South Carolina Living

The recent edition of South Carolina Living was full of good farming advice and farmer success stories. Its article on Walters farm expresses that young farmers bring fresh energy and ideas to SC agriculture. Steven Walters is a farmer in Dorchester County. He has learned many of his farming practices on his own through trial and error and has many innovative ideas. He is building a CSA program and a line of natural baby foods called “Ginger Baby.” He has been working with GrowFood Carolina and local restaurants, through which he has been marketing interesting varieties of crops, such as the Chioggia beet, which is striped like a candy cane. I remember Sara Clow, the director of GrowFood Carolina, told me that crop planning is one of the most difficult tasks of a farmer. You have to grow something that is very marketable. Growing interesting varieties such as the Chioggia beet is important in helping a farmer’s products stand out among others and sell. There are many upbeat success stories that new generation SC farmers have to tell. This edition also included a story on Eric McClam, who left a budding career in architecture to form City Roots, which is one of the only urban gardens in Columbia.

I also learned more about blueberry production through this edition. I learned that fertilization is “a double-edged sword” through a piece on building better blueberry bushes. You need good fertilization for blueberries to grow, but over-fertilization can also result in excessive flower growth and limited berry growth.  It is also effective to cut off one or two of the eldest stems in the center of the plant. This will yield more light for the plant’s growth. Make sure your plant doesn't grow too big- you must trim your stems, otherwise your plant will grow too big and your yields will decrease. It is recommended that you remove up to one third of your stems in a year. These stems are easy to spot- they are very tall and barren looking. 

chioggia beets...yummm