South Carolina ETV

Making It Grow! News Articles

August 8, 2005 (Article 1)

Back to News Articles Home

"I think that I shall never see, A poem lovely as a tree".

With these blisteringly hot humid days, South Carolinians are all searching for trees and the blessed shade they give us. Make plans to plant a shade tree in your yard this fall and help cool off a little bit of our beloved South Carolina soil in years to come.

With the dog days of August, it really is too hot to do much but dream of fall and cooler days. But for the die-hard gardeners, several early mornings of work can pay off with delicious vegetables in the coming months.

Many summer crops can still be planted for harvest in the fall. Bush beans, half runners, cucumbers, and squash can still be planted in most areas of our state. Since the hours of sunlight are getting shorter, the pickings will not be so prolific as in summer, but many gardeners swear those fall harvests have more flavor.

And as for the vegetables we traditionally think of as fall growers, the field is wide open all over our state for August through October, depending on the crop. Beets, collards, turnips, the lettuce varieties and more can be sown during the up-coming months. A vegetable that perhaps identifies with Rodney Dangerfield, as "not getting much respect," the rutabaga, can be seed-sown during August. If you've never tasted home-grown rutabagas, you have a treat in store for you and I'd sure encourage you to give them a try.

Fall gardens may be plagued by catgerpillars. A natural insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis, sold under the trade name Dipel, is a dust that safely controls the very young Lepidoptera larvae. It does not hurt adult butterflies or moths or even mature caterpillars. Turnip and collard patches can be devoured by these immature insects who have appetities like teen age boys around cookies and milk.

Transplants of broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower are available at some garden centers and these plants grow well as the weather cools. It takes faith in July to believe that temperatures will subside and that those cool nights that make the fall vegetables develop such delicious flavors will come. But the true gardener knows that the change of the seasons is as predictable as mosquitoes and aphids, and plans accordingly.

If you'll visit the Clemson Home and Garden website and select "Planning a Garden," under the Vegetable section, you can find the planting date guide for the entire state to help you determine when and what to plant in your fall garden. Or call your local Extension office and ask them to mail a copy to you.