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SCETV show visits Six Mile Farmers Market

Pamela Dodson/Courier
Jim Hayes poses with “Making it Grow” host Amanda McNulty after an interview at the Six Mile Farmers Market last week.

By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal

goliver@upstatetoday.com

SIX MILE — A long-running South Carolina television show dedicated primarily to gardening visited Six Mile on Thursday to interview officials behind the establishment of the local farmers market and the vendors who participate each week.

“Making it Grow,” hosted by Amanda McNulty, is a live, interactive call-in program produced by ETV and Clemson University and televised at 7 p.m. Tuesdays on ETV and 8 p.m. Wednesdays and 3:30 p.m. Saturdays on the S.C. Channel.

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Rocky Nimmons/Courier
A “Making it Grow” camera films as B.J. Skelton sells produce to a customer at the Six Mile Farmers Market last Thursday.

McNulty, a former Pendleton resident known for wearing flowers in her hair, said the show airs more than 40 episodes each year and takes her to places throughout the state. Those visits not only include gardens, but also garden centers, houses and restaurants.

“Anything where people might have an interest,” McNulty said. “It’s all about the land — we find a way to make it connect.”

Six Mile Town Council member James Atkinson, one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Six Mile Farmers Market — now in its fourth season — said he has been trying to get McNulty and the show to visit since the market opened in 2013. Atkinson was all smiles Thursday afternoon as he witnessed all his hard work finally paying off.

“I think it’s super for our market being featured by Amanda McNulty and the ‘Making it Grow’ folks here,” Atkinson said. “It gives our town some good publicity and emphasizes the importance of locally grown produce. It’s been tough this year with the drought, but it’s always good when you can emphasize locally grown products.

“This is a great location for the market where people can socialize, and Jimmy Hayes, our market manager, has done a great job in growing the market.”

Atkinson said an estimated 15 vendors take part in the market each week and that this year’s offerings include more plants than the previous three years.

McNulty, who admits she doesn’t even have cable television at home, said she thinks the popularity of the show is because “people like something that’s live and has a little flavor to it.”

“We never know what people are going to ask when they call, and I truly enjoy working for the Clemson Extension Service in Sumter and showing people South Carolina — whether it’s someone’s yard or in the community,” McNulty said.

When asked what impressed her most about the Six Mile Farmers Market, McNulty said it was the top quality of produce on hand.

“Everything looks like it just came out of the garden this afternoon,” she said. “There’s a lot of quality here.”

Another thing that leaves a big impression on McNulty, both in Six Mile and her other visits throughout the state, are the people she encounters.

“It’s always the people,” McNulty said. “No one likes to deal with grumpy people. People want to have a connection with the food. You meet the people and it makes the whole thing go full circle. That’s one little thing — making the connection between the food and the people who grow it.

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“I like how you can ask people how to do things. There’s a real interest in gardening, and these people are wanting to show things. They can’t wait (to explain their techniques), because that’s what gardeners do.” McNulty said she can’t believe how much the area has grown.

Rocky Nimmons/Courier
Artist Mariah Hope, above, speaks to “Making it Grow” host Amanda McNulty at the Six Mile Farmers Market last Thursday.

“It’s fun to see beautiful new buildings and see beautiful new businesses and see how wonderful the South Carolina Botanical Garden has become and how it’s recovered,” she said. “There are a variety of zones at the garden, including a coastal zone, as well as sand huts.”

McNulty is also joined on the show by Clemson Extension resource agent Terasa Lott, and featured guests include Dr. John Nelson from the University of South Carolina herbarium.

The Six Mile visit is scheduled for airing in mid-July. For more information, visit scetv.org or mig.org.

goliver@upstatetoday.com | (864) 973-6687

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