Sea Island Savory Herbs

 

The January 2024 meeting of the Seabrook Island Garden Club featured presenters Ella Cowan and Danielle Spies, co-owners of Sea Island Savory Herbs plant nursery on Johns Island. They began their presentation by providing some history about the property. The herb farm has been in existence since the 1970’s and is located along Church Creek. The original owner and his wife had a special interest in growing herbs, and the wife was known locally as the “Herb Lady.” Prior to taking over the business about ten years ago, both Ella and Danielle worked on the farm and came to view it as a unique place.

 As the name implies, Sea Island Savory Herbs specializes in selling herbs, with a focus on culinary herbs. Additionally, they sell succulents, perennials, and seasonal vegetables. They are looking to add medicinal herbs to their current offerings. Most of what they sell is grown on the property from cuttings taken from existing plants. Unlike large nursery centers, they specialize in plants that thrive in our local climate. As an example of this, they sell an herb called culantro. It is similar in taste to cilantro but is easier to grow in this area.

Danielle spent a portion of her presentation explaining how to propagate herbs through cuttings. At their farm, almost all their plants are propagated this way as it is much more cost effective than purchasing seeds, plugs, or live plants. She encouraged home gardeners to do the same as propagation is relatively simple—take cuttings, strip off the bottom leaves, use a root hormone to stimulate growth, plant the cuttings in soil, and water daily. Once the cuttings take root, they can then be transplanted to larger pots.

Both Ella and Danielle encourage people to visit the farm. They are more than happy to answer questions about the plants they sell. They want gardeners of all ages to be successful with whatever they grow. Although their farm is relatively “deer proof,” they can offer advice on plants that can be grown in areas with large deer populations. In particular, they have had success with salvias and offer a wide selection of salvias in the spring.

 The farm welcomes visitors of all ages. Even if you are not interested in growing plants, the farm has 15 acres of camellias for viewing. Sea Island Savory Herbs is located at 5920 Chisolm Road, Johns Island, SC 29455. Their hours of operation vary seasonally and are posted on their website: www.seaislandsavoryherbs.net.

                                                                            Submitted by Susan McLaughlin

Light Up Contest December 2023

Thank you for entering the Holiday Light Up Contest.   The displays ranged from classic designs to whimsy and everything in between.  For the first time, we have a tie for 1st Place. 
The winners are:  

• 1st Place  3076 Marshgate Dr 
• 2540 The Bent Twig
• 2nd Place 3028 Marsh Haven
• 3rd Place 2525 Pelican Perch
• Honorable Mention: 3227 Middle Dam and 2779 Little Creek

 

Wreath Making

 Lucie's Very Own

Wreath Making with Lucie Kulze, using native and naturalized plants from the forest and fields around Lucie's home in the ACE Basin of South Carolina.  

Ann Bavier

Carol Price

Julie Minch

Robin Aaron

,Debbie Daskaloff

, Beth Wright

Hydroponic Gardening

 

 

Rogers Kyle, a Seabrook Island resident and former MUSC teaching faculty member, discussed Hydroponic Gardening at the November Seabrook Island Garden Club meeting. Kyle, a do-it-you selfer and gardener, built a simple but efficient hydroponic system to grow lettuce and herbs from seeds year-round. Hydroponics is the technique of growing plants using a water-based nutrient solution rather than soil.  

 

With minimal technical skills and by watching a YouTube video, Kyle said any of us could build a hydroponic system. But we could also purchase a complete system on Amazon. He said you need plants or seeds, a container, water, a way to anchor the plants, nutrients, and a light source to grow hydroponically. The basic system suspends the plants above a water tank, and the roots hang into the container where they absorb water and nutrients. Every system has pros and cons; some are simple and a good fit for the amateur gardener, while others can get very complex and are suitable for commercial operations.

 

Once planted, the hydroponic gardener must diligently manage the crop to ensure the plants receive the proper nutrients and pH. A pH meter makes this easy to do. Other challenges are keeping out algae and deterring the birds, marsh rats, squirrels, and deer that also like his lettuce.

Dr. Kyle’s system is in the sun on his deck during the summer and under LED lights in his garage in the winter. Within a year, Kyle successfully harvested several lettuce crops without ever having to pull any weeds. 

 

                                                                                                Submitted by Carol Price