April 22, 2020 marks the 50th Earth Day with a mission to educated the world about environmental issues. It’s the same mission for Gandy’s Garden at WLTX. The garden began in May 2014 with our, now retired, former chief meteorologist Jim Gandy to educate about food security and climate change. With the COVID-19 pandemic gripping the globe, we're more dedicated than ever to the garden's mission to improve people's relationship with nature.
If you love plants, join the conversation! Through our new facebook group WLTX Gandy’s Gardeners, you can share your photos and your questions with us. They might show up on TV!
When Gandy’s Garden sprouted, California was in a “mega drought”, experiencing it’s driest 4 years on record. A problem on the other side of the country reverberated across the country because California grows a large portion of the produce groceries carry. More than a third of the United States vegetables come from California farms and a majority of the country’s fruits and nuts come from the – often drought stressed – state. Periods of drought have always been a part of California’s climate, but California’s agricultural infrastructure isn’t built to handle the demand. Research shows climate change may make drought worse in California and make weather a more unpredictable variable for other farmers across the world.
Today Gandy’s Garden continues its mission right outside the doors of WLTX where our weather team brings the most accurate forecast to the South Carolina Midlands. We want our viewers to have the best garden too! Inside Gandy’s Garden, I’m sharing all our success and failures to show you what works for us and what doesn’t. We explain how weather is impacting crops and what our 7 day forecast means for the plants growing in the South Carolina Midlands.
A look inside Gandy's Garden
As beautiful as the garden looks, it answers tough questions like what plants are best for our climate, and how can we adapt to climate shifts. We’ll learn together! Join WLTX Gandy's Gardeners on Facebook