Making it Grow is
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Grown helps consumers identify,
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Mcleod Farms in Mcbee,
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This family farm
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♪ (Making it Grow
opening music) ♪
♪
Good evening and welcome
to Making It Grow.
We're so glad you can
join us here tonight.
I'm Amanda McNulty.
I'm a Clemson Extension agent.
...I get to come over here
on Tuesdays surrounded
by people who knows so many
things. I learned so much,
and we hope that
you learn as well.
Terasa Lott is an indispensable
member of our team.
If you aren't a member, if you
don't follow us on Facebook,
you really should, because
Terasa, you put so
many wonderful pictures
on there all the time.
>> Why thank you. I try,
but that's mostly thanks
to everyone who
shares their photos.
>> Yeah, we do encourage people
to send them to us
and if they don't want to -
they don't do Facebook,
they can always email
you something
I think just
at Terasa T-E-R-A-S-A.
She's a ray of sunshine
at Clemson.edu.
Then Keith Mearns is
the Director of Grounds,
which is
a minor description of
what he has to do
at Historic Columbia,
because they have
about seven or eight properties,
>> Six properties, yeah.
>> It's a lot or grounds.
>> About 14 acres worth.
>> It's a lot of grounds.
>> It's just wonderful
and I think one of the
fun things you're doing
in the summertime
cause nothing's fun
in the Fall when it's hot,
but the Robert Mills House
to me has got to be fascinating
because it's going to
serve as an example of
how you could have a
traditional kind of
18th century, 19th century
garden using native plants.
>> Yeah We're switching that
side over to native plants
instilling the
English landscape design.
>> That's pretty interesting.
Can't wait to see it when
it's done. We'll come up
and have a filming with you
when the weather is cool.
How about that?
Paul Thompson is the
Extension Agent up in
York County.
Paul, one of the things that
I think you have
is a pretty
large community garden.
>> Yeah we have,
well the master gardeners
have to plant our own
garden in Fort Mill,
<Amanda> - which helps support
needy organizations.
>> Right, but I'm involved
with community garden
in Chester.
We got 21 raised beds,
plus some in ground
stuff and grew
watermelons under that
nursery fabric I talked about.
Just a blank area.
Didn't know if that
would work very well
with that black material,
but the watermelons
loved it. >> Good.
>> And they were very clean.
>> Yeah?
>> Kept the disease down
and that kind of thing
>> I guess it did.
Yeah, well good for you.
it's fun to go up to
pick a watermelon.
You have to know when the
right curly q.
is dry or something. >> I don't
know about the curly q.
<Amanda> Did they taste pretty
good? >> Yeah. >> Good I'm glad.
>> We got some good watermelons
out of there.
>> I'm delighted. Okay.
I hope you had a
big enough refrigerator
to put one in and get it cool.
That's the problem
with watermelons.
Although, now
they got those little bitty ones
Well, Terasa, I know
that people are so kind
at sharing. I hope
they're proud of their gardens.
They send you pictures
and we can
start with Gardens
of the Week.
>> Absolutely, I love
this part of the show
where we get to take sort
of what I've called
a virtual field trip to see
your yards and gardens.
We're going to begin
with Diana O'Neal.
She shared
some lavender and sage
that she was drying on it
looked like a kitchen table.
Betty Simmons sent us a
photo, a combination pot
with a Datura
and a Kalanchoe
and then from Debbie McGee,
we have sort
of a tropical look
with...one of the
ginger Curcuma species.
Lantana with a butterfly
is the subject of a photo
from, I believe you say it,
Kim (Pain) or (Pay-own-nee)
I apologize if I have
missed pronounced your name.
We're going to wrap up
with another tropical
feel. This is from Shane
who shared a bromeliad
flowering in front of the pool.
I think I would like
to be in front of that pool.
Wouldn't that be nice?
>> I'd like to be in the pool
(both laugh)
Speaking of
curcumas,
I think a good many shows
ago, you came with -
you and Keith talked a lot
about the new varieties
and types that are out
there and I bet Sean will put
a link up to that so
people could go back and
review that
because it's a field.
When I was a little girl, there
was one you could have
and now it's a just
a huge, huge area and thank you
for sharing that
information with us
and people can always go to
Historic Columbia and walk
around for free and see
all those things in bloom.
It's pretty fun to go up
there. Well, Terasa, I
bet we've got some
questions and so let's
start and see what we can do
to help people. >> Sure thing.
This comes in from Julia
in Union. She says,
"Help!", with an exclamation
point. The deer think my
hostas are candy. What
else can I plant that
they won't devour.
<Amanda> Oh boy! Those deer.
They are something.
Paul, have you got any
suggestions for these people?
>> I sure do. I have
a few things right here,
that's a good selection.
These are all one species of
plants that are different
selections of
the same thing.
>> This just
represents a small sample
I think of everything
that's out there.
>> Right. I got a picture
of another one -
<Amanda> The Giganteum, maybe.
<Paul> Yeah, the Giganteum.
I'm trying
to think of the genus
Farfugium. Yeah.
>> They change it on us
all the time.
<Paul> ...I had been these
and kind of
thought them as being
an exotic type thing for a while
and I went down
to Fripp island
with my brothers
and their wives.
It's been a few days, and the
deer were just everywhere
on Fripp Island, and I
started seeing that
Farfugium Gigantea everywhere,
in everybody's yards,
planted in
the similar place you
would put hostas, shaded areas.
These tolerate
a little more dryness
than hostas would,
and anyway you've got
selections here
of a variegated form,
one they just commonly
refer to as a parsley
leaf form
and then one that's often
called Leopard spot, where
you have these yellow
polka dots that
are just kind of random
on the leaves,
which turns some people on.
To me, I've always looked
at them and thought,
oh what is that leaf spot
disease that plant has?
It's still a
very interesting plant
and aside from days another
plant to consider
that's deer proof
is...your hellebores.
...Hellebores have come such
a long way in the past
10, 15 years,
with all the selections
and hybrids and flowers
that stand up and look up at
you instead of the typical
look down at the ants,
flowers, and I think
>> They're good for dry
shade, aren't they?
<Paul> They also do
well in dry shade
and the deer won't touch them.
There's also a lot of ferns
that the deer won't touch.
So, you've got a lot of
choices other than hostas.
>> Talk about - now this used
to be called Ligularia
and sometimes the common
name is tractor seat plant,
because the big one.
>> Yeah, it looks kind of
like the old John Deere
tractor seat,
>> And the big one
I mean, they're
<Amanda> - a big,
a big behind.
(laughs)
<Amanda> Yeah,
but let's talk,
also I mean, in
addition to, I think
having beautiful foliage,
I think it has
pretty colorful,
bright flowers.
<Paul> It does. It'll have
a spike of yellow flowers
in the late summer,
early fall period.
They're kind
of a surprise on the plant
because they're a daisy like
flower, and it just
doesn't look like it
belongs on this
broad leafy, kind of
herbaceous looking thing,
but they're kind
of a surprise,
It blooms well even
in the shade.
yeah you get that for
Fall interest as well.
>> Can it take part sun or
does it need deep shade?
>> I would imagine, it could
...get a little bit
of early morning sun
and be fine. >> Okay.
Definitely afternoon
shade, for sure.
>> Okay, all right and so at
Fripp Island
that's stunning,
because I just know that
even plants that sometimes
we say are deer resistant
at places like that,
get chewed up
and so this one apparently,
they just do not like.
<Paul> No, they
won't touch them.
<Amanda> That's wonderful.
Thank you so much. Farfugium
>> Farfugium.
>> Or tractor seat plant.
>>There we go.
<Amanda> If you want
to remember tractors.
We had a visit recently
from our dear friend,
Tony Melton
and it was
wonderful to have him
come over and see us
as you know, Tony's retired
but he just
can't stop helping people
with problems
in their Gardens
and in their yards
and we thought it would be fun
when he came over to talk
about Tony's early life,
because he really has had
a fascinating career.
So, let's have a visit with
our dear friend Tony Melton.
I'm here today happily
sitting next to my
wonderful friend Tony Melton,
Who, gosh Tony, I probably
learned more about
horticulture and farming
with you sitting here on the
set of Making It Grow
than all those years
at Clemson.
>> Well, I've been around.
I had seen a lot of things
in my 60 years
of being out there.
That's even,
because I started picking cotton
when I was three years old.
>> You got a cute little story
about that. Tell me.
>> Yeah, My grand-daddy,
he took a flour sack.
<Amanda> A flour sack.
>> And put
a little strap on it.
...and I could drag it
through the fields
and start picking cotton,
because the cotton, they
weren't tall cotton,
because it was short cotton,
and we called it
bumble bee cotton.
>> Bumblebee?
>> Yeah, the bumblebee would
bump it's butt
against the ground when
he tried to pollinate,
because it was so short,
because of the dry
conditions up on that sandy land
in McBee. >> Yeah, that McBee
it's hard to grow a crop there.
>> It is. It's tough
to grow anything.
I think it's
an amazing testament
to farmers and things
they can grow
on that type of soil.
Today we got irrigation.
We didn't have it in those days,
but back in those days,
you had to find the right soil
and the right place,
which is good to do anyway.
It's not - just try to find a
good place - quality soil
that really makes a
crop. >> - and that suits the
crop, yeah. That's one
reason, I guess that our
wonderful friends,
the McLeods, Kemp says that
McBee's really just
like the beach
without the girls
in the bathing suits,
because you're a big sand dune,
but that's good
for peach roots. It keeps them
from rotting so much.
There's some advantages to
that. >> Drainage.
Drainage is very
important. We found that out
the last few years. A lot
of crops have drowned.
It don't take long. I
usually say about three
hours of water.
<Amanda> Standing?
>> of most vegetables standing,
and you could have dead fields,
huge dead fields and then
you're out of luck.
>> People just
don't realize too much water
is just as bad as
not enough sometimes.
You went on, your family,
y'all were almost kind of
subsistence - although
your father had a
wonderful job, but, y'all
really grew your food.
>> Yep we really did.
I worked. We always, all of
us worked. We started out.
I helped with picking cotton
for grand-daddy
I think was five cent a pound,
but we always grew -
Daddy had this large piece
of land, that he grew crops
and stuff on. We grow butter
beans and peas.
We'd pick them and
he's sell of them.
Corn, sweet corn,
and we'd have some of that
and we'd grow that,
and he'd sell some of it
but most of it was used
to feed our family
>> - because you
got a big family.
>> Yep. I was number eight.
I was number eight.
I was the baby of the group
and then they adopted another.
There was nine of us total,
and then there was
a lot to be growing.
Then when I got
through picking cotton,
grand-daddy changed crops
because he couldn't
do cotton no more
because the cotton pickers
was coming around
at the time then.
Then we started out
with butter beans.
Grand-daddy was picking.
That's like going
from the frying pan -
That's tough to get down
and pick butter beans
all day and I
remember I used to make
50 cents a bucket.
>> ...Tony, you still
butter beans and southern
peas have been a large
part of your work and
research, I believe,
even after you got
to Clemson when you went to
experimental farm,
you would not believe
Doctor Ogle did a lot
of work on trying to get some
larger southern peas.
>> That's right. We did.
We worked to develop
the varieties,
Colossus,
Colossus 80, Hercules
Ogle variety, and one
of my biggest babies
that I worked with totally
from front to back was
Clemson purple.
<Amanda> Clemson purple.
>> Clemson purple
is a still good one.
Well, they're all good,
but there are bigger ones
and people have kind of fallen
away from the big seeded ones.
They want the
smaller seeded ones,
but Clemson Purple
is doing good.
>> I think you even did
some work on improving
the okra that Clemson
is so famous for.
>> Clemson's Spineless 80.
We went to
Clemson's Spineless
and brought it.
What we did we
selected for consistency.
In other words, you can
look out through the field
and you can see
one end to the other
It was all the same.
So we took the Clemson Spineless
and slated it for consistency
so it would have
the same plant from
one end to the other, so you
could pick it and handle
it a lot easier.
Yeah, there's a
lot of other crops
including
Carolina Hot,
which was a pepper.
We helped develop the
Carolina hot pepper, which
was not the Carolina
reaper, but the Carolina Hot.
It's just not a real
hot pepper.
>> Hot enough to use
without killing yourself.
>> That's right.
I tell you, these days,
people love spicy foods, Amanda.
>> Tony, but then
you got a master's degree
and you became an
Extension Agent.
Where did they send you first?
>> I came down from the
horticulture department
at Clemson
where I was growing crops
in the Clemson bottoms.
<Amanda> Yep, still there today.
>> It's still there today
beside the football field.
Came down to Florence,
Darlington County
to help farmers
grow the different
crops that are in that area,
all the vegetable type crops.
And then butter beans,
still. People in South Carolina
love their butter beans.
especially their speckle.
They like them and they like
that colored, we call it liquor.
It's a dark liquor.
>> The pot likker. It takes on
the color from that
speckled in the beans.
>> That's right and they
love to take the corn bread
and sop up that pot
likker. >> We all do. Yeah.
>> Yes it's wonderful.
>> So, you became a small fruit
veg specialist and a
vegetable specialist.
You've really
had a lot of counties
in which you
tried to help the farmers.
>> Moved here from down
two or three counties
and moved up to 10 or 12.
I have been blessed to work
with some of the greatest people
on the face of this earth.
A lot of the farmers
and I would call
each other brothers.
If I was too old,
they would call me uncle.
(laughs)
Uncle Tony. Then,
a lot of my brothers,
we just bonded together.
I think that's the main thing
for a County agent.
Is the love of people. Is to
love what you're doing
and helping to people
and showing them and making
South Carolina a better place
for the people
of South Carolina and loving
folks. That's county agents
and they ...all County agents
should know that. You don't work
for Clemson University.
You work for the people
of South Carolina.
You're there to help the
people of South Carolina
and make a better life
for their folk.
>> ...by doing that
you show and tell
them the ways to
best be stewards of the land
at the same time.
>> That's right. >> So, you're
protecting our
environment and helping
these people stay
sustainable as farmers, so
that they can keep that
land in agriculture.
We want to keep every bit
of land and agriculture.
That's the basis of the
Extension service, right there.
It does work,
that we are here
to help folks take care of the
land, take care of themselves,
and really take care of
the world around us.
>> I know you're glad to see
Tony. We sure are glad
to have him over here
with us, and thanks to Mitzi,
his sweet bride,
who drove him
and she said she'll bring him
back to see us.
Well, Terasa, I think we
got something else
in your stack of questions.
Let's try to get
another one answered.
>> Questions are endless.
This is from Angela in
Beaufort. I really like
tropical plants but don't
have enough sun for hibiscus.
What would be a
good substitute for part shade?
<Amanda> My goodness.
Well, Keith, you've got on
your 17 acres or
however many it is, every
exposure in the world. Have you
got a suggestion for us?
>> Oh yes, a lot of our
plantings are very sub-tropical
in nature. So, the
direction we're going...wise.
>> Yes. >> We try to
find something to
fill all the garden niches,
and there's one genus of
plants, it's really good for
a sort of part shade
situation and they're very
tropical and that genus is
Abutilon
and the common name for
this interestingly enough
is Flowering Maple.
The leaves do resemble a
maple leaf. <Amanda> Alright.
<Keith> but they're not
arranged in an opposite way,
which maples are. So there's a
difference there and plus
maple trees don't quite
have a flower like this.
This is in the mallow
family or the hibiscus family,
which is obviously related
to the genus hibiscus.
...and there's a lot
actually different
selections of Abutilon
and a lot of them start
out as house plants in
conservatories and they
function really well in
that capacity, but as it
turns out in our climate
a lot of them are also
ground hearty,
and sometimes they die
down in the ground,
and sometimes they don't,
but most of the time they make
it through, which is
really nice. And they come up
and they have a nice tropical
feel in a part sun situation
with some nice even moisture.
>> Yes.
>>...we have an example
of one here, and this...
particular one is called
Biltmore Ballgown.
I want to say it was,
if not discovered at
least made popular
by Biltmore Estate. As
you can see the flowers
are pendant hanging down there.
Hummingbirds actually as
it turns out, really like
these flowers,
and I think bumblebees too.
We don't see them set
seed too much. I've never
seen any seedlings.
...it's not something that's
going to take over
your garden or seed around,
really easily controlled.
...if you want to
do cuttings on them,
they will root
and you can have a
few house plants, as well.
If you want to do that.
>> How big do you think this
is going to get? Will it
fill up it's space nicely
eventually?
<Keith> They tend not
to get very wide.
They tend to grow up
and to have
a somewhat of a miniature
tree look to them.
<Amanda> Really? >> Now,
you can pinch them back,
a little bit if you want them
to be tighter, and give
them a little bit more sun
and they'll be a bit tighter.
>> Do they have
an extended blooming time
throughout the summer?
>> So they will
begin blooming probably in
late June. They'll just
continue all the way
until frost. >>Whenever, the
heck that's... >> That's right.
[laughs]
It could be months
and months and months.
Okay
Well thanks so much.
So, it's pretty care free
once you get it established
>> Yeah, there's no pest
problems really or diseases.
>> Okay. Thank you
so very much.
Well, Terasa, let's see if we
can knock another one off
the list of things we
need to talk about.
<Terasa> Alright. This one is an
identification question.
Frederick in Moncks
Corner said, I found this
little flower growing in
the woodlands on my
property in Berkeley
County. Can you identify it?
>> My goodness, a lovely
town down that way. Moncks
Corner is really nice.
Paul, I think you got to
look at the picture
and did it...
remind you of anything? Could
come up with something?
<Paul> ...well I wasn't really
familiar with it at first.
I got a little help
from Keith,
but
I immediately recognized
it was in the mint family,
because of the way
the flower looked.
He referred to it
as being a skull cap.
I looked a
little further into it.
There are several
different species,
and looks as though that's
the integrifolia species.
Scutellaria
integrifolia
seems to have a wide
range of habitats from
wooded pine woods,
hardwoods to meadows.
...so quite versatile
perennial plant.
>> ...for those of you who
hadn't been to Moncks
Corner, lately, they have a
lovely little park there
that has the
Old Santee Canal
gates or something.
It's historic, and the
grounds are quite lovely
and it's a lovely place
to take a picnic and walk
around, and it's got some
nice shady spots. So if
you're down that way, I
would certainly encourage
you to go to the old -
I think it's called the
Old Santee State Canal Park.
...it's just a lovely
place to go and while
you're there you might
enjoy riding around
Moncks Corner,
a nice historic community.
So, let's see. Terasa I
know I think this is when
we are going to have our
gardens spotlights.
...someone who has more than
just one pretty part
of their yard,
which is sometimes in
South Carolina it's
challenging to have,
to keep a whole yard
looking good. Isn't it?
>> Oh my goodness. Yes,
it's funny that you said it
that way, because our spotlight
is from Dia Daniels of Conway.
...She sent me a few photos,
but I needed a few more
and she's
like, "I don't know if I'm
"ready for this spotlight
garden." I was like,
I'm sure you can find enough
photographs. ...She did.
but Dia started in
a typical kind of
residential neighborhood,
and she said it was a
naked lot. I hope I can
say that on television.
...she's been slowly
adding natives as she
could find them. and you
can really see an amazing
transformation in her
before and after shots of
her front yard. She's got
a nice buffer along the
water's edge which you
know that's near and
dear to my heart and it's
attractive to pollinators.
You can see, she's got
some caterpillars of the
black swallowtail
feasting on her bronze fennel,
and then a fenced
area off her screened porch
contains some landscape
beds, a compost bin and a
rain barrel. So she's
really got the
environmentally friendly
landscaping concept going on.
<Amanda> ...I was going to say
if Tony were with us,
he would remind you that if
you weren't from New York
and grown up in McBee,
South Carolina, you'd
probably say neck-ked
instead of nay-ked.
...but tell us why it's nice
to have things planted
around the water sources,
rather than just mowed
down to the water,
Terasa, please.
>> So, there are lots of
reasons we would do that one,
it's going to just help
stabilize the edge of
that pond, so your valuable
property isn't washing away.
It also
protects water quality,
because the roots of
those plants are going to
be able to soak in and
absorb things that might
be washing across the
landscape - all things,
you know, bacteria
from pet waste,
excess fertilizers and
pesticides, you name it.
Anything that we use can
potentially end up in our
water. So that buffer is
going to slow the water down.
Allow it to soak
into the ground...then
it can just be
aesthetically pleasing,
I think to have flowers
around the edge.
>> ...I believe that you've told
me that it also
discourages the count
of the geese;
that they feel like
a predator might be there,
and although I mean
I know it's
some people interested in them
and all that, but they can
be a real nuisance around
waterways and I believe
if you have that planting
there that would
discourage them and they
can make a mess of an
area, pretty quickly. >> Yes
very messy, a lot of waste
produced by those geese and
you're right. So, it can
discourage them if you
have an area where you'd
like to start putting
plants in though,
you'll have to protect the
plants from the geese
or they will eat them down,
before they have a chance
to grow up. We do know
that they have a
voracious appetite, and
they produce a voracious
amount of waste, as well,
unfortunately.
...one thing about
voracious appetites is
I had one the other day,
fortunately, because
Craig Ness is one of our
crew members. He's the station
manager here, as a
matter of fact, has been
telling us about a place
he and his wife Sari love
to go eat supper and he says,
" It's just so wonderful and
he's got a wonderful
garden where he produces,
gets a lot of the produce,
and...Craig has real
good taste. I knew the food was
good, but when we went up
there to the
Mediterranean Cafe and met
Azmi Jebali and saw the -
it's almost a farm that
they have, and then what
they do with the produce there,
it's also used to
supply people who are in
need in the community, and
then they bring it in to
the cafe, between being a
remarkable farmer,
greenhouse production
and then a chef
extraordinaire. It was a
day to remember.
♪
I'm with Azmi Jebali
and the Lexington
Community Garden and
Azmi, this is one heck
of a garden.
...you actually have
a whole regular job at
a cafe, a restaurant.
>> Yes, ma'am. I own a
restaurant
called the Mediterranean Cafe.
This farming idea
started as
a hobby and then I
incorporated it with the
restaurant as
a Farm to Table
way of doing business.
<Amanda> You grew up
on a farm in Israel,
I believe. >> Yes ma'am. >> Came
here and studied and have
done a variety of things,
and obviously that need
to have your hands in the
dirt was strong.
>> I always had this in my
blood, and it's the best
thing...I enjoy it the
most. I always enjoyed
farming and gardening,
and I'm so happy.
I'm always happy
when I'm here.
<Amanda> Y'all have a massive
amount of produce coming out
of this garden and help
people who might need food.
How do you distribute it?
<Azmi> Yeah, so a friend of mine
Scott Emil and his wife Susan
had the idea for a
nonprofit organization,
a community garden and they
needed help with that
with the growing part of
it. ...So, this is our
third year actually.
We produce so much
and we distribute it through the
churches and ministries,
the police department
sometimes.
Wherever we can help,
we do it. We do that.
<Amanda> It's a lot
just to pick.
I think you got some help.
<Azmi> We do have some help.
We have the Tyler family.
Charles Tyler and his family
from Salley. <Amanda> Yes.
>>...they're very generous.
They're always here helping,
and if it wasn't for them,
really we cannot do
all this work.
<Amanda> He was a nice fellow.
I enjoyed meeting him.
...the variety that's here is
just stunning, and this is a
small part, you have
several fields, but in this one
you've got a - really good
head start on everything.
...it's interesting to think of
using okra and corn
in the Mediterranean dishes
but you said,
you found ways
to incorporate everything.
<Azmi> Okra is very popular
in the Middle East
and in the Mediterranean
area anyway
So, that was...
an easy dish for us to
- our vegetables
to handle.
<Amanda> It's pretty easy
to serve fried okras
to southerners. Isn't it?
<Azmi> Yeah.
<Amanda> ...then
peppers, eggplants, squash and
<Azmi> cucumbers,
<Amanda> watermelons,
<Azmi> cantaloupes,
potatoes, beans...
We got it all. <Amanda> You sure
do, and you got - we saw
nice pollinators out here.
<Azmi> Yes ma'am.
<Amanda> One of the things,
we are on that sandy
Lexington county soil, and
you are very conservative
with water. >> Yes, ma'am.
We use drip irrigation.
It uses a whole
lot less water
and it increases the
production, actually,
as compared to the
sprinkler or flooding,
or any other method.
<Amanda> - and helps
with diseases, as well.
<Azmi> Exactly,
and prevents the weeds.
You have less weeds to
deal with, and you apply
the water for the plant
and we also have the
luxury of to applying
the fertilizer
through the drip irrigation.
So, we don't have
to have spreaders
or anything else like that,
a waste of fertilizer.
We use about one
third of what we're supposed
to use in a
conventional way.
<Amanda> ...so that protects
groundwater and runoff and helps
with all those problems
that sometimes happens
with over fertilization.
<Azmi> Yes ma'am.
<Amanda>...then to get
an early start,
you'll start
on black plastic I believe.
<Azmi> So, early in the
year in the early spring
we, our mulch - We call it
plastic mulch,
which holds the moisture
and also creates heat.
It keeps the ground
warm enough and ...
it speeds,
stimulates the growth,
and speeds the plants.
Once we hit
...the middle of May,
we switch to - the
plastic has two sides, black and
white, we switch on the,
if we're planting something new,
we use the white side,
which reflects
the light toward the plant.
The plant will consume
that light to grow
because plants need light
and it keeps the ground
cool and prevent the weeds
at the same time.
<Amanda> Yes, and so
you'll be harvesting
these summer crops,
because you keep planning
and we
never know when we're
going to get a freeze in
South Carolina, right now.
So, it's a long growing
season for you.
<Azmi> So, most crops you can
plant up to July ten, fifteen
and you will not have the
risk of getting frost.
Otherwise, after that you
there are some crops
that you can grow like
leaves and greens,
and leafy greens,
and collards, kale,
<Amanda> You do that, as well.
<Azmi> We do that too,
<Amanda> - but then a green
house, and your customers
and the wonderful people
with whom
your friends help
distribute the produce
are having tomatoes in
the winter time.
I was blown away.
<Azmi> So, the greenhouse
was my idea,
because we wanted to find
a way to have continuous
supply. <Amanda> Yes.
<Azmi> Or almost continuous
supply.
So, it's been
a good experience.
We've been
successful with it,
and as you saw,
we have some nice
plants there, nice tomatoes,
nice yield too.
<Amanda> Tremendous yield,
and you got determinate
and indeterminate and then
you got the English
cucumbers and I said, you
started having tomatoes,
how early? <Azmi> We, around
January we'll have tomatoes.
In January. <Amanda> Yeah, big
red, juicy, slice of tomatoes.
That is quite an accomplishment.
<Azmi> We grow in plastic bags.
We don't grow
yet directly in the
ground. Plastic bags
with peat moss and drip
irrigation again.
<Amanda> Again being very
conservative of water
and fertilizer.
It's stunning to see that
you were able to, in that
small bag get that
massive production of tomatoes.
<Azmi> It's a
continuous feeding.
That's what it is...
>> So, even though you have this
wonderful old fashioned
Farmall tractor, this is
one heck of a modernized
situation. Isn't it? >> Yes,
I have a hobby.
I like equipment and
I like to do mechanical work,
and during the
winter time...when it's slow,
a project like this
would be really
nice to have around the house.
<Amanda> As if you didn't
have enough
going on with your cafe.
<Azmi> ...the wife keeps
coming to the shop,
"When you coming inside?
When you coming inside?"
<Amanda> Well, I am very
excited to go over to the cafe
and see how you incorporate
some of this wonderful
produce in your menu.
>> Let's go do that.
<Amanda> Okay.
♪
>> Azmi, after a meal
like that, I feel like I
need a good snooze. What a
delicious feast we've had
with you, and we started
with a good many
appetizers and I think
they're considered
traditional. So, let's talk
about what some of them were.
>> One of the appetizers
was the fried
eggplant appetizer.
We take eggplant, slice
it about a third of an
inch thick and we saute
it either with olive oil
or you can deep fry it -
<Amanda> - but you did not
coat it.
<Azmi> It's not breaded.
Then we top it
with tomatoes, basil,
garlic, lemon juice,
<Amanda> Yes.
<Azmi> A little salt.
<Amanda> It was just
wonderfully refreshing.
<Azmi> The second appetizer was
the bruschetta,
which is roasted pita
bread, topped with tomatoes,
basil, garlic, olive oil,
balsamic vinaigrette,
and a touch of salt.
<Amanda> - but as a child
growing up in Israel,
your
grandparents farmed and
you said that really just
vegetables cook rather
simply were the main way
that y'all ate most of
the time. Is that correct?
<Azmi> That's correct.
Our diet is high in
vegetables and I was
fortunate to grow up
on a farm,...
my grandparents were farmers.
And my daddy after
he retired from his job,
he moved to the farm.
So, we have a good, good
connection to the land.
...we always enjoyed what we
have on the farm.
Actually people used
to get jealous of us.
So, we always had the freshest,
the best looking vegetables
and that's how we
use that in our diet
and without cooking.
<Amanda> ...and in front of us
we have two examples of
vegetables being used as
a way that people order when
they come to the restaurant.
<Azmi> This is our
tomato mozzarella appetizer.
It's fresh tomatoes
topped with mozzarella cheese
and olives, olive oil,
balsamic vinaigrette
and served with
a pita bread.
<Amanda>...then I saw the new
little basil coming up
in the green house today
when I was out there.
<Azmi> Yes, and I'll
be planting those
smaller ones too
in the field soon.
<Amanda> ...here we have
grilled vegetables that
just look delicious. <Azmi> Yes.
This is our most popular
dish during lunchtime.
It's basically a grilled
chicken breast, with
grilled vegetables.
We bring most of these
vegetables from the farm;
squash, zucchini, onions,
tomatoes and peppers.
<Amanda>...always some parsley
and basil on top of everything.
<Azmi> That's for
garnish, yes.
>> But it's also for freshness.
Don't you like that fresh taste
it leaves in your mouth?
>> Yes ma'am. >> Well, I think
everything that went
in mouth today was
absolutely delicious, and
I want to thank you for
being part of the
Farm-to-Table movement
and reminding people that
things that are grown
locally, really are
outstanding in flavor,
and it helps the farmers,
and it helps the Lexington
community garden, which
does such a wonderful job
providing food to people
who are in need.
Thank you
for what you do.
>> Thank you for having us.
♪
>> Next time,
my children come home
I'm going to get
them to drive me up to
Lexington to that
wonderful Mediterranean cafe.
They're always telling
me how good the food out
in Los Angeles is, but I
think they're going to
say, Oh mama. Y'all yeah really
have a lot better food
in South Carolina. It really was
just that delicious.
Thank you so
much, Azmi,
and for your nice family. Y'all
were so kind to us that day.
I went out to my friend,
Ann Nolte's this morning,
because I didn't have
anything for a hat.
She's always so kind to
me. We both got about a
dozen mosquito bites. We
were running around after
about five minutes and
we got some celosia
and some mums, and then I came
over here and there was liriope
outside in the
studio parking lot growing,
and I got some sun coleus
from Ann.
Thank you, Ann.
You are always so kind,
helping me find something.
..thank you for all the
gardening you do in your garden,
so that I don't
have to always have
something in mine.
Terasa, let's see if we
can help somebody else
with something that's going on
in their yard. >> How about
Grant from Columbia, who
said what can I grow in
my home landscape that
would be a good filler
for arrangements?
<Amanda> Ooh, well that's
something I'd like to sure
know about. Keith, I'm going
to next time I do an
arrangement, I'm going
to come up there
and see if
you'll let me cut some
at your place, because you've
got so many things with -
you got an idea of
something that you've
noticed would work well
in that situation? >> Oh, yeah.
We do - I do cut
things for little events
here in there in Historic
Columbia and one of the
plants that we have in the
garden as a foliage
accent has turned out
really well in that
capacity,
so, what it is actually
one of the beauty berries,
and a lot of us here in
South Carolina will be
familiar with Callicarpa
Americana, which is
just starting to color up now
with the wonderful fuchsia
berries. ...this is an
Asian species.
Callicarpa dichotoma.
That is the
Japanese beauty berry,
and the normal
version of that species
does make little
purple berries, but as it
turns out
this particular selection
really isn't growing
for the berries.
It doesn't set
fruit very often.
It's called Shiji Murasaki
and it's commonly sold
under a trademark name
of Wine Spritzer,
if you're looking in the store
for it, but it's got this
really beautiful
purple stem,
and the leaves have this
wonderful splash white
variegation all over them.
...and as it turns out when
you cut these for an
arrangement, they really
do hold up and a lot of
plants with these sort
of thin broad leaves like this
would weep, but this one
doesn't do that.
In the garden, it
functions really well, as
a filler or even as
a screen, even though
it is deciduous in the winter.
It's a very vigorous plant.
So, it can takes the
cutting very well.
<Amanda> Well, how big
is it going to get?
<Keith> So the
ultimate size on this
would probably be almost
15 feet tall,
but very, very easy to
keep smaller than that.
>> You could be getting
filler to your heart's desire.
<Keith> Yes. Yes. >> ...it comes
back faithfully, every year.
>> Absolutely, it's a very, very
tough, vigorous plant.
<Amanda> Well and I love
the native one.
It seems
to want to have some shade.
Does this one want
some shade? >> You know,
this does best, I think
with a part sun situation.
It takes a little bit
more sun, or a little bit
less sun than that,
but really more of a
very, very bright shade
with some morning sun.
>>...is it in the trade yet?
Or would you have to go through
a whole lot to trouble to
find one, you think?
>>...I don't know, it's
not very popular. I will
say that I believe the
wonderful nursery in
North Augusta, Nurseries
Caroliniana does carry it
most of the time. <Amanda> Okay,
well I think that sounds
like something that
people who enjoy
flower arranging would really
like, because it's just
one, you don't want to
just have flower, flower
flower. Things get too stiff
looking when you do that.
You need something graceful to
drape over. Thank you so
much for telling
me about that.
I'm really glad to know about
it. Well, Terasa, let's hit
another one. >> Sure. This one
is from Ben in Florence.
This was an email to me.
It's more of a request,
I guess, than a question. "At
some point, could you get
"the experts on Making It
Grow to talk about the
"invasive hammerhead worms.
I see them all the time
"in my yard." And Ben
included a photo for us.
<Amanda> Huh! ...and, I have not
seen one in my yard.
>> Me either >> Sometimes when
I'm moving things,
I find that
flat-headed thing,
but whatever it is but -
>> That's it. Land Planarian.
>> Oh, okay. Well I do see it.
Yeah, it's always under
the cats' water bowl,
but I hadn't been worried
about it.
Paul, do I need
to be worried about it?
They're commonly called...
flat worms.
There are several
different species.
We have one common one here that
are kind of, shovel-headed,
couple of longitudinal
dark stripes down its back.
<Amanda> Uh huh!
<Paul> ...there's a lot
of things on the Internet
about them, reporting them,
and this,
that and the other,
and yet they've been
established in the United
States for over a century.
They do feed on earthworms.
I would imagine if you were
an earthworm farmer
trying to raise worms
and these got in there,
you would probably -
cause problems for you, but
we have a strong enough
native worm population.
They're not going
to devastate the earth worms.
The good thing is, they also eat
things like slugs.
So...anything that eats a slug
is good with me. So, it's
really not anything to
worry about. You tend not
to see them, unless we're
having a lot of rainfall.
That definitely brings them out.
Just kind of
like the same
thing when you,
you suddenly see
earthworms on the driveway.
because you've had
a lot of rain.
I have gotten a lot more
calls about them this year
than what
I've typically gotten,
but they're
really nothing,
- nothing
to be concerned about.
>> Have y'all had as much
rain in the upstate as we have
down here? >> Well, it's just
here and there.
>> Here and there, yeah.
Heavy rains.
>> We've certainly had some
periods of some heavy downpours
for several days of rain,
but we've had plenty
of dryness in between. >> But,
those heavy rains tend to
be when they come up and you're
more likely to see them?
<Paul> Right. >> Okay, but
nothing to worry about.
>> Nothing to worry about.
>> You don't need
to report them to us.
>> Don't need
to try to eliminate it
or anything. Just go pull weeds.
>> Yeah and don't cut them in
half, thinking you're
doing good, because you
just made two worms. >> Come on.
>> Cause they - yeah -
They will procreate. In fact,
any fragment the breaks
off their rear end will go
ahead within a week or so
something really quick.
.. That's sounds pretty
weird -
Okay. Alright. Well, Sean
Flynn, our producers wife,
called the other day, and
she was beside herself
with excitement, because
she really is a scientist
at heart, and she had seen
a turtle laying eggs in
the front yard, and so we
have a video of that.
...We were so fortunate that
because when Andrew Grosse
from DNR was talking to us,
Sean sent it to him and
he looked at it and he told us
all about it and identified
the turtle.
...it just made it all
that much more fascinating.
I'm sitting with Andrew
Grosse and he is the state
herpetologist for the
South Carolina Department of
Natural Resources and
Andrew, we had a curious
thing happen with one
of our crew members here.
Sean Flynn my
producer's wife called
and she was all excited
and I mean really excited,
because there was a
turtle in her front yard
laying eggs. ...they just
live in this subdivision.
I mean, there's not a pond or
anything near by
So, we've sent you the
video and I think you're
going to tell us a little
bit about what's going on
and what kind of turtle this is
<Andrew> Yes, so I looked
at the video. It's
a yellow belly slider,
large female,
probably the most common
turtle species we have
here in South Carolina
throughout the spring.
Not usually too much
later than this but
spring and summer is when
they're typically nesting,
and those females will come
up out of the water.
Turtles have to lay
their eggs out of the
water, so during that time
frame, they'll come out
of the water find a suitable
place to lay those eggs
and it's always fun
to watch the nest,
but they'll find a
good spot if they're not
disturbed, they feel
comfortable enough, they'll dig
a hole with their back feet,
drop those eggs in there,
bury them and be on their
way. So, really cool
for anyone to
experience and see those
turtles laying eggs.
<Amanda> ...so even though they-
this turtle spends most of
his life in or near the water,
I guess. They want
a dry and higher place
...for the eggs.
Is that important for the
eggs to safely develop?
Or -? >> Yes, so
real interesting with turtles.
...their hatchlings -
whether or not their males or
females is determined by
the temperature. We call
it temperature dependent
sex determination, and
where those females lay
their eggs is going to
determine the temperature
at which they're incubated.
So, if it's an open
area and the sun's shining
down they maybe warmer,
and so you might get
females. So, with the
majority of turtle
species we have here in
South Carolina, warmer
temperatures make females.
Cooler temperatures make males
and it's really just
dependant on where that female
...lays her eggs.
...then, another
advantage maybe to being
in more open, sunny
habitat and warmer temperatures,
those eggs incubate
a little bit quicker.
So, they're not exposed to
potential predators, while
being in the ground as
long and they might come, and
they might hatch sooner
and get into the water where,
even for hatchling
turtles, it's not safe,
but the water is a safer
place than being up on land.
<Amanda> How many eggs
do you suppose
a yellow bellied
slider usually lays?
<Andrew> That's a good question.
The number
of eggs any turtle can lay
is going to be limited
by how much space
it has. Right?
...so yellow bellied sliders are
a larger species.
They might have eight, maybe a
dozen eggs, maybe more.
It also depends on how big
those eggs are going
to be, different
turtles have different
sized eggs.
...so it's going to vary,
but they certainly, based
on their size, can
probably easily do ten or
twelve eggs at a time.
<Amanda> ...and so when they
emerge I guess it's a mad dash
to try to get to safety,
because, I mean here you got
these little turtles and
they don't know where the
water is, but they got to
figure it out and try
to get there pretty quick.
<Andrew> They do. A lot of -
There's some research
looking at different
species and how they
move towards the water.
Certain species do
like to go towards the water,
but when you're talking
about box turtles,
they don't need
to be in water.
...they might be looking for
leaf litter or something
else to hide in. There's
also some species if it's
a late nest or some
species that nest later
in the year when it's
colder and the turtles
will hatch and actually
stay underground
and wait till it's warmer
to come up.
...a lot of times
they do that anyway,
where the first egg will hatch
and they'll stay in there
until most or all of the
eggs hatch and they come out
at one time, and
a lot of times
I would say the
majority of the time,
you never see them,
you come back out to
where the nest was and
there's a hole in the ground
and they're gone.
(laughs)
>> Well, it sure was
exciting for all of us
and we'll be -
we're going to hope that when
we see that hole in the ground
that we
had a wonderful survival rate
and thank you for
sharing this with us today.
>> Absolutely, happy to
do it.
>> Well, Terasa, we've got a
little bit of time left.
Anything we can answer
quickly, maybe?
<Terasa> Let's try to help Jane
from Myrtle Beach
who says, "We moved
"from the mountains of
Georgia where we successfully
"grew Dahlias.
What do we need to do"
"differently now that we
are in Myrtle Beach."
<Amanda> Well, I try to have
days at home and usually
for me they do - they come
into their own in the fall
when it gets cooler
I'll have - but my friend
Ann Nolte, who of course has
everything that does well
in her yard, but even she
said this year I think
because it hasn't been so
brutally hot this summer,
hers are coming in
earlier. So here's some
beautiful ones from her
garden, but the Georgia
Dahlia Society has a
really nice web page,
several pages long
that tells you, which
ones are good for showing,
because people love to
show Dahlias and win prizes,
and which ones will do
better in hotter weather
and are more productive,
and so I would
encourage people to go there
and see about
ordering ones that might be
even better for
where - because
Myrtle Beach is pretty
different from the
mountains of North
Georgia. ...then if you
have a friend who has
some, because I was, Ann's so
sweet and I know she's
going to give me...
some of hers and I've got
one that's I've got that
I'm going to divide
with her,
but...they're like a
sweet potato.
They're not like a potato.
So, when you dig it get up
a lot of people
think if you just -
Keith they think, don't you
think if they just break
a piece of that root
issue off that that's
going to make a new plant,
but that's not true is it?
>> No.
I found that oftentimes,
Dahlia roots kind of resemble
larger, thicker
versions of day lilly
roots, so you would
want to, if possible try
to retain a
tuber intact, if you can.
...really the top of the tuber
where it's starting out
is where the
stems are >> - Yeah >> going to
emerge from. >> because it's
like a white
potato is really a
underground stem and a
sweet potato and a dahlia
is an underground root. So
you need to get some of
this top like on this
sweet potato that I found
in the kitchen
and didn't eat for supper
last night. ...So you'd
need to cut it so that
you were sure you - like I
can probably cut this
maybe at least in half or
maybe in fours.
Then I would know that I had
enough, had some real
tissue that would produce
new stems. ...you said
you think that drainage
and moisture. >> ...Yeah. I
would also add that,
actually Dahlias if you
have any above ground
tissue root pretty well.
>> Really?! >> So, if you cut
the above ground tissue
and put a couple of nodes
>> Okay. >> And some soil with
some... root hormone.
you'll probably get it to
root, which is another way to do
it, and yeah I would say that
in a place like Myrtle Beach in
the coastal plain,
we really want to be careful
that if you have them
in the garden over the winter,
you want to keep
the soil not saturated,
like well draining soil.
There's a saturated cold soil
that's going to lead to a lot
of rot in those tupurs.
>> Oh, okay. And people
think that the beach that
everything there's sandy,
but when you think of all
the construction that
goes on down there, you
don't have any idea what
may have happened...
in your yard.
It could have been dirt, soil
brought in from lord
knows where. >> The water table
being so much higher.
>> Yeah all kinds
of things to consider.
Well, do sometimes people dig
them up and put them in baskets
over them, >> - Mmm hmm
>> - and save them that way too?
Okay, well anyway they
are nice plans to have.
They're real pretty and again
thank Ann for letting me
have some. She saved my
life many times with hats.
That's all we have time
for tonight.
I want to say thank you
so much for being with us.
...we'll see you next week.
♪
♪
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.