Alternative Community Farmer/WPB.FL

What motivated me to write this article is the continuous and never ending complaints I hear , about keeping up with the challenges of growing and MAINTAINING an organic productive garden in S.Florida , from  garden enthusiasts who come to my gardening classes.

Here are some tips and suggestions to tackle this subject.

First it is important to address the nature of the special climate here in South Florida.There are considerations to acknowledge that we fall in the Sub-Tropical agricultural zone 10-11.It means we have to partner with the LOCAL Environment CHALLENGES of: Excessive Heat,Humidity,Sandy Soil and occasional Severe Stormy Weather,to be able to successfuly do gardening.

Maintenance of a garden is the KEY , in my personal opinion.Gardening is a process and it takes awareness,time, patience and offcourse MAINTENANCE!

I-Fruit Trees Maintenance Tips:

1-Upon planting new fruit trees in the backyard , reinforce with scaffolds and stakes .

2-Do not plant trees ,in general ,under or near power lines or structures like a house.

Hurricanes and storms might topple and uproot the trees causing damages to property and lives .

3-Dig a BRIM around the fruit trees ,especially, and cover with mulch to capture and retain moisture.Nourish with Organic ammendments and accepatble composted manure.

4-Prune-Cut-Trim dead branches,excessive growth and folliage according to your local area guidlines .Be careful not to do that during fruitation or blossoming season.Follow specific suggestions according to the different kinds of trees involved.

5)Do not HATRACKING.Follow proper pruning procedures and guidlines of local city /county and state laws.Ask for professional help when in doubt.It is illegal to do HATRACKING in some communities!

6)Recycle yard wastes from trees by using as mulch and composting to reduce the carbon foot print and costs of recycling.

II-Vegetable/Herb/Edible Scaping Maintenance Tips:

Plant heirloum/organic seed varities that are in favor of the climate zone you live .Here are some samples of plants that do well , generally speaking,during the Winter/Spring Seasons :

1)Vegetables:

Tomato(usually classified  under fruit, but commonly misunderstood as a vegetable),collards,cabbage,calaloo(Carribean spinache),beets,carrots,common potato,lettuce,radishes,Winter /Spring beans,peas,green peppers.

2)Herbs:

Parsley,mint,dandelion,onion,garlic,purple/thai basil,rose mary,cayenne pepper,Neem tree,Kam-Sutra mentha.

3)Edible flowers:

Sunflower,nasturtium,marigold.

I personally prefer container gardening as an  option .Because:

It  Better controls weeds,saves on water bill and adheres to the water restrictions to conserve on water ,especially when using hose controls while hand watering, rain barrels and drip irrigation .

Contrary to common beleif , container gardening when following the proper procedures like using the above and self watering  containers , is a low maintenance practice.

III-General ,Green Thumb Rules on Organic Gardening Low Maintenance,Top Ten  Tips:

1-Follow water restrictions according to your local area laws.Best time to water is at DEW HOURS (4-6AM) ,depending on the restrictions.When in doubt call  your local authorities for advice.

2-Use mulch as appropriate to retain moisture, control weeds  and counter heat stressing effect on plants.

3-Do not mow lawns at peak heat temperatures and sunny skies.

4- Recycle-Re use-Reduce.

5-Garden wearing garden gear and hydrate by drinking  non-alcoholic fluids to use peak body energy.

6-Conserve on water by using rain barrels and drip irrigation systems.

7-Choose draught tolerant and native plants and grow according to season.

8-Prune-Clip-Trim the proper and professional way.

9-Use plants as shade providers and companion herbs to reduce stress and combat pests.

10-Enrich the soil environment ,periodically after/during growing season, with organic matter,mulch,organic ammendments and compost.Use crop covers.Enrich the community spirit connection ,by sharing harvest with neighbors,soup kitchens and the needy.Give back to the community.

Happy Organic Gardening Maintenance!

The christmass trees are lying at the curb waiting for the trash truck.I could not resist the natural gardener instinct , so I grabbed them and now they are being used as mulch in my new backyard garden.The plastic containers ,the bed wood frames,the discarded poinseta christmass trees ,the kitchen metalic shelves and much more that I picked from the trash bins and curbs follow suit.

I do recycle , reuse ,reduce and lately I added RESTORE to the universal composting formula.

Yesterday , I attended a neighborhood association meeting .I was so much impressed by the spirit of community .City officials ,business owners and common residents came together to work  to restore and beautify our neighborhood.

Personally , I was involved with community gardens that were transformed from neglected and crime infested grounds into beautiful gardens that are PRODUCtIVE.I used to donate the extra organic produce to a soup kitchen when I was a community Garden Co-ordinator for eight years .Not any more when that garden was re assigned as a dumping sight for land fills.

Now I have a vision to convert the challenges we face at our neighborhoods, especially with abondoned and neglected lands , into productive Organic Gardens.With no money or any financial support I started collecting materials from the curb and building a backyard garden that grows vegetables and flowers.

My new restored garden is located at the corner of NE 9th street and federal Highway in LW.An example set to prove that we do not need mega money to restore our neglected lands.My neighbor came and asked me for help and I gave him a hand and ideas to create an edible flower landscape  and a Zen garden .

A business owner of Studio 205 stepped in to donate some flowers to my garden and recycled compost from his juice bar.Thank you Mr.Andy Amoroso.

Now imagine that we create a center for FREE mulch and garden  supply materials recycled from the christmas trees , wood frames,vegetation  and plastic containers from restaurants /juice bars refuse to build more productive vegetable gardens!

The ecconomic crunch has forced so many of us to lose homes,jobs,cars etc..I took that challenge to CREATE a JOB instead of the usual attitude of looking to FIND  a job.

Creating food for our community is in fact a GREEN JOB.Productive Vegetable gardens can be added to the menu of REBATES to encourage residents to convert their inefficient water consuming grass lawns into vegetable gardens is an ecconomically lucrative GREEN idea to be taken seriously.Thats why I jumped in to help last June at the composting pilot program by the city of Lake Worth.

I applaud the GREEN efforts of Mr.Joseph Kroll the director of the Utility Department in KIND by just lending him a helping hand.

I can feel the appreciation and the community spirit through the acts the city are demonstrating as a LEADING EXAMPLE to transform our community into a leading GREEN CITY!

Working together and applying the universal composting formula can prove that we can transform our environment into a better place to work and live.Leadership makes a difference.Thank you for bringing us together Mango Grove Neighborhood Association.

As a reminder: Please visit my web link below to find out about my Ongoing Gardening Classes and read my blog @:

localharvest.org/farms/M20618

Another example of my community gardening work: watch SCG at You Tube:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I01Qd9b7YT4

Happy Community Gardening