October 2012
2 posts
Wishing You a Gourd-uous Halloween
Wednesday October 31 is Halloween. This time of year, pumpkins rule - but don’t forget those crafty gourds! The biggest difference between pumpkins and gourds is that pumpkins last only for a few months if kept uncut and stored in a cool, dark, dry place. Gourds on the other hand, if left uncut, will dry and can be used for crafts for years to come.
So, save those gourd seeds...
Are you harvesting yet?
If you started your veggie gardens just after Labor Day, you should be harvesting now. Radishes lettuces, and many greens started from plants are ready to pick now!
Speaking of harvesting - don’t forget to keep track of quantities in your gardening journal. If you haven’t heard, Bonnie Plants will be donating FREE SPRING PLANTS to the class with the best garden journal. Think...
September 2012
2 posts
Plant an "I DARE YOU" garden
Fall is now officially here and boy are we glad! By now, your veggie beds and containers should be prepped and ready to go. If you haven’t already planted, ask your class which they’d like to try: beets, carrots, kale, lettuce, spinach, turnips, and radishes. Water the soil well prior to planting these seeds, lightly cover, and then water daily to insure germination.
You can...
Cooler weather means its time to plant greens
If you’re like me, you awoke this morning to significantly cooler weather compared to yesterday. The air has a nip, the skies are crystal clear, and there’s less humidity than just a day ago. If you’re a gardener, this means one thing: It’s time to plant GREENS!
Greens is a catch-all term for collards, mustards, kales, spinach, and even lettuces. Right now, you can...
August 2012
1 post
1 tag
Let's keep a garden journal this year!
Whether you’re new to gardening or an old pro, there’s a benefit to keeping a garden journal. Long before you even plant the first seed, you can start journaling. You may include photos of veggies you’d like to plant, the type of raised beds, Smart Pots, or containers you’d like to use, and even make notes about the area you’re thinking of using for your garden.
...
July 2012
1 post
Good to Grow enters its second year!
Welcome back Good to Growers. If you are starting your Good to Grow program for the first time this fall, we are so excited to have you join us. Hands-on gardening feeds not only our tummies, but also our souls. Its a great way to hone reading, math, and science skill, while teaching valuable lessons on making smart food choices.
If you’re new to the program, we suggest that you read...
March 2012
3 posts
Full Steam Ahead!
Hi All,
Donna and I have had a great time telling each of you about the Good to Grow Program over the past month and the District Garden Club meetings. If you haven’t already begun your school gardens, there’s no better time to start than right now! Its hard to believe that April will be here next week. If you school gets out at the end of May, this gives your a little less than...
Timing is everything
The days may be warming, but March can be so tricky. Just to be safe, it is not wise to set out transplants of warm season vegetables yet.
Keep them indoors, safe from frost a bit longer. After all chance of frost has past set out eggplant, onion, pepper, and tomato in your region. I know these warm days are tempting you, but these heat-loving veggies do not like cold!
In the Upstate,...
Terms to learn
Gardening has its own language and if you’re a beginner, it can sometimes be intimidating. Spring is the time of year when we are eager to start our gardens but may not be sure of the best way to get things going. Here are common gardening terms and what they mean. Indoor Sow - to start seeds inside. This can be done in cups, trays, clean, re-used cell packs, or profession seed starting...
February 2012
2 posts
Start seeds indoors now!
March is known for its unpredictable weather, but if you start seeds indoors, they’ll be protected and you’ll get a jump on your harvest.
Seeds can be started in almost anything - paper cups, clean cell packs that have been rinsed with bleach water, and seed starting trays purchased from the garden center.
In his book Month-By-Month Gardening in the Carolinas, Bob Polomski says...
Students to eat shoots, leaves, and seeds
Ebinport Elementary in Rock Hill, SC sends in this update. Please share your growing experiences so that we may post them here too!
On February 13th four first grade classes planted seeds in their own courtyard area. Parents and teachers volunteered time, materials and readied raised beds. Because outdoor planting space is limited, garden space was shared among classes.
Members of Town...
January 2012
2 posts
New Veggies Pack Extra Nutrition
Last week we posted the cover of the new Burpee Seed Catalog, but wanted to tell you in this week’s blog why that cover is so special. Packed with more vitamins than your average veggies, perhaps you’ll consider adding a few - or all of these to your Good to Grow gardens this spring.
The ‘Burpee’s Boost’ vegetable collection is pack with both flavor and extra...
Report from Spartanburg's Lone Oak Elementary
Happy New Year Good to Growers! Now that we’ve all settled back into the school year, its time to start thinking about what to plant in the upcoming months. Garden catalogs are beginning to fill our mailboxes and excite us with the promise of the upcoming season’s bounty.
Share these catalogs with your classes. There’s valuable lessons to be learned: Reading...
December 2011
1 post
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Seeing how this will be the last post for 2011, Donna and I are so very proud of each of you who started a Good to Grow Garden at your school or in your community this fall! Wasn’t it fun to see the children watch their plants grow.
2012 starts a new year and new growing season. If you haven’t harvested everything in your garden prior to leaving for the holidays, may we suggest...
November 2011
1 post
We're so proud!
Here’s hoping that each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you may have enjoyed some fresh greens cut from your gardens along with that big bird. Donna and I thought you’d enjoy this update from Rock Hill, SC. If you want to see their progress, look at the blog on October 9! Way to go young gardeners!!!
A little over six weeks ago some of the 4th graders at a Rock Hill...
October 2011
2 posts
Rock Hill's Town and Country Club Changing...
Members of Town and Country Garden Club, of Rock Hill, SC are participating in the Garden Club of South Carolina’s “Good to Grow” program/initiative. Mindful of the best times for fall planting members joined with some of the 4th grade student’s at Ebinport School to plant “cool weather” vegetables (cabbage plants, and radish and spinach seeds) in their...
Check out this progress
Nan Breon of the Ivy League Garden Club of Spartanburg reports that Good to Grow is a wonderful initiative and Ivy League Garden Club of Spartanburg has had a “hand” in helping one of the elementary schools in Spartanburg School District 6 (Lone Oak Elementary School) by donating child-size gardening trowels to the Green Thumbs 4H Club at Lone Oak. This year, we will also be...
September 2011
3 posts
What's bugging you?
The last thing any gardener wants to find in their veggie patch is a bug, but did you know that all bugs aren’t bad? Many of our six-legged insects are actually very good - even that formidable looking praying mantis you see above. Referred to as beneficial insects, these good bugs help to eat and keep bad bug populations under control. Lady beetles are one of our most beneficial...
Stinky, good-for-you fun!
Take a poll - “Who wants to plant something stinky?” I bet a lot of hands go up. Now ask “Who wants to plant onions and garlic?” You might still be surprised since last year, the marketers of the Vidalia onion teamed up with Dreamworks Shrek to convince kids that consuming these aromatic bulbs is a must-do. As you may guess, Vidalia onion sales soared.… It just...
Show us your gardens!
All schools are officially back in session and hopefully your garden club has either selected a school to work with or your school’s garden is well underway. September is your last month to start fall gardens from seed if you live in the upstate. You’ll have until mid-October if you live in the the Lowcountry.
In his book Month-by-Month Gardening in the Carolinas, Bob Polomski...
August 2011
3 posts
Need Funding?
Good to Grow Chairman Donna Hummelman shares her ideas:
Many businesses and organizations are especially in favor of supporting educational projects via grants. The grants might be local or they might involve applying to a national organization. Some grants are small while other could mean thousands of dollars, depending on the scope of your project. And often, charity begins right at home: ...
Which is better - transplants or seed?
Honestly, is one better than the other? Both are good. You can successfully start a garden from transplants or direct seeding. The answer greatly depends on where you live in the state and what you’re planting. In the upper part of South Carolina, near the mountains, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower will mature better when started in containers according to Sow True...
It's time to plan your Fall gardens!
Hello Garden Club Members. Have you contacted your teachers yet to start planning your fall gardens? Though its hard to believe, school starts in just two or three weeks! According to Sow True Seed, late August is the perfect time to sow the seeds of arugala, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, cilantro, collards, dill, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce,...
July 2011
7 posts
Save on SMART POTS
Those of you who attended the President’s Fair fell in love with Smart Pots. This reusable felt-like bag is an economical way to jump start your club’s Good to Grow program in your local school. High Caliper Growing Systems is proud to participate in the Garden Clubs of South Carolina’s Good to Grow program. Program participants will receive a 15% educational discount on the...
Stir in something healthy
The Good to Grow program isn’t just about raising fruits and vegetables - its about getting kids to eat them too. If you know a picky eater that refuses to even try something new - let alone something green, red, or orange, try this. Introduce vegetables by stirring them into a favorite food.
What kid doesn’t adore mac and cheese? The next time you make this kid-friendly fav,...
How do I keep a garden journal?
Garden journals can be an important tool for vegetable gardeners - as important as a trusty hoe or pair of gloves. They help you track when you planted, what you planted, the weather, and your harvest.
Experienced gardeners refer to their journals from years prior to help them decide everything from what to plant to when to plant.
Journals can be as fancy or as simple as you want them to...
What's a great website for learning about what to...
We love Bonnie Plants website. Not only do they provide great photos, but they also have an extensive vegetable and herb database. Gardening Made Easy, beneath their Learn and Grow tab, is especially helpful.
With fall just around the corner, you’ll be establishing your club’s Good to Grow program within your local school or community. Bonnie’s article title Fall Gardens...
How do I build a raised bed?
You don’t have to have bad soil to justify building a raised bed, but once you’ve gardened in one, its hard to go back. Raised beds are perfect not only for those who want the luxury of growing veggies in perfect soil, but also those who have disabilities that limit mobility in some way.
The key to building a raised bed is to make it no wider than can be reached from any side.
If...
How do I get started?
Start by finding a location that gets at least six to eight hours of full sun. The ground should be level and if you are planting directly into the soil, it should be free of weeds, amended with organic matter such as leaf mold, compost, or soil conditioner.
Most importantly, soil should be well drained. Whether existing soil has a high sand content or clay, amending with organic matter...
Welcome to Good to Grow.
Good to Grow is a state-wide project, sponsored by the Garden Club of South Caronlina, Inc., that teaches school-age children, their families, and communities how to grow edibles.
Follow this blog weekly for tips on everything from what to plant to how to control insects. Several times a month, we will share selected photos from vegetable gardens around South Carolina to post on the Garden...
