Watering Your Garden in the Summer Heat

Our Master Gardener, Lisa, shares important tips for watering your garden in the summer heat. With the heat wave we are experiencing right now and throughout the rest of summer, keeping an eye on our gardens is very important.  The extreme heat will cause plant stress.  The big thing to remember is to resist the urge to overwater because that could introduce other problems to your vegetable garden.  Look to your plants for obvious signs if they are in need of additional water, one being extreme wilting and not recovering from it by morning.

If your plants are well-established, they will definitely be more robust.  Their leaf canopy will help to shade the soil, and, if needed, you can also spread mulch to help keep the soil cooler.  If you decide to use mulch, please remember to keep it a few inches away from the base of the plant so the water will be able to directly reach the roots of the plant. 

To also help in conserving water, make sure you are watering at the soil line at the base of each plant.  This watering style ensures that the plants are receiving the water directly, that you are watering more effectively, and that the leaf canopy is not blocking the water (which can occur if watering overhead).

The main rule of thumb for watering vegetable gardens is simple:  vegetables need an inch of water per week in the summertime, whether it’s provided by you or Mother Nature. (Use a rain gauge to help determine the amount of rain you have received each week). This converts roughly to six gallons per square yard per week.  This inch of water will wet the root zone to a depth of 6 to 8 inches.

June 16th Katie’s Krops Dinner

We will host a Katie’s Krops Dinner on Thursday, June 16th. The to-go dinner will be served at Summerville Baptist Church, 417 Central Avenue in Summerville, South Carolina. We will start serving at 4:30 pm and end at 6 pm, or when all meals have been distributed, whichever comes first.

If you live in Summerville and do not have transportation, are homebound, or have a medical condition that prevents you from attending, we may be able to help. Please contact Delivery@KatiesKrops.com. Our volunteer delivery coordinator will assist you. Please reach out with your full name, complete address, phone number, number of meals needed, and reason for needing delivery.

Our dinner is always free. Donations are always appreciated.

Visit The Knot & Help Us Grow

Looking for a delicious way to support Katie’s Krops? Our fabulous friends at The Knot Burger Pub have created The El-lay Burchy – a 1/4 smashed burger topped with ketchup, mustard, raw onion, pickles, American cheese, lettuce, tomato & thousand island dressing. $1 from every one sold will be donated to Katie’s Krops in honor of National Fresh Fruits & Veggies Month! So please stop in and visit The Knot this month and enjoy the El-lay Burch.

B•I•N•G•O! On June 15th the Knot will host BINGO! During the game, 50% of all extra cards purchased will also go to Katies Krops! (the other 50% will go into the coverall jackpot). Bring your friends and help us gr🍅w!

The Knot is located at 208 East 5th North Street in Summerville, South Carolina.

Thursday, June 2nd Katie’s Krops Dinner

Join us for our next Katie’s Krops Dinner on Thursday, June 2nd. We will serve a hearty garden vegetable pasta with red sauce, tossed green salad, fresh bread, and homemade desserts. The dinner will be served at Summerville Baptist Church at 417 Central Avenue in Summerville, South Carolina. The meal is always free. We start to-go drive-thru service at 4:30 pm and end at 6 pm or when all the meals have been distributed, whichever comes first. We will prepare 550 meals.

If you do not have transportation and/or are medically unable to attend and live in Summerville, we may be able to deliver meals to you. Please reach out to Delievery@KatiesKrops.com to request delivery.

Our Current Needs

As inflation negatively impacts families across our nation, we are working to increase our impact by expanding our gardens, increasing production, and serving more free garden-to-table meals. We would greatly appreciate your support in making this happen. Below is a list of our current needs:

Large Tomato Cages for our Flagship Garden – 40 needed

Three to Four Foot Plant Stakes- 80 needed

Two Wheelbarrows –

Plant Support Garden Clips Tomato Clips – Available on our Amazon Wish List

Eco-Friendly Divided To-Go Boxes – We need 600 for every Katie’s Krops Dinner. Also available on our Amazon Wish List.

Rotini & Penne Pasta –

Italian Salad Dressing –

Lumber to Build New Raised Garden Beds – Decking Boards 5/4 by 6 by 8 and 4 by 4 by 8 Posts

Soil³ Humus Compost in a BigYellowBag- Three Bags

Tomato Sauce –

Home Depot, Lowe’s, Ace Hardware Gift Cards –

Pruners – Corona FlexDIAL® ComfortGEL® Bypass Pruner – 6

Drip Irrigation Shut-Off Valve 1/2 – Available on our Amazon Wish List

Barbeque Sauce –

Thank you for being so supportive. If you would like to fulfill a wish, please contact Katie and Katie@KatiesKrops.com. Thank you!

May 26th Katie’s Krops Dinner

Join us for our next Katie’s Krops To-Go Dinner on Thursday, May 26th. Our dinner service will start at 4:30 pm and Summerville Baptist Church, 417 Central Avenue, Summerville, South Carolina. We will continue to drive-up to-go style. We kindly ask that you follow the guidance of our parking lot volunteers to keep traffic flowing and maintain safety for guests and volunteers.

The dinner is always free. Our goal is to ensure that our neighbors in need have access to the healthy meals they need. We serve between 550 and 600 meals per dinner.

With the cost of everything rising, we see an influx of new people who need assistance. When school lets out for the summer we anticipate many more families needing assistance. Our cost per dinner has increased 36%. We would greatly appreciate your support to be able to continue to serve our community. If you would like to sponsor a dinner, purchase to-go boxes, or make a donation of any size, we would be extremely grateful. Feel free to contact Katie@KatiesKrops.com.

Join us for our May 5th Katie’s Krops Dinner

Join us on Thursday, May 5th, for our next Katie’s Krops To-Go Dinner. The menu includes pulled pork courtesy of the Peculiar Pig Farm, baked beans, coleslaw, cornbread, and homemade desserts.

The dinner will be held at Summerville Baptist Church at 417 Central Avenue in Summerville, South Carolina. The drive-thru dinner service will start at 4:30 pm and end at 6 pm or when all meals have been served, whichever comes first. The meals are always free. Not all family members need to be in attendance to receive meals. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday.

Katie’s Krops Dinner April 28th

Join us for our free Katie’s Krops Dinner on Thursday, April 28th. We will continue serving to-go meals drive-thru style. Meals distribution will start at 4:30 pm and wrap up at 6 pm, or when all meals have been distributed, whichever comes first.

The dinner will be held at Summerville Baptist, located at 417 Central Avenue in Summerville. We are truly blessed to have their support. Without their partnership, our dinners would not be possible.

On the menu: roasted chicken with gravy, tossed green salad with garden-fresh vegetables, potatoes, fresh bread, and homemade desserts.

Katie’s Krops Outdoor Classroom Punch-Cards!

We are very excited to announce that in celebration of our first anniversary of our Outdoor Classroom we will be launching Outdoor Classroom Punch-Cards! Punch-Cards are $80 and will include admission to 12 classes, early access to sign ups (24 hours early!!!) and an eco-notebook and pen to take notes during classes. Once your punch card is filled up, you will receive a prize!! This is a limited opportunity for 25 children. Kids can use their punch-cards to attend some of the amazing classes we have coming up, such as when the aquarium comes to visit for turtle art, candle making with Old Santee Canal Park, learning about bees with Charleston County Bee Gardens and cooking classes with Amor Healing Kitchen!

To purchase a punch-card, reach out to Erin@KatiesKrops.com with your child’s name, age and your phone number. Punch-cards can be paid for via Venmo, PayPal or cash and punch-cards must be paid for before they can be used as admission to classes.

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A Record-Breaking Year!

We have exciting news to share! Despite all of the obstacles and challenges our Growers faced in 2021, we had a record-breaking year! Our youth Growers across the country donated an incredible 49,457 pounds of fresh produce to families and individuals facing hunger and food insecurity. Growing in their backyard, schools, churches, to plots in community gardens, these children are growing a better tomorrow while learning essential life skills. We are so incredibly proud!