09/15/2026
On August 28th, 2026, we welcomed our first open Sea Island Cotton boll of the season into the new Cotton Gin Interpretive Garden at the Hutchinson House! Our first flower of the year appeared on July 11th, 2026. So, right on cue, our first full boll opened up 7 weeks later. (We had one partial boll open on August 18th.) It's our goal every year to have a full boll open before the end of August. The Sea Island Cotton plants are loving their new home and are already averaging over six feet in height! They may just be taller than the deer fence before the growing season concludes. The plot has been in full bloom since mid-July and we expect another bumper crop again this year for 2026.
The Guatemalan Indigo, not to be outdone, is pushing five feet in height along the perimeter of the garden and is ready for harvest and dye making whenever we might choose to do so. Although unpredictable to start from seed, our heirloom Indigo strain (found right here on Edisto Island in 2021) thrives in hot, dry weather and has grown throughout summer totally unimpeded. It's taken a shine to the sandy but fertile soils surrounding the Hutchinson House and will be a great addition to the site's interpretation going forward.
The Sweetgrass, on the other hand, has struggled all summer getting established during this historic drought. Yet, thanks to methodical watering by Bob Hare and volunteers, is now finally coming into its own since the heat has broken and rains have returned. Unlike the Indigo and Sea Island Cotton, Sweetgrass is a hardy perennial species native to Edisto Island and, once established, will come back year after year with next to no care nor fuss. (The Indigo and Cotton freeze to their roots and have to be removed and replanted from seed every spring.) Once well established, this native ecotype Sweetgrass will even be harvestable for use by local basket weavers.
The final touches are still yet to come to the Cotton Gin Interpretive Garden. It will soon have packed shells and walkways, mulch, extra irrigation, interpretive signage, and a gate (to keep the deer out).
