Thursday, March 14, 2024

Wednesday in the garden

 

Sweet potatoes, all lined up and ready to grow!

Just a reminder, it’s time to start your sweet potato slips.  Search “slips” in the right sidebar to get the scoop on what to do.  

Wednesday was a lovely day in the VegHeadz garden with lots of planting going on—tomatoes and peppers, corn  and beans, squash and cucumbers. Potatoes and Sugar snaps are looking good.  

Our hoe brigade is a success.  Weeds are being conquered weekly with a few minutes of tidying up.  We still have some patches in the forest garden that must be dealt with, but give us another week or two.  Where weeds are gone, buckwheat has been sewn as cover crop and ground cover   

The amazing cabbages still growing in the 4-H garden and the many greens in the rest of the garden which have been harvested to make way for spring crops are a testament to our insect control methods. Hardly a hole can be found with no insecticide applied throughout the winter.  This has not always been the case.  

We attribute excellent soil from compost and repeated cover crops chopped and dropped, crop rotation, consistent watering so plants are not stressed, and most especially many, many pollinator-attracting perennials and cover crops to lure beneficial predator insects into the garden.

The insect control has gotten better each season as we interrupt harmful insect reproductive cycles and encourage beneficial ones. Now if we could just do that with the weeds. Actually, consistent hoeing so weeds don’t go to seed will reduce the weed pressure also.  

Savoy cabbage in the 4-H bed.  There are
also regular cabbage and purple cabbage.  

 Collards, now harvested to 
make way for spring’s tomatoes


The good black compost
Produced in our compost bins


Flashy Trout Black Romaine
Lettuce. Don’t you love the name?


Carrots


Potatoes


Peas are beginning to bloom


Janis and Evelyn enjoying the Peggy Martin rose
arbor at the entrance to the garden. 




Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Rain Garden

Purple-eyed Grass

The plants in the new VegHeadz rain garden have begun to awaken from their winter sleep. The spring rains and warmth will encourage them to anchor the soil and fill up the space. All are natives and all suitable for your rain garden or landscape.  A few of these have been rescued while clearing the woodsy space behind the grape arbor and rain garden.  

Below is a list of those we have planted so far,

Blazing Star or Gayfeather (Liatris spp.) https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/liatris.html

Blue-eyed grass and Purple-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ag401

Virginia Sweetspire or Virginia Willow (Itea virginica) https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/butterflies/browse/Details/202

Blue flag Iris (Iris virginica) https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FP288

Ebony Spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=aspl

Lanceleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata). https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP058

St. John’s Wort (Hypericum cistifolium ) https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FP261

Oxeye Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HEHE5

Rabbiteye Blueberries (Vaccinium virgatun) https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/MG359

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Edible Forest Garden Update

Loquat

It’s spring and time to plant. It’s also time to add some varieties to the VegHeadz edible forest garden, fill in some spaces, add some ground cover. Here are some things we have added over the past months or will be adding within the next couple of weeks:

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)—Also known as Japanese plum, this medium-size evergreen tree originated in China It bears heavy crops of sweet-tart orange fruit from February to May The fruit can be eaten raw without the peel or used in sauces, jams, and a variety of dishes similar to other plums.   https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/MG050

Paw Paw (Asimina triloba)—A small to medium deciduous native tree which bears large sweet custardy fruit. Its leaves turn bright yellow in fall before dropping. https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2020/05/20/pawpaw-a-fruit-with-an-identity-crisis/

Chinquapin/chinkapin (Castanea pumila)—This small tree has long-lasting creamy elongated blooms in the spring. Known for its wildlife value, it produces abundant crops of seeds encased in spiny burs which open to reveal a single nut. In the same family as chestnuts, its sweet nuts are said to be even better tasting, Its numbers are dwindling in the wild and it’s a good choice for planting to help it survive. https://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/Pages/caspum/caspum.shtml

Sweet almond bush (Eloysia virgata)—Shrub with sweet smelling, long-lasting flowers which attract bees and other beneficial insects https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/nassauco/2017/05/29/fact-sheet-sweet-almond-bush/

Strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa)—Strawberries are grown as an annual for production purposes, but they will form a perennial ground cover with their runners if allowed to spread. This is what we’re looking for, and maybe some fruit as a bonus. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS403

Blueberries (Vaccinium virgatum)—Blueberries are an important source of food for birds and small mammals (and bears!), and of course humans. The more bushes you have, the better they will produce, as cross pollination is improved. It’s important to have two or more species of either Rabbiteye or Southern Highbush berries to provide pollination because they bloom at different times and the two types do not have a good opportunity to cross pollinate. Ours are all Rabbieyes. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/MG359

Dwarf moringa (Moringa oleifera) —This plant is prized for its high-protein leaves, its rich concentration of minerals and vitamins, and its heavy load of antioxidants! Leaves, blooms, seeds and immature seedpods, called “drumsticks,” are edible (but roots are reported to be poison). Moringa trees or shrubs can grow very large but this dwarf variety should only grow to six or eight feet tall. Predicted by UF/IFAS Plant Assessment to be highly invasive. We’ll probably skip this one. https://assessment.ifas.ufl.edu/assessments/moringa-oleifera/

Tulsi basil (Ocimum sanctum) — Also known as Holy basil, it is related to sweet basil but has a hotter, clove-like flavor. It grows into a sturdy three foot high bush that loves heat and reseeds freely. Some cultures use it for antioxidant, stress relieving, and anti-inflammatory properties. When blooming it attracts many types of beneficial insects and makes a very good tea. https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/orangeco/2020/04/13/easy-herbs-for-central-florida/

Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum)—Fast growing annual herb which provides seasoning in cool weather for many different kinds of recipes. In spring it blooms, producing a cloud of small white blossoms which are loved by bees and other pollinators, and the seeds, when the plants mature, produce the spice Coriander. It reseeds readily.   https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/vegetables/cilantro.html#:~:text=In%20Florida%2C%20it's%20best%20to,thereafter%20until%20the%20plant%20dies.

Borage (Borago officinalis) has a cucumber-like odor and flavor and its small young leaves and can be used in salads. It grows into a large, spreading plant with whitish hairy bristles and blue star-like flowers. The flowers attract pollinators and may be used fresh as a garnish for beverages and salads. It reseeds prolifically.  https://marinmg.ucanr.edu/EDIBLES/EDIBLES_GROW_SHEETS/?uid=2&ds=996#:~:text=Borage%20is%20an%20exuberant%20annual,seeder%20and%20may%20become%20invasive.&text=Sow%20in%20late%20spring%20to,a%20foot%20or%20two%20apart.

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)—A perennial which is sometimes called a dynamic accumulator or soil conditioner.  It is in the same family as borage which is also regarded as a soil conditioner, This means it absorbs and retains nutrients beneficial to plants, particularly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.  It releases those elements back into the soil as leaves drop and plants decompose in place.  Its leaves are often used as fertilizer or added to compost material.  https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/MV054

Yarrow (Achillea)—A semi-evergreen ground cover which attracts pollinators with its abundent white flowers.   Drought tolerant and relatively trouble free. https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/media/sfylifasufledu/baker/docs/pdf/horticulture/demonstration-gardens/Yarrow.pdf

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare )—Cool weather perennial which serves as host plant to swallowtail butterfly larvae as well as providing a refreshing vegetable. There are several types—Common fennel in green or bronze, has shoots, leaves, and seeds that add flavor to seafood, soups, and salads. Florence fennel, or sweet fennel, has a thickened bulb at the base of its stems that is served roasted or eaten raw. https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2023/06/01/fantastic-fennel/

Amaranth (Amaranthus edulis)—Heat tolerant reseeding annual which furnishes highly nutritious summer greens, and seeds which can provide a flour and food for wildlife. https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/vegetables/amaranth.html

Perennial peanut (Arachis glabrata)—An evergreen nitrogen-fixing ground cover.  https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/

Okinawa spinach (Gynura crepioides)—A heat-loving spinach substitute. Relative of Longevity spinach. https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/vegetables/tropical-spinaches.html

Buckwheat (Fagropyrum esculentum)—A fast growing cover crop which attracts many different types of beneficial insects.  It supplies pollen and nectar from which the bees living next to our garden make beautiful and delicious dark honey. The seeds are used for a high protein flour.   https://ipm.ifas.ufl.edu/pdfs/A%20Cool-Season%20Cover%20Crop%20for%20Florida%20Vegetable%20Systems1.pdf

Florence Fennel

There are a few other things we’d like to add which have been suggested by various Master Gardeners, but we just don’t have the space. Our garden has been spreading rapidly and we have to be sure we have the time and the necessary volunteers to maintain it properly. A complete list of what’s planted in the forest garden can be found in the left sidebar.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Growing Roselle from Seed

Photos by Peggy McDonald

Peggy McDonald, who we call the Roselle Queen, grows hundreds of Roselle plants for the Master Gardener plant sale held at the Leon Count6 UF/IFAS Extension on Paul Russell Road in Tallahassee each May. (scheduled for May 11 this year—save the date!). They are always a sellout. 

It’s time for Peggy to start growing this year’s crop and she’s recruited a dozen of her fellow Master Gardeners to help her. Typically Roselle isn’t planted until very warm weather in late April or May, so in order to have seedlings ready for the plant sale in May, it is necessary to force them to grow earlier.

Peggy has shared her instructions for growing Roselle seedlings. You can do it too. Roselle is an annual in our area so seeds need to be planted or seedlings grown each spring.

Peggy’s instructions:

A long hot summer is perfect for growing the Tropical Roselle plant.   I force the plants to sprout earlier so we have sizable plants to sell.   Otherwise we would have very small two inch plants. Here are a few tips for success in starting it and forcing it to grow earlier in the year. .

I start my seedlings for the May Plant Sale inside the house, under lights and with a seedling heating mat. They like it 80 degrees to germinate and my house is not that warm in March.

Planting schedule:

Start two months before the sale, this year that is March 11, 2024. I use damp ProMix HP Mycorrhizae seed starting mix. Another favorite mix is "Coast of Maine Organic Seed Starter". Any sterile seed starting mix will do,  The seeds do not need light to germinate.  Plant 1/8”-1/4” deep. I put plastic wrap over my two 72 cell trays and check to see they stay moist. I use my grow lights lowered to about 2" over the flats and they stay on 14-16 hours a day. 

The heat mat is set at 80 degrees under the trays and is always on, do not plug it into the timer. Remove plastic once the first seedling sprouts. The heat mat can be turned off after germination but leave the grow lights on. 

Roselle—14 days

I start setting the seedling trays outside when they are only one inch tall when the sun is out and it is 50 degrees or warmer. Place the flats away from drafts. Start with 15 minutes increase every two days. When you see true leaves, start with 1/4 strength liquid fertilizer like Neptune Harvest (2-4-2) weekly until up potted. This is not necessary with Coast of Maine soil, as it has fertilizer.

Ready to up pot

Check to see when the seedling roots have filled the cells, this will vary with the size of your seed trays. Usually by two weeks I up pot the starts to gallon pots with the Dirt Baggers bark soil (any good potting mix) and a half tablespoon of Osmocote. No more fertilizer is needed. Check the weather forecast for future warm temps above 50 degrees before you leave them outside overnight. Move to full sun gradually, an hour a day, then two hours, etc.

Roselle—23 days.  After up potting

Most of April they are in the garden for hardening. At 4 wks old when they are 4"-5" tall, pinch the leader out of the seedlings to encourage branching. I put the pots in a protected area between my raised vegetable beds. To keep racoons and squirrels out, I block off each end of the path. Also put dried leaves on top of the soil, which seems to keep the squirrels out of the fresh soil. Note: if temps fall below 50 degrees I move them all to the garage or cover with spun lightweight frost cloths.

At 7 weeks—they are ready at this age. Pull one out of its pot to see how the roots look. If the pots are full of roots you will have to be sure to water the pots once a day for the last week. 

Roselle—60 days.  Ready for new homes. 

At the Plant sale they are 8 weeks old, hardened off and 2 feet tall, ready for in ground planting. These plants grow so robustly, there is no set back or stunting to the plants when you start them this way. They still grow up to seven feet tall and six feet wide and should be staked with a sturdy t-post.

Seed collecting:

You wait for the calyx seed pods you leave on the bush to dry out and start to split open usually the end of October. The seed pods will turn light brown and the calyx will be dark red and shriveled. It usually takes a month or so, but I have found this provides the best germination rates. The kidney shaped seeds become plump and brown, discard light tan seeds. Each seed pod has from 25-30 seeds. Pick the pods before they spill their seeds and spread the seed out on paper for at least two weeks to dry.

So there you have it, everything but processing and enjoying the 10-11 gallons of fruit from each seven foot plant.  Check out the Vegheadz blog for Roselle recipes.  (Search Roselle in the right sidebar search box.)

Seedling heat mat

A note about heat mats:  There are lots of brands on Amazon you can use.

I use a standard size 10" x 20" to fit under a standard 1020 tray. When looking for one on Amazon the most important part is the thermostat to regulate the temperature. It has a probe you insert into the soil in your seed tray so you get a temp reading of the seedling roots, not the temp under the 1020 tray. Mine is 4 years old, no problems yet. Water resistant, the mat should not be submerged in water but takes daily misting just fine. I use my mat all the time to start herbs and difficult pepper seeds.

Also in the picture is a handy moisture meter I like, it came with two in the package. No batteries but I can insert the probe and get the moisture level all the way down to the bottom of my pots. Good for houseplants you are overwintering inside.

Monday, February 26, 2024

Banana Ripening Update

Our bananas looked like this
in December
The VegHeadz had several good bunches of bananas on their plants last fall, but they did not have time to fill out completely when cold weather hit, stopping their development.  

While bananas ripen better off the tree, in order to reach their full potential they should have plump sides before cutting the stalk down. We assumed that because they were not fully developed, they would not be edible if we tried to ripen them.

Our ever-curious gardeners decided they weren’t going to abide by that assumption, and several of them took bananas home on January 10 to ripen in different situations to see what the results would be.

Cathy ripened hers inside hanging on a coat rack.  It took less than two weeks.   About a dozen ripened and Cathy reported they were firm and sweet.  They were small as they did not develop further after cutting from the plant. The very small bananas turned black as they yellowed, but the larger ones did a bit better (photo). 

Cathy’s ripe bananas

Rebecca ripened hers in a paper bag inside and it took about the same amount of time.  

Peggy hung hers in her unheated garage and they also ripened nicely, but took about six weeks.  She had about a dozen finger-size bananas ripen.  


Peggy’s ripe bananas 

The bottom line—don’t give up on your bananas even if they are not fully developed.  This is the usual result as weather turns cold.  Occasionally bananas will have time to fully develop in our area giving us more bananas than we can use.  It doesn’t happen very often, but we’ve learned we can still enjoy home grown bananas most years.  



Friday, February 23, 2024

Time to Prune Grapes

 


The VegHeadz are learning about caring for grapes now that we have a grape arbor, and February is the ideal time to prune grapes. Grapes bear fruit on new growth on one year old vines, so it’s important to trim back last year’s growth in early spring to make way for new shoots.  Training vines also keeps the arbor from becoming an unmanageable tangle, with the resulting shade causing grape production to decline.

Peter Goren, the master gardener who is heading up the grape project, has decided to use the Munson Method of pruning. T.V. Munson, who lived in Texas, spent many years studying grapes and developing varieties.  He is considered to be the savior of the French wine industry through his research.  Read this interesting story here: https://www.grayson.edu/munson/index.html  

There are many options for training grapes, depending on your situation and the variety of grape.  Muscadines are the species that grows best in our area. For everything you need to know about growing muscadines see:  https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/hs100



Sunday, February 11, 2024

Wednesday in the Garden

The easiest and best way to tackle small weeds is with a stirrup hoe.  Raised beds seem to be easier to maintain, but weeds still grow in pathways and vacant beds.  

The first line of defense is to keep the soil covered with closely spaced vegetable crops or with a cover crop.  The shade and competition discourage weeds and furnish resources to essential soil microbes.  The soil is continually improved by crops chopped and dropped in place to return nutrients for the next season. 

The next best thing is to make a quick weed touch up with your stirrup hoe each week to nip small weeds in the bud and to keep them from setting seeds.  This is the real secret to discouraging annual weeds.  Perennial weeds and persistent pests like nut sedge can only be contained by consistent chopping.  It only takes a few minutes if done each week.  

The VegHeadz have formed a Hoe Brigade, and we plan to spend the first 15 minutes of each work day touching up pathways and attacking any areas where weeds are proliferating.  We’ll see how it works.  

Many VegHeadz are growing seedlings at home and propagating plants for the annual Master Gardener plant sale scheduled for May 11, 2024.  Save the date. 

The VegHeadz Hoe Brigade—Woe to Weeds!


  


Sunday, February 4, 2024

Wednesday in the Garden

Baby Beets

We’re all anticipating spring.  The Japanese Magnolias at the top of the hill are budding out and we can just feel the roots of perennials stretching as they awaken from their winter sleep.  But there are plenty of hardy plants in our garden that have thrived through the winter.  They are lovely to look at on a sunny Wednesday morning.  

Secondary sprout on a broccoli plant.

Tuscan Kale

Cilantro and Cabbage

Many types of interesting greens


Multiplying onions


Carrots in a 4-H bed

Sage in Louie’s herb bed.  It 
Loves cool weather.


Artichoke with grain cover crop


Glenn’s Heirloom bed. All
varieties were grown before 1850. 


Shallots


Winter cover crop mix.  Almost no weeds
in this area.  Includes Austrian winter 
peas, cereal rye, hairy vetch, crimson
clover.   It will soon be chopped and 
dropped. 


Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Seed Library Kickoff 2024


The Seed Library Kickoff for 2024 is scheduled for Saturday, February 9 from 10 a.m. to 12 at the Main Library   See these links for more information.    It’s a great event for adults and children   

https://facebook.com/events/s/spring-seed-library-kickoff/1554135135348640/ 

https://cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Library/Library-Services/Seed-Library

Saturday, January 27, 2024

Dooryard Fruit Care

A new resource is available on the VegHeadz blog—a North Florida Dooryard Fruit Care Calendar.  For those who have fruit trees or who aspire to grow some, this is a helpful aid to prompt you when to plant, fertilize and prune.  

The reference links included provide additional important information.  

Dooryard fruit doesn’t need a lot of fertilization if they are planted in loose, fertile soil and consistently mulched.  The fertilization schedules recommended in the references have been adjusted on the calendar to allow you to fertilize almost all of your fruit at the same time.  However, you should be aware of the fertilizer needs for each variety as some, like blueberries and citrus, need an acidic fertilizer and others a more neutral type.  

This calendar is under development and we welcome comments, suggestions and questions in the comment section below.  The calendar is available in the left sidebar and at this link:  

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XEmFrZHuVDZSdRZ-8FkNsk8uaJKDaIj9/view?usp=drivesdk

Thursday, January 25, 2024

Biochar


This week, Leon County leaders voted to make permanent a test program under contract with the engineering company ReCap to turn yard waste into a carbon-negative material called biochar. Carbon negative means the product or process offsets more carbon, through carbon capture, sequestration, or avoidance, than it contributes to the environment. 

Biochar is essentially charcoal, or wood which has been partially burned at very high temperatures in anaerobic conditions to create a stable product which will sequester carbon for many years while rendering benefits to soil and plants.

Extension agents have been able to secure a large bag of the biochar which will be tested in the VegHeadz garden. We will add prescribed amounts to our mix of topsoil and compost. Biochar is said to benefit the soil in many ways including better water retention, balancing pH, immobilization of heavy metals, and providing a medium for increasing microorganism populations.

Additional information and resources are available in the left sidebar under Gardening Resources. These should be studied carefully as there are also some drawbacks. Biochar tends to increase soil alkalinity and can deplete nitrogen when applied. It should be used in small amounts and plants should be monitored to assess results. Once added to the soil, it cannot be removed.

The county resource management department intends to make biochar available to the public along with the currently available mulches and compost. Availability can be determined by calling the solid waste department.

Below are links to additional interesting reading reflecting the many ways in which waste is being recycled, repurposed, and managed by our county government:

Solid Waste Managment website: https://cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Home/Departments/Office-of-Resource-Stewardship/Solid-Waste

Leon County Resource Stewardship website (includes oversight of Sustainability, Solid Waste, Parks and Recreation, and UF/IFAS Leon County Extension): https://cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Home/Departments/Office-of-Resource-Stewardship

2023 report of Leon County Office of Resource Stewardship: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qy577JpdhTSEin3cIJ8vmCsCtH1FFOWA/view?usp=drivesdk

Saturday, January 20, 2024

Permaculture Principles


Many permaculture elements were included in the design of the VegHeadz Demonstration Garden and continue to be used in growing and maintaining it.   To name a few:  

  • The berms and swales we created to capture and control the flow of water on our sloped site and the recently constructed rain garden for further water control.  
  • Utilization of crop rotation,  cover crops and no-till methods to minimize pests and diseases and build the soil.  
  • Minimal use of chemicals, pesticides, and commercial fertilizers. 
  • Production of compost and extensive use of sustainable and recycled mulches.
  • Use of the garden to teach others and contribution of our excess to those who have less.
  • Utilization of Hugelkultur and food forest growing techniques.
  • Planting many different species and varieties throughout the garden to provide biodiversity and mutual benefits.     
There are more.  If you’re not familiar with permaculture, read the article under Permaculture Resources in the right sidebar— Permaculture—What Is It?

A new addition to our permaculture resources is a concise statement by permaculture designer Brett Prichard of Mollison’s fundamentals in permaculture ethics and design which are definitely worth a read.  In particular, permaculture ethics set out a map we should all follow in living our lives in a way to preserve the earth for future generations.  

https://www.permaculturefundamentals.com/?p=36


Friday, January 12, 2024

Seed Saving and Companion Plants

Two excellent articles by Master Gardener and VegHead Mary Janik have recently been published in the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper, and are available on the tallahassee.com community blogs.  Thank you Mary for shedding light on these two important gardening subjects.

Decoding the Science of Companion Planting:   http://blogs.tallahassee.com/community/2023/12/12/decoding-the-science-of-companion-planting/

Seed Saving 101:  http://blogs.tallahassee.com/community/2023/12/19/seed-saving-101/

Thursday, January 11, 2024

A Cautionary Tale

Photo by Peggy McDonald

A soil test last fall revealed that some of the VegHead Garden’s beds are quite high in copper, particularly those where we have added a lot of commercial garden mix created from animal manure.

While composting has been shown to reduce the bioavailability of copper and other heavy metals, they can still accumulate in the soil.   This can affect germination rates and plant growth.  Copper also has antimicrobial qualities which can reduce the activity of essential microorganisms in the soil. 

It has long been known that composted animal manure tends to be high in copper because of copper that is added to animal feed for domestic animals to help furnish minerals for animal nutritional needs and because of its antimicrobial characteristics.  This includes mushroom compost, which is usually created from animal manure, blood meal and grain straw.

We had been using bulk garden mix from local suppliers, and following the soil test, we were looking for alternative products to top up our garden beds and provide nutrients to our crops.  When extension agent Mark Tancig contacted Black Kow to see what the copper content was in their commercial product, they confirmed that it was also high in copper. They graciously donated many bags of their 100% cow manure compost to us, which we will use with the addition of an equal amount of garden soil, potting mix, or our own compost, which is free of manure.  This will dilute the copper concentration to which the plants are exposed as well as any other heavy metal residue   

Soil tests are recommended to not only test for copper, but  potassium and phosphorus as well as soil pH   Proper levels of all these elements are essential for your garden to thrive, Soil test kits can be obtained from the Leon County Extension office on Paul Russell Road.   

Potatoes

 

UF/IFAS photo: C. Hutchinson

Starting now and up through the end of February is a good time to plant potatoes.  This recent article in Gardening in the Panhandle tells you what you need to know.   

https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2024/01/11/potato-a-lot-of-tuber-in-a-little-space/

Thursday, January 4, 2024

Preparing Your Garden for Spring Planting

We enjoyed the previous post by Master Gardener Brenda Buchan so much we thought this would be a good time to mention the article she wrote about preparing our gardens for spring planting.  This is something we should all be thinking about now.  

Spring Veggie Garden Prep:  http://blogs.tallahassee.com/community/2023/02/14/spring-veggie-garden-prep/

This and many other gardening articles written for publication in the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper and posted on the Tallahassee.com community blog can be accessed here: http://blogs.tallahassee.com/community/category/tlh-home-garden/

Also see our previous post highlighting information from Nathan Ballentine, “The Man in Overalls” about preparing your garden beds for the next planting season: https://northfloridavegheadz.blogspot.com/2022/09/how-to-prepare-you-garden-for-new-season.html

Glenn Mayne, Brenda Buchan, and David Marshall working in the
Tallahassee Museum 1880s Garden. Photo by Mary Jackson.



Tallahassee Museum 1880s Garden

The herb garden adjacent to the farm house and
vegetable garden in the Tallahassee Museum 1880s farmyard.  

The VegHeadz Demonstration Vegetable Garden is not the only vegetable garden in Tallahassee tended by Master Gardeners.  

Master Gardener Brenda Buchan has volunteered at the 1880s Garden at The Tallahassee Museum for a number of years. Brenda is our guest host today as she shares information about that garden.  Photos by Brenda Buchan.

“For vegetable gardeners, the Leon County Extension Office houses the Master Gardener’s VegHeads Garden behind Demonstration Bed 5. If you are a home gardener and have small plots or raised beds to plant in this is the perfect place to learn. 

“The Leon County Master Gardeners also host a vegetable garden inside the Tallahassee Museum at the farm house location. It is called the 1880s Garden because the homesites there were built in the 1880s and the herb and vegetable garden reflects what would have been growing at that time. This garden, usually less than an acre, would be considered the kitchen garden that the lady of the household would tend in order to feed her family. It involves planting row crops that could be eaten when ripe, as well as dried or canned, and stored for the winter. During the 1880s, the farm site would also have had a large crop garden, where the crops are sold for income such as peanuts and cotton. That crop would be worked by the men of the household.

“The Leon County Master Gardeners have been working the Tallahassee Museum’s 1880s garden for over two decades now. Twice a year, in the Spring and in the Fall we put in new crops. We use the same methods used during the 1880s including pushing a hand plow and cultivator. The garden is all organic, as it would have been in the 1880s, and any insect problems we have are hand removed or sprayed with soapy water. The crops we plant are also ones that would have been planted at that time and eaten by residents of north Florida. We use composted animal manure to fertilize the crops. I share an anecdotal story at the end of the article about this.

“This garden was started by Glenn Mayne, a long time Leon County Master Gardener, and the methods we use are the same ones his grandfather taught him as a boy while tending his farm in Escambia County, Florida in the 1950s. 

Master Gardeners Mary Jackson and Glenn Mayne
tending the grape arbor at the Tallahassee Museum 1880s farmyard.

“During Spring and Fall, Master Gardeners work the garden on Tuesday mornings. It is common for us to be approached by visitors to the museum asking about what we are planting or the methods we use to tend the garden. We use this opportunity to share our knowledge and to encourage them to try a vegetable garden at home. While we frequently are not there at the time, we know the Museum uses the vegetable garden to teach grade school students about farming when their class visits the museum. For some of the children, they have no idea that French Fries come from potatoes and that potatoes are vegetables and grow underground. We receive a lot of feedback from the Museum teaching staff on how much the children love the vegetable and adjacent herb garden.

“Besides being a community service for the county school children and Museum, the Master Gardeners who work the Garden learn a lot about what row crop farmers must deal with each year. That includes crop rotation, weather conditions, insect infestations, critter management (rabbits, squirrels, deer), and fertilization. 

“The story I wanted to share is yet another lesson we learned this past year. Normally, we do not apply fertilizer to our plants until they have grown approximately eight inches tall and then we only apply it to one side of the crop, the north side. This is called ‘side dressing’ and is done to allow the plant to choose whether it wants to grow towards the fertilizer or not. This past fall, when we went out to plow our small field and prepare it to plant seeds, the Museum had left for us a small pile of composted manure next to the field. Leaving manure out is not a good idea when dealing with children as those ‘Road Apples’ can look too much like a dirt clod that needs to be thrown. So instead of waiting we decided to spread the manure thinly over the entire field and cultivate into the soil before we plowed the rows and planted the seeds. That turned out to be a really bad idea. The seeds did eventually sprout but never thrived. Three months after planting, the crops were still only six to seven inches tall. Lesson learned, we will never spread manure again before planting and we will keep side dressing the rows instead.

“We welcome interested gardeners that want to work with us and learn.”

Master Gardeners David Marshall pushing the cultivator beside the field peas, and 
Marcie Pretorius tying up tomato plants at the Tallahassee Museum 1880s Garden.