Announcer>> 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.

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

We're so glad that you can join us tonight.

I'm Amanda McNulty.

I'm a hort agent with Clemson.

And I get to come over here and be with really smart people and have continuing education all the time.

It's wonderful.

A little bit later, we're going to show you a really fun place we went to, Fox Hideaway Farms and talk with Mary Vargo about some things she has coming up in Greenville, where she is the horticulture agent.

But first, Terasa Lott.

Terasa, we're so glad to have you with us and all the things you do for us and all the things you do for Master Gardeners.

How are they nearing the end of their course?

Have they finished it for this year?

Terasa>> Yes, so a brand new class of Master Gardeners about to step out and start volunteering, and this is a busy time of the year: lots of Ask a Master Gardener clinics where they answer questions and events where they make plants available to the public.

Amanda>> You know, it's a wonderful thing because as agents, we're supposed to be kind of the interpreter between the brains, the real smart people who are doing all the research.

And then I feel like the Master Gardeners help us in what we do getting information to consumers, don't you?

Terasa>> They sure do.

It's like a conduit to get the information out there.

Amanda>> Yeah, thanks for making it easy for them to learn.

Okay.

And Kerrie Roach, you are the Horticulture Agent up there in Oconee, and that's one of the few places in the state where I think you can really grow apples.

Kerrie>> Yeah, we're excited to have that cold weather to enable us to still grow apples pretty successfully.

Amanda>> Yeah, isn't that nice?

Yeah, yeah, and I guess we're gonna talk about that some more today, so thanks so much for making the trip in and for bringing Mallory Maher with you.

Mallory, you are the 4-H Agent up there, and you told me early on we were talking that you actually like middle schoolers.

Mallory>> Yes, honestly, my favorite to work with is probably middle schoolers.

They're just so fun, and you can really still capture their interests and get them really excited about things.

And then when you get them hooked at that age, they carry that with them their entire lives.

Amanda>> And I think you said that you really like to talk to them about pollinators, and they seem interested.

Mallory>> Oh, yeah, pollinators, wildlife, gardening, really anything that they can get their hands dirty and hands on activities, they love.

Amanda>> Well, and it's nice that you're kind of making another generation of ecologists, which we need all we can get, don't you think?

And Casey Cooper came from Cooper's Nursery, which is out near the State Archives Building outside of Columbia.

Real easy to get to, though, aren't you?

Casey>> Oh, yeah, right there where two or three, you know, interstates meet.

So real easy access, off of 77, 277, but seven, eight miles out of downtown Columbia.

Amanda>> And one of the things that was...

I was chatting with you earlier, and we talked about people doing the right things, and y'all have things that used to be things people wanted to plant all the time, y'all are saying now, we only have the native wisterias, and we don't have the old variegated privets that everybody wanted, that becomes so invasive.

Casey>> Yeah.

Trying to get away from a lot of the, you know, invasive stuff.

No more Bradford pears, stuff like that.

Amanda>> Yeah, and you know, and it really is nice, because you can say, "This is so much better a plant."

You'll enjoy it more.

It's got fewer problems, and so y'all can kind of guide people in the right direction.

Casey>> We can.

Amanda>> Well, thank you for coming in and bringing some exciting things to talk about today.

Well, Terasa, we try to start off before we have difficult questions with the "Gardens of the Week," and people send you pictures, and you compile them.

And then they're even more on our Facebook page.

So we try to tell people not to get their nose out of joint if they didn't get picked.

Terasa>> That's right, we receive far more photographs than we could possibly show in just one episode.

But this has become such a fun part of the show called "Gardens of the Week" where we sort of take a virtual field trip and get to see what you're doing in your yards, gardens, perhaps inside your home, or perhaps also beautiful spaces that you visited in the state.

So we begin with Janet Kuehnle who shared her Styrax japonicus, also called Japanese Snowbell.

From Matt and Ruth Hurley, a red Asiatic Lily.

Annette Mishoe shared assorted colors of Verbena with one little pansy peering out.

It must be a leftover from the fall and winter season.

Dennis Johnson has a beautiful Purple Iris.

And last but not least, we finish up with Sharon Smith who sent a cross vine that is just magnificent.

It's like a complete wall of flowers.

So thanks to everyone who shared.

Do remember, as Amanda mentioned, visit our Facebook page where you can see lots of additional submissions.

Amanda>> And I was out the other day and looked up and I've got a big clump of pine trees in the middle of my yard, my yard is two and a half acres, which is way more than a 71 year old woman can handle and running up that tree was a cross vine, you know, because they really have kind of funky little ways of crawling, of climbing, and can go up a wooden building pretty well.

There's just...

It's very adaptable.

And I love them dearly.

Okay, well, Teresa, I know you've got some questions for us, so let's start out, shall we?

Terasa>> We do.

That's sort of what Extension is all about.

It's helping people to answer questions and solve problems.

This one came in from Jenna in Walhalla.

She said... She sent a picture.

"What are these spots on my little baby apples?"

Amanda>> On her little baby apples!

Aw, poor little baby apples.

(laughter) Well, Kerrie, since you're up there and have been looking at apples for a lot of growers, and I'm sure you learn from them, and then you try to help them too.

What's going on?

Kerrie>> Yeah, so those little spots on the baby apples, as we call them dearly, we like to endear them, are part of the Cedar Apple Rust lifecycle.

So they're actually...

It infects cedar trees.

And then in the early spring, typically after a heavy rain, those galls that are on the cedar tree will form tilia.

So like little legs that stick out.

Amanda>> It looks like a Sputnik or something, doesn't it?

Kerrie>> Yeah, it's crazy, and it's bright orange, so you will really notice them.

And then by that, then the spores are spread to the apple trees.

And so it can be very unsightly, on the apples and on the leaves.

It's usually not detrimental to the tree.

But if it happens a couple of years in a row, it can defoliate and kill a young tree.

Amanda>> So do the commercial growers take steps to avoid having that happening?

Can they protect their trees from it?

Kerrie>> Yeah, so I actually used to work in Henderson County, North Carolina where there is a huge apple industry.

And in the 80's in North Carolina, they banned and went through and cut down all eastern red cedars because the apple industry is such a big part of their community.

And so now we know that spores can travel upwards of five miles, which that's not really realistic.

But at least getting rid of all of those eastern red cedars that are within a short distance of your apples can help reduce the problem.

So we don't want to cut down all of them.

Amanda>> Well are there some sprays that they use sometimes for protection, or is that generally not necessary?

Kerrie>> In the commercial industry, they do spray to prevent.

Once the infection is there on the tree or on the apple, it's already happened.

As a homeowner, it's not as realistic of an option, pruning out anything that's infected, and then pruning it out if you see it on an eastern red cedar and keeping it at bay that way.

Amanda>> Because it takes two hosts to complete the lifecycle.

Is that correct?

Kerrie>> Yes.

Amanda>> And then I think there's a Quince Apple Rust, and there are several things that happen, aren't there?

Kerrie>> Yeah, there's a Cedar Hawthorne Rust.

I think it's three.

Yeah, and they all have to have that alternate host to complete their lifecycle.

Amanda>> Well, and as you say, the eastern red cedar, they did cut a lot of them down, but Teresa, you and I are so interested in plants that provide habitat.

Eastern red cedar is considered one of the best habitat plants for birds and small mammals, I believe.

Kerrie>> Yeah, yeah, we don't want to... Amanda>> So if you don't have to, I think people should play at them when they can.

(laughter) For one thing, they're really...

It's a good place to go to be warm in the winter because it's got dense foliage.

And then the females, of course, have those wonderful, not berries, but because it's not really a berry, but when those cedar waxwings come through, they really enjoy them, don't they?

Terasa>> Yeah, and in case... We may have mentioned it, but if anyone's confused about, we call them eastern red cedar, but it's actually a juniper, so.

Amanda>> Yeah, yeah.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Again, common names and scientific names.

Okay, Terasa?

Terasa>> All right, well, next we have a question from Trey in Westminster, who says, I'm looking for something fun and educational for my kids to do.

What type of 4-H summer camps are available?

Amanda>> Well, you know, I think everybody's so glad that we're not virtual anymore, because kids are pretty virtualled out.

And I bet if you've got some summer camps, and other agents do, that they're going to be things that are hands on and active.

Mallory>> Yes, I'm also virtualled out.

I'm so happy to be back in person this summer.

It should be a really great experience, especially all the cool things that you're hearing from across the state that the other agents are planning.

One of my personal favorites, I know it's a very popular one with all kinds of kids is 4-H2O.

So 4-H2O's basically any big lakes in our area, so we typically try to have one on Lake Hartwell or Lake Keowee.

But Lake Marion, all those lakes, they usually have a 4-H2O camp, and it's all about giving kids hands on experience in the water, so they can do fun little experiments with like sucky discs or looking for macro invertebrates, which is one of my personal favorite things.

I remember... Amanda>> Well tell people what macro invertebrates are.

Mallory>> Aquatic insects that usually start out their lifecycle in the water and then their adult forms are spent out so an easy example would be dragonflies.

Amanda>> Okay.

Mallory>> Dragonflies start their life cycles in the water.

And then the adult ones, they spend a lot of their life around the water.

Amanda>> So if you go and get some water and bring it out, and y'all start looking at it, y'all can actually pick some of these out and you can identify 'em?

Mallory>> Yup, and so it's crazy.

I remember back when I was a kid, I would play in our creek behind my grandpa's hunting camp, and we'd be out there and I'd catch crayfish and all kinds of little critters.

And I didn't realize that I would actually be doing this eventually as part of a career.

And it really, that memory kind of stayed with me.

And I love doing that because you're never too old to play in a creek and it's just a great experience for all and that activity is definitely one of their favorites in the stream.

Amanda>> Okay, and so if people want to know what's being offered in their areas, because different agents have different things that they're passionate about, just call your local Extension office.

Mallory>> Yep, so call your local Extension office, or even most county 4-H programs have a Facebook page.

So we do a lot of great, pretty advertisements and great fliers, and that's where a lot of word comes out for those.

Amanda>> Okay, so you could let your child have some screen time to look at the 4-H Facebook pages.

Mallory>> Yes, yes, but they like Instagram a lot too.

So 4-H Instagram pages or 4-H Facebook pages would be a great one.

And we advertise a lot of our camps there.

Amanda>> All righty, well, it sounds like fun.

Yeah.

Well, Casey, I think you've been so kind to bring down some things to share with us, and there's this gigantic thing out front, so I guess we should avoid that wet sitting there like that.

What in the world have we got?

Casey>> Yeah, so that's a big Blue Angel hosta.

You know, shade plant, of course, morning sun, it can take a couple hours, but really pretty kind of bluish, bluish green foliage.

Amanda>> Well tell people what hostas do in the winter.

Casey>> So in the winter, they're gonna go dormant, you know, down in the ground.

And then about the end of March, April is when they start popping up.

Depends on the kind of weather we're having that spring.

But you know, they're up for most of the year.

Amanda>> Okay.

And um, so do you try to keep them... Are they pretty hardy as far as cold weather in most of the state?

Casey>> Yeah, very cold hardy.

The main thing is just having them in enough shade.

Amanda>> Okay.

Casey>> Very cold hardy.

The only problems people really have with them is sometimes, you know, underground things like moles or voles eating them, but easy plant.

Amanda>> Well, and I'm just sitting here.

You know, there's so many great colors that containers come in.

Casey>> Oh, yeah.

Amanda>> And this guy makes a pretty big statement already, but I can just imagine, if you had a shady garden or partially shady garden, and you wanted to really add some umph, go and look for a contrasting, you know, container and get him in that up off the ground.

It would just knock people's socks off, wouldn't it?

Casey>> It would.

Amanda>> Yeah, yeah.

Amanda>> Okay.

Well, that is something else.

Thanks so much.

Casey>> Yes, ma'am.

Amanda>> Well, Terasa, occasionally, somebody has been working so hard that they have several areas of a garden to share and we call it "Garden Spotlights."

Did that happen this week?

Terasa>> We do have a Spotlight Garden, but it's just a little bit different this week.

This is from Hope and Colby Collins, and you may remember Hope was a former SCETV intern, and they sent some video footage of their daughter, which I think you'll see is a future gardener in the making.

Amanda>> I guess that means they don't mind if she gets dirty.

Terasa>> No, let's take a look.

It is absolutely precious.

♪ Amanda>> Terasa, you were right, she is precious.

And it was so nice to catch up with our wonderful intern who we enjoyed having with us, and we hope she learned a little bit from us and she was such a help to us.

Terasa>> I think she did, and it looks like she's passing it on to the next generation.

Amanda>> Isn't that fun, yeah?

Well the Ag+Art tour is, I think it started in South Carolina, and I think we have the largest one in the nation.

And it's coming up soon.

And um, we went to Fox Hideaway Farm, and what a time we had!

I even got to do a little goat yoga.

♪ I'm at Fox Hideaway Farm in Eastover, South Carolina talking with Wendy Broman.

Wendy, you are going to be part of the Ag+Art Tour this year.

And for people who don't know what that is, what's the Ag+Art Tour?

Wendy>> The Ag+Art Tour is a chance for people to get out and see farms, the rural areas where you live, around where you live.

But it's also a great way to mix in the artisans.

You know, we bring in the arts, the painters, the singers.

It's great when you have a mix of all of it, and you're supporting local small businesses and your neighbors, really.

Amanda>> And one, there's just all kinds of spin offs, because today I got some vegetables, I got some coffee, got some tea, there were things for Carolina and Clemson and all the sports fans.

And those people who come also help spread the word of what's going on, so it just magnifies the reach that you have to encourage people to come out and see what it's like to be back in the country and how we used to live.

Wendy>> Well, and two, to show people where their food comes from.

You know, it's great.

Amanda>> You all have an unusual program here in that you really are in many ways focused towards kids, and that makes perfect sense, because that's a reason for people who want to get their kids away from the screen to come out.

And so what are some of the things you do so that when the kids come here, they can really have the experience?

Wendy>> Well, during our events, we do pony rides and hay rides.

Occasionally, we have crafts for the kids to do.

In the front pasture, we set up a Kid Zone.

So there's big outdoor games: a huge Connect 4, there's just Jenga, kickball, Frisbees, all kinds of things.

Depending on the month and what's going on, maybe there'll be an Easter egg hunt, or an outdoor trick or treating thing.

Amanda>> Y'all are very flexible.

And it depends on who wants to come and who wants to participate.

Sometimes I think you've had up to 1000 people.

Wendy>> It's probably gone more than that once or twice, but yeah, it's fun, but we have more than enough space.

Amanda>> And the interaction with animals.

One thing it says is "Do not open gates."

And that's a cardinal rule, you do not open gates.

But these animals are dramatically friendly.

And so you can come up and pet them through the wire.

They can pet the horses, you've got chickens that they can wander around and hopefully not run after the chickens, although chickens can outrun anybody.

Wendy>> We see that occasionally they will outrun them.

But there's a cow, there's a pig.

But as far as "do not open the gates," that is very important.

And that's for their safety and the animals' safety.

Amanda>> And another thing you do for the animal safety that I think is just phenomenal is that you have a huge number of dogs that are specifically bred over centuries and centuries and centuries to protect these.

So talk a little bit about those two types of dogs.

Wendy>> Oh, yes, we raise Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherds.

And honestly, my favorite is the mix of the two.

The Great Pyrenees is a lot more laid back, whereas the Anatolian has the more aggressive.

Amanda>> And that's really necessary because with coyotes and other things and other dogs that come from other places, we've got to protect these animals.

And so these little fellas here had their own dog, who we were speaking with earlier, who does nothing but protect them; lives in here with them 24/7.

And even where the babies are born, where if you have the females, the guard dog there, you told me even watches the sky, because a hawk could possibly come in?

Wendy>> Hawks will come in and snatch babies if you're not careful.

So he is one of the best ones we have, for sure.

Amanda>> And then, I imagine that the horses that the children ride and all that, you've selected them to be extraordinarily gentle, not to bite the children, not to run away with the children.

Wendy>> Absolutely, yes.

Um, and with the horses, we've had the question come up a couple of times, you know, why aren't we rotating all six horses or whatever through the pony rides?

Well, four of them are rescues.

So they're not quite ready for that, okay?

Whereas two of them actually belong to myself and a friend of mine, and they came from lesson programs or, you know, Caper retired from the USC Equestrian Team.

We know those horses are safe.

Amanda>> Absolutely, and with goats, one thing that you said you're so careful about is the worm load.

Goats who graze on the ground tend to develop parasites.

And so you want to be certain that your animals are extremely healthy.

You have a veterinarian who comes frequently and checks all the animals.

Wendy>> Absolutely, Ark Veterinarian Services.

Dr. Blackwell's amazing.

And so we've been working together on all of this.

We've adapted their feed, we're, you know, we've introduced BioWorma into it to help with that, plus, they're on a de-worming regimen.

They get hit with Ultra Boss, so we're fighting internal and external parasites.

And Friday actually was the best visit we've ever had, where she reported two of my pastures, no parasites found.

Amanda>> I think what y'all are doing is just a tremendous job.

Wendy>> Well, thank you.

Amanda>> And I want to thank you for letting us come today and have such a wonderful experience.

Wendy>> I appreciate you guys coming out, I really do.

♪ Amanda>> There are Ag+Art programs going on in many counties of the state, so just go to the website and look it up, and then plan some things to do with your family.

You'll have a great time.

And it's a wonderful way to show kids where food comes from and how animals look.

And you know, it's wonderful to get away from the screen.

I guess we could all agree with that and have an experience out in the country.

All righty.

Well, Terasa?

Terasa>> We have Danielle from Belton who has a question for us.

She sent us a copy of her soil test.

"I had my soil tested and the pH came back pretty high.

What might have caused that?"

Amanda>> Aha!

Um, you know, don't get soil test, but it really is critical.

So what do you think's going on here?

Kerrie>> Well, having a high pH is pretty rare in South Carolina, you know, our typical pH is somewhere around a five or five and a half depending on where you are, so seeing one so high is extremely rare, but I would guess that this is either compost or a soil mix that they purchased, and so we have to be really careful when you do that type of thing, if it's not already tested to make sure that you test it.

If it's a high pH, it binds up all those nutrients in the soil and really hangs on to them tight.

Amanda>> And if it's too low, the same thing.

Kerrie>> Yes, yes.

Amanda>> There's like that little sweet spot, isn't there?

Kerrie>> Yep, somewhere around that six, six and a half range.

And what's really surprising, and I never really noticed it until this, is that when you go to the basic side, it happens faster.

So our acidic soil, you know, there's some nutrients still available.

But when you get over seven, a lot of those nutrients bind very quickly.

Amanda>> Wow.

Kerrie>> So it's, it doesn't take much, you know, so anything above a seven and a half is pretty hard for a plant to thrive.

Amanda>> And people say, "Oh, I just use organic nitrogen in my plants," but if your pH isn't correct, no matter what nutrient you're talking about, there's a slot at which it's just not available.

And you can throw money and nutrients and fertilizer out there all day long, and it's just not going to do a bit of good.

And the worst is that, if the plant can't take it up, is just going to wash away and add to pollution, possibly.

Kerrie>> Yeah, it's, I mean, that's a hard situation, because you think, "Oh, I have all these nutrients."

But like you said, it's that groundwork, it's like going to the doctor every year, you have a physical every year to kind of lay the groundwork.

We need to do the same thing with our soil testing.

Amanda>> And, you know, a lot of people say, "Well, I'm just gonna go to a big box store and get a do it yourself kit."

But if I'm not mistaken, if you've got a sandy soil, and you need to change the pH, and you've got an organic or heavily organic or clay soil and you want to change the pH, you're gonna have to really add radically different amounts of whatever it is you're trying to do, be it, you know, something to raise or lower the pH.

Kerrie>> Yeah, so a soil test that you get at a big box store does not take into account what's called the buffer pH.

And so that buffer pH determines how easily your soil pH changes.

And so when you send your sample off to a lab, they are going to give you a buffer pH and take that into account when they tell you how much lime or if you need to lower how much potential sulfur you might need to use.

Amanda>> And I believe we've got if we just go to Clemson HGIC Soil Test, we've got a really nice fact sheet that tells you how to do it, I believe.

Kerrie>> Yes, yeah, so it'll tell you how to take your soil sample, where to send it, everything that you need to know is right there on the HGIC fact sheet.

Amanda>> The only problem I've ever heard of, is that sometimes it comes to people's spam folder, and we have to say, "Check your spam folder," but otherwise, if you haven't heard back in two weeks, you can always call your county office and they'll help you look it up and see if it's been returned too.

Our admins are so nice.

Kerrie>> Yes, yeah, we can look up the soil sample report.

And also I get a lot of calls where they'll say, "It looks like German or a foreign language."

So we get a lot of calls like that.

So don't be afraid to, you know, call your local agent to help you kind of interpret the report.

Amanda>> And I think the people at Clemson HGIC will help you as well.

If your county agent's out that day doing something perhaps with a, you know, a client, and not available, Clemson HGIC is a wonderful resource too.

Kerrie>> Yeah.

Amanda>> Well, I think you've got two darling things, and I guess that makes me sound kind of girly.

(laughs) Casey>> I do.

These two right here are different types of variegated Jacob's Ladder, real pretty perennial.

You can put them in the ground, they'll get about two by two.

A lot of people use them in containers.

Amanda>> That's a nice size.

Casey>> So part sun is what they prefer.

This one can actually take full sun.

It's called Stairway to Heaven.

Amanda>> A Stairway to Heaven.

I wonder if they have to give royalties to the Mr.

Pink Floyd?

Casey>> And they'll also have little blue flowers later on in the spring that pollinators like, so a pollinator friendly plant.

Amanda>> Well, that just has all kinds of nice things.

And again, I don't know why I'm in such a container frame of mind these days, but again, that would be pretty because that looks like they would kind of trail a little bit.

Casey>> They kind of trail over so you can use them in window boxes, stuff like that.

Amanda>> Oh, you could, couldn't you?

Yeah, wouldn't that be nice?

And it really is eye catching, yeah!

And now is this one evergreen or is it going to disappear in the winter?

Casey>> So in South Carolina, depending on what part you're in, most winters in Columbia, they're going to stay evergreen, but if we get a real cold one though, they'll go dormant and pop back up like your hostas we talked about earlier.

Amanda>> Somebody said they thought there was a snail.

Oh!

Casey>> There he is.

Amanda>> Whoa!

Casey>> I just saw that.

I'll put it up here.

Amanda>> That's a heck of a great looking snail, whoa!

That is something else!

You know, if you push their antenna, they'll retract them, which is fun.

And then I think it's a pooping too.

(laughter) There we go.

Okay, so now he's all tidied up.

The things we do on ETV.

Can you see him best like that, Sean?

I'll leave him there for a while.

We'll let him walk around.

Oh, he's a curious, curious fellow.

Isn't he beautiful?

And of course, he needs that wonderful mucus on him to keep him from drying out, doesn't he?

Casey>> That's right.

Amanda>> Yeah.

Hey, fella!

Mary>> He's just on the go.

Amanda>> He's got a nice slime trail behind him.

I guess he was going to eat it, wasn't he?

Casey>> I guess so.

He was.

(laughter) Amanda>> Well, I'll take him home.

I've got a lot of stuff they can eat at my house and we'll take him out of this beautiful little plant.

He can stay up here and keep me company today.

Okay, Mary Vargo is a dear friend.

She's just so much fun, and she's got some great programs that she's offering people.

Some of them are anybody in the state can participate in, and then a couple of them are in person.

But I think they're great ways to get people excited about gardening.

I'm talking with my friend, Mary Vargo, who's the Horticulture Agent up in Greenville, and Mary, you've got two new programs that you're offering.

And let's start with the first one, which I think is really designed to try to help people who maybe don't have a big traditional yard and want to have some food.

Everybody likes to go around.

I'm a grazer.

Mary>> Absolutely, you can be snacking all over your landscape.

Yeah, so the first program coming up is called Foodscaping.

And it's a five day webinar series.

So it's not in person, anyone can log on and watch.

Amanda>> You don't have to be from Greenville.

Mary>> You don't have to be in Greenville to sign up for it, which is great.

Everybody has access to it.

But the first day, like I said, it's a five day webinar series.

First day, I'll be talking about exactly how to incorporate edible plants into your landscape.

So it's really incorporating your edibles into an ornamental landscape.

So you can you can mix and match sort of interplant and I'll show you kind of different design, components, textures that are appealing ornamental.

And then... Amanda>> For example, blueberries, which are just lovely in the landscape.

Mary>> Gorgeous, yeah!

Beautiful early spring flowers, the fruit is ornamental, and then that lovely fall color, of course.

It's gorgeous.

Amanda>> And there's so many things like that.

Mary>> Yeah, absolutely.

So we'll go over that.

And then day two, we have Cory Tanner talking to us about fruits, good fruits to grow in South Carolina landscapes.

Amanda>> And he does that in his own yard, very successful.

Mary>> He does!

So he has a lot of experience.

And so you don't want to miss that one.

And then day three, we have Kirsten Robertson, and she's with Greenville County Soil and Water, and she's gonna be talking about soil health, really the basis of growing healthy food, and a healthy environment too.

Soil health definitely affects our environment.

Amanda>> And there's such a, there's a world, a whole world under the soil that's so important.

Mary>> Absolutely.

Amanda>> And so she's gonna teach people how to improve and take advantage of the things you can do... Mary>> Absolutely!

Amanda>> ...to make your soil even better.

Mary>> She's really passionate about that topic.

It's a really important topic, so I think she's going to inspire quite a lot of people with that.

So that's day three.

Day four, we're going to have Alex Thompson.

He's our new Food Safety and Systems Agent in Greenville.

And he's going to be talking about preserving the fruits of your labor.

So all that food you've grown in your landscape, how to preserve it, how to how to use it in recipes and grow or feed yourself some healthy meals.

Amanda>> You said he has a history also as a brewmaster.

Mary>> Yeah, he loves to ferment and brew things.

He's got a lot of really cool interests that will benefit everybody in the state.

Especially we're lucky to have him in Greenville.

So that's day four.

Amanda>> I imagine he's got a good sense of humor too and is probably fun to be around.

Mary>> Yes, he is.

He's definitely fun.

Amanda>> Okay.

Mary>> And then day five, we've got Justin Blue.

Amanda>> Oh, gosh!

Mary>> Yeah, he's a specialist with Clemson Extension.

He's gonna be talking about vegetables and pest management.

Amanda>> He is one of our very most knowledgeable, but he's easy to relate to... Mary>> Oh, absolutely!

Amanda>> ...and can really help people understand how important the selection is.

>> That is crucial, especially here in South Carolina.

>> Now this is going to be offered what time of day?

Mary>> So it'll start at 1 PM, every day 1 PM to 2:30.

We're hoping that, you know, we'll have an hour or so for presentations, and then about 30 minutes for questions or any sort of, you know, references or resources we can give out, in addition to the presentations.

So, yeah, it's gonna be a lot of fun.

And I'm hoping that everybody enjoys it.

I've had a lot of fun kind of curating this, and I'm really hopeful to see the response.

I hope people are interested in it and start putting more edible plants into their ornamental landscape.

Amanda>> So I imagine you're going to encourage people to do a soil test.

Mary>> Absolutely.

Amanda>> And then, I think probably, as y'all talk to people, they'll learn how easy it is to access other resources that Clemson has, either through the Home Garden Information Center, where you can talk to a real person, or just looking things up online, because we have fact sheets that are easy to understand and give good tips to people.

Mary>> Absolutely, those will be a part of the resources as well.

So yeah, I'm really excited to show folks that, you know, you can grow vegetables for your food practically anywhere.

You can just go around snacking all day in your landscape.

So who doesn't want that in their landscape anyways?

So that's that first program.

And then the second program we have rolling out in May, it starts May 24, and it is called Growing Health.

And this is a collaborative program that I've done with Melissa Bales.

Yes, she is the Health Agent in Greenville.

So we are targeting newer gardeners or new vegetable growers that have maybe not had any experience with growing, but we want to help.

So it's a free program, you sign up, and we give you... Amanda>> Now, this one you come to a site?

Mary>> Yes, in person, absolutely.

Our first program will be at Rutherford Road State Farmers Market in Greenville, and it's from 5:00 to 6:30.

And people come and we kind of...

It's sort of a workshop style program.

So I'm going to be doing a demonstration of planting tomatoes and showing how to trellis them, we're gonna focus on cherry tomatoes first.

And we're gonna show folks how to grow those in containers.

So they'll actually go home with one of those fabric, big old pots.

Amanda>> Yeah, they're lightweight, and they don't break.

Mary>> Super easy to move around and clean and reuse.

So we're gonna give them all those tools and resources, and then Melissa is going to talk about healthy recipes that you can make, that are good for your health.

So we're gonna do a taste test, and she's gonna go over... Amanda>> Oh, so she'll bring some things for people to try.

Mary>> Absolutely, so it's gonna be a good time.

We're excited to help people start growing vegetables.

Amanda>> And that was what time of day?

Mary>> So that one's from 5:00 to 6:30.

Amanda>> Okay, so a lot of people can get off maybe just a little bit early if they work and get over there, and it's one day.

Mary>> It's one day, and then we're hoping to roll out some other dates.

So we have a fall date we're gonna plan and then next year, we're hoping to do a Spring, Summer, and Fall program again, same sort of concept, but just focus on different crops and different seasons.

Amanda>> Well, I think we all know we're supposed to eat more fruits and vegetables, but if you're given the opportunity to actually have something at hand, you're so much more likely to go ahead and start taking advantage of that.

And once you do, it's just kind of a little taste reminder.

And the next time you're at the store, you know, I don't have any cucumbers, I'm not growing those, but they'd be good with my tomatoes.

Mary>> Absolutely, in Greenville, a lot of folks, you know, we live in a food desert, a lot of people in Greenville are in a food desert.

And we're really just trying to let people know, you can take charge of your health and you can grow your own food and we want to help.

We want to give you the supplies.

So we're really focused on getting people in that mindset of, you know, even if you do live in a food desert, that doesn't have to be your story or situation.

Amanda>> Well, I think this is a wonderful way to start the summer, helping people grow food and change their landscape if they want to.

But if nothing else, just to have the excitement of actually growing something, and you and your children, your family can go out there and say, "Let's have some of these wonderful tomatoes."

Mary>> Absolutely!

It's so rewarding!

We sure appreciate Mary's coming down and being with us, and she's collaborating with her Health Agent on some of these programs too, all over the state.

Everybody's so excited in the Extension to be getting back to helping people in person.

Well, I was looking for things for a hat and the other day I went out to Longview Farms where my friend Ansley Turnblad, who works for the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, has strawberries and blueberries, and she's farming flowers too.

So she gave me some wonderful snapdragons and some Dusty Miller and then my husband has been nursing his Amaryllis and, of course, the two that are blooming, I picked and brought over here today.

And then I felt like I needed a little something in the middle, so I got a fatsia leaf.

It's, you know, it's just, why not have fun?

You know, life is short.

Have fun.

Make hats, wear them.

(laughs) Alrighty, Terasa, I think you've got another question for us.

Terasa>> I do, and, you know, Mallory was talking about 4-H2O and playing in the creek, and we have a creek question.

Brandon in Easley said, "My kids found this critter in the creek," and shared a picture and wanted to know, "What is it?"

Amanda>> Okay, well, I'm glad people have let their kids go out in the creeks.

That's terrific.

And do you recognize this?

Mallory>> Yes, those are actually one of my absolute favorites.

Those are called case building caddis flies, and they are the coolest things.

If you would just look at that, and you find that, you would think they're just a bunch of leaves stuck together, but it's basically an insect, and that's what they make their home, and then they travel in that, and they're an amazing thing.

And the cool thing about those... Amanda>> They travel in those?

Mallory>> Yeah, they travel in their case.

That's like their little mobile home, basically.

It's the coolest thing.

And sometimes some species make their cases out of more like sticks or rocks and other ones like this one it makes out of leaves.

Amanda>> Now, is it going to become an adult form and fly, or what?

What's happening down the road?

Mallory>> So these ones, yeah, basically eventually it will turn into, it'll complete its lifecycle, and it'll become adult, and it will head out.

And honestly most of the time some of those insects only live for a few days, and that's it.

Amanda>> They mate and do their... Mallory>> Yeah, a lot of times you find them in the water, which is a cool thing, because it tells you a lot about what the water quality is like going on in the stream.

So case building caddis flies are very sensitive to pollution.

So they can't tolerate any sort of extra things in there.

So if you find case building caddis flies, and things like mayflies or stone flies, that tells you a lot about their water quality and that you probably have a pretty good, what's going on underneath it.

Amanda>> So the adults may or may not even feed, but they're gonna mate.

Do they lay their eggs in the water?

Mallory>> Yep, most of them will lay their eggs in the water.

Amanda>> And then do they hatch immediately?

Or do they have to wait 'til the water temperatures are right for the next year?

Mallory>> It depends on the species.

So a lot of times you find more macro invertebrates in the springtime, which makes sense.

And that's when a lot of things in nature are happening.

Amanda>> Because they are cold-blooded.

Mallory>> Exactly.

But in like the wintertime here, they don't really find a lot of things.

They are kind of more dormant.

But the spring is when they're all doing their lifecycle.

And really, honestly, when you think about it, when do all of our insects like to come out in South Carolina?

Summertime, springtime, that's when they... Amanda>> So they group together?

Mallory>> They can, yeah.

Amanda>> Oh, but sometimes they just make their own little personal protection.

Mallory>> A lot of...

Some things like dragonflies, they're kind of like the predator species underneath the water.

So most things don't like to be around the dragonflies because they'll eat everything but.

Amanda>> Yeah, as much as we like dragonflies.

Mallory>> Yes.

Amanda>> Okay.

Well, that was a lot of fun.

Thank you.

I'd like to see one.

I can't wait to learn more about it.

Okay, Terasa, what's next?

Terasa>> Well, that was kind of fun and exciting.

This one is a little sad.

Noah in Norris said, "Our junipers are dying," and shared a photograph.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Amanda>> Well, Kerrie, is this something you've run into in your career?

Kerrie>> Yeah, quite a few times, actually.

But this is kind of a unique situation.

This photo kind of tells a story.

Typically, we would need much more up close photos to see an insect or disease.

But if you look at this photo closely, you can see some mature wood line that's sitting just behind this.

And then you can see an edging from a road.

And so it appears as though this is a planting on a bank near a road.

Amanda>> Which is a good use for it.

Kerrie>> Yes, it's a great use for this.

It's a great way to hold and prevent erosion.

But it looks like the sun has changed over time.

So you can see it kind of declining from the deepest shade out towards the most sunny spot.

And so it's the environment that's changing in this situation.

Amanda>> And I don't mean this in a negative way, but I call them filling station junipers because when a place as harsh as a filling station exposure, or any kind of thing that's right next to a road, it's so full of sun, it's almost impossible to get anything to look great out in front.

And a lot of times there'll be stones and things.

And this plant really thrives in a hot, dry situation once it's established, if I'm not mistaken.

Kerrie>> Yeah, so this is one of the few plants that it's kind of, once it gets established, it loves that real high sunlight.

So you can see this significant decline happening in that deep shade that has changed, you know, over 30 years, that environment changes quite a bit.

Amanda>> Sure!

When you ride out to the zoo at Columbia, and I'm guessing since you've got a five year old, occasionally, you try to go out there and go in the back way.

There's several houses there that have real steep front yards, and they've used that really effectively, because who wants to push a lawn mower up and down?

Don't you think that's a great thing to do?

Casey>> Yeah, ground covers are getting more and more popular on big embankments, junipers and all kinds of other... Amanda>> Safer and then also it's just, you know, it's a place for wildlife.

The females have fruits.

I mean, there's not a lot of animals that grass is good for other than things that you want to get rid of, like grubs.

And this is a wonderful idea.

Okay, would you hand me my phone back, please?

(laughter) I just can't believe you brought me this wonderful fella.

Okay, Terasa, what's next?

Terasa>> Well, since we have a sort of wildlife on the table, we have a wildlife question from Regan in Seneca.

Regan said, "We saw this snake," and sent us an accompanying photo, "in our yard."

"Can you tell us what kind it is?"

So I'm excited that they're wanting to know more and learn more because education really is the key.

We fear things that we don't know.

So kudos to Regan for asking questions.

Amanda>> Yes, because so often people would come to the Extension office with a picture of a dead snake or and I was just like, "Well, why do you want to know now?"

because snakes are so valuable to the environment.

So what is this one?

Mallory>> So this is a juvenile rat snake and it's what I love.

I mean, what it tells you right there.

Exactly.

And so this guy unfortunately does fall victim to mistaken identity.

A lot of times they see those kind of diamonds on the back and they think that that means it's a Copperhead, but if you look at it, the coloring's all off, the body shapes all off.

So I get this picture all the time.

I love juvenile rat snakes.

They're so beautiful.

Corn snakes look very similar to them.

But yeah, unfortunately they do, because they look scary.

But really, they're such a beneficial species.

Now that's the juvenile form.

The adult forms, depending on where you are in the state, there's different species of rat snakes, we have like a yellow rat snake down around the coast, black rat snakes, very common.

But the black rat snake is pretty much black, and they might have some white speckling on them.

Like there's a picture that I received recently from someone else that lives in Oconee County, and they sent me a picture of a rat snake that lives, it was near their boat, and was actually swimming in Lake Keowee.

So, but that's an adult rat snake.

And they again, harmless, they're very beneficial species.

Amanda>> And great climbers!

Mallory>> Oh, yes.

If you ever find a snake in a weird area, and you're just wondering, like, how the heck did it get up there?

It was a rat snake.

And they're amazing climbers.

And you can just kind of, if you watch them, climb right up a wall.

Amanda>> And if you have a friend who keeps snakes, when my brother was little, we kept snakes at home.

My mother was pretty indulgent.

And we had... At one point we were living in a house that had squirrels in the attic.

Imagine if I could have gotten a rat snake and put him up there, I wouldn't have had any trouble at all.

Mallory>> I've told someone that before.

They're like you're having a rat problem.

You need a snake.

And they looked at me like I was crazy.

But it would take care of their problem in a very natural way.

But a lot of people don't really want snakes hanging around their house too much.

But it would really, they do their job really well.

Amanda>> One time when the kids were young, we were at the little church in Fort Motte, and they asked Conrad to ring the bell.

And it was in a separate building that was a very small building but had concrete walls.

And we opened it up, and there was a rat snake climbing up the concrete wall.

I mean, they can climb.

I wish I could climb like a rat snake.

(laughter) Terasa>> Without hands, without legs, without tools.

I mean, it really is incredible.

Amanda>> Adaptations, it's just wonderful, isn't it?

Terasa>> You know, we only have what, six venomous species in the state out of about 38 or 40 species.

So you know, chances are you're seeing a non venomous snake.

Amanda>> Well and 80% of the people who have been bitten by a snake saw the snake.

And I think like 80% of those people were messing with it, you know, I mean, so come on, just leave 'em alone!

Terasa>> It often involves things that shouldn't be taken, like you were saying about bringing in a dead snake.

I once had someone bring in a snake for identification.

They thought it was venomous.

But they had decided to pick it up.

It was very small, less than six inches, I think, and put it inside of a drink bottle.

Now, you know, a bottle has a really tiny opening so they placed themselves in potentially harm's way.

It wasn't venomous.

It probably was a rat snake.

I don't remember now, but I thought well, just why, why did you do that?

Amanda>> And then tell us that if you have binoculars or if you just have great eyesight and you see someone sunning on a log, how you can look at their pupils and get some information that way?

Mallory>> Right, so I always tell people if you have to look at their pupils, you probably are way too close to that snake anyways, and you should not, have no business, handling those, but binoculars are great, though.

That's a perfect way to get kind of close to him, especially if you don't know, but our vipers in this state, so our rattlesnakes and our copperheads, they have an eye that's like a slit like a cat eye, so that applies for all of them except for our coral snake which is the exception to all of our little rules, but you're not going to come across those.

You have to actively look for coral snakes if you're going to find those, but our copperheads and our rattlesnake species, they'll kind of have that stocky body, they'll have that triangle shaped head, and then they'll have that cat like eye, but our non venomous, they all have a rounded pupil.

>> And some snakes will bite you, so just leave them alone.

I mean, a corn snake's not going to bite you.

>> A corn snake where I used to work, we had a corn snake, and this thing when I was there at the time, she was 27 years old.

Now she's still living.

So she's probably 30 something now.

But I used to, she'll sit here, she'd wrap in my hair, and she matched my hair lovely, so it was a great accessory.

Amanda>> Oh, isn't that wonderful?

But now a king snake.

My brother one time to reach it, had to fill up the bathroom sink with water and put his hand in the water 'til it had to take a breath.

(laughter) I mean, it's just I mean, they're just part of, yeah, don't be afraid.

Mallory>> Sometimes some people are just little grumpy.

And sometimes a snake can be a little grumpy.

Like a water snake, they can be a little grumpy, so you kind of don't with those.

Amanda>> Well, Casey, I bet y'all occasionally run into somebody out at the nursery, and just leave him alone, don't you?

Casey>> Yeah, we'll see him every now and then.

Amanda>> I'll bet you call your little boy and get him.

Casey>> Oh, yeah.

Amanda>> What else?

Did you bring something?

One thing you brought from the nursery had a critter in it.

I hope the next thing you show doesn't have a snake in it just because it would be kind of, we'd have to all jump up and run after it and find out what it is.

Casey>> Hopefully not, but it is an upright, so a snake could climb it.

This right here is your variegated Fatshedera, also known as Bush Ivy, great for containers.

But most people use it for the centerpiece in a container and, you know, do your spillers around below.

Real cold hardy, it's good to about five or 10 degrees.

Evergreen part sun to shade.

So just doesn't want to be just all day blazing sun.

Just a real pretty evergreen centerpiece.

Amanda>> Now, is this different from the one I've got on my head?

Casey>> So this is a Fatshedera where they actually crossed a fatsia and a type of ivy.

Amanda>> Okay, so that would need something to climb or be supported on?

Casey>> Yeah, especially when they're young, they'd be kind of floppy.

But if you put them in the ground, over time, they will kind of stiffen on up and actually stay upright.

Amanda>> Well, this is just beautiful.

And again, shade?

Casey>> Shade or half a day of sun.

Amanda>> It's truly beautiful, and I hadn't thought about that for the centerpiece in a container.

But um, gosh, that would be dramatic.

Casey>> Oh yeah, because most people's containers are you know, under or overhang or places where they don't have a lot of sun.

It's a good centerpiece to use.

Amanda>> Truly, truly beautiful, and I've never had any...

I have one that is just solid.

And I had it on chicken wire or something.

And I never had any problems with it at all, as far as pests and things.

Casey>> A really, really easy plant.

We don't see any problems with them.

Amanda>> Isn't it nice when something doesn't have any pests?

Casey>> It is, it is.

Amanda>> Okay, well thank you so very much.

Casey>> No problem.

Amanda>> And how much water does it need?

Casey>> Just average, and I'd say in a container about three to four times a week.

Amanda>> Okay, because they're gonna dry out fast?

Casey>> Yeah.

Amanda>> Okay.

Amanda>> Boy, that's pretty.

Casey>> It is.

Amanda>> Okay, Terasa?

Terasa>> This one comes from Elizabeth in Mountain Rest.

She says, "Why does it seem like my apples never fully ripen?

My trees are loaded, but they just stop growing."

Amanda>> Well, goodness, well, that's a bummer, isn't it?

Well, Kerrie, what can we do about that?

Kerrie>> So usually, when you have an apple that stops producing or stops growing, there's two things, one of two things, happening.

One could be freeze damage.

Amanda>> Oh!

Kerrie>> Yep, and then the second one is thinning, which is a homeowner's worst nightmare.

Amanda>> Oh, because apple trees can be kind of big.

Kerrie>> Well, they can be kind of big, and it involves taking off.

You've worked so hard to grow these fruits, and now you have to thin, so it kind of hurts your heart.

So cold damage, we really can't do anything about.

Apples will suffer cold damage by those late spring freeze events.

And we just kind of have to tough it out.

But thinning we can, and when you're working on thinning an apple, you usually do it when they're about the size of your thumb.

Amanda>> Oh, small!

Kerrie>> Yeah, so they're about the size of your thumb.

And it's the same rules for peaches.

But you want about a fist width between each apple or six to eight inches ish.

So we wouldn't want a small branch to have more than two or three if you have just a short branch with apples on it.

So in order to have them fully grow out, you want to make sure that the tree is not trying to produce too many.

Amanda>> Okay.

What do commercial people do?

Do they have alternatives?

Are there ways that they can use things to help thin their apples so they don't have to send somebody up in the tree?

Kerrie>> Yeah, so commercially, sometimes those late spring freezes will actually help us.

Yeah, they they'll sometimes serve as a thinning agent for us.

Some orchards in varieties are prone to overproduction.

And they will use chemicals or hormones to chemically thin in those situations.

Amanda>> All things that have been tested and are safe and are approved for that purpose.

Kerrie>> Yes, they're sprayed specifically for that and are safe for those.

Amanda>> And, you know, one thing I think that's interesting is apples.

You'll see them at the top of a hillside, and I didn't understand why.

It seems like it'd be safer in the bottom, but I believe that cold air goes downhill.

Kerrie>> Yes, so that's one of the most important things to consider when you're planting something that's not cold hardy or that's borderline.

Amanda>> Okay.

Well, thank you all so much.

And um, thank you all at home for joining us, and we'll see you next week.

♪ Announcer>>: 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.