Volume 1, Issue 1
April 2016
Welcome to the Garden!
Submitted by Steve Hucks,
Lancaster County 4-H
Sponsored by South Carolina 4-H Youth Development, Clemson University Cooperative Extension, and South Carolina Master Gardeners
On behalf of
Clemson Extension,
South Carolina 4-H
and South Carolina
Master Gardeners:
thanks for choosing
to participate in our
2016 4-H Small Garden Project!
We are excited
about this wonderful
opportunity and look
forward to working
with each of you over
the next few months.
We have a total of
237 youth registered
to participate and we
are sure that many
tables will be filled
with the harvest from
your gardens. We are
also excited about our
new group component and have several
schools and small
groups registered. We
hope that you find
this project to be
rewarding for your
youth.
Remember that
you are required to
plant a minimum of
three edible crops,
but you can plant
more. You garden
must be no less than
100 square feet. Also
remember that one of
the crops will be provided to you by your
local extension agent.
You must plant the
seed or seedling you
are given.
If you have any
questions you may
contact your local
agent or reference the
Small Garden
webpage found here:
www.clemson.edu/
extension/4h/4h_naturalres
ources/small_garden/
index.html.
Again, thank you
for choosing South
Carolina 4-H and
happy gardening!
“His favorite part (of the project) was watching his plants grow and produce
fruit. I enjoyed him being excited about taking ownership of the project.”
–Parent of a past 4-H Small Garden Project Participant
Inside this issue:
Dates to know:
Welcome
1
Helpful Resources
1
Project Improvements
2
Record B ook Tips
3
We Want to Hear From You
3
Meet the Team
4
Friday, May 20
Deadline to plant garden
Friday, July 15
Deadline to have garden judged
Friday, July 29
Project record books are due
Helpful Resources
Submitted by Alana West, Newberry County 4-H
You are sure to have several questions to come up during the duration of this project. And there are a lot
of place you could turn to get answers to those questions. The links below will provide a great place to start.

Clemson University’s Home & Garden Information Center - Vegetable Gardening
http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/vegetables/gardening/

Clemson University’s Home & Garden Information Center - Vegetable Crops
http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/vegetables/crops/

Clemson University’s Home & Garden Information Center - Insects & Diseases of Vegetable & Fruits
http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pests/plant_pests/veg_fruit/
And of course you can always contact your location County Extension Agent. A list of Agents by county and
Project Improvements
Submitted by Alana West,
Newberry County 4-H
If you participated in this project in the past you may have
noticed a few positive changes
for this year. First, we added a
group component. This has been
the most requested change we
have received in past years, and
it appears as though many of you
have taken advantage of this opportunity. Groups of 2 or more
participants are eligible for this
option. This allows for scout
troops, school groups, churches,
communities, and other groups
to participate. Please note that
groups are required to plant at
least 200 square feet, rather than
just 100 square feet. Groups with
a wide age range of participants
should use the age of the oldest
participant when deciding which
project record book to submit.
Only one record book per group
is required to be turned in, but
each participant is encouraged to
maintain their own book
throughout the project.
The second change is within
Page 2
the project record book. We
have already received phone
calls stating that the Cloverbud
(ages 5-8) record books are longer than the Junior/Senior (ages 919) record books. While this
may appear to be the case at first
glance, once the books are completed the Junior/Senior books
should turn out much fuller than
the Cloverbud books. We understand that our younger 4-H’ers
are still learning and, in some
cases, have a tough time writing
a lengthy response. Therefore,
we kept the Cloverbud books
short and simple, fill in the
blank. We are hopeful that our
older participants put forth the
proper effort to make their books
of winning caliber. Winning caliber means we would like to see
all of your bases covered: pictures, stories, question and answers, drawings/sketches, maps,
charts, graphs, leaf presses, collections, and any other means
you see fit to summarize each
section of the book. In other
words, go above and beyond.
Also, in past years we have
required a soil sample be taken
as part of this project. This year,
we are not requiring that, but do
still encourage it. Soil samples
sometimes encourage the use of
lime to alter soil pH. However, it
takes months for the lime to take
affect in the soil. Due to the time
line of this project, applying soil
sample results is not entirely feasible. However, we do hope that
you will consider a soil sample
for future use of your garden
plot.
And lastly, you may have noticed that the project end date is
in July this year, as opposed to
August. This will allow us to get
the gardens judged a little sooner
in the year, hopefully before a
potential summer drought takes
hold. (Hard to imagine after last
year’s floods.) Keep this July 29
due date in mind as you are
maintaining your record books.
You don’t want to be late after
you have spent all summer planting and hoeing.
SC 4-H SMALL GARDEN PROJECT NEWSLETTER
Project Record Book Tips
Submitted by Dr. Ashley Burns,
Assistant Director of SC 4-H
The SC 4-H Small Garden Project requires
that participants complete a record book. The
goal is for youth to gain knowledge, in
addition to getting hands-on experiences. If you
need help with your record book, do not hesitate
to contact your Extension Agent. Please note
that it is much easier to record information as
you go in a “draft copy” of your record book and
transfer it to a final version later, than it is to remember your information accurately and in good
detail later on and try to “cram” it all in at the
last minute. Especially take notes on what you
learned and how you would use that information
to improve your Small Garden Project for next
year! Here are a few other tips:
 Use a pencil.
 Take pictures throughout the project.
 Keep your record book handy so you can
quickly and easily write down answers and
notes.
We Want to Hear From You!
Submitted by Dr. Ashley Burns,
Assistant Director of SC 4-H
Let us know what is going on with your project
as the season progresses. We would love to share
your photographs and stories in the newsletter! What
did you plant? Are you sharing your produce with
any wildlife or bugs? How are you using your harvest? These are questions we’d like to know the answers to. Write us a brief story about your garden
project (300 words or less), include a picture, and
email it to Alana West at [email protected]. Be
sure to include your name and county in the email.
Your story can be good, bad, funny, or sad. Sometimes, we learn more from our failures or mistakes
than we do from our successes! Email it no later
than May 20th, to be included in the next newsletter!!! (By sending us a picture to use in the newsletter, you are granting permission to Clemson University, its employees or representatives, to use the photographs or digital images, indefinitely and without
compensation, in promotional or educational materials as follows: printed publications or materials,
electronic publications or presentations, websites.
Meet the SC 4-H Natural Resources Committee
This statewide 4-H project would not be possible without the hard work of the SC 4-H Natural
Resources Committee and others that have helped to design, implement, and improve this project
each year. If you see them in your county, make sure to tell them thanks!
Dr. James Blake, SC Master Gardner Program State Coordinator
[email protected]
Dr. Ashley Burns, Assistant Director of SC 4-H
[email protected]
Julia Cox, Aiken and Edgefield County 4-H Agent
[email protected]
Mallory Dailey, Oconee County 4-H Agent
[email protected]
Steve Hucks, Lancaster County 4-H Agent
[email protected]
Jaime Pohlman, McCormick County 4-H and Forestry and Natural Resources Agent
[email protected]
Jennifer Scales, Charleston, Dorchester, and Berkeley County 4-H Agent
[email protected]
Carly Smith, Williamsburg County 4-H Agent
[email protected]
Karissa Ulmer, Hampton and Allendale County 4-H Agent
[email protected]
Alana West, Newberry County 4-H Agent and SC 4-H Natural Resources Committee Chair
[email protected]
Patricia Whitener, Greenville County 4-H Agent
[email protected]
Rick Willey, SC 4-H Natural Resources Specialist
[email protected]
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