The VegHeadz Garden is Blooming and Bearing

 

Most of the people who have been growing the flowers and vegetables that are thriving
in the garden.

The VegHeadz have been working hard to make our garden look it’s best for the open house and plant sale this weekend. Rain is predicted and as much as we need it, we hope it will hold off until after our yearly event is over. Here’s a preview of what you will see if you visit the VegHeadz garden.

Just one view

Peppers

Blackberries

Sunflowers

Yarrow

Nasturtiums

Cosmos

Pole beans

Black Tomatoes

 

Green Tomatoes

Red Tomatoes

Eggplant

Peas

Squash

Biochar Trial Beds Fall 2025 — The Results are Finally In!

The crops have been harvested from the four trial beds in the VegHeadz Garden   Get our report on the results here. 

The biochar trial furnished much new information. The most important thing we learned was that there was no indication that the biochar did any harm to the garden.   Please understand this was just an informal test in our garden. A truly scientific trial would include multiple plots with each different amendment.  It would be controlled under  strict guidelines.  Our test consisted of measuring inputs,  observing regularly, and measuring outputs, but it would not qualify as a scientific test.  Still it was worthwhile and we learned quite a bit. 

The plants tested were collards and daikon radishes. The radishes did not do well, possibly for two reasons. The most obvious reason was freezing.  They were much more drastically affected by the winter freezes than the collards. The other reason is most likely the high pH of the soil. The final soil test reflected pH of 7.5 in all beds and daikon radishes prefer a more acidic environment. Perhaps we’ll grow some daikons and add sulfur to the soil to see if the results differ.  Close observation, testing and comparing in a more or less controlled environment, and recording and comparing results, are the best ways to figure out what’s going on in your garden.

The most important thing we learned was that all our fears about the biochar increasing the pH in the garden beds were unfounded. The pH did increase, but it also increased in the control bed, which had no biochar added. Compost tends to have an alkaline pH in any event, and we feel that the increase in pH was caused by the compost. Again, application of sulfur, peat moss, or other acidifying amendments would most likely be beneficial.  

There was a moderate but positive increase in plant survival, production, and plant health in the bed that was amended with compost, first co-composted with biochar for a period of 6 to 8 weeks with no pH adjustment. This was our most successful bed.  Again, repeating the test with each amendment applied to multiple plots would produce a more reliable result and eliminate the possibility of coincidence and other unknown factors.

For those wishing to use biochar in their gardens, we make the following recommendations, based on online research sources and our experience so far:

• Determine the source of the material used to make the biochar you intend to use and the process by which it was created.   Research sources indicate that the best biochar source material for application in vegetable gardens appears to be lignin-rich biomass from hardwood like oak and softwood such as pine. The best processing temperatures for creating biochar from these materials for use in gardens appears to be 400-700°F. 

• Start with a small ratio of biochar to compost, 5% to 10%, and compost them together for a period of at least six weeks to charge before applying to the soil.  This allows time for micronutrients to infiltrate the pores of the biochar and for microorganisms to multiply and populate the biochar. The mixture should be kept moist, but not overly wet as microorganisms need access to oxygen to multiply.

• Keep track of how much biochar you are adding, particularly if adding in more than one application.  5% to 10% of the soil volume is the recommended application rate according to most sources.  It is not recommended to ever add more than 20% biochar to the soil.  Biochar decomposes extremely slowly, and it cannot be removed once it is added to the soil.

• See the entire report on our Fall 2025 biochar trial here and the biochar handout under “soil amendments” in the Gardening Resources section of the left sidebar on this blog.  The handout includes how to calculate how much biochar to add to achieve the desired ratio in the soil and information about pre-treating the biochar, plus a list of many of the biochar research resources we referred to.

A new trial is under way for spring 2026.  The spring trial involves comparing results when adding our organic fertilizer mix and biochar in various combinations to the trial beds.  Test plants will be peppers and green beans.  

We are also trialing the addition of organic fertilizer to half of the tomatoes in the B rotation beds.  The same number and variety of tomato plants have been planted on each side of the bed.  It will be interesting to learn whether this makes a difference, not only in growth and production, but in pest and disease resistance, heat tolerance, and length of bearing season.  So far the unfertilized plants look bigger, but they have not yet set any tomatoes.  The fertilized plants have many small tomatoes.  We’ve also added the fertilizer to the potatoes in the C rotation beds.  So far they look amazing.  We’ll see how many potatoes they produce and whether they are free of blemishes.

Wednesday in the Garden

 

A few weeks ago (previous post) we pictured Peggy pruning the Katrina
roses.  This is the result.  It took her six hours to complete the 
job, but it was sooo worth it.  

The weather for Wednesday work days the last several weeks has been perfect--cool, sunny, breezy.  It's wonderful to just be outside with friends doing something productive.  Walk with us through the garden where the plants are enjoying the weather too and we are getting ready for the Spring Open House and Plant Sale on May 9.  Don't miss it!  We hope to see you there.  Let us know you saw it on the VegHeadz Blog.  

A beautiful day in the garden.

Potatoes

A great mix--Rosemary,
onions, garlic, squash,
tomatoes

Bush beans

Zinnias.  The pollinators
love them, and so do we.

Peppers, onions, 
squash, tomatoes

Lots of work has been going
on in the Forest Garden

And it's looking good

Come to the Open House and see
what we do with our Bamboo

Pruning

Pruned grape vines. Muscadine Grapes 

bear on new growth, so each spring the 

previous year’s lateral vines extending 

from the main vines or cordons, need to be 

pruned back, leaving anywhere from 

2 to 6 buds or nodes. 

Early spring is a good time to prune most trees, shrubs and vines. Learn more about how and when to prune fruit trees by referring to the fruit care calendar under Gardening Resources in the left sidebar, or entering “prune” in the search box on the right.

We’ve been doing some major pruning in the VegHeadz garden and in the food forest. Our food forest is small and we need to prune quite heavily every three or four years to keep our trees at a reasonable size.  Pruning is also important to ensure that the ripe fruits will be within reach for hand picking.

Peter does a short training
session before
pruning begins

Almost done

Don’t waste the vines.
Wreaths and other projects
are easy to do while the
vines are still fresh and flexible.  
Mary and James made these in
about 15 minutes.

“

And then there’s the rose arbor. 
Each spring Peggy prunes the vines of the
Katrina Roses (Peggy Martin Rose—no relation).
In about six weeks, they will bloom profusely.

In the food forest, the Dwarf Black Mulberry
had become twiggy and overgrown.  
Peggy directs, George prunes, and
James hauls the cutting away.  

Pruning done.   Within two weeks (in mid March), all pruned trees were 
putting on new growth.  From left, a leafy Mayhaw which needed
little pruning, next to it a Peach, then forward is Wax Myrtle.   Large shrub in the back, 
is Elderberry, in front next to the entrance arbor is the Mulberry,
seen through the arbor is a fig, and to the right of the sunburst trellis
is an American Beautyberry, all pruned and ready for spring renewal.  

Photos by Emily Kelly

Wednesday in the Garden

Our youngest gardener.
He really enjoyed the 
tender new asparagus spears. 

It’s Spring!  Planting and seeding are still under way.  All the weeding and prepping we have been doing are paying off.  One of the most rewarding parts of gardening is watching as seeds sprout, new leaves and blooms appear, and fruit begins to develop.  

Spend some time with us in the garden.     

There’s more than one way to
carry an unwieldy load.  

Cardboard and mulch,
cardboard and mulch

Harvesting the last of
winter’s greens

Building a new blackberry
patch, a great addition to
the food forest

The mulchers have 
depleted our supply,  
Time to order more.
  

Weeding in the perennial 
pollinator beds before
they spring back to life.

Potatoes are planted here

It didn’t take them 
long to start 
growing.

 

A nice bunch of carrots

The garden is a great
place to spend time
with friends

Cathi and Evelyn

Photos by Emily Kelly, Lisa Jacobsen, and Janis Piotrowski

Potting Up, Hardening Off, and Transplanting

 

Potting Up (or "up-potting" or “potting on”) is the process of moving plants or seedlings from their current container to a larger one, providing more room for roots to expand and access nutrients. Potting up is important for thriving, root-bound plants to prevent stunted growth.  Depending on when you started your seedlings and your growing conditions, potting up is often needed for seedlings before they are ready to transplant into the garden.

When to Pot Up: When seedlings are root-bound in their small cells or have at least two sets of true leaves, it’s time to consider potting up

Even if you purchased seedlings, hoping to get an early start, and find you need to maintain them for a while before it’s time to put them in the garden, they may need potting up.  The grower may have started seeds a good bit earlier in order to get them to market,  making the possibility of crowded roots more likely.  To determine if a seedling needs potting up, pick it up from its cell by the leaves, and check the root system. If the roots extend throughout the soil medium, it’s time to pot up.  If you need help getting the plant out of the cell, we find a butter knife works well.  Insert it between the edge of the cell and the potting medium and carefully pry up the entire contents of the cell while gently squeezing the outside of the cell from the bottom.

Transfer seedlings gently into larger pots with fresh potting mix.  Handle plants by their leaves, not their stems, to avoid breaking them. They can grow new leaves if you break one off, but they can’t grow new stems.

Hardening Off should begin 1–2 weeks before your last frost date, currently calculated as mid-March in our north Florida area (9A).

Days 1-3: Place plants in a sheltered, shady, and wind-protected spot (e.g., under a tree or against a north-facing wall) for 1–2 hours.

Days 4-7: Gradually increase direct sun exposure by 1 hour each day.

Days 8-14: Start exposing them to cooler, windy conditions and, if temperatures are above 45 degrees, leave them out overnight.  Be sure to bring them inside if the forecast is for temperatures below 45°.  Pay attention to watering. Plants dry out faster outside, so check soil daily.

 Transplanting your baby plants into the garden. Leon County Sustainable Agriculture and Community Food Systems Extension Agent Molly Jameson gives all the necessary details for transplanting in this short article.  She also gives tips for what to look for when buying transplants.

Transplant late in the afternoon or ideally on a cloudy day. After transplanting, keep a close eye on your garden, particularly for the first week or so, to make sure your plants don’t need special care, such as extra watering or protection from sun or cold.  New tender plants are also fair game for garden pests, so they need your attention. It’s usually a lovely time to be out in the garden anyway, and watching your carefully tended plants grow and thrive is a special pleasure.

The Ethnobotany of a Tropical Fruit Market

Thanks to Clara Mullins for directing our attention to this very interesting short YouTube video about a visit to a tropical fruit market in Ecuador. 

There are some fruits and vegetables which you might recognize and many which you will not. Many of these things can be grown in our area.  Several are grown in the VegHedz garden.  Some we have tried with mixed success.  

Then there’s the problem of knowing what processing they need in order to be palatable.  We’re often not familiar with them and they’re not a part of our culture. Maybe this video will give you some ideas.  

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9f8lyMwwMSw&pp=0gcJCTMBo7VqN5tD