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

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

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

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

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

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

♪ ♪ ♪ (music fades) Amanda> Well, good evening, and thanks for joining us tonight for another episode of Making It Grow.

We're so glad that you can be with us.

I'm Amanda McNulty, a Clemson Extension agent, and with my co-host, Teresa Lott.

Who's the Midlands district director.

We get to come back and continue to learn more and more every week.

Terasa> We do.

We get to learn from our panelists.

And one of my most favorite aspects of Making It Grow is being out and around the state and being recognized by our viewers.

And, almost inevitably, they mentioned you and how much they enjoy the show.

And that just happened.

The Newsomes in Hartsville saw me at an event in Darlington and said, be sure to tell Amanda that we never miss an episode on Tuesday night.

Amanda> Well, and when they come up to me, they say, you know, you and Terasa are just doing a wonderful job.

Terasa> It's so much fun.

Amanda> You should get the lion's share of praise.

(Terasa laughs) Okay.

Anyway.

Thanks a lot.

Okay.

And Jonathan Windham my hadn't seen you in a while.

We, used to come and see you, and then lots of things changed.

And you're still over there at the Pee Dee R.E.C.

But you've got a big old responsibility.

Jonathan> Yes, ma'am.

So we are expanding, the Pee Dee Research and Education Center R.E.C.

We just got a new director, Dr. Jane Deaver.

She's joining us from Lubbock, Texas.

We're very excited to have her.

And so we're doing things like, expanding our greenhouse complex.

We're building brand new greenhouses.

We have more graduate students than ever, and we are expanding our research focuses.

And so, we're looking at things we just had, like our field day in September, and we're looking at things like, sesame production in South Carolina.

So...very busy in the Pee Dee.

Amanda> Well, and it's interesting that a lot of traditional farmers, like in the area where I am, are trying to not just grow traditional field tryouts, but incorporate other things too.

And I guess that's one of the things that y'all are going to try to help them with.

Jonathan> Yep Amanda> Okay.

Well, great.

I bet people who have things in the greenhouse.

though they're going to have to tread a delicate line because (laughs) their research is in there.

Jonathan> It's fine.

Amanda> Yeah.

Okay.

Well, I know you will do a marvelous job.

Jonathan> Thank you.

Amanda> Okay.

And then Dr. Hannah Wilson, who has, obviously her doctorate, and she is, trying to think of ways to improve access to healthy foods and get information to people.

Dr. Hannah> Yes, ma'am.

So I am a dietitian.

So I am thinking about all the different things that are impacting why people eat what they eat and different things like that.

So one of the big things, especially in South Carolina, is access to healthy foods, whether that be fresh produce or other things.

So, I'm on the research side of things, so I'm trying to fill that gap, gap and try to meet the needs of especially underserved populations, food insecure populations.

Amanda> In my community, Terasa, a lot of people, have to...don't have a car and they walk a mile and a half to get to the grocery store.

Terasa> And it may only be a convenience store or something that people can get to.

And I am seeing, more fresh produce, it seems like, in those locations.

So hopefully we're moving at least in the right direction and helping people make healthy choices.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah we do.

And then, Davis Sanders, our wonderful friend from South Pleasantburg Nursery up in Greenville.

And, I think after we had the hurricane, you had to...your whole community got together and spent a couple of days helping people get trees out of their driveways.

>> Out of the driveways, out of the roads.

And it was a major undertaking, but but that's, that's what neighbors are for.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah, you've got good friends up there, and we're glad that you're there.

And, we're glad that the nursery is all fine and that you could bring some fun things to share with us today.

So we're going to, Dr. John Nelson and I got together the other day.

I had this really funky looking heirloom tomato You know, they can look kind of funky, and...

He's always telling me how he likes potato chips, on his tomato sandwiches.

So we ate tomatoes with potato chips on them.

So we'll get your advice on that.

And then also, we're so proud that Ty Woodard where you did covered in cotton, is the South Carolina Farmer of the Year.

And it's a beautiful segment that you did with them.

And the story behind it is beautiful, Terasa.

Terasa> Thank you so much.

Ty and Tracy, it's an incredible operation.

Yeah.

Good people.

Terasa> Hmmm Mmmm!

Amanda> They really are.

Well, Terasa, how about Gardens of the Week, or, things that didn't get smashed by hurricane...?

Terasa> Yeah, we do.

We did still get submissions for Gardens of the Week, which I like to say is sort of like a virtual field trip.

Sometimes we even go out of the bounds of South Carolina.

Let's see what we have today.

From Deb Austin in Long, she sent three trellises adorned with clematis vines.

Amanda> Ooh.

Terasa> From Sandie Parrott, a Gulf fritillary on a red passion vine.

So passion vine or passiflora species are the host for the Gulf fritillary.

This particular one is not a native species, but it is being utilized by that butterfly.

<Okay> Glennis Cannon shared blue mistflower or Hardy Ageratum, still going strong after the winds.

In fact, I think we see some, some downed, trees in this photo as well.

Amanda> And is that the one that you actually see sometimes on the roadside.

>>...on the roadside, it does like wet areas and, typically I would caution people, so I always recommend native plants, but this one does tend to spread.

And so if you're going to include it in your landscape, you just need to be aware of that and plan for it.

<Amanda> Okay.

But it likes damp areas and that's where we find it on the sides of the road sometimes.

But it's very pretty.

>> It really is.

It really is.

And we've got Kelly Toadvine, who shared, two gardens.

So we see a glimpse of her main garden and then also a meadow garden, which I think is something that people are asking more about incorporating into their landscapes.

And then last but not least, Keith in Camden shared a ruby throated hummingbird sipping nectar from a salvia.

It was just an amazing photo.

I'm a bit jealous because they move so quickly it's hard to capture them.

(Amanda laughs) And thanks everyone for submitting, your photos.

It is just a random sampling.

As Amanda has mentioned before.

Please do make sure if you send us a photo, it's in good focus because we have to magnify it quite a large amount, so we don't want it to be grainy or pixilated on the screen.

Amanda> And you want them to take it this way?

Terasa> Yes.

Horizontal or landscape, because otherwise it only takes up a really small portion of the screen.

Amanda> And the Meadow Gardens, I think I'm hoping more people are going to get excited about because, as you know, Doug Tallamy wants us to have a national, you know, ...native park Terasa> Homegrown national park.

national home, >> Homegrown national park and a meadow garden would be a lovely way to convert part of your land, your lawn, into something that would benefit nature.

So.

Terasa> Absolutely fun.

Amanda> And it would bring joy to you because you could go out there and see this beautiful plants.

Okay.

Well thanks so much for that.

Terasa> You're welcome.

Amanda> I really appreciate it.

Davis, I guess you've got something to show us.

Davis> I do I've been we have expanded our assortment of native plants at the nursery because they're becoming, Amanda> They're more and more important to them.

For years a lot of the, wholesale growers didn't deal with, native plants simply because they were sort of a narrow market farm.

And they didn't want to devote the real estate to growing something.

But, but that's, that's been changing significantly over the last 4 or 5 years.

And what I brought today are a couple of, a couple of plants that might be suitable for problem areas.

The first one here is, Antennaria plantaginifolia.

It goes by a number of common names.

The two most common names are mouse ear and pussy toes.

Amanda> Oh how fun.

Davis> If you take a look at it real closely, you can see the fine hairs on the foliage.

Amanda> Oh, you can.

Davis> And, and, they do, they are a little bit reminiscent of a cat's toes.

Amanda> Or a mouse's ear.

Davis> Or a mouse's ear.

Amanda> I haven't looked in a mouse's ear lately.

Davis> I haven't either, and I don't plan to anytime soon, but, This one is a good one for a problem area.

Anywhere you can grow Phlox subulata, or creeping Phlox, drift, as we sometimes refer to it.

This one will do equally well.

It loves, hot, dry areas, full sun.

It won't grow very well in shade.

Amanda> And, you often see Phlox in people's front yards, kind of on a hillside, a slope where you would have just those conditions.

Davis> Exactly.

This one doesn't spread quite as aggressively.

It's, it's very well behaved.

It does spread by stolons And, it, it's, it's semi evergreen.

Usually the, the basal cluster of, foliage there will, will persist through the winter, but it does tend to start looking a little ratty.

But it's just, it's just a great groundcover.

It can be used at the front of the border since it does spread real aggressively.

Amanda> Does it flower?

Davis> It does have, have small flowers that come up on little, little spikes.

And they do, they actually do attract, the early season butterflies when it does bloom.

Amanda> Really, well, that's kind of nice Davis> It doesn't bloom for very long.

<Amanda> Okay.

Davis> And the other one that I brought is the, is our native, purple love grass.

This is, Eragrostic, which, there's been a lot more interest in the, native ornamental grasses, Amanda> And a lot of them are larval food sources as well.

Davis> Exactly, and, they also attract birds.

Of course, birds are attracted to the seed heads in the wintertime, they can be used for nesting material.

And this one here again is, is a good soil stabilizer.

If you've got, got a bank, it's not not real aggressive, but it does have, good sturdy root system.

You can see those little purple seed heads and flowers... Amanda>...and I guess at the end of the season, you could divide it and spread it.

Davis> Well, it is warm season grass, so it would probably be best to divide it early in the spring.

Amanda>Early in the spring.

Thank you.

Davis>When it's first starting to emerge.

Amanda> Okay, okay.

Well, it's really pretty.

And you think the birds come and enjoy the seeds some.

Davis> Yes, they certainly do.

Amanda> Isn't that fun!

I'm so glad that y'all's suppliers are making it easier for y'all to offer these things to, your customers.

Davis> We, we're, we're glad to see it, too, because there's just so much more interest in the natives.

Amanda> Well, they're so important for the continuation of all the insects and birds and all those things.

Davis> Exactly.

Amanda> So thank you, thank you, thank you.

Terasa> You know, Amanda, if people are looking, or trying to make informed plant decisions, the South Carolina Native Plant Society has launched a new plant directory.

So it is, a listing, much larger than our Carolina Yard's plant database was.

Amanda> Although that was a wonderful resource.

And we thank everyone who worked on it.

Terasa> Oh, yes.

Yes.

But this is an all native directory.

And, it's easy to find if someone were to use their favorite search engine.

And South Carolina Native Plant Society, Amanda> South Carolina Native Plant Society.

Okay.

>> And they've also made available, retail locations where you can find... so it makes, it makes it easier for people to make an informed decision and then know where they can source that plant.

Amanda> Not have to drive around Timbuktu trying to find it.

Gosh.

Well, that is wonderful that they did that.

Good for them.

Terasa> And lots of... it takes lots of organizations coming together.

Right!

So we, we... we love it when people are working together for the greater good of the public.

Amanda> Yes, that's happy news.

Thank you for sharing that with us.

Well, let's see who's up next.

Terasa, have you got a question for someone?

Terasa> I do.

We have a question from Alexis in Colleton who said the area around my back patio is being taken over by what looks like hundreds of mulberry saplings?

We do have some photos.

The question is, can we transplant some of them for fruit trees and then kill the rest?

Amanda> And do we want to because we have a native mulberry, then we had one that was brought in, I think, when they were trying to establish a silk industry.

Help us out here, Jonathan.

Jonathan> Well, looking at this photo, I've got some bad news for Alexis.

Those are not mulberry saplings.

That is mulberry weed.

>> Oh, no.

Davis> Oh, dear.

>> Oh.

Oh.

Jonathan> Yes.

She's going to have a hard time getting rid of those if her back patio is covered in them.

So, You can take a hands on approach, like on your knees, pulling them up one by one so you don't spread those seeds.

Mulberry weed will actually bloom and set seed at an inch tall.

So if you disturb those, you're going to scatter the seeds everywhere.

Yeah.

So if you are pulling them, just be careful.

Put them in a bag, throw them away.

Do not compost them.

Amanda> Do not compost them.

Jonathan> You can try, just a standard herbicide glyphosate.

But, Yeah, I'm sorry.

Those are not mulberry saplings.

Amanda> So we do have a native mulberry tree though?

Jonathan> Yes.

Amanda> And, we had one between us and a neighbor, and we put children up in it and put a sheet on it, underneath it and shake it.

And she said that she had never known that they were good for anything except feeding hogs, but they're delicious.

And, yeah, yeah.

Terasa> So, it was a little, there was a nursery rhyme or a saying, like, here we go around the mulberry bush, and...that's the only part that I can remember, (laughing) Amanda> but, I can't remember.

One of them has some white back of a leaf and a white fruit.

Or do you remember Jonathan?

Jonathan> I don't.

I'm sorry.

Amanda> Anyway, there's easy ways to find out which ones you would want to have, but, yeah, here we go around the...

But we would, think they thought it was fun.

Terasa> Sounds like fun to me.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

Back in the days before they all had their noses in a tablet.

Right?

(laughing) Amanda> Well Terasa I'm afraid you've got your nose in a tablet, but it's probably because you got to answer questions.

Terasa> You're right, I do.

I do, I spend too much time, but I think, connected to technology, it does wonderful things, and it allows for communication when it would not have been possible.

But, I overlook, just enjoying the natural world sometimes.

But anyway, Bobby wrote us from Pamplico and said, I'm not as mobile as I used to be, and so I can't garden as much as I would like to.

Is there anything I can do to help increase my mobility?

Amanda> Oh, increase your mobility?

Goodness.

Well, what do you think?

Dr. Hannah> Yeah.

So mobility is a big concern, especially as we get older.

Amanda> Yeah.

Dr. Hannah> And there are a couple things that you can do.

And I'll preface this with I always encourage folks to go see exercise physiologist, physical therapist if they have persistent mobility issues, especially pain, because they are the most qualified folks to deal with, to deal with that.

But from a general standpoint, the physical activity guidelines for Americans recommend, flexibility and balance exercises, as well as strength training or resistance training.

And both of those things can be really helpful to improve your mobility and also help you maintain it as you get older.

Amanda> Yes.

Dr. Hannah> Our rural health and nutrition team, they have a couple of physical activity programs that are online.

So they're accessible to anyone across the state.

Amanda> Whoa.

I bet, and I bet Sean could put a link to that up so people can, can find it easily.

Dr. Hannah> Yeah, that'd be great.

If so.

One is called, yoga for everybody.

So that will hit the flexibility and balance side of things.

And the other is called practical strength which is a strength training program.

So those can be really helpful.

But again if you have persistent pain mobility issues, seeking out, a healthcare professional can be great.

Amanda> Then, Terasa, we know that a lot of people perhaps I've seen raised beds and things that are made for people who maybe are in a wheelchair or something so that they can continue to at least enjoy gardening.

Is that, I mean, if you're, if you're just not going to get to the point where you can get down on your hands and knees?

Dr. Hannah> Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Yeah, yeah, that would be wonderful.

T> Yeah, even if you weren't limited to a wheelchair, that might... if you had back issues.

And that way you wouldn't have to bend.

And there are tools now, or things that you can add to tools that can help as well.

Certain handles that you might add to a shovel, to make that lever work a little bit more efficiently.

So there's lots of resources out there that can help people stay active as they age.

Amanda> And I think everyone, has had a renewed interest in gardening.

When we were, at home for a long time.

Yeah.

And, you know, and it doesn't have to be soil.

I mean, it doesn't have to be the yard.

I mean, the containers can just be wonderful.

Dr. Hannah> Yeah for sure.

Amanda> Okay.

Okay.

Well, John Nelson and I are pretty good friends by now.

He was my professor, and, I would take sandwiches because if he didn't eat, he would get grumpy.

So my, my, I very quickly learned to take a sandwich to John because we've had all day field trips.

But anyway, he came over and he had told me a long time ago that he puts potato chips on his tomato sandwiches.

And I had gone, I'd gotten a tomato and, he was here.

So you can see what happened.

I'm here with my good friend John Nelson, and talking about things that we love in the summertime, tomato sandwiches and, John, heirloom tomatoes, and this is a Cherokee purple, And they come in some really weird, weird, convoluted shapes.

Dr. John> And that... it's anomalous growth from a what is a relatively simple fruit.

Amanda> Anomalous growth.

Dr. John> Anomalous growth.

Amanda> Relatively simple fruit.

Well, whatever the heck that means.

Dr. John> And you know that a tomato was actually a berry.

Amanda> Well, this one is a dang big berry at that, so I'm going to try to cut it... Dr. John> It's good to have a big berry.

(laughing) Amanda> Anyway, so you can see it on the inside.

It's going to be hard to peel this tomato to make a tomato sandwich, but I'm going to try to get a little bit of tomato out of it.

And John, you know, when you and I were coming along, they only had mush bread, you know, real soft bread.

So now you can get, still get white bread because that's what I like for my tomato sandwich.

Dr. John> But you can get all kinds of bread Amanda> You know, I make... Yeah, yeah.

You know.

Dr. John> It's a great talent to have Amanda.

Amanda> So anyway, so, I'm going to cut this up into what would be pieces and then so we would have, some kind of she-she white bread, either homemade, which I make sometimes and I'm sorry I didn't...

I usually like to bring you some.

Dr. John> and some mayo.

Amanda> Yeah.

So anyway, so you, you get your bread and you put a good bit of...

I like a lot of mayonnaise on mine.

Dr. John> Oh yeah.

Amanda> And then, and you know, you make this sandwich, put some salt, pepper on it- Dr. John> -You don't need much salt Amanda> Or not with what you do, because what do you do?

Dr. John> Because I put potato chips on top- Amanda> -potato chips on top of them!?

Dr. John> Right.

If it's a really, really ripe tomato, Amanda> Yeah.

Okay.

Dr. John> You eat it over the sink.

Amanda> (laughs) Oh.

Okay.

Well, I'm going to- Dr. John> -so all that stuff on drip off your chin, and into the... Amanda> like you and me did.

Dr. John>...down the drain.

Amanda> Okay.

(laughs) (crunching and laughing) Dr. John> I'll have one of these.... hunks of tomato.

(crunching) Amanda> That's pretty good.

I love potato chips.

(crunching) Dr. John> Wow!

Amanda> Well, I think I know what I'm going to have for supper tonight.

Dr. John> What?

Amanda> A tomato and potato chips salad.

Dr. John> This is sort of like a, a make-believe tomato sandwich.

Amanda> Well yeah.

But I get the idea.

(slurping) So did you do that when you were a kid?

Did your mama do it.

Isn't that something?!

Dr. John> Yeah!

Amanda> Well, southern traditions are southern traditions.

Dr. John> They sure are.

Amanda> Okay.

Thanks so much.

(laughing) That was a funky looking tomato.

We had a good time.

(laughing) You know, Jonathan, they really can.

Those, Cherokee purples have their own decisions about which way to go.

But, when...is it okay to have potato chips, occasionally?

Dr. Hannah> Absolutely, yes.

So we always say everything in moderation.

So yeah.

Watch your portion size.

Maybe not eat them every day, but.

Yes, totally.

Amanda> I love the ones that say reduce guilt because, you know, you do feel guilty and, are they actually sometimes, have less fat or anything in them?

Dr. Hannah> Yeah.

So a lot of times the reduced guilt ones are baked rather than fried.

So they'll be a little bit lower in saturated fat.

Sometimes they add less salt, so they're a little lower in sodium.

Amanda> So if you read if you were comparing things and salt was a concern, you might find that one brand had less salt than another?

Dr. Hannah> Correct.

Yep.

So if you just look at the sodium line of the nutrition facts label, you can compare it that way.

Amanda> Okay.

Because most of us have plenty of salt in diet, I think.

Dr. Hannah> Yes.

Amanda> Okay, cool.

Okay.

Hats, hats, hats, hats.

So Jonathan was kind enough to help me because this white thing up here was kind of blowing all over the place, and, so we just.

You helped me with...Baccharis halimifolia or something like that.

And this is the female.

Jonathan> Right.

Amanda> And the male is yellow.

And, you know, I never see the yellow ones.

I don't I mean, they're everywhere.

So obviously there's some pollen out there somewhere, but...isn't that interesting?

Jonathan> Yes, ma'am.

Amanda> Yeah.

And Terasa, in one of the, wild flower books they have, it said that this was originally kind of concern towards the coast.

Terasa> I was going to say, I only feel like I've recently started seeing it more in our area, and people might know it by groundsell tree or saltbush is another name.

Amanda> And, but it said that it loves the ruderal community.

Well, I didn't know what the ruderal, until I looked it up and that means disturbed places.

So as we widen roads, you know, and do development and things, then apparently it's just real happy to go there and grow.

Some people have told me that it makes them sneeze, That they're allergic to it.

And I just don't know because there's a lot of stuff going on at the same time, including ragweed.

And so but but if they, if they, I mean, if they've got it stuck their nose in it, but unfortunately it did not do that to me when I was, I'll past that around y'all can stick your nose in it.

We'll find out if... Terasa> I might pass on that.

(laughing) Amanda> Oh, come on, Terasa.

Okay.

Well, Davis, I think you've brought some shrubs and, So let's.

Davis> Okay.

I've brought, some, relatively new introductions and also an old standby.

There in front of of you is, a 'Mrs.

Schiller's Delight' Obovatum viburnum.

It's, it is one of the native viburnums.

Obovatum has, has an interesting leaf.

It doesn't have the texture that most of the viburnums do but it's got that it's a little bit wider near the apex of the leaf than...at the petial Hence the name Obovatum.

It's an obovate leaf.

This one will, as you can see, if you can get a close up of it, it does have a few of the little white flowers.

Typically, it blooms more in the, in the spring, and it's literally covered with those little white flowers.

Amanda> Oh, it is.

Davis> It's a beautiful plant.

and like, like most of the obovatums they, as in, in their youth, they're more deciduous.

So they'll drop most of the leaves in the wintertime, but as the plant matures and gets more and more established, it becomes more and more evergreen.

So, so it's ever changing in the land.

Amanda> Now, is this one going to remain small or is this a regular one?

Davis> That one, that one will probably only get up about, four feet under landscape conditions.

So it's going to stay fairly small.

Of course, keep in mind that plants grow throughout their lifespan.

If it lives for 100 years, it's going to grow for 100 years, so a little bit of selective pruning right after it blooms, and you can keep it very well under control.

Amanda> What does it like as far as exposure?

Davis> It likes full sun to part shade.

Being a viburnum, it's, it's adaptable to a wide range of soil conditions.

It'll thrive in an acidic soil or slightly alkaline soil.

Amanda> That's easy.

Davis> And, it's not really choosy about its moisture, although the obovatums typically are, more of a low one type plant.

So they're going to, they're going to appreciate a little more water.

Amanda> But once it's well established, it's probably okay unless we just have an extended drought.

Davis> Exactly.

Amanda> Okay.

Davis> And, here in the middle, we've got a, it's a, selection of our native dog hobble, Leucothoe.

This one is, this one is called Tiny Flames.

It's one of the fontanesiana, or weeping Leucothoes, which means that it is native to, to, stream beds and, riverbanks and that kind of thing.

So it's going to really appreciate extra moisture, thrives in shade.

It can take a little bit of sun, but it does need to be sheltered from that, hot midday and afternoon sun.

Amanda> So when we would go to the mountains, the one that grew there, was called Dog Hobble and it would be thick.

And it was kind of like if your dog got it there, you know, how was he going to get out?

I mean it doesn't have stickers or anything on it, but it was...it, it could make a thick when it's real happy.

And I think that's good because that means if there's any debris coming down, it can intercept it and keep it from going into the waterways, I would think.

Davis> Right.

And you could see from that, previous picture that, new growth is a really bright red.

So it gives a nice pop of color in, in a shady situation.

And, while I have mostly been concentrating on native plants today, I did bring a, an old, old, old fashioned plant that, is regaining popularity.

It is an introduced species.

Over in front of Theresa, we have...Terasa.

Excuse me?

We have the, the, what's often referred to as the Asian snow rose.

Or if you can get a close up of the foliage, most people, in the southeast, refer to it as gold rim or gold ring because it's, it's got that nice little, variegated leaf, another of the common names for it is old stinky root.

(laughing) Terasa> The name doesn't make it sound like something you want to add to your... Davis> Only if you dig it up.

the Latin name, however, is Serissa Foetida F-O-E-T-I-D-A It's vetted.

the roots really have a distinct aroma if you've ever dug one up, but, Amanda> But you don't have to do that frequently?

Davis> No.

Yeah, you don't have to dig at all if you don't want to.

Amanda> Well, you got to notice it, when you plant it, you might notice it then.

Davis> It's possible Amanda> because, you know, they tell us now to be careful and sometimes and tease the roots apart just to be sure they're not encircling or things like that.

Davis> And with that one, you'll go wash your hands immediately Amanda> Maybe you'll just go... And these days, if you have work in a yard, you got to put so much insecticide on...at my house, I probably wouldn't even notice it because I feel like the deep kind of overpowers everything.

Oh, the mosquitoes!

Mosquitoes have been hard, but... to each its own.

I'm sure there's some purpose for them.

I just don't know what it is.

Davis> Yeah.

Okay.

Amanda> Well, thank you so much.

This was fun.

Davis> Thank you.

Amanda> Okay, Terasa, you got some someone who might need a little help.

Terasa> I suspect many people would have a similar question to Tim in Oates who said why is it when I cut limbs off my tree they never seem to heal or it takes a long time for them to close up.

I've got some that have rotted out on the inside from this.

So yeah.

Amanda> I used to use my arm as an example of this, of where the wrinkly part was important to cut right on the outside of the wrinkly part, but explain what's going on and why those, that branch...collar and everything is so important.

Jonathan> Well, it sounds like Tim is cutting too far into the collar of the tree.

And so if you ever look really close at a tree or one of the branches come out the very base of it, there is an excess little lump of growth.

And we call that the collar.

And so that collar is responsible for sealing up that wound, that you... that the tree gets when you remove that branch.

And that's how the tree compartmentalizes itself to keep fungus from entering and, you know, rotting the tree out from the inside.

So if this is happening to multiple species in his yard, he's probably cutting too deep into that collar.

And so the collar is not closing up that wound and sealing it off like it should.

Amanda> Now, what happens if you just go out there halfway through and cut the thing, cut the branch there, you're going to get a kind of a plethora of new growths that might not be healthy, I mean, might be too dense?

Is that is that another possibility?

Jonathan> It could do that?

Or sometimes I've seen, like if you cut, if you don't cut the limb to close to the collar, the collar will actually grow up and over the remaining limb.

And then you get this really knobby looking tree that's unattractive.

So you just need to know where to cut.

Amanda> And Terasa, I bet we've got something at HGIC on how to properly prune trees.

Terasa> We do.

And I think, Jonathan, maybe you created an image showing- Amanda> -Oh!

Terasa>...where to cut.

Amanda> Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Because it really is important.

Jonathan> Right.

I mean, you don't want to, you know, cut an oak tree growing next to your house and have the tree rot out from the inside in 3 to 5 years.

It's a nightmare.

Amanda> So yeah.

Terasa> And sort of related people, sometimes, ask if they should put anything on.

Amanda> Oh, yeah.

Jonathan> No.

Just let the collar do its job.

Amanda> Yeah.

Terasa> That's right.

So it used to be a recommendation, I think at one time, like we realized that you could do more harm and you could seal bad stuff in.

Davis> Putting, putting pruning sealer on a cut like that makes you feel better, but it doesn't make the tree feel better.

Terasa> I love it.

That's a great way to think about it.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay.

Well, thank you so much for explaining that.

And I hope that there are lots of viewers who will, pay attention to that.

And like you said, we can easily go if you want to really see it in action at HGIC, we've got examples of how to do it properly.

Jonathan> Right.

Amanda> Thank you so much.

Okay, Terasa?

Terasa> Let's help Yvonne in Columbia.

I know I had a similar question because I was picking okra and thinking about ways to prepare it.

Yvonne said, what are the best ways to prepare the produce I grow in my home garden to avoid adding too much fat?

Amanda> goodness.

Terasa> That's a good question because, you know, fried okra is delicious, but probably not particularly good.

Amanda> I have never fried okra.

That's just too darn much trouble for me, and I made some okra soup.

Dang.

It was just wonderful.

And, you know, it's fun because, I've been telling a lot of my friends about how Zack has told us about "ratuning" and it's so when the okra gets, you know, I'm so short, you know, I'd have to get stepladder out there.

And so what time of year is it that you "ratune" the okra?

like mid-summer?

Terasa> I would have to look.

Yeah.

Amanda> But anyway, that way you get a whole lot more okra.

But, you might want to be careful about washing your hands when you cook them because okra has got those little "sticker-y" spines on it.

Yeah, but anyway, So what do you think?

Dr. Hannah> Yeah.

So I'm from Georgia, so I'm very used to the frying vegetable approach to preparing foods.

And again, everything in moderation.

That is fine.

Every now and then- Amanda> -I mean, it is wonderful.

It's just.

Dr. Hannah> It is very tasty.

Yes.

So, you know, everybody has different taste preferences.

What I have found a lot of people to enjoy is, roasting vegetables compared to frying and other things like that.

Because you get kind of a caramelization of the vegetable, depending on what it is.

And so it's kind of the next best in terms of flavor profile, if you will.

And you can just drizzle a little bit of olive oil is what I use, any type of oil, for the most part will work well, and then season however you like.

There are a lot of salt free seasonings that can also help you reduce sodium as you do that.

So roasting is really great.

Even sauteing in a pan, you can also use just a little bit of oil.

Steaming doesn't necessarily always give you the same flavor profile, but that is an option as well.

Pretty quick and easy.

So- Amanda> -that's how we've eaten it a lot.

I'm real careful though.

And I don't know if you are... the cap on the okra, I cut right... beyond where it comes in so that I don't cut into the okra pod itself.

And, and it keeps it from getting "gooze-ly".

Have you ever tried that?

Dr. Hannah> No,and I won't.

Terasa> What was that word?

Goo..."gooze-ly".

Amanda> "Gooze-ly" Yeah.

(laughing) Terasa> I like that.

Amanda> You know, a lot of people fuss about because it's so "gooze-ly".

(laughing continues) Mucilaginous or what, whatever.

Terasa> Yeah.

Amanda> Okay.

So you know, you've got the okra pod and then you've got the part where you cut it off.

And so when you're preparing it, you know, you're not go eat that top part.

So I'm very careful to cut right on the outside of that so that I don't enter the chamber where all the seeds and things are.

And that way my okra isn't "gooze-ly".

Terasa> Mmmm, that makes sense.

I like to, freeze, but in little bite sized pieces to use in, say, soup or stew down the road.

But when you cut, than I do.

It does get "gooze-ly".

(laughs) You clean the knife off a few times in the process.

Amanda> But gosh, okra is just such a such a delight to have.

Yeah.

And to do think that, you know, you don't have to stand on a stepladder if you've, do that ratuning like Zack's always telling us to do.

Of course, Zack's no taller.

He doesn't have to...(laughs) So.

But apparently you get a whole lot more okra because you get so many more limbs coming out.

Yeah, yeah.

Davis> And there's a dwarf long pod...okra, which, stay small.

I grew that one year and all the plants.

And I never got more than about four feet, and they were very, very heavy producers too.

Amanda> Gosh.

Davis> They're really tasty.

Amanda> Oh, I do like okra.

Davis> When you freeze it, a lot of times freezing vegetables, you blanch them first to help preserve some of the nutrients, in the texture.

But you can't blanch okra because it immediately starts to get that mucilage, in it's quality.

<Okay> But you can blanch it in the microwave.

Stick it in the microwave.

I'm not sure what the timing is, but you can blanch it in the microwave and and help preserve it without releasing all that, mucilage.

Amanda> Oh my goodness.

So, is okra good for you?

Dr. Hannah> It is very good for you.

Yes.

Yep.

It is a great vegetable to have.

It would fall in mostly into that non-starchy vegetable category.

So, yeah.

Amanda> And if you used a little bit of a olive oil or or a sesame or something on it, you probably wouldn't have to put much salt on it because you could get the flavor from the oil.

Couldn't you?

Dr. Hannah> Absolutely.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Amanda> It's just a great, great vegetable.

Terasa> You know, you were talking about potato chips, but some vegetables can sort of be made into chips as well, Right?

Dr. Hannah> You can I've seen crispy okra in the grocery store that has been a potato chip alternative.

Amanda> How about that!?

Crispy okra.

Dr. Hannah> Yeah, yeah, yeah Terasa> I've had kale prepared that way, make like kale chips.

Amanda> Yeah.

Kale chips.

Yeah.

Yeah.

All righty.

Well, you've got something that looks like a lipstick I might enjoy having a color off.

Davis> I'm going to pull it up just a little bit closest so we have a good picture of it.

This is another native.

It's a southwestern native.

It's not a, southeastern native, but it will do, admirably here.

This one is, the common name is usually either rose mallow or Turk's Cap.

Amanda> Turk's Cap.

Davis> It's called Turk's Cap because if you look at the flower, it does it is kind of reminiscent of something from the, from the Middle East or Asia minor.

and, you've got the little, inflorescence or rather the, the structures coming out of it that makes it look like a Turk's Cap.

This one is, we plant nerds sometimes we grow plants just because the names are fun to say.

Amanda> Yeah.

Davis> And, this one is one of my favorites.

The, the Latin name for this one is Malvaviscus arboreus.

Amanda> Goodness.

Davis> It's just a lot of fun to say, I think.

Of course, I'm a plant nerd.

So what, what else is new?

It blooms in the fall, these vivid, scarlet flowers.

And it is semi binding, so if you can plant it someplace where you can train it up on a trellis or something like that, get the flowers up where you can really appreciate them.

And this is another one that is, greatly appreciated by late season butterflies, because these little structures here produce a lot of nectar.

Amanda> And they can get their tiny little tongue in there.

Davis> They certainly can.

Amanda> Yeah, great.

So, do you cut it back yearly?

How do you handle it usually?

Davis> You can cut it back quite a bit.

I wouldn't cut it all the way back to the ground, but <Yeah> It does, it does develop a bit of a woody stem, but it also spreads, from root suckers too.

Amanda> Oh, so you would get a larger patch.

Davis> But here again, it's not very aggressive at all.

And, it gives you a nice pop of color.

This one does like a little bit of shade, but it can grow in full sun as long as it gets adequate moisture.

Amanda> Yeah.

I think the green leaf, the color green, with that unusually pretty, don't you?

Davis> Mmmm hmmm Amanda> Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So do you have a rose that's that pretty in red?

Davis> I think so, yeah.

(laughing) A couple hundred of them probably.

Amanda> They don't need to do that.

You want to show us how tall it is?

Because I was kind of surprised.

Davis> Yeah.

This is a, this is a one year plant, and now you see why I left it on the floor.

Amanda> Whoa.

Goodness.

Davis> Well, it's not exactly a beanstalk, but.

Amanda> Yeah, it's pretty out there.

Okay, well, thank you so much.

And that's one year?

Davis> Mmm hmmm.

Amanda> But it will spread some Davis> A little bit.

Yeah.

Oh, okay.

Amanda> Oh.

All right, Terasa.

Terasa> Let's help Karen in Lugoff who said we recently cleared some tall pine trees from our property.

Do you have some suggestions for some showy native trees we can use as replacements?

That's a great question, because sometimes people associate native with...boring, I guess we'll say so.

She she wants something splashy.

Amanda> Okay.

Jonathan?

Jonathan> Well, you can't go wrong with Eastern redbud or something like service berry, both of those are edible.

The flowers of Eastern redbud, you can put them on a salad and they taste like beans.

The service berries, I like the way the fruit tastes.

It's good for wildlife.

We even have things like our native plum with, Prunus americana.

It's another option that's showy or, even our native apple, which is Malus angustifolia, Amanda> Isn't there the Chickasaw plum or something...?

Jonathan> There is...a Prunus that's Prunus angustifolia but it suckers very aggressively.

It'll form a thicket.

So I'm not sure if you want that in a home landscape.

Amanda> It depends on how much space they have.

>> Prunus americana will not sucker, shouldn't sucker, the true Americana.

So.

Amanda> And... we've talked about nativars and there are a lot of redbuds now that come in different colored leaves, and apparently they may not serve as well as a larval food source because of the changes that have changed the color of the leaf.

Have you...heard some about that?

Jonathan> A little, I know some of the red buds are showier they're breeding them with Asian species and whatnot to make them showier, flashier, but, you really can't go wrong with our native.

It's a good tree.

Amanda> It's a good tree.

I don't know why they call it Redbud, though, Terasa> It's more like pink.

Jonathan> Right.

There's a white form too.

So.

Terasa> That's right.

Davis> And also a lot of the, a lot of the ones with more colorful leaves, especially with the amber and yellow leaves, the growers are telling us that they seem to be a little bit more prone to the Vascular Streak disease that's really- Amanda> Let's just stay with the rates of streak disease Terasa> what Mother Nature created.

Davis> It's kind of hard to improve on perfection.

Amanda> Okay, okay.

All right, Terasa.

Terasa> Let's see, Henry in Newberry said my garden wasn't as successful as I hoped.

Should I buy only fresh produce or are frozen and canned options good too?

Amanda> Well, What do you think?

Dr. Hannah> Yeah, frozen and canned are really great options, especially from an economical standpoint.

They're usually pretty, priced pretty reasonable.

Yes.

From a nutritional standpoint, they're great as well.

Frozen produce is typically frozen, right after they harvest it.

So they pick it right when it's ripe and then they freeze it.

So that can be really helpful from a nutritional value standpoint.

They're pretty high and in vitamins and minerals.

What I encourage people to do, whether they're buying frozen or canned, is to buy the versions that don't have added sauces in the case of frozen produce or in the case of canned, if you can find a no salt added version.

A lot of, Amanda> I see a lot more of that on the shelves, don't you?

Dr. Hannah> Yes, a lot of canned vegetables are no salt added, now,, or you can get that at least.

or low sodium at the least.

If you can't get that, just rinse it off and that'll help decrease sodium content a little bit.

Amanda> Just rinse it off.

That's a good suggestion.

That's pretty easy.

Dr. Hannah> Yeah, yeah.

Very easy.

Amanda> Okay.

Yeah.

Well, that was a good answer.

I'm glad to hear that, because sometimes you can't get fresh.

Yeah.

Well, Terasa, went and visited with some people, a couple of years ago and came back with a beautiful story that we'd like to share with you now.

♪ music ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Terasa> Rooted in a third generation family farm in Darlington, you'll find Covered in Cotton.

Today, I'm visiting with proprietor Tracy Woodard, Tracy, the mission of Covered in Cotton is all about cultivation.

Tracy> Yes, and really that's in three parts.

So to cultivate the natural comfort and quality of cotton, and also to invite people into relationships to learn more about agriculture.

And then lastly to cultivate a cause that shares hope and tells a story.

Terasa> Let's start with that first part.

Let's learn more about your cotton products.

Tracy> Absolutely.

So all of our cotton products are made exclusively from the cotton we grow on our third generation family farm here in Darlington, and our throw collection is our original collection.

We have four different designs in it.

They're all a 50 by 70 inch oversize throw in that collection is the natural color of the cotton.

We just recently launched what we call the rooted throw collection.

And so that's one of our designs in our original collection that are colored with some rich colors that are kind of rooted in South Carolina agriculture and history Carolina Pine, Wheat Penny, true Indigo.

And then we also have baby blankets that are more of a swaddle type of blanket, that we have three designs in those.

And then we have hand towels that are made out of the same fabric as our baby blankets.

And then also some hand towels that feature some family recipes.

Terasa> Oh, how neat.

So sharing a little another little piece of the story.

Tracy> Right.

So really our heart is the things that are most important to us.

And that's our faith, our family and our farm.

So you'll find those woven throughout everything that we do.

Terasa> Fantastic.

And then that second part of your mission is about cultivating relationships, and in the sense all around agriculture.

Tracy> So we've been growing cotton on our family farm for generations.

And it's a really special plant that we're very fond of the growing process we plant in the spring, and it grows, obviously throughout the springtime.

It actually puts on a flower in early summertime.

Terasa> Beautiful flowers.

Tracy> It is and a lot of people don't know that it does flowers, actually a cousin to the hibiscus, okra.

So it's a tropical plant that loves our South Carolina weather.

And that flower starts out as a white flower that over a few days turns into a pink flower that then dries out and the Cotton Bowl actually starts to form.

And so then as you move into the fall, that brings out the white fiber as it emerges and we start to harvest usually around late September into October.

Terasa> It's a quite intensive process if I'm not mistaken.

Tracy> It is, and you know, we've got some really incredible technology that allows us to do it more efficiently than ever before, but it does take quite a bit of time.

And a lot depends on weather and conditions and that type of thing.

So it can take a couple of months to get all of it harvested.

Terasa> And then once you've got the harvested cotton, what's the next step in the journey?

Ginning?

Is that what happens next?

Tracy> That's right.

So, on our farm all of our cotton is ginned.

We gin locally here in Darlington County at Coker Gin in Hartsville.

And the ginning process is essentially removing the seed from the fiber at the lint, and that process, samples are taken from all of our cotton, and classed so we know what the fiber length is, what the strength is, how clean the fiber is, we get all of that information back and we can trace all of that back to the field it was grown in.

and so for Covered in Cotton, we take the highest quality that we grow based on that information and select out those bales to use through Covered in cotton.

Terasa> So now we've grown the cotton harvested it, ginned it and now I'm assuming we need to make it into some sort of yarn material.

Tracy> That's right.

So the bales that we select out and on a typical year we'll grow around 2000 acres of cotton.

Terasa> That's a lot of cotton.

Tracy> Yes, it is.

And what we select out for Covered in Cotton is around 5% of that.

So we look at that as a big opportunity to grow.

The rest of the cotton that's not through Covered in Cotton goes on the global market.

And so we have no idea where it ends up.

Terasa> It could end up all over the globe.

Tracy> That's right.

And so what we pull out for Covered in Cotton goes to the yarn spinner in Thomasville, North Carolina and so they do a ringspun process there which requires a really high quality cotton, but it's a stronger, softer yarn.

From there it goes to Hickory, North Carolina where it's plaid together.

So our yarns are a two ply, which basically means they take two strands of yarn and twist them together.

From there it comes back into South Carolina into Blacksburg.

We work with a commercial weaver, and formulate all of our weave designs with them, and our fabrics and our throws.

And so they weave everything together.

And then from there, it comes back into Darlington County in Lamar.

We work with a company called Craig Industries, and they sew on the labels for the throws, and they cut and sew our hand towels and baby blankets, and are a great part of what we do.

Really, every piece of the puzzle is we look at them as part of the family.

They're all in rural communities in the Carolinas and are family owned companies that are local here.

And so we love getting to share some of their story and what they do and what they're experts at.

No one partner that we work with is more than 150 miles away.

And so once it leaves, Craig industries in Lamar, it comes here to us back on the farm.

And we package everything and process all of our orders through our website Covered in Cotton.com.

And then we ship those out across the world.

Terasa> And the last part of your mission with cultivation is to cultivate a cause that tells a story and shares hope I think our viewers will be really inspired to learn more about your story.

Tracy> Yes, so I didn't grow up on a farm.

But being a part of my husband's family farm just really found a passion for agriculture and for sharing that story.

And so we would have this conversation about how it would be really cool if we had a product that we could share with the end consumer.

And we just never thought of really any good ideas until December of 2017.

The Lord woke me up from a dream.

And the dream was Covered in Cotton, the name, the logo, we were supposed to take the cotton that we grow on our family farm and make it into blankets.

And so I wrote everything down.

And then I woke Ty up and told him, "Hey, this sounds crazy.

"But the Lord has given me this vision "and showed me what we're supposed to do "with this conversation that we've just kind of had "here and there."

And like the amazing husband, he is he said, "Well, let's do that.

"That sounds like a great idea.

Terasa> Wow, how about that.

Tracy> And so that really started the journey for us.

But exactly two years prior to that we were living a nightmare.

Terasa> That's right.

Tracy> We have three kiddos.

Our youngest two are twins, Tobin, our little boy and Tyson, our little girl.

They were three months old, and Tobin contracted bacterial meningitis, Terasa> How devastating it must have been.

It's any parent's worst nightmare to have such a serious illness.

Tracy> Yes.

And, you know, December is starting, you know, it's our first Christmas as a family of five.

And that was not on my list of things to do.

But that, that season, really, I can look back now and see what a gift of perspective it was.

Because in those moments of our son being whisked away into an intensive care unit, in Columbia at Children's Hospital, the things that really mattered, mattered and the things that didn't, didn't.

Terasa> How true and you had, I'm sure lots of special people, wonderful doctors, nurses, support staff, but one nurse in particular that really touched your life.

Tracy> Yes, through that season.

Tobin actually had to have emergency brain surgery.

And he did fantastic through all of it.

But we had so many incredible people love on us.

And one nurse in particular, her name was Ali, and she was our very first nurse when were admitted to the hospital, but she came and found us a couple of weeks later and brought us a blanket.

And so as we came home, and even since, Tobin has completely healed in every way.

He's doing fantastic.

He's seven years old, and in first grade and doing great.

Terasa> So wonderful to hear.

Tracy> Yes, but that blanket at the time was a really practical gift because we lived in the hospital for 35 days.

But afterwards, and even now it was a symbol of the Lord's just covering, protecting over our family.

So he brought all of that back to mind during that dream, exactly two years later.

And so for every 10 throw blankets we sell we donate one to a local children's hospital in South Carolina.

And then for every 10 baby blankets we sell we donate one to a local family ministry.

Terasa> I love the philanthropy and how you've taken such a challenging situation in your life and you're using it to then help and enrich the lives of others.

Tracy it's been wonderful learning more about Covered in Cotton, about the history of Woodard Farms, and how you have transformed into a totally locally grown, locally sourced business.

And I'd say you have achieved your mission.

Tracy> Thank you.

Amanda> Terasa, I was happy to see that beautiful interview you did with them.

And you said they were genuinely just lovely, kind people.

Terasa> They really are.

And, exciting that this year they represent South Carolina as the South Carolina Farmer of the year.

And they were nominated by our very own David DeWitt, who is one of the agronomy agents for Clemson Extension.

South Carolina.

Agriculture is amazing.

Amanda> Yeah.

And, they are certainly fine examples of people who are doing their best to, help people who need help sometimes and as well keep their family intact.

Okay.

Yeah.

Well, anyway, it was such a pleasure to have all of you come.

I want you to come back and we'll learn more about eating more healthily, okay?

Dr Hannah> Sure.

Amanda> Okay.

And, Jonathan, always fun to have you here.

And, Davis, you bring always fun things and, and then sometimes we get to eat them, too.

How about all of that?

Honestly, what a great show.

Yeah.

So, anyway, thank you all for being with us.

And we'll see you next week.

Night.

Night.

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

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

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

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

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

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

And Boone Hall Farms.