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

We're so glad you can join us tonight.

I'm Amanda McNulty.

I'm a Clemson Extension agent and we pride ourselves on always getting continuing new information, research-based information that happens to me because my wonderful guests come and teach me things that I need to know and I hope is going to help you with your gardening, as well.

Tonight...you're going to learn about Boyd Island Sanctuary.

We have a wonderful interview with a lovely woman whose foundation has been very active in the state.

...then we'll also going to learn about trees.

Fall is the time to plant trees, trees that support pollinators with our state apiculturist Ben Powell and Terasa Lott is of course the Master Gardener coordinator for the state.

That keeps her busy.

keeping up with all their hours and they are a wonderful group of people to have helping other people.

That's the...whole thing, isn't it.

<Terasa> It really is the mission of the program is to help the local horticulture agents to share that research based information so broadly expands our reach.

<Amanda> ...Christopher Burtt, we have a lot of small counties in South Carolina.

For some reason, they decided to give you some of the biggest and most populated ones.

Who all do you try to help down that way?

>>...I cover Berkeley,Charleston and Dorchester Counties.

<Amanda> Gosh!

That's a lot of people with questions, and so many of them who are moving there and really need to learn the ropes all over again.

>> But Berkeley County is the fastest growing county or one of the fastest growing counties in South Carolina.

<Amanda> Whewee!

Okay, and completely different plants and different ways of doing things.

Turf Grass, I bet is a big one Isn't it?

>> One of the biggest.

Absolutely.

[laughs] <Amanda> I hope you can encourage them to minimize the turf and expand the pollinators and other things.

How about that?

>> Absolutely.

<Amanda> Okay and then, for the first time, we're so glad to have Carmen Ketron here, because Carmen is a new agent and we met many, many years ago down in Charleston at the Medical University.

but right now you have moved closer up this way, and you are in the Darlington office, I believe, >> Yes, I'm helping out with all the Pee Dee area, It's my new home.

<Amanda> ...I will say, Carmen, we went to an event for Tony Melton and your talents at decorating are just astonishing.

It was a very special day.

...you made it even more special.

Thank you.

>> Thank you anything for Tony.

<Amanda> That's true.

We sure are happy for that.

Anyway, well, Terasa likes to start us off before we tackle difficult problems that people may be experiencing with some happy things and those are gardens of the week.

<Terasa> Yes, it has become such a fun part of the show where we take a look at what you're doing in your yards and gardens.

So, let us begin with Liz and Kevin Monaghan who shared their potted mums from last year.

They were prompted by listening to one of our segments and wanted to share that they had great success.

Thanks for some advice from an old farmer is how she described it.

<Amanda> That's great.

<Terasa> Uh huh.

Tom Proctor shared a Georgia Aster in such a vibrant purple color.

From Catherine Webb, not her yard but she shared Richard and his canine companion, Buddy in front of the Georgetown Extension Office sign.

That was a neat photo.

Sherri Kistemaker included some yellow and orange cosmos.

And then we wrap up with Samantha Moses who sent in a very neatly arranged vegetable garden.

So thanks to all of you for sharing your photos.

Unfortunately, we can't share them all on air but we enjoy seeing them on our Facebook page and encourage you to send in your photos whenever you see a call for them.

<Amanda> Well, thank you Terasa, and it is nice to see what people who get out and do a better job than I do.

>> Me too.

>>Happening in their yard.

Well, Terasa, you usually compile some questions.

Sometimes people send them to you, you get them from Facebook, and all sorts of different sources.

So, whom should we start with to try to help?

<Terasa> We are going to aim to help Ed in Harleyville.

He says, and congratulations, Ed, for having your soil tested.

I had my soil tested and received the results.

Can you help me understand the information?

<Amanda> Oh, gosh, there's a lot on there, Christopher.

...you said that it's critically important that we do this.

...so help us understand why it's so important.

...how should we look at our soil test results.

<Christopher> So absolutely, I encourage people to get soil tested at least once every three years, if not more often, depending on what you're growing.

But, soil testing is really going to help us understand the chemical analysis of our soil.

...one of the biggest things that I would encourage people to always look at first is your pH, which is going to measure the acidity of your soil, which is very important, because that's going to help determine how well plants are able to absorb or take up the nutrients that we're actually testing for.

So that's usually the first thing.

<Amanda> ...as I understand it, if you look on the scale, like three or four, you might be able to absorb more of a certain nutrient at that.

But that sweet spot in the middle that we aim for all the essential minerals and nutrients are going to be available at that point.

Is that kind of how it work?

>> Absolutely.

Now some obviously are in more extremes, but really between about six and seven is really the ideal spot that we kind of want to be in again, depending on the plant specifically.

But if you're outside of that range, those plants are going to show deficiencies, even if you have plenty of that nutrient available in your soil.

Absolutely.

<Amanda> Okay.

...then there are other things like the soil texture thing, the cation exchange capacity.

...that's one that - is that one affect how much organic matter is that was a reflection of that to some extent.

<Christopher> So, cation exchange capacity, to put it in layman's terms is the ability of the soil to hold on to the cations or the nutrients that we're really talking about ...so if my cation exchange capacity, which is the CEC generally found towards the bottom of your soil tests, if that is going to be lower, a lot of times that means that I have sandier soils.

If I have more clay or organic matter, that's going to increase the cation exchange capacity.

Generally, the higher the cation exchange capacity, the better my soil holds a lot of those nutrients, I don't have to necessarily fertilize nearly as often.

<Amanda> Okay, and then some people say, Well, I'm just going to go to the big box store and... do it myself, but I believe the buffer pH is important because if I had a sandy soil, and my PH were, say, 5.5, and you had a clay soil, the amount of lime we'd have to apply could be radically different.

<Christopher> Correct.

So that buffer pH is actually going to help us calculate or at least help the lab calculate exactly how much lime you're going to need to add in order to change that pH.

So the buffer pH is basically your soils ability to kind of hold off on channel at once.

How easy is it to shift it.

So usually, the better that soil buffer pH, the easier it is to change that soil pH and what <Amanda> generally we have to raise our pH in our old soils here, and what's the best product generally to do that some people talk about this instant lime, but I've heard that's not the better way to go.

<Christopher> So that's kind of a tricky question, because it really depends on what you have micro nutrient wise.

So there's two main groups of limestone, and that's going to be dolomitic lime, and calcitic lime...so if you have more calcium in your soil, generally you're going to go with dolomitic line, because that's going to have more magnesium.

>> which is another essential >> - Exactly.

Another essential micro nutrient.

If I have very low calcium, then generally I'm going to add calcitic lime in order to improve that calcium.

<Amanda> ...so when you go through a lab like ours at Clemson, you get a lot more information than if you just went and stuck up, got some instant tests <Christopher> Well, not only do those instant tests aren't as accurate as we really want them to be, but the lab will actually give you a breakdown of you know, what you should be fertilizing with, you know what type of limestone a lot of times, and of course, you know how much to put out and so they do a lot of the calculations for you.

Whereas if you did the test at home, even if you are able to get an accurate reading, you still have to go through and do all the calculations yourself.

<Amanda> Sometimes.

If I ...have two and a half acres and so it's hard for me to get maybe the total amount that it wants, but as I understand it, if you can't get it all out at once, your soil will react well to just getting some of it out, <Christopher> No, you're absolutely correct.

...so even if you do get a small portion of that limestone out, you are still able to - that soil is going to have a good reaction to it, and so obviously, if we have a large area, it takes a lot of limestone to change the pH, and so the idea is, ...if we can't do it all at once, don't feel like you have to and you can do it gradually.

<Amanda> I really do appreciate it.

Those 40 pound bags get kind of heavy.

Okay.

Well, Terasa.

What, what else should we try to help someone with?

<Terasa> How about we try to help Bethany in Florence.

Bethany said that she'd like to grow some plants from seed for the first time and would like information on how do you know when to plant the seeds?

...How do you know how to take care of them?

<Amanda> Oh, well, I wish I could figure all that out.

I've been at it for 71 years now.

Help us out here.

<Carmen> Sure.

I love seeds.

I have like most gardeners a big ole' collection at home, usually.

<Amanda> So, some people have lipsticks and you have seeds.

<Carmen> Exactly.

That's exactly right.

I collect some people collect purses.

Some people collect model trains, I collect seeds.

...so one of the big ones is right around, now, you're getting all your seed catalogs in and you get a little bit crazy.

...that's what I love to do.

I love to go on seed buying.

A lot of people when they're buying from catalogs, or a lot of these are available in your stores, your small Ace Hardwares, whatever you have going, but the best part about seed packets is that all the information is right there on the back usually, and it'll always give you a nice, little information.

<Amanda> So, give us an example.

Pick one and... <Carmen> Here's your touch tone gold beads.

>> Okay.

>> One of our favorites, I know.

...the best part about this is that on the front, you'll always have whether or not they are cool season or warm season.

A lot of the times if you're getting something from say Burpees seed packets, they'll even have a picture of the United States on there.

Oh, and it'll tell you right around the time, the month that it's a good time to grow.

Down here in the south a lot of stuff, it's a little bit different than, say the Mid Atlantic or the north where we have not only spring but what I call second summer in the fall, where you can just keep growing other stuff that you don't think you can grow.

<Amanda> Tony says something funny, like it's summer, still summer, summer again and maybe fall.

<Terasa> Summer, summer, still summer and Christmas.

[laughs] <Carmen> Exactly.

...so one of the big things is that we like to go with varieties, often they're made for Southern climates, yes.

...so a lot of the times you will find that it will say, Oh, you can plant in spring and fall.

It's all there on the information.

It also tells you how long you can expect for it to grow, or your days to maturity or your days to harvest.

...a lot of times it will also tell you whether or not it is heirloom or a first generation hybrid, and that can help you in your decisions on whether or not you want to try and save those seeds.

My favorite part though, is seeds.

They're all different sizes.

So I like to look on the back to look at seeding depth.

Oh, because if you have a big old seed, you want to bury it a little bit deeper.

But if it's a smaller seed, it'll tell you within about a quarter of an inch, 30 minutes that how much you have to do, but also spacing, how far away you should be spacing it for your home garden.

That's incredibly important, especially with our beads or root vegetables, because you want to have enough space for them to grow and develop those roots and then another one is when we can start to look to sow outside or if we need to start indoors.

<Amanda> Okay.

That's a whole 'nother fun thing, but your seed packet can give you a lot of the information, and some of these fun ones, you can actually cut out what your seed packet was, and stick it on little popsicle sticks.

So you can always remember it.

Or I like to keep them in little picture books so I can keep remembering what I planted.

Because I'm not very good at putting out a little stakes in the garden.

...I forget and then something pops up like oh, what did I plant?

Yeah, so all of your information is usually right there on the seed packet.

So I encourage everybody to take a look.

...a lot of other information can be found right in the catalog.

So I would say go to your favorite seed stores or your seed companies, ask for a free catalogue.

They'll send them right down.

They'll mail them to you for free usually and it's the best Christmas present, because in the winter when it's a little cold, all I like to do is pop right through those catalogs.

<Amanda> I think at Clemson HGIC, we have a very interesting fact sheet as well, which is called not planting, but planning a garden, and it gives you the Upstate, the MidState and the coast, and dates when you can do things there, which also has helped me.

<Carmen> That is my number one resource as well.

anyone who comes down here and is asking, when can I start planning for my vegetable garden or for my flower garden, I just hand them over that planning a garden.

It gives the specific date ranges not only for spring, but also for fall and summer and you can't go wrong.

<Amanda> Okay.

People have had trouble sometimes getting seats, because with the lifestyle changes we've made during the pandemic, everybody's wanted to garden.

...I believe that our producer is going to put up a list of some places that maybe you wouldn't people wouldn't be familiar with.

So if you can't find something at your normal places, try some of these local and you said you really liked dealing with some of our local seed companies.

<Christopher> Yeah, absolutely, including some of the local hardware stores that they bring in seeds locally and so it makes it nice to go out and shop and you know, the seeds are all free and loose.

You're not buying them in packets, but it is pretty cool.

But yeah, finding seed, it may not be as difficult as one thinks, you just have to know where to look.

<Amanda> Just a little bit of extra effort.

Well, I think your Christmas stocking is going to rattle it'd be full of all kinds of fun things.

I hope it doesn't get wet and start sprouting over the mantelpiece though.

<Carmen> Oh no, but they do make great stocking stuffers.

Can't beat it.

<Amanda> That's really true.

Yeah.

We mentioned earlier that we had a trip to the Boyd Island Sanctuary, which is a shoal it's in the Shoals part of the river where three rivers come together.

And we visited there with Susan Boyd and learned why she wanted to protect this very special place and other places in South Carolina.

♪ classical music ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ <Amanda> I am at a pretty remarkable place, the confluence of the Saluda, Broad and Congaree River.

...I'm speaking with Susan Boyd, and we are on Boyd Island.

Susan, this is a remarkable place.

<Susan> It is.

<Amanda> Thank you for what you have done to make this accessible to people who love to get out in nature and see such beautiful places.

<Susan> Would you like to know when this began?

>> I would.

<Susan> Well, I had been on a garden trip to Pennsylvania and they have a river there for all the school, I think.

And we were taking a tour and we went out in the country.

...when we came back down the banks of the river, I realized that it was a walkway but a very, very rough one.

But there had been bicycles on it and walking trails - but it would be a tough walk.

So I looked at that and I thought they have two rivers, I think and we have three, and not one thing has been done to our rivers to make them accessible and something needed to be done.

So, I called Mike Dawson of The River Alliance and told him my feelings and he said Mrs. Boyd I will call Donnie, my husband, Donald and tell him what I have and it was this island, nothing had been done about getting to this island.

So when we first came over, we had to walk through the water, which came up a little above my knees.

...so that was the beginning.

Well, Donnie was certainly an outdoor man.

And so he was thrilled to have something to work on the river.

...so from there, we've gotten this far which is really quite far.

The most wonderful people work with this river and keep things going.

...I think it's really exciting.

<Amanda> ...Susan, one of the things that's so nice is that now, which the River Alliance tries to make rivers accessible to people, we don't have to walk through water.

Now, we have a beautiful walkway.

So people with strollers or people who maybe just need a firm footing can come and you've got exquisitely designed sculptures.

There are benches.

Yeah.

I mean, the whole thing is just remarkable.

...we're at one of those special places, because we're right on the fall line.

So these are unusual places, because we're right where the river stops having any white water in it, and it goes calm and so that's where we find this the most wonderful spider lilies, Saluda Shoal Spiders Lilies and all are here.

So it is.

And y'all have left most of it completely as it is, just carved out enough to make it accessible.

<Susan> ...that's the way it will stay.

<Amanda> Susan, your husband, who was a very kind man, and quite an outdoors man was also very successful.

And the reason you've been able to make this generous gift to the citizens of South Carolina and visitors is because of the Susan and Darnall Boyd Foundation.

...so tell me a little bit about the foundation and what things you enjoy supporting.

<Susan> Well, we support schools, scholarships, the Sand Hill schools for dyslexics.

We are big supporters of that.

We have couples by the way, I think it's interesting.

We have one couple who has just moved from Alaska, to bring their children down to the Sand Hill School so they can learn to read and write.

...there are many children out there, and the school is lovely.

We just gave a 9 room building because they've outgrown the other parts ...I have asked if I can order the math class.

I've never been able to do math, and that's what I tell the children, out there.

I said, if I have had this school, I would be smart as all of you.

<Amanda> The arts are important to you as well.

<Susan> Yeah, yeah.

<Amanda> Boyd Plaza at the Columbian Museum of Art, I believe is <Susan> Yeah.

Absolutely.

<Amanda> Named for your son.

The one you lost.

Yeah.

Darnall.

<Susan> Yeah, that's right.

<Amanda> then, environmental things, Bob White research.

<Susan> All sorts of things.

>> It goes on and on, doesn't it?

<Susan> Ah, well, he loves to shoot.

So, the Wateree gun club down the Sumter highway has some very interesting things to shoot at that are not alive.

So, don't.

Yeah!

...they even have a place for people who have been injured.

in war or something to shoot.

...I'm told they love that.

>> Of course they do.

>> We need to use it - yeah.

<Amanda> I mean, people hate to give up something that is so important to them because of an injury.

<Susan> That's right.

<Susan>...y'all made it possible for them to continue.

<Susan> It's for wheelchairs.

<Amanda> Yes, yeah.

<Susan> So, we try to do a lot of different things.

I wish my Donald was here now.

But, he set this up, and George Bailey carries it on, and make sure that it all gets done.

So anyway, I have a lot of fun knowing that we're doing a lot of good.

<Amanda> And if I might say, the historic houses.

<Susan> Oh, yeah.

The historic houses.

Yeah.

...and the gardens there - Keith Mearns is a gardener and he is doing a great job.

...we're getting ready now to under light all the oak trees around that house.

<Amanda> How beautiful!

<Susan> because there's no light out there at night.

<Amanda> And I believe you have an interest in the zoo.

<Susan> Oh, yeah, >> You'll have them make improvements.

<Susan> Yeah.

I call them the fish tanks.

But I think that's not quite good enough.

But you know what I'm talking about.

And they are tearing up what's there, and redoing the whole thing.

And the fish tanks, they are more important to children than anything else to have out there.

<Amanda> Well, you are encouraging conservation and appreciation of wildlife in nature.

<Susan> Yeah.

<Amanda> Susan, I want to thank you for joining us here today, and particularly, thank your wonderful husband and the memory of your son, and all the people who are in-laws, <Susan> That's right.

<Amanda> who are working with you to help make these beautiful projects possible.

>> But we have another son, who is a huge help to me, wants to come out here more.

He lives in Charleston.

...he's also coming up to take me to a party.

...that's very important.

[laughs] So, I have fun with him too.

<Amanda> His name of course is?

<Susan> He's Taylor.

<Amanda> Yeah.

Well, I know he enjoys coming here and appreciating this beautiful spot.

Thank you Susan, <Susan> Every time I come it gets really more beautiful.

♪ classical music ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ <Amanda> I hope that you'll take the opportunity to go out to this very, very, very special place and to get directions on finding it.

If you go to the River Alliance, they can tell you how to find all the places that they have opportunities for people to interact with water around the Columbia area It really is cool.

My name sweet neighbor next door Freedom Spradley had this begonia that was out there blooming and she said I could get something from my hat.

It's in a very protected spot.

And then I've got a Blue Ginger Lily, there's a little bit of that in there.

Once again, I hope that Edward doesn't notice that I cut his flower.

You know, I've had several little run ins with him about taking his favorite flowers.

...then the beautiful one of those lighter colored anus that are so pretty and don't get quite so big and brighten up a shady area of your garden.

That was a lot about a hat.

Terasa.

Let's try to help somebody else.

<Terasa> You know, there's never a shortage of questions.

...the great thing about South Carolina is you can grow something in the vegetable garden almost all year round.

So this is from David in Hollywood.

He would like to know if there's anything he could plant in his vegetable garden now.

<Amanda> Okay.

Well, Christopher, what's something that would be fun...for him to put in?

<Christopher> So yeah, absolutely.

So you can still grow a lot of your different greens, your regulars, your lettuces, things like that.

Probably, one of my favorite things to plant right now is garlic.

>> Garlic?

<Christopher> Yes.

So garlic, which surprisingly does grow in South Carolina, is generally something you're actually going to plant in the fall to harvest next summer.

>> Next summer?

<Christopher> Next summer.

So you have to give it time, it does need time to grow, to establish to actually bowl, but once it's ready to go, you just let the tops die off and you go out and ...you have garlic, your fresh garlic.

<Amanda> Now, is there soft and hard garlic?

Which one do we grow?

<Christopher> There's multiple different types of garlic.

There's the soft neck garlic, which is the one you generally find in the grocery store.

>> It doesn't seem soft when you're trying to match it.

<Christopher> It's the neck that they're talking about.

Yeah, so that's the top part.

So, hard neck garlic is the one that generally we're going to grow a little bit more of in this area.

The soft neck's, the one that you're going to put in the grocery stores because it doesn't produce a seed stock, but there are a couple other ones.

There's the silverskin, as well as the Creole garlic, which is one that's a little bit milder, but does a little bit better in the heat here.

So generally you can actually have it a little bit longer in the ground.

Then you have one that's not a true garlic, but you have the elephant garlic, which also does exceptionally well.

So there's a lot to choose from.

My recommendation is that if you do go out looking for what type of garlic to grow, try to get garlic that is produced locally, because you are planting the cloves, not from seed.

You're planting the cloves, so those cloves are going to be used to wherever they're grown.

<Amanda> Okay, so you may have to call a garden, a locally owned garden center or something that specializes <Christopher> either that or one of these seed companies, that's going to be fairly low.

<Amanda> That's right, because they could just mail them to you.

>>Absolutely.

>> Great.

Well, I think you've given me an idea of something today.

Thanks a lot.

<Christopher> Of course.

<Terasa> Talking about ideas.

I think we might have had a demonstration on the show one time about how to make herb infused olive oils.

And so I have tried it we've got a fact sheet on HGIC and I loved to use garlic to infuse and it makes a nice.

You mentioned like stocking stuffer.

It makes a great Christmas gift.

So, you could grow the garlic and then create the oil and give that away as a handmade item.

<Amanda> - and have half of your salad dressing preparation already done.

>> Right.

<Amanda> Wonderful idea.

Thanks Terasa.

Okay, well, shoot us another one.

<Terasa> This question comes in from Mary in James Island.

Mary asks, I love going to restaurants and getting micro greens on my meal.

Can I grow those at home?

Even if I don't have a yard?

<Amanda> Uh huh.

Well, Carmen and help us out here.

<Carmen> I was so excited when I heard this was the question, because I actually had some all grown up just for us.

<Amanda> Oh!

>> Yeah.

So I thought I'd bring in mine.

These are our micro greens.

...as you can see, I overseeded them, that's what you kind of want to do.

You want to grow them all over, but you can do them right from home with any type of mix of seeds.

This one's radish, broccoli, clover, and alfalfa.

>> Oh.

<Carmen> they only take about 14 days.

They'll grow up, but we only really want maybe the cotyliens or those primary leaves in the first couple of true leaves.

Yes.

...then I'm going to take some scissors and I'm just going to cut it down.

...they won't grow back now, but they are absolutely delicious, like our questioner said, on top of tacos, soups, any of your hamburgers, and they're super nutritiously dense, and it's really easy to grow.

Very low maintenance, I can grow them indoors or outdoors.

So it doesn't take much time.

it's pretty much anywhere you want to grow, you can grow it.

<Amanda> and I've got a back porch, that's glass, so that would be pretty warm, and I didn't know you could mix them.

So if you've got a lot of seeds that you intended to plant and didn't, you could and they were fall crops, you could just mix them together and scatter them over a sterile potting soil.

You don't want to use garden soil.

Is that correct?

<Carmen> That's absolutely correct potting soil only or some type of sterile mix.

So one of the big questions that Christopher and I were talking about was the compost or something, it can hold that bacteria in it.

So you definitely want to try a sterile mix because you're cutting them and you're often eating them raw, yes, a nice little wash, but they're, they're raw.

So you want to stare on mix to make sure you're not transferring anything.

<Amanda> And then it's always better when you're doing something like that, on this scale to start off with the fresh so we're not going to use this reuse the potting soil and it really doesn't have to be a container quite as deep either.

I don't believe.

<Carmen> No.

>> - because it's just about like so.

So just add that to your compost ...just add a little bit more, get some wash to container and then put in fresh, sterile potting soil and have at it and you say it takes about two weeks generally and then you when you when you when you harvest.

<Carmen> Exactly.

This one's about seven days old, but 14 to 16 days, pretty much any of your fall stuff that you forgot to put out: Broccoli, arugula, radishes, even sunflower seeds and peas, you can just grow up and snap them right down.

But you definitely want to wait for them until they're ready and then cut them immediately before serving <Amanda> Right at supper time.

>> Yeah.

>> ...then I could have five or six containers.

I could have some.

I mean, if you if you really like them that much, you could have a whole little window full of them.

<Carmen> Yep, you can just do a succession planting like today.

We could start another one.

...then it would just succeed on and it's really easy.

It takes little to no water because they're so gentile, the one thing I do suggest is taking it and doing a spritz watering as opposed to a hose, because a lot of times you don't want to put these very deep in the ground.

You just want to sprinkle them overseeding them, pat them down and so if you were to take a hose that can kind of disperse the seeds where you don't want them.

So a nice little spritz like that will usually do them good.

>> Alrighty, <Carmen> A little dab will do ya.

<Amanda> Can't wait.

Oh, gosh, I may have to take tomorrow off.

<Carmen> You want to try some?

>> I would.

Thank you.

>> Mmmm.

Mmm.

Mmm.

That's better than Halloween candy.

[laughing] Thank you so much.

<Carmen> You're very welcome.

<Amanda> Okay, Terasa, some people actually have more than just one corner of their yard that's pretty, and they get to be the spotlight garden.

Do we have someone for this week?

<Terasa> If we do, you're right.

I'm jealous, because when I take photos of my yard, I can pick and choose and you don't have to see the entire thing.

Today we're viewing the yard of Dave Crutchfield in Mount Pleasant.

Dave has incorporated what we would consider green infrastructure, water management practices that protect, restore or mimic the natural water cycle.

So you can see rain barrels in this photo with the bright yellow helianthus and permeable pavers near the bright purple Sauvia.

Dave is having success with the tree fruits, quite a few lemons on the lemon tree and a close up of developing kumquats.

This Low Country yard has a tropical feel and a magnificent coastal sunset.

Thanks, Dave, for sharing just a little glimpse of your yard with us and all of our viewers.

<Amanda> Thank you, Terasa.

You know, there's a secret to eating kumquats.

>> Really?

<Amanda> Yeah, you have to put the whole thing in your mouth and bite down real quick, because the sweetness is in the peel and if you just get inside it's - it'll turn your mouth.

It's real sour.

So you just pop it in.

<Terasa> The whole thing.

I would have a hard time with that, because I'm not one to just chomp on the whole thing <Amanda> Well, you were just too delicately reared.

Let's see, have we got another question.

We can squeeze in?

<Terasa> We do.

Karen in Charleston says with winter on its way.

Do I need to do anything special to my perennials?

I have lots of coneflower BlackEyed Susan and milkweed.

<Amanda> Okay.

Well, fall, a good time to plant, but how about dividing and moving and which gives you - helps you expand?

And you can share with neighbors sometimes.

What do y'all think?

<Carmen> Oh, yeah, it's great time.

<Christopher> So it's really a perfect time to divide.

So as you mentioned, it's a really good time to plant, which means a lot of plants are actually going to prefer to be transplanted at this time.

And so what we can do with certain plants is go ahead and take them up, divide the root stock, root system, and actually be able to spread them either throughout the yard or give them as gifts to neighbors, but one of the big ones we want to avoid, though, is milkweed does not respond well to dividing.

<Amanda> Oh, okay.

...so many people are putting that out, of course, because of the monarchs.

Well, how about some that are good to do, now?

How about day lilies or things like that?

<Carmen> I love day lily, perfect time for any Monardas.

We love to do, you can do rudbeckia both ways, as well as all your echinacea right now.

<Amanda> All right.

<Carmen> Very great.

<Amanda>...so just... sharply do it so that you don't damage the roots and just move them and then I guess you do want to give them some supplemental water for a couple of days until they seem pretty well established.

But those things that are going to kind of go dormant, we won't have to worry about quite so much, because it's not like they're actively growing.

<Christopher> So, I do encourage using a serrated blade, so that way, just a sharp blade unfortunately you have to put a lot of pressure on it, but the serrated blade makes a little bit of a cleaner cut, and an old bread knife from the kitchen, if you have one that's maybe a little rusty, take it out in the garden, clean it up and use it out there.

By far the best thing to use to divide, because that way you can make multiple cuts to it in that way cuts the roots without tearing anything or pulling anything.

But you're absolutely right.

Do make sure that you water well.

Right after you have divided water while you still allow those roots systems to settle into the soil.

<Amanda> I've got a beautiful bridal wreath Spirea that's just gotten huge.

...I'd like to get some more of it and I feel like since it doesn't have just a stem, that I could go in and probably divide it this time of year.

...I've got a hybrid forsythia that has big beautiful flowers larger than most - How about that?

<Christopher> So, a lot of your cane growing shrubs or vase growth shrubs are really going to do well divided, because again, that crown is going to be really right at the root system versus it doesn't have that main central trunk and so Spirea and forsythia are really good examples of shrubs that generally can be done now.

<Amanda> ...instead of a bread knife, my favorite tool now is the Sawzall.

I use it constantly, constantly in the garden.

You laugh all you want, but it is so much easier...>> Amanda.

>> It is the most easiest, and really, and you just and the new ones are so much easier if you don't have one of the new ones that's got that easy battery to change, get yourself a new one, I dig holes with it.

I have the best time.

I've never in my life loved anything like a Sawzall, I cut butternut squash with it.

rutabagas is just a lifesaver.

<Terasa> Talk about a multipurpose tool.

<Amanda> I don't care if it's rusty.

That's a little more iron, we all need extra iron in our diets.

<Terasa> You know, I just want to mention not to forget that people can collect seeds from the milkweed.

So we might not be able to divide them because they don't do well.

But I know I've seen seed pods maturing on my milkweed.

So go ahead and take advantage of that and propagate from seed.

<Amanda> ...they had those beautiful, wonderful... you know, wind disbursed seed pods when they do make a seed pod, it's a joyful thing to see.

All right, well, thank y'all so much.

I'm going to go home and charge up my battery.

We've often talked about fall being the right time to plant.

It's just so much easier, and you have so much better success rate.

- Ben Powell who's our state apiculturist just gave us some great ideas on trees that we can plant that will help our pollinators.

I'm speaking today with Ben Powell and Ben is the coordinator of Clemson's apiculture and pollinator program.

And we realize, I think that every third bite of what we eat is responsible to European honeybees or native pollinators, and that can include flies and all kinds of things.

But Ben, fall is a good time for us to add plants to our landscape because the roots can grow and try to get a balance between the top and the bottom which doesn't occur in that container when you bring it up from the store.

And there are some plants that you can suggest that we start looking for in our nurseries as...those fall plants are coming in.

That would be good to add to our landscape to support both the European honeybees and native pollinators, as well.

<Ben> Right.

So what's the old adage, proper planning prevents poor pollinator performance?

[laughs] No.

We need to be thinking right now about what foods we are going to provide for honey bees and pollinators as we manage our landscapes.

And if we're thinking about next year right now is the time to be thinking about what woody plants are important for pollinators.

Believe it or not in South Carolina - actually woody plants are the dominant pollinator plants and are the most critical, especially in the springtime.

<Amanda> Are our little native pollinators going to be poorly impacted if we jump to these woody plants?

Or can they use those as sources for food as well?

<Ben> Well, actually a lot of pollinators will also visit woody trees.

Now lots of times we think of pollinators and fields of wildflowers, right.

And that's the perfect habitat.

But that's not really what the pollinators in South Carolina evolved with, right.

We're mostly a forested habitat.

And so woody trees really are one of the primary food sources for both native pollinators and are imported in managed honey bees.

<Amanda> Well...let's start with ones that you, - Let's go through the seasons and see which ones which are some you think we should consider?

<Ben> Sure.

So let's start off right at the beginning of the year and kind of go through the growing seasons and talk about which woody trees are blooming and how important they are.

I think one of the trees that is largely overlooked is the red maple.

Now the red maple is pretty abundant across South Carolina, we see a lot of it in wild landscapes.

It does like a little bit more moist habitat than a lot of our yards can support.

But that tree blooms as early as January, especially down in the Low Country and provides a really critical food source for honeybees as they begin to build up for the spring nectar flow.

So with a lack of red maples, we would have a tough time building honeybee colonies that would be able to collect nectar and honey.

<Amanda> ...I might add, I've seen situations where if people will place a red maple in a large bed that's filled with plants and not surrounded by turf grass, they generally can have a successful red maple growing in their yard.

<Ben> And that's exactly where I have mine and it's super happy.

So there, you know, the springtime is a time of plenty and there are dozens of different trees and shrubs we could talk about.

So instead of going through the whole list, we would direct people to check out our fact sheets and pollinators.

But there are a few that I definitely want to highlight.

Willow trees.

Now, willow trees we think of as wind pollinated right?

But, - they're actually a very important pollen and nectar source of for bees mainly the pollen is what they're most critically supplying.

...then any of those trees that produce some sort of fruit or berry are probably going to support a pollinator of some sort and are likely going to support the honeybees.

Those include things like Hollies, they include things like the crab apples, locust trees, cherry trees, wild plums, but there are a couple trees that we've lost over time, which are really important and we would love to see people try to bring back into their landscape.

One of those trees is the basswood.

Now...the basswood tree in the West is known as the linden tree, but the American basswood used to be really common across South Carolina and we don't see it much anymore.

<Amanda> ...is that one that we can find, you think with a little bit of effort?

<Ben> I would hope so.

I have done a little bit of searching and I found some nurseries that do supply basswood.

It's a relatively slow growing tree.

So it hasn't necessarily been a really common tree that people plant in the home landscape.

<Amanda> Well and I think as you say with a little bit of time and research you can probably find one and mail order I found is a very good way to get things delivered sometimes especially in the fall when it's so hot.

It will get to your house in good shape.

<Ben> Oh yes, yes, most definitely...there's some other good trees too, like Persimmons and Hawthornes.

One group of trees I think a lot of folks ought to consider more would be the gum trees.

...now, down here in the swamps of the Low country we get swamp gum and Water Tupelo, but up in the uplands you can get the black gum Nyssa Sylvatica.

<Amanda> ...I'd like to add that, that is if you want to tree for fall beauty.

Don't plant, don't plant one of those maples, that's not going to color up so much.

It turns red early and holds its leaves for a long, long time.

One of the most overlooked trees for fall beauty I think that there is.

<Ben> Truly love the gums, yes.

Now, summertime though, it gets a little more difficult for pollinators and bees, it'll all those different trees that were blooming in the springtime have quit their bloom cycle, and you get to this period we oftentimes call a dearth.

Now if you lived up in New England, you wouldn't experience this there'd be plants blooming all the way through the summer.

But here the heat and humidity sometimes shut some of the flowering plants down.

We enter a period when there's just not a lot of food available for bees and pollinators.

So we like to, for people to think very specifically about planting foods in that summer period.

Now down at the coast, the palm trees, the Palmetto that you know it's on our flag, or better known as the cabbage palm, that is an important nectar source.

We also have saw palmettos way down in the Low Country near Beaufort, and then as you move your way up the hill or up into South Carolina, you start to encounter things like sumac.

Now, I don't know how many people are actually intentionally planting sumac.

Okay.

Oh, cool, good.

It's kind of thought of as a roadside weedy plant, large shrub or tree, but man for bees, that is a really important nectar source.

<Amanda> I might add that with sumac, they have hollow stems, fiber, the inside of the stem tends to hollow out as fibrous.

And I think that's a good place for a lot of our native pollinators to use as nursery colonies.

<Ben> Sure, like mason bees and leaf cutter bees that actually use a tube to nest in.

Then those of you that live in the Upstate, you've got a lot more options available to you and two of one of the most important.

One is the devil's walking stick.

Now, most people are not too keen on putting a stem in their yard that is covered in thorns, like the devil's walking stick, but when that's in bloom, it is a tremendous pollinator supporter.

<Amanda> And we actually - I live in Calhoun County and it's all over the place.

I don't know if there's something specific to our soils here but I've seen it all over.

I pass it driving to work to Sumter.

I've even one time collected it and used it to make a hat.

[laughs] <Ben> Crown of Thorns I guess.

Well, I love that one.

But there's one tree, one tree above all trees up there in the Piedmont that is known for its nectar and the honey that it produces.

And that is the sour wood.

Thankfully, in South Carolina, the sour wood is fairly common still, and you can find it in wild habitats and in landscapes.

I'm not sure how many people actually intentionally plant it.

But if you do, you will attract pollinators and support honeybees.

<Amanda> And although we think that is for a mountain tree, again, just using my own personal experience in Calhoun County, where we have the sandy soils, it's a roadside tree, and I've had great success growing it in my yard, and I find it quite beautiful.

The trunk is extremely attractive, and pretty, pretty green leaves.

I think anyone would enjoy having that in their landscape, if they got the right condition.

<Ben> Oh Yeah, well, if you look for more than just flower and leaves in the character of the tree, it has a really odd shape to them, and that deep grooved bark, it's got a lot of interest ...you're right, it's really well adapted for really well drained, dry, hot conditions.

So it does well on those southern slopes of the hills in the Piedmont and those deep sandy soils.

<Amanda> How about when we get into to the fall?

<Ben> Well, woody plants are not really well adapted for blooming in the fall, right.

They've got to produce a berry and that berries got to get eaten by a bird and distributed or a nut that takes time to mature and then the husk has to fall.

So there's not a lot of trees that actually bloom in the fall.

But there is one, and that's the witch hazel.

So witch hazel is a really interesting tree that blooms later in the fall, and has...these yellow, almost fringy kind of looking blooms on it.

And is one that not necessarily thought of as a landscape tree so much.

<Amanda> And it's not all that large.

I think we could there are many varieties and cultivars.

I think we could easily find one that would fit in, don't you?

<Ben> Oh, most definitely just about any landscape could find a spot for witch hazel and some never adapted really well for really wet soils and others can handle a little drier conditions.

But that's really it for the Fall woody plants that are blooming.

You know, in the fall, it's really all about the asters and golden rods, the wildflowers, and so if you're trying to provide food for pollinators for the fall, you want to be thinking a lot about perennial and annual flowers that grow through the growing season and bloom in August, September, October.

<Amanda> And then as we get into the mid fall, although not in any way a native, the sasanquas, I think are fabulous, the open ones that have where you can see the stamens and the pistols and all of that.

<Ben> Right.

And I'm glad you said that, Amanda, because, you know, we think pollinators we think we want to have native trees.

And of course that's important for supporting native pollinators.

But even ornamental trees can supply a lot of nutrition to pollinators.

Crape myrtles are an important pollen source for honeybees in the summertime.

You mentioned the camellias, and they bloom when just about nothing else is blooming in South Carolina.

You could even consider planting a Bee-Bee tree.

Now, that's a tree that comes from the Korean Peninsula, but is known to be a prolific honey producer that blooms in that August, early September period.

<Amanda> Another one that I've right where I parked my car - so I notice it all the time is a loquat, a fall bloomer.

...I do very...often stop for a few minutes and enjoy seeing the bees go into those flowers.

<Ben> That's right, and citrus in general is a fairly good and nectar source for bees.

It's unfortunate, we just don't have a lot of varieties that will over winter all of what's all across the state.

<Amanda> Well, Ben, thank you so much.

I can't wait for things - We were beginning to see things cool off a tiny bit, and I know it'll get better - we hope.

...it's a great time to plant.

Clemson has wonderful fact sheets, of course, telling you how to plant a tree and how to plant a shrub.

So do, get the information and do it correctly, and and let's all do our part, and as you say these are things that will be there long after you and I are too old to plant to go out and dig a hole.

We really are planting for the future when we plant some of these larger woody plant materials.

...that's a good way to think about leaving a positive legacy on the earth, isn't it?

<Ben> That's right, and it takes a lot of flowers to produce that golden nectar and honey that we love to eat.

And so the more flowers we can put out there, the better the bees will do and the more honey will be available to us in the future.

<Amanda> Thanks so much.

<Ben> Thanks.

Since this is Thanksgiving week, we thought we'd say what we were thankful for.

We are thankful for our viewers.

Thank you for sticking with us through what's been kind of a difficult year, and particularly for me, my wonderful crew members here at SCETV and Sumter.

They are just the best possible, imaginable.

Terasa?

<Terasa> I'm thankful for so many things, but especially during the holidays that I had time to spend with my grandmother learning how to bake and I can carry on those holiday traditions.

<Christopher> I'm thankful for my amazing wife and all the wonderful plants that are now blooming that of course they're bringing all the wonderful pollinators to the garden.

<Carmen> I'm thankful for, of course my husband, but also my entire new Clemson Extension family, most of them.

<Amanda> ...I thank for things to munch on.

Thanks to you.

Chomp, chomp.

Night, night.

♪ ♪ 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.