from the leaf.

<John> And the reason, you're not is because it's not going to give any, because it doesn't have any fragrance.

Everything in the mint family is not minty as they say.

>> Does it usually have a square stem?

>> Yeah, almost invariably.

All plants in the mint family, especially the woody ones, the squareness of the stem will be lost eventually.

>> Sure.

>> But the leaves are kind of pretty, but they look like mint leaves, dark green and sort of lance shaped a little, you'll see that there's a pretty serious little petal in there.

Flowers are kind of typical.

They look just, for all the world, just like what Florida betony looks like when it when it blooms.

But there are some minor characters like the presence of certain kinds of hairs that could differentiate it pretty easily, but the Corala is largely the select the same as in Florida betony and is tubular with an upper lip and this lower lip.

If you've seen Florida betony and talked bad about it in your yard you've probably also seen bees coming up to these flowers, because they love them.

Same thing for this species of the bees love it and I'm including bumblebees It's little bumble bees.

>> A lot of our native ones.

>> I think so.

Vicky will have to tell us.

Yeah, but also they're carpenter bees like to get on these flowers too.

>> Does it they have the invasive quality of the Florida Betony?

>> No, it's not.

It does have rhizomes, but it doesn't spread, so at least in my yard it's kind of attractive and since I studied these things for some time now.

It's kind of fun to have them growing in the yard just because they're kind of pretty.

>> Does the rhizome have that same look?

>> No.

>> Very different.

>> It does have a very slender rhizome, but it doesn't make that tuberous rattle snake, rattle looking.

So, this one is called Stachys tenuifolia and it is a native one, but it's not at all common in this state.

There's only two or three places where I've seen it.

>> Come on.

>> One is in Richland County and one in Georgetown County and it is probably elsewhere, but not a common species.

>> How fascinating.

So, the invasive one like many things, far, has far greater range and makes itself at home?

>> Pretty much.

>> Although the Florida betony is still expanding its range but this stuff occurs from southern Canada down to the northern Florida.

>> Now is Florida betony native to Florida or is that just the common name?

It according to my research, I had some blowback about this, that it is native to Florida, but Florida betony.

Now, not this guy started moving out of Florida with the container.

I don't know what you call it.

The movement or container grown shrubbery in things, especially after World War Two.

>> When everybody started having - the suburbs started.

>> Yeah when baby boom.

>> Yeah.

That's when you and I came along.

Chase there's a lot of that I think I produced mulberry weed and gripe weed in containers that I brought home.

So now I try to take off the first couple of inches of soil, because I think that it's not their fault.

They're doing the best they can.

It's just those weeds or some pernicious.

>> That's right.

In a lot of the departments of agriculture try to put in some quality control when this plant's going out of state.

<Amanda> Do they?

>> Things slip sometimes.

It happens.

>> Well, everybody's doing their best.

>> That's right.

>> But everybody's also trying to make some money.

Yeah.

Oh goodness!

Well, thank you John.

That was fascinating, and I must say it's a lovely little flower.

<John> They're pretty.

<Terasa> And weren't you involved in discovering or naming a species of Stachys.

>> Well, it turns out that we do have a new species of Hedge-nettle in the state and nowhere else, and it's called Stachys caroliniana.

It kind of makes sense.

>> If you found it, were you allowed to pick the specific name?

I may not have found it originally, but I'm the one who named it.

>> And you didn't want to name it after a wonderful friend or I mean a mentor.

You just thought.

>> Well, there's not - I just figured that since it only occurs in South Carolina that would be a good geographical name for it.

>> Well, congratulations.

How many people discover things?

Chase, that's pretty usual.

>> Not many.

>> Yeah >> Well, congratulations.

>> Terasa, thank you for remembering that.

We really appreciate it.

Terasa, I think you've got a spotlighted garden for us.

>> I do.

So, this one comes to us from the upstate from Easley, and it's the spotlight garden of Steve and Charity Brooks.

They invited us to go visit.

So, maybe we'll have the opportunity to do that some time, but in the meantime let's take a look.

Steve reached out to me on Facebook and said that he and his wife live just down the road from Clemson in Easley.

He says they've experienced their fair share of pest issues, but try their best to garden with the environment in mind.

Steve described the yard as a residential scale botanical garden that was hospitable to pollinators, frogs and lizards.

Thanks Steve and Charity for giving us just a little tiny view of what is going on in your mini botanical garden, as you put it.

>> Terasa, thank you for compiling those as usual, and thank you for all the nice people who send them in and do all the hard work.

It's one thing to walk out there with the cameras.

It's another thing to have a camera worthy yard, isn't it?

>> Absolutely >> Chase, I know that you and one of your friend who formerly worked at Swan Lake and was with the city and is now a member of our hort team, I believe.

>> That's right.

I wanted to really make more of what was there, and not that is already not wonderful and you wanted to get arboretum status, I believe.

So, tell me what you did and what you have to go through and what some of the favorite things that you got to add to the garden were, if you don't mind.

>> Whenever I first got here, Brock McDaniel, who works for the City of Sumter, we kind of talked about this deal with arboretum, and he'd already been thinking about this idea before.

We kind of had to go through these different stages.

So, you have to know what you have first.

So, we got to go out there and identify all these plants, not only how many we have, but where they are.

>> Oh, you've got to make a list of everything that's there to start with?

>> That's right and you have to map it.

There are a few different options.

We ended up going through Inaturalist, which is a really good app program that you can geo-tag, different plants and you can catalog them automatically.

Anybody can add to this.

So, it gave us a quality control.

Once Phillip Carnley got to Sumter, we could go through and kind of agree.

Okay, this is Quercus falcata or this is a Ginkgo biloba on down the line.

So, once we had that list, we sort of added to the plant number and the city really got behind it, because there's you know not only an educational component and is it nice to have this developed green space for the citizens of not only the area, but the state, but there's also an eco-tourism to it, or diversity as well but the you know the eco tourism.

People will drive all around the country to come and see these high level arboretums.

Not only that, but they have every species of Swan in the world, so you're getting a lot of bang for your buck.

You don't have to pay a tree to come in.

<Amanda> Yeah.

It has amenities, nice amenities, places to eat your lunch, lots of places to sit, and covered bridge, to get out of the sun.

Have you had some help and support from the community?

<Chase> Yeah.

We've done a few different projects out there.

We had a Eagle Scout project, a young man by the name of Christian Hines came out and got his eagle scout, developing a naturalized garden out there.

What we're wanting is have an educational component to show these young school children that come in and learn out there, have an outdoor classroom show why those waterways are so important and show them it's not just a big stinky swamp.

So, we've got some cool plant species out there.

In fact, a couple of federally endangered species that are out there.

<Amanda> My world.

Well, I hope that one day you'll let us come out with our camera crew and you can point out some of the ones that are particularly special and important.

>> I'd love to.

>> Okay, All right.

John do you have another quick show and tell for us?

>> I do, Amanda.

It's another plant in the mint family.

And just like other things in the mint family, it has opposite leaves and a square stem.

I want you to smell these leaves.

>> Buy, you.

Now that is truly in the mint family.

>> It is wonderful, and it's called mountain mint.

>> Will it grow down here?

>> Sure, it doesn't have to be in the mountains to grow.

Makes a great garden plant.

>> And I'm I think everybody should have one because truthfully I have one too, and it's covered with pollinators all the time.

>> Yeah.

It's wonderful.

<Amanda> Good night everybody.

We want to thank you so much for being with us.

See you next week, right here.

♪ (Closing Music) ♪ ♪ Making It Grow is brought to you in part by The South Carolina Department of Agriculture, certified South Carolina grown helps consumers identify, find and buy South Carolina products.

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