SC Fruit and Vegetable Field Report – March 4, 2024

Today we’re in Phoenix, Maryland, visiting Sally Barker’s beautiful garden:

Sowing a seed directly into the ground, nurturing it, and reaping the rewards is one of the easiest gardening activities you can do—yet many gardeners don’t. There are many reasons to direct sow. Often, you’ll have earlier harvests because the seeds will germinate when it’s the perfect time to grow, and stronger seedlings because transplant shock isn’t an issue. Planting seeds in general (instead of buying transplants) gives you more varietal options, and you can also save a lot of money (1 packet of 30 to 150 seeds often costs less than a 6-pack of plants). And then there is the personal satisfaction factor. Ask any child who has planted a sunflower seed how they feel when that flower towers over their head, and you’ll understand what I mean.

We have lots of meetings coming up over the next few months, so be sure to keep a close eye on the Upcoming Events tab so you don’t miss anything. Coming up this week, we have the Upstate Apple Meeting in Walhalla and the Midlands Strawberry Meeting in Saluda.

The plant kingdom is full of surprising doppelgangers, and these fruits that look like tomatoes are no different! Let’s learn how to differentiate them for good!

Now that we’re firmly planted in March, it feels safe to say it out loud: spring is practically here. Along with bluer skies and brighter days, it also brings the perfect time of year for cleaning and organizing.

1. The Promoter is Immediate Media Company London Limited (company number 06189487), Vineyard House, 44 Brook Green, London W6 7BT (“Immediate”). The competition is sponsored by Weetabix Limited (company number 00267687) (t/a “Alpen”).

Common juniper (Juniperus communis) is one of only three conifers native to the UK. It’s a member of the cypress family and grows on chalk or limestone in lowland areas, and moors, woodland and cliffs in northern Britain. Juniper is in decline in wild populations and has been designated a UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species. This special tree has disappeared from several areas in the south of England. Many remaining colonies are so small that they’re considered functionally extinct. Scotland is now the stronghold for 80 per cent of the UK’s juniper trees.

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We invited guests to celebrate the end of winter at the famous Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, a Belmond Hotel, in February 2024. Guests enjoyed a day of winter fun and luxury with a micro-herb seed-sowing workshop, expert cookery demo, champagne reception, a lavish three-course, Michelin-starred lunch, and a visit from a very special guest.

Irrigation systems can now be turned on to perform annual audits before spring officially arrives.

When and How to Water Bromeliads

Pruning raspberries the right way and at the optimal time is essential if you want a bumper crop of large, juicy berries. The tools and techniques you choose to employ in your berry patch can help to spur new and very specific types of growth, as well as prevent the spread of diseases like anthracnose and blight, among others.