Old Southern apples

We'll be adding a selection of South Carolina heirloom apples (10 semi-dwarf trees) in the Heirloom Garden, thanks to Slow Food Clemson University (through grants from Slow Food Upstate and Slow Food US). 

Malus domestica

A celebration today at the Student Organic Farm, where another ten are planted, featured comments by Creighton Lee Calhoun, author of Old Southern Apples.

Apples are a storied crop (I mention this a bit more in the link provided above about the celebration), and most of us have apple memories and stories to share.  I remember discovering Gravensteins and Newtown Pippins as a graduate student in California years ago.  We once grew over 2000 varieties in the South according to Lee Calhoun -- we still have about 500 extant.  Remarkable.

Fall color

fall color along the Cameron Walkway

Plant a Row for the Hungry

Master Gardeners' vegetable garden

A devoted Master Gardeners of the Foothills group has been growing vegetables all summer and fall in the Heirloom Vegetable Garden site.  It's resulted in well over 600 lbs. of produce to our local food banks.

In the spirit of the Garden Writer Association initiative, I've titled this post "Plant a Row for the Hungry" -- they've been encouraging this for years. 

But lots of groups are growing food for local food banks on open space in our cities and towns. Often, it's on space previously devoted to lawn;  here it's a highly productive garden area that's been well-tended for many years as the Heirloom Vegetable Garden.

Check out the great fall plantings that they've made.  What a lovely, productive garden!

cool-season vegetables and the last of the peppers