South Carolina gardeners often get excited towards the end of February when temperatures climb into the 60s and 70s but know spring is still a month away. As tempting as it is, it is understood...
Are you tired of planting the same summer annuals over and over? Want to spice up your containers with something different that will attract hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and other pollinating...
This aphid has been parasitized by a tiny parasitoid wasp. Parasitoid wasps lay eggs in a host, like this aphid. As the egg hatches and the larva develops, it causes the aphid to swell, making it...
Spring is here! All the signs are evident, including walking into caterpillars hanging from trees by slender threads (which happened to me last week). These danglers are often members of the...
“April is the kindest month. April gets you out of your head and out working in the garden” ~Marty Rubin~ Athens Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus 'Athens') Barbara H. Smith, ©2023 HGIC,...
According to So Easy to Preserve, “When using two-piece lids, place the treated lid on the filled jar, center it, and hold it in place with fingers. Then screw down the band until it is fingertip...
Lid Lifter/Lid Wand The canning lid lifter/lid wand is a magnet attached to a short plastic stick and is a useful tool for lifting metal lids from hot water. Lid wand brands include Back to Basics,...
The Question “I recently made homemade dill pickles by my grandmother’s recipe; I have made pickles by this recipe for a very long time. This year the pickles were bubbling when I opened...
A frequent question to the Home & Garden Information Center: “I canned my green beans in a water bath canner. Are they safe?” Often this question is prefaced by “My mother and...
The major reason we recommend Mason-type canning jars is our experience with them and their decreased rate of breakage compared to mayonnaise jars, salad dressing jars, spaghetti sauce jars, or...
Headspace is the unfilled space between the food in a jar and the lid of a jar. General canning headspace recommendations from the United States Department of Agriculture are as follows: Leave ¼...
Camellias and azaleas are subject to a disease that occurs in the spring on new growth. If you grow these in your landscape, you might notice some unusual-looking foliage. Light green to pink,...
