Category: Greenville

Melissa Bales
Rural Health & Nutrition Extension Associate
Statewide; Programs in  Greenville & Laurens Counties

Growing Health just wrapped its SIXTH class! Growing Health is a program that was developed by the Greenville County Rural Health and Nutrition and Urban Horticulture Agents to help beginner gardeners in Greenville learn to grow their own vegetables and incorporate these vegetables into a healthy diet. In order to help beginner gardeners learn about vegetables that can be grown throughout the year, Growing Health is presented in accordance to growing seasons – spring, summer, and fall. Those who participate in the program receive information and growing materials to take home.

We are so excited to have had so many of you participate in the program so far. We would like to thank Clemson Extension’s Innovation Awards program for providing the initial funding for the development and pilot of the program. While the pilot of the program has concluded, we look forward to continuing to offer this program throughout the growing seasons and look forward to expanding the program outside of Greenville County.

We hope to see you in a future Growing Health class! Contact Rural Health and Nutrition Extension Associate Melissa Bales at 864-986-1047 or mbales@clemson.edu for more information or questions regarding the program.

Mary Vargo
Horticulture Agent
Greenville County

Throughout the summer, the Greater Greenville Master Gardener Speakers Bureau and Clemson Extension – Horticulture joined hands to offer a series of invaluable and free gardening programs. These programs covered an extensive array of gardening topics and addressed issues that resonate with the community in Greenville County.

Commencing in April, this educational journey continued every other week until August, enriching the lives of gardening enthusiasts across the region.

The core mission of the Master Gardener program is to empower knowledgeable volunteers who serve as conduits of research-based information, bringing vital insights to our local community. These dedicated Master Gardeners are instrumental in disseminating public education on horticultural and gardening-related subjects.

The 2023 program series was a resounding success, featuring ten captivating topics and speakers that ranged from the beauty of summer bulbs to the challenges posed by invasive species, the art of growing herbs, and the creativity of container gardening, among others.

One of the highlights of this series was the spirited discussions that followed each session. After the informative talks, Mary Vargo moderated these discussions, addressing questions, and fostering a sense of community among participants.

The impact of this initiative was nothing short of remarkable. Not only did it provide a platform for individuals to expand their gardening knowledge, but it also created a vibrant community of gardeners who came together to learn, share, and grow.

The turnout for these free programs was overwhelming, and the response from participants was overwhelmingly positive. Throughout the summer, attendees acquired a wealth of new knowledge, and the bonds formed during these sessions will undoubtedly continue to flourish in the gardens and hearts of Greenville County residents.

Andy Rollins
Upstate Commercial Fruit & Vegetable Agent
Cherokee, Greenville, Spartanburg, Union, & York Counties

At the beginning of this year, I continued work with a cellulose nanocrystal particle to verify its ability to frost-protect peach. It was successful but has yet to be commercially available. I spent an inordinate amount of time looking at peach farms devastated by freezing temperatures and writing insurance letters to help support them. I helped start the SCSFGA- South Carolina Small Fruit Growers Association with many farms statewide. This group has formally asked Clemson administrators for Ph.D. assistance with growing small fruits. At this point, asking for funding will go to the state legislature this coming year. This project is excellent for Clemson to participate in, and I look forward to seeing that position develop.

I am currently harvesting many grape varieties I have planted and maintained. This demonstration aims to expose this farm to newer varieties, which will assist him. We have some wonderful hybrid grape varieties that are smaller than his muscadine. Still, these are seedless and have very high sugar content and thinner skin. One selection of muscadine is Paulk. It will serve as a better pollinator for Supreme, a female muscadine. We have in the past used Granny Val, which is a bronze grape that comes in very late. I want the grower to see the timing of Paulk and how it compares to Supreme. He is looking to involve it in his next planting of Supreme. Lastly, I worked with one farm on a different form of fumigation that is much safer than the traditional method. We will distribute the collected information to all growers at our production meetings and demonstrate it to the NC Strawberry Growers Association in person. I tested the injection method with a donated product and pulled nematode samples from treated and control areas for comparison.

My work with the cellulose nanocrystal particle and grape and muscadine varieties were out-of-the-ordinary projects I worked on this year. I also held production meetings and problem-solved at on-farm visits, as always. I am honored to serve the farmers, growers, and producers of the Upstate.

Carolyn Dawson
Area Extension Forestry Agent
Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, & Spartanburg Counties

Two years ago, a retired US Forest Service ranger named David Hedden entered my office and politely asked if anyone was doing anything to save the hemlock trees in the Upstate. In case you were not aware, there is a tiny insect named the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (HWA) that is threatening the existence of the Eastern and Carolina Hemlocks trees. Prognosis for the trees is not good. Luckily for David, he stumbled into the right place, and the seed was planted to turn concern and passion into actions.

With the help of Clemson Extension, David and his wife Carla recently formed the non-profit organization called Carolina Hemlocks. The goal of Carolina Hemlocks is to bring together governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, private landowners, practitioners, and other stakeholders to maintain, re-establish, and enhance the Hemlock tree population in the South Carolina landscape through outreach, resource sharing, collaboration, and applied learning.

To date, this non-profit has treated close to 1,000 private home/landowner trees. Partnering with Clemson Extension, we continually hold educational programs, presentations, and outdoor workshops., We have treated approximately 1,000 Hemlocks in the Greenville Watershed. We have also been cleared by several agencies to treat all trees along the SC Foothills Trail.  We have partnered with Clemson Extension, South Carolina Forestry Commission, USFS, SC State Parks, Foothills Trail Conservancy, Duke Energy, and Greenville Watershed to locate, treat, record, and monitor existing hemlock populations. We have trained and utilized volunteers to help treat hemlock trees.

To keep updated on the latest scientific treatment methods, we attend workshops and presentations held by the Tennessee Dept. of Forestry, UGA, Georgia Forestry Commission, and often consult with Dr. Elizabeth McCarty, who is a current expert in the treatment of HWA.

If you have hemlocks trees, know of trees that need treating, or would like to volunteer to help treat, please contact Carolyn Dawson, Clemson Extension Forestry Agent at dawson4@clemson.edu.

Heather Nix
Upstate Regional Water Resource Agent
Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Oconee, Pickens, & Spartanburg Counties

Water is often taken for granted, but we depend on it for nearly everything, such as drinking water, growing food, producing electricity, recreating, and for industrial purposes. Several state agencies are working hard behind the scenes to help ensure we continue to have clean, plentiful water for future generations. If you’re interested in learning more about water withdrawal regulations or water use, please see Clemson’s recently published series of articles:

• Water Withdrawal Regulation in South Carolina a Land Grant Press article outlining regulations that apply water withdrawals of ≥3 million gallons in any month.
• Water Withdrawal Amounts in South Carolina a Land Grant Press article summarizing reported water withdrawals over a five-year period.
• An Introduction to Consumptive Water Use in South Carolina – a Journal of SC Water Resources article presenting estimates of the volume of water that is consumed by each of the major water use categories in SC.

Upcoming events: Help keep our drinking water clean! Sign up now for the “Splash Away the Trash” Lake Hartwell clean up event on Saturday, September 30, 2023. Our free Adopt-A-Stream volunteer water quality monitoring training is available on various dates and locations.  Please keep an eye on the Clemson Extension Events Calendar for information on additional events.

Drew Jeffers
Horticulture and Natural Resource Agent

The South Carolina Certified Landscape Professional Program (SCCLP) is an online, self-paced certification program that provides high-level horticultural education and training to green industry professionals and operators. The program launched in 2020 and has offered spring and fall courses for the last three years. Over 385 professionals have been certified and represent nearly every county in the state. Starting in April of 2023, the course will go fully on-demand to better serve the professionals’ needs.

The course has also been incorporated into the Spartanburg Community College’s Horticulture Capstone course, providing a model for other colleges to integrate the SCCLP into their horticulture programs. We are also in the process of bringing the program to high school classrooms. The goal of the high-school integration is to grow the green industry’s shrinking workforce pool. Clemson Extension also partnered with the SC Department of Corrections, where 37 soon-to-be-released inmates were certified and were given trade skills to renter the workforce. The program will continue if funding is available to further add to the workforce pool.

The significant impact of this program has been its ability to reach a large audience relatively quickly. Many folks have asked if the state requires the certification, but we tell them we hope it will become so ubiquitous that it doesn’t need to be a requirement by law but by demand by the consumer and hiring managers.

Andy Rollins
Upstate Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Agent

Currently, I’m holding all of my yearly production meetings.  At my peach meeting, we had 81 in attendance, with 61 different farms represented.

Along with another agent, we hosted the first meeting of the SC Small Fruit Growers Association.  I assisted Bob Hall in helping to establish the group with representation from across the state.   The production meeting featured a blueberry specialist from out of state, with 50 growers in attendance.

The strawberry production meeting is coming up at the end of February, and the vegetable meeting will be in March.

I will be working on a bloom-thinning product again this year for an on-farm demonstration and I also plan to showcase my on-farm grape work this fall.

Melissa Bales, Health Extension Agent

Growing Health is entering year 2! Growing Health is a program that was developed by the Greenville County Rural Health and Urban Horticulture Agents to help beginner gardeners in Greenville learn to grow their own vegetables and incorporate these vegetables into a healthy diet. In order to help beginner gardeners, learn about vegetables that can be grown throughout the year, Growing Health is presented in accordance to growing seasons – spring, summer, and fall. Those who participate in the program receive information and growing materials to take home.

We held three programs in correlation with the growing seasons in 2022. Six individuals attended all three program dates and there has already been significant interest in the program for 2023. The 2023 Growing Health program will continue to emphasize growing your own food and how it impacts your health but will also offer an opportunity to showcase some of the work that other Agents are doing in Greenville County and how their expertise can link with gardening and health.

Our collaboration with the Greenville State Farmers Market has allowed the program to be hosted at a lower cost and has allowed us to begin thinking about opportunities for the growth of the program. This year, we will offer programs on April 1^st, June 17^th, and August 26^th from 11am-12pm at the Greenville State Farmers Market. Interested individuals can sign up at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/327485827927 or contact Melissa Bales at mbales@clemson.edu or 864-365-0635.

Ellie Lane, Statewide Rural Health and Nutrition Extension Agent

The Rural Health and Nutrition Team’s free health programs are expanding! We have listened to your feedback and are currently developing a program designed to keep you strong and healthy for life. Practical Strength will launch Summer 2023! The goal of the Practical Strength program is to emphasize sustainable, functional fitness. We will help you develop the strength to do whatever you want throughout life safely and efficiently. The program will be appropriate for all ages and mobility levels and will be hosted weekly through live, online classes. Certified fitness professionals will lead participants through a strength training workout appropriate for all bodies. Recordings will be available for those that cannot make the lives classes and for participants that want to practice their favorite sessions again.

Why is strength training important? We need our muscles in any activity we do throughout the day – whether it is walking, getting out of a chair, grocery shopping, enjoying your favorite hobby, or chasing the grandkids. For us to keep those muscles as strong as possible, we need to challenge them on a regular basis. We do this through strength training. We need at least two days per week of strength training with enough resistance to challenge our muscles to stay healthy lifelong. Benefits of strength training include preserving muscle mass we lose as we age, strengthening bones to prevent injury and osteoporosis, reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, improving quality of sleep, increasing energy, lowering stress levels, and boosting confidence, among many others.

We know that strength training can seem intimidating – it is possible that by training your body with improper form or pushing your limits too quickly, you could experience injury or burnout. Practical Strength will set you up for success in reaching your fitness goals by demonstrating proper form and offering modifications to meet your body where it is each week. We will keep you at an appropriate pace for sustainable muscle building and emphasize consistency in healthy behaviors over intensity.

Join us this summer to stay accountable towards your health goals and keep your body functioning smoothly and lifelong!  

Over the last few years, Health Extension for Diabetes has grown. We are so excited to have in-person classes offered in additional counties. As of October 2022, Health Extension for Diabetes is now offered in person in Laurens County. Our first cohort in the county was offered at the Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy and we are so excited to work with them as we bring Health Extension for Diabetes to Laurens. We will begin our second in-person cohort for Laurens County on February 20^th at the Clinton Family YMCA. We are so excited to continue to expand our reach for this program and help as many individuals with diabetes as we can.

Melissa Bales, Health Extension Agent