Why Fall Is a Great Time to Start Your Garden
According to local gardeners – and they should know – late summer and fall are among the best times to get your hands dirty. The onset of the “cool season” offers the perfect opportunity to start your journey toward producing some of the vegetables that thrive in South Carolina.
Are you new to growing your own or possibly renewing your focus on healthy eating? Here are some ideas for beginners and longtime gardeners alike that focus on home-grown vegetables that do well in in South Carolina’s lush landscape.
What Not to Grow in Small Gardens
Keep in mind that there are vegetables that you probably would be better off picking up at your local grocery store rather than growing them yourself said Amy Dabbs, statewide school and community gardens coordinator for Clemson University’s Cooperative Extension Service, which has has helped launch more than 3,000 community gardens across South Carolina. Squash and watermelons are examples because you would have to go to the trouble of protecting them from insect infestations and disease. And if your garden is on the small side, she added, corn, peanuts and potatoes are fun to plant, nurture and harvest, but they do demand a lot of space.
Tips From Local Gardening Experts
Sustainable gardening is, naturally, a major pastime for David Manger, owner of Roots and Shoots Nursery on Wappoo Road in Charleston. Launched 10 years ago as a landscaping business, it has transitioned in the past few years to a nursery. Sweet potatoes are among his favorite things to grow.
For your basic small vegetable garden, Manger said, you’ll want an area that is at least 4 feet by 8 feet. He pointed out that okra is easy to grow, nutritious and dense in nutrients, as are leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale. He recommended against growing large tomatoes because, in the heat, they are prone to pests; you might end up harvesting only a few of them.
Health and Wellness Benefits of Gardening
Leafy greens – collards, for example – “really start growing by the end of the season,” said Manger, adding that the fruits and vegetables you grow on your own aren’t dramatically healthier than the organic produce sold at supermarkets.
Experts agree that growing your own vegetables can reduce the size of your grocery bill, but you’ll have to do some serious research to determine by exactly how much. Home gardens have initial start-up costs for items such as soil and trellises, and many vegetables that you plant might not, for one reason or another, make it to your dinner table. Still, a package of 750 carrot seeds, which is going for about $5 on Amazon, compares to a similarly-priced bag of about two dozen carrots at Walmart.
There is, however, more to growing your own veggies than getting a handle on your grocery budget and eating healthier. Gardening also provides an excellent form of exercise, the benefits of spending time in the sunshine and the satisfaction completing a task from start to finish.
“Mental health and overall well-being are inextricably linked to gardening,” Dabbs said.
Top 10 Vegetables to Grow in South Carolina
Based on being easy to grow – ideal for new gardeners – and great for your health, here are the 10 best vegetables to feature in your South Carolina garden:
- Beans: Easy to grow and filled with nutrients, they can produce results in under two months.
- Beets: Another fast-growing crop, sprouting in fewer than 60 days, South Carolina’s warm climate is perfect for this tasty crop, known for its earthy flavor and aroma and the benefit of lowering blood pressure.
- Spinach: One of the healthiest foods around, Spinach can be planted in spring or fall in South Carolina. It harvests in about 35 to 45 days. It is an “acquired taste” – some people despise it while others love it. According to Healthline.com, spinach can help improve eyesight and blood pressure and even prevent cancer.
- Kale: Kale enhances many a salad, and it can be grown in spring or fall. It requires enrichment with compost, and mulching the soil can get rid of weeds.
- Cabbage: It’s also quick to sprout, is relatively immune to frost and comes up in 60 to 80 days. Cabbage can withstand temperatures as low as 20 degrees.
- Broccoli: Another cool-season wonder, broccoli should be planted in rows 3 feet apart. It’s convenient for gardens of various sizes, but be wary of flea beetles and black rot.
- Corn: Requiring a minimum temperature of 50 degrees, tasty sweet corn grows in about 80 to 90 days. Crops are susceptible to corn earworms, beetles and corn sap beetles.
- Sweet potatoes: Sweet, starchy root vegetables, sweet potatoes contain vitamins A and C and can also help prevent cancer. They are perfect for growing in smaller locations.
- Peppers: Ideal for gardens of all sizes, including small backyard plots, peppers are relatively immune to root rot and pests.
- Okra: A tall, beautiful plant with a hibiscus-like flower, okra grows in warm weather – 75 degrees to 90 degrees. It contains magnesium, folate, fiber, antioxidants and vitamins C, K1 and A.
Sources: thescientificgardener.com; Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service; healthline.com. For further gardening tips, visit hgic.clemson.edu.
By Kevin DeValk
