Author Archives: Delores

Top 5 Herbs to Add to Your Garden

Gardening with Herbs

Adding herbs to your garden is fun! They are easy to grow and good for your health. Many herbs not only add flavor to your favorite dishes, but much-needed antioxidants and nutrients to your diet.

We have compiled a list of our top five herbs to add to your garden:

Parsley

Parsley is a wonderful compliment to meat and egg dishes, potato and pasta dishes, vegetables, rice, salads, and soups, as well as cottage cheese and herb butters. Add chopped parsley to a dish near the end of the cooking process or sprinkle it on vegetables or salads immediately before serving to keep the fresh flavor.

Parsley is a hardy herb that makes an attractive edging plant. Its curly, fern-like foliage is high in vitamins and the plant is rarely affected by disease.

Thyme

The earthy aroma of thyme is commonly used to season many poultry and beef dishes. Its savory flavor has a long shelf life when dried and can help soothe coughs and sore throats when steeped in hot water.

Thyme is one of the hardiest plants and is perfect to use as edging or as an addition to a container garden.

Thyme is a perennial ground cover, with tiny, gray-green leaves and a cluster of small, violet-blue flowers in spring or summer.

Rosemary

Chosen by most gardeners for its beautiful blue flowers, Rosemary is commonly used in the kitchen to season poultry and pork dishes. Its robust aroma is pleasing to humans, but doubles as an excellent way to deter many insects in the garden.

This 3-foot plant is hardy in warm climates. Tiny, pale blue flowers bloom in winter or in early spring over aromatic grayish-green, needle-like foliage.

Mint

Any type of Mint is popular and versatile in the garden. Its pleasant aroma, refreshing flavor and cooling sensation make it an all-time favorite. Mint is used mostly in lamb dishes and is the main ingredient in many cocktails.

Dried mint leaves have the ability to soothe stomach aches when steeped in hot water and can also be used as potpourri to freshen up a space.

Mint will grow in most conditions but not too dry. It likes damp, moist soil with shade at the roots and sun on the leaves. We suggest growing mint in a pot. Left to grow outside of a container it will take over a garden space within a couple years.

Basil

Used in almost every Italian dish, basil is a must in any herb garden. From pesto to salads, the flavor is remarkably fresh. Dried Basil is known to have a long shelf life. That makes it a staple in any winter pantry.

Normally bought as an annual, you can harvest basil leaves all season long. Keep pinching off the flower heads so the plant will grow new leaves all summer long.

This annual herb is one of the most ornamental, with broad, clove-scented leaves of green or purple and a spike of white, purple, or pink flowers.

For a complete list of over 30 herbs to add to your garden, click here for a list of basic guidelines for growing herbs.

Want to learn more about herbs? Check out our workshop calendar to see when our next “Gardening with Herbs Workshop” is scheduled.

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Here at Wingard’s Market we specialize in providing outstanding customer service,offeringr professional gardening advice, and answers to your everyday gardening questions. Stop by and visit our beautiful Gift Shoppe and Fresh Produce Market while you stroll under century-old pecan trees. It’s truly a Garden Wonderland!

Located at 1403 North Lake Drive in Lexington, SC. Call us at (803) 359-9091

Know Where Your Food Comes From

Eat Local – Buy Local

Gone are the days when knowing where your food came from meant stepping out your back door to the family garden! Today’s world is filled with pre-packaged, freshly sealed and ready-made foods, so it is hard to know where our food actually comes from.

Here at Wingard’s we are passionate about eating and buying local! Working with over 20 area farmers, we are making it easier for you to know where your food comes from. The local food movement is being driven by people who care about the food they feed their families. We are stocking our Farm Fresh Produce Market weekly with locally grown fruits and vegetables to meet this need.

Eating local and eating seasonally fresh foods is making a big comeback in the Midlands of South Carolina. The old practice of canning seasonal fruits and vegetables is an economical way to preserve food at its peak freshness to be enjoyed all year long.

By supporting an “Eat Local” mentality, you are making the choice to care about where your food comes from.

Here are a few reasons why eating locally grown food is important:

Farmers rely on people to help them bridge the gap between the farm and the dinner table. It is so important that children learn from an early age what real food is. Teaching them to understand how vegetables are grown, where cheese comes from and what farm fresh eggs are will help them have a healthy relationship with food.
Pre-packaged, sugar-laden foods can easily be replaced with real food made from scratch using fresh fruits and vegetables, providing your family healthier meals.
Eating local means your food doesn’t have to travel as far to make it to your plate, lessening the carbon emissions that impact the environment. It also means money stays in the local economy supporting local farmers and suppliers. Keep in mind local food often is more affordable, fresher and has more nutritional value than food that has traveled long distances to make it to your supermarket.

Are you ready to jump on board the local food movement? Here are a few ways:

Buy in-season fruits and vegetables.
Learn how to preserve food to enjoy all year long.
Shop at local farmers markets.
Choose restaurants that support local produce and meats.
Start a garden of your own.
If your local ordinances allow it, raise a few chickens for their eggs.

Nothing makes a meal more special than knowing where each ingredient comes from. A homemade meal made with locally grown fruits and vegetables has a huge story to tell. Take the time to appreciate what you’re eating and support the Eat Local – Buy Local Movement.

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Here at Wingard’s Market we specialize in providing outstanding customer service, offer professional gardening advice, and answers to your everyday gardening questions. Stop by and visit our beautiful Gift Shoppe and Fresh Produce Market while you stroll under century-old pecan trees. It’s truly a Garden Wonderland!

Located at 1403 North Lake Drive in Lexington, SC. Call us at (803) 359-9091

Container Gardens for Small Spaces

Liven up any living space

Who doesn’t love the taste of a sun-ripe tomato or a sprig of fresh mint in their ice tea on a hot summer day? How about the vibrant colors that only annuals can bring to your porch, or the smell of flowers the hummingbirds just can’t pass up? Container gardens for small spaces is your answer!

Here at Wingard’s we love the versatility of container gardening and are excited to be able to show our customers they can garden no matter where they live.

You don’t have to have a big yard or live in the country all you need is a couple pots, a sunny location and you are on your way to enjoying the taste and smells of a sweet South Carolina Summer.

Here are some quick and easy tips to get you started:

Choosing a container:

You are only limited by your imagination when it comes to choosing a container for your mini garden. Pots and planters come in an array of sizes and shapes, but don’t limit yourself to what you can find at the garden center. Look in your garage, in your mother’s attic or a second-hand store and choose containers that reflect your personality.
When choosing a container keep in mind that plants will grow better in large containers rather than small ones. Their roots need room to expand and will thrive if they have plenty of room to grow all season long. Larger containers also hold more soil and moisture and will not dry out as fast as smaller containers.
Whatever container you choose, drainage holes are essential. Without drainage, soil will become waterlogged and plants may die. A container without holes is better used as a catch pot to hide a plain pot. To keep the soil from washing out of the drainage holes, try placing a piece of newspaper over the holes before you add the soil mix.

Deciding on a location:

If keeping containers watered during the day is a problem, look for sites that receive morning sun and are shaded during the hottest part of the day, even if you are growing plants for full sun. Afternoon shade will reduce the amount of moisture plants need, and they won’t succumb to the stress of the hot sun and low moisture.

Filling your container:

Your pots will get very heavy once filled, so try to fill them as close to their final destination as possible.
Plain garden soil is too dense for container gardening so choose a planting mix for the best results. Most potting soil has no added nutrients, so you need to add them to bi-weekly feedings.
Before filling your pot, pre–moisten your soil. The soil needs to be uniformly moist before planting.

Choosing plants:

Almost any vegetable, flower, or herb can grow successfully in a container garden and produce or bloom all season long. To keep your container attractive all summer long, look for warm-weather annuals that bloom all summer.
Use your imagination and plant a themed container. Plant a salad garden with colorful lettuces, dwarf tomatoes, chives and parsley. Or try an Italian garden with plum tomatoes, basil and peppers. Or try your hand at an edible flower garden with marigolds, pansies, and mint. The possibilities are endless!
If you are having trouble deciding how many plants to buy, take a picture of your pot or carry it to the garden center. We will help you figure it out.
When choosing plants, make sure they will play well together. This means that all the plants in one pot should require the same amount of light and moisture to live together happily. Plant sun plants with sun plants and shade plants with shade plants.

Upkeep and maintenance:

Keeping your plants healthy depends on a few factors...water, fertilizer and sunlight.
To keep your pots from drying out, spread a layer of mulch around your plants in the pot, keeping the mulch away from the plant stem. Don’t let the soil completely dry out.
Water your container when the top of the soil is dry to the touch. Water until some liquid comes out of the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot.
The easiest way to provide fertilizer to your plants is to incorporate a slow release fertilizer into the soil when you plant your container. They will need regular feedings every two weeks.
Most mini-gardens serve as focal points in small areas so keep them looking their best by deadheading and pruning back leggy plants. When maintaining their flowers and leaves, keep an eye out for pests like aphids and mites.

Growing your plants in containers is the perfect way to liven up any living space …no matter where you live. Fresh flowers and vegetables are only a small green thumb away!

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Located at 1403 North Lake Drive in Lexington, SC. Call us at (803) 359-9091

Gardening with Herbs

Eat Local – Buy Local

Liven up any living space

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Wingard’s Market