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With spring in swing here, now is the perfect time for people to dust off their pruning shears, roll up their sleeves and head outside to tend their gardens. But for those who want to start a bed from scratch, it might be overwhelming not knowing where to begin. Gardening is a gratifying experience for many and also comes with health benefits.
Research studies show that tending a garden can reduce stress, depression and anxiety, can serve as a good way to keep physical activity levels high and bring families and communities together, leading to a stronger sense of belonging. Whether you are an avid gardener or a first timer who wants to start growing your own vegetables or flowers, here are a few tips to prepare for gardening season, offered up by two longstanding businesses in the Lowcountry. For any type of garden, the first step is to pay attention to how much sunlight your yard, pots or raised bed gets, said Janeele Thompson, general manager at family-owned garden center and boutique in Mount Pleasant Abide A While .
This will determine what you will be able to grow in those areas, she said. Thompson, who is a certified horticulturist with close to 30 years of experience, said that for a vegetable garden, for example, more direct sunlight will result in more produce. To make the soil an ideal environment for growth, she recommends adding compost to and fertilizing it, following package instructions for best results.
One thing Thompson tells newbies who come to Abide a While wanting to dive right into growing vegetables is to start simple. “We want you to be successful, so we would rather you start with tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers or squashes, which are usually fairly fast and easy crops to grow,” she said. Grace Hyams shows off a basil plant at her family's nursery, Hyams Garden and Accent Store on Folly Road on James Island.
And Charleston is entering the best season to grow these vegetables, said Grace Hyams, a horticulturist working at her family's business Hyams Garden and Accent Store on James Island. “We have a very long growing season in our area," she said. "The next approaching frost is very far away, so that’s something you can use to your advantage.
" For flowers specifically, it's important to figure out which type of soil you will work with, whether sand or clay, Thompson said. Both will need to be amended with compost according to the type. The horticulturist also recommended planting your flora a half-an-inch to an inch taller above the ground and mounding the soil up to them.
Rain tends to sink plants into the earth and they can get suffocated by over-mulching. Containers and topiaries are designed and for sale at Abide a While in Mount Pleasant. Thompson also encouraged homeowners looking to plant flowers to pick a small area in their yards that can be easily accomplished in a weekend, rather than landscaping their entire yard — especially if they have recently moved to Charleston from places like California and the New England region.
“It is a totally different concept of growing and planting here,” she said, noting Charleston summers are intense and the climate conditions are different. “You have to pay attention and do the research on how much lighting you will have in the spots that you want to plant.” Hyams said that despite the tough southern heat, there are plants and flowers that thrive in the warmest conditions, such as coleus, petunias and perennial shrubs like lantanas.
For those who have already been successful in planting a garden and want to get it ready for the spring, remember to fertilize and don’t be afraid to prune, said Thompson. And getting the water and light right are crucial, she said. Hyams said the most frequent gaffe first-time gardeners make is getting the sunlight wrong.
“If you buy something that's meant to thrive in the shade, then putting it out in the full sun can be a big challenge of gardening in your first year,” she said. Thompson added another big mistake is not watering plants enough. During the wintertime, it's possible to water too much, but not during summer months, especially if it’s a dryer season.
Grace Hyams of Hyams Garden and Accent Store on James Island holds a cluster of seed packets that are easy to grow, such as lemon basil, parsley and cat grass. For Hyams, she said her biggest challenge, perhaps, is patience. “If you think about it, a tomato takes 90 days to mature, so this is not something that happens overnight, but it’s amazing to see how much something grows within a week or a month,” she said.
“When you have a bouquet of flowers on your dining room table or your own vegetables that you’re eating at dinner, it all becomes worth it in my opinion.” When in doubt, the best thing to do is seek help and ask questions. Both Hyams and Thompson's businesses can help customers with education about gardening, either at their stores or through free resources offered on their websites.
“Gardening can be stressful, but remember to take a breath, find what works for you and what your groove is, whether that is growing your own food or flowers,” Hyams said..
