Okra
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a warm-season crop grown throughout South Carolina. It is a tall, upright plant with a hibiscus-like flower that originated in Africa. The immature, young seed pods...
Category: Vegetables
Herbs
Most herbs are easy to grow. Many are drought-tolerant, do not need very fertile soil, and are naturally resistant to insects and diseases. The word herb has many definitions, but practically...
Cabbage, Broccoli & Other Cole Crop Diseases
Cole crops, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower, are easily grown in South Carolina. Tips for growing healthy cole crops in the garden are available in HGIC 1301, Broccoli,...
Tomato Insect Pests
Tomato Fruitworm The tomato fruitworm (Helicoverpa zea) is the most damaging tomato insect pest in South Carolina. Fruitworms occur throughout the Western Hemisphere extending as far north as Canada...
Cucumber, Squash, Melon & Other Cucurbit Insect Pests
Cucumber Beetles The spotted, striped and banded cucumber beetles are very harmful to cucurbits (members of the gourd family, including cucumbers, melons, pumpkins and squashes), particularly young...
Root-Knot Nematodes in the Vegetable Garden
Root-knot nematodes attack a wide variety of plants and can become serious pests in the home garden. They are microscopic roundworms that live in the soil and on plant roots. They injure plants by...
Integrated Pest Management (I.P.M.) for Aphids
Aphids can be a problem in the home landscape, vegetable garden, or fruit garden. They can vector many viral diseases and can cause significant damage to desired plants if the aphid population is...
Basil
Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is one of the most popular and easy to grow garden herbs. There are many varieties and related species that make up the group of annual basils, but all are warm-season,...
How to take a soil sample
Why test? A soil test provides fertilizer and lime recommendations, if needed. How do I take a sample? After all, the results are only as good as the sample. Collect 8-10 samples from the surface to...
Sweet Potato & Irish Potato Insects
Wireworms Several kinds of wireworms feed on sweet potatoes as well as Irish potatoes. The southern potato wireworm (Conoderus falli) is injurious in the southeastern United States. Adults (click...
Insect Pests of Sweet Corn
Cutworms Cutworms damage a few plants in most gardens every year, but some gardens are so heavily infested as to warrant control by the grower. Bottom land (low-lying land, creek bottoms, etc.) is...
Cabbage, Broccoli & Other Cole Crop Insect Pests
Aphids Two primary species of aphids (plant lice) attack cole crops: the cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae) and the turnip aphid (Lipaphis erysimi). Because they are similar in life habits and...