More Input on Regenerative Gardening

Tridens flavus
Purpletop 
Photo by Mail Order Natives

The VegHeadz received an email this week from Hope Corona, a follower of our blog, who wanted to make a comment on a previous post.  Her comment was too long for the blog app to accept so she contacted us to see if we could post it for her. 

She is referring to our previous post about sustainable and regenerative gardening.  Link to Previous Post  Here is her very interesting comment.  She’d love to have some feedback.  Thank you Hope, for your thoughtful input and for providing information on new things to try!  As our contribution, we have supplied links for more information on her reference plants and refer you (and Hope) to this study of native plants in North Florida landscape conditions. Link

Hope’s Comment:

I'm always delighted to see one of your new blog posts in my email box :) !  Love your posts! 

I wanted to submit a comment to your recent post "Beyond Sustainable Gardening," but my comment was rejected as "too long." Perhaps you can help?

Wow...I've been thinking these same thoughts lately too....and realizing I need to move further towards regenerative urban veganic farming, but I'm encountering some challenges along the way.

IFAS has virtually NO published research or recommendations (at least that I have yet found)  regarding the use of NATIVE plants (grasses, legumes, nitrogen-fixing and nematode resistant species, etc.) that can be utilized for our cover crops and perennial "chop and drop" and pathway plantings in a regenerative tiny lot urban home landscape.

So....it appears to suggest that it's going to be up to all of "the rest of us"  (backyard gardeners and small market farmers)  to work together, doing our own trials and research, collaborating "virtually" to develop a list of potential regenerative native plants, seed sources for same, and the seeding dates that work most successfully for the obvious and most desirable planting windows in Florida's North, Central, and Southern areas.

Anybody else "IN" on this project? Or an easy "virtual" way to collaborate (a place here on your awesome site?)

Here are some of my observations so far from my tiny, urban postage stamp lot in Zone 9, Chassahowitzka, FL (34448):

*Perennial nitrogen-fixing chop and drop: 
Senna Ligustrina, aka "Florida Native Privit Cassia: 

Link to more information
Awesome Success!  Disease free, gorgeous glossy-green compound leaves that make beautiful compost and chop & drop when mixed or covered with any "brown" (leaves, pine straw, etc.).  Seeds are easy to come by (look for them when you hike the woods...they're plentiful, readily germinate, and the resulting plants will self-seed forever....you'll never run out of seeds to keep and share).  It attracts beneficials and pollinators; it hosts native butterflies; it gently shades and protects whatever seedlings (that the birds or your compost planted ;) beneath it, such as squash, pumpkin, watermelon, peppers, etc.  It's strong branches don't lodge and can provide trellis for climbing volunteers (cowpeas, etc.).  It dies back in a hard freeze, sometimes comes back from its roots in spring, and definitely reseeds to replace itself.  It's easy to take out if you don't like where volunteers landed too :).   If Senna ligustrina isn't the native Senna in your own Florida neighborhood....look for the Senna that IS :).

Nitrogen fixing lower shrub / herbaceous annual plant position (flower bed front or mid border height): 
Chamaecrista (fasciculata, nictitans, etc. - the ones in your area): Partridge Pea: 

Link to more information

Perfect for that position, but tricky to get the timing right on seeds for the "it's getting hot" window.   I haven't found the best seed scattering time yet.  They're "hard seed," meant to have uneven germination, and they do seem to prefer some cold stratification here in Zone 9, but when there are lucky "volunteers," they are just perfect.  It's really hit or miss for me, especially as the spring turns to summer.

Pollinator attracting, Nematode suppressing flowering plant:
* Gaillardia (o.k....I know...not really a "native," but it seems Florida-friendly enough here).  

Link to more information

It's another marigold-like nematode suppressive plant that is (according to published research online) a marigold alternative where and when tagetes may not be an optimal choice (such as where pests - slugs, spider mites -or pathogens (foliar pathogens), or soil conditions keep killing your marigolds).   Gaillardia chop and drop readily decomposes too when you just can't handle their sprawl into your paths towards the end of their season :).  Gaillardia seems less demanding of perfect soil conditions, and often provides welcome "color," and cut flowers for your garden at the times when few other flowers are blooming.

*Grass: 
this is the most difficult for me: please post your finds!
So far:
Native  Purpletop - Tridens flavus

Link to more information
seems most promising here (Zone 9), but I can't quite figure out the right seeding time.  However, the existing plants we have provide excellent chop and drop, accept high-mowing when necessary (for neighbor-friendly front yard), come back with resilience when used as a perennial landscape element, and are easy to remove entirely where you don't want them anymore.   They're a nice height for urban residential planting (knee-height), and their seed panicles are gorgeous purple-y decorative elements in your fall to winter landscape.  Seeds are readily available online, affordable, and purchase of new seed becomes unnecessary if you maintain a perennial patch for your own seed-saving.  It seems more tolerant of semi-shade, and the dramatic sun to shade conditions that can happen in urban landscapes where "urban" features of the tiny lot (your neighbor's trees and fences, the daily and seasonal shading caused by your own house, your neighbor's homes, etc.).  It seems to tolerate urban alkaline-ish soils (like that over your existing or former septic field) much better than some of the acid-soil demanding native grasses.

Woodland oats (Chasmanthium) volunteer here....but I haven't gotten enough seed yet to trial.

Link to more information

Everything in your landscape is a candidate for chop & drop or compost - even your roses - thorns and all! :)  (I used chop and drop rose parts in a worm bin one year and the worms LOVED them; rose parts readily broke down in my vertical worm tubes and in-ground hole-y compost buckets too :).    Ditto with peach and plum tree clippings, etc.

Lots more to share...but this "comment" is already much too long.

I know you guys already know most if not all of the above...but perhaps my comment inspires or incites :) some of you to post your own better suggestions :).    

I'm ALL ears!

Looking forward to the day when we can all surf online and find affordable bulk quantity seeds for Florida Native Cover Cover Crops and path grasses (like the OTHER states already have with their "eco-grass" selections).   

Why are our Florida University extensions so behind the ball on this?  

(Doesn't suit their corporate donors' best interests? So no funding for regenerative / native / affordable?  Therefore no interest?  Come on PhD candidates out there....find the right prof and pitch it!)

Hope I haven't offended anyone or poked the bear too badly.

I'm old, and on the spectrum...so please forgive me.

Wishing you all health and happiness!

Hope (E. Hope Corona)

Gardening on an impossibly tiny postage stamp urban lot in Chassahowitzka, FL (Zone 9, on a canal to the Chassahowitzka River & Gulf....the front lines of sea level rise and climate change 🙄)

Marigolds, nematodes, and winter mulching.

 

As fall planting approaches, it’s time to revisit an earlier post about winter mulching and the best way to use marigolds to discourage nematodes.  

The bottom line—dark, partially composted mulch not only provides the usual benefits, but may help plants survive the cold better.  

When using marigolds to deter nematodes, it’s important to select the right variety of marigold and to plant them a particular way and far enough ahead – at least two months – to be effective in reducing the nematode population. Read the full article and the recommended reference link for the full story. 

https://northfloridavegheadz.blogspot.com/2022/01/a-study-in-marigolds-and-mulch.html

Wednesday in the Garden

This week’s report on Wednesday garden activities from our intrepid garden coordinator, Cathy Alfano:

We welcomed a new volunteer: Kristen Coyne. She was a great addition to our crew.   Mostly we weeded and tended beds. Peggy and others expanded the Roselle area, and enlarged the fencing around it to keep the deer away. 

There were still many cherry tomatoes and a cucumber to harvest. Some melons are coming along and the eggplants look delicious. The squash in Beds B and C are trying to take over the garden. And – finally – Dave harvested another watermelon that he took home and pronounced as delicious! 

Peter’s grape arbor is bursting with grapes. They’re still ripening, but already have a wonderful taste. The photo doesn’t begin to show how prolific the grapes are. It’s also lovely and cooler under the shade of the arbor. This is a great spot for our cool-down break. Evelyn brought some cold watermelon slices to share while we chatted and cooled off.

The weeds/grass can use cutting every week now. We weed whacked around the lower beds and some of the forest garden. The Esposito crew did a great job of mowing the field. Mark has promised to spray the sedge as soon as the weather dries out enough to allow. In the meantime, Cathi and Evelyn attacked the sedge in the central upper garden. It looks remarkably better already.

Thanks to everyone who came out and worked with such energy and good humor despite the heat. You VegHeadz are the best!

Beyond Sustainable Gardening

Our gardening practices at the VegHeadz garden have changed as our awareness of our environmental impacts has increased. There are two overlapping types of gardening for those who want their gardens to be environmentally friendly which are similar, but distinct—sustainable gardening and regenerative gardening. Sustainable gardening aims to do no harm and maintain current conditions. Regenerative gardening goes a step further and seeks to actively improve and restore ecological health, making the garden a positive and integral part of the surrounding environment.

Sustainable gardening focuses on creating and maintaining a garden that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own. Practices promoting garden sustainability include:

Resource Efficiency: Using water wisely, selecting drought-resistant plants, and employing rainwater harvesting systems.

Soil Health: Maintaining soil fertility through composting, mulching, and minimal use of synthetic fertilizers.

Biodiversity: Planting a variety of species to promote a balanced ecosystem and attract beneficial insects.

Waste Reduction: Recycling garden waste and avoiding single-use plastics.

By implementing these practices, sustainable gardening aims to minimize environmental impact, conserve resources and promote long-term ecological balance.

Regenerative gardening uses these and other methods to not only maintain, but to improve the health of the garden and surrounding ecosystem. Its goal is to heal and rejuvenate the landscape of which the garden is a part, resulting in a net positive impact on the environment. This includes:

Soil Regeneration: Building soil health through practices like no-till gardening, cover crops, and the use of biochar to increase carbon storage.

Ecosystem Restoration: Creating habitats in and around the garden area that support wildlife and nurture native plants, restoring any degraded landscape in the area by practices such as reducing turf and replacing with native shrubs and ground covers, controlling erosion and runoff, and creating conditions favorable to microorganisms. When possible, this includes “wilding” areas to allow nature to restore the habitat with no input other rhan removing invasives.

Regenerative Design: Designing gardens to mimic natural ecosystems, integrating permaculture principles and making the best use of non-renewable resources. An important aspect of regenerative design is creation of a closed system where waste from one element is used as a resource for other elements in the design.     

Carbon Sequestration: Actively working to capture and store atmospheric carbon in the soil and in the plants.

Regenerative gardening includes disturbing the soil as little as possible, keeping the soil covered, providing a continuing supply of organic matter, keeping living roots in the soil, planting more perennials, and placing an emphasis on diversity by planting many different species and varieties which are more likely to thrive in that particular environment.

Desired outcomes of regenerative gardening include improving soil health (structure, organic matter, and fertility), increasing biodiversity, increasing soil carbon retention, maintaining or improving garden productivity without application of synthetic chemicals, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Sustainable gardening is a vital first step in reducing our ecological footprint, while regenerative gardening offers a path toward healing and rejuvenating Earth’s natural systems. 

Both sustainable and regenerative gardening practices are essential for creating a healthier planet and lessening our environmental impact by producing some of our own food and reducing waste generally. A positive byproduct is improved diet, healthier food products, and beneficial exercise. After all, we are also part of the environment.  

This brings to mind the proverbial “butterfly effect” which merely illustrates that small things matter, and we are all connected to a bigger system. Our actions now, today, are the result of previous actions and this can, in turn, lead to a different future. With one small gesture we can change someone's life or help change the world. 

By incorporating elements of both sustainable and regenerative gardening, we, as gardeners, can contribute to a more resilient and thriving environment in our own space and the world in general, recognizing that everything is connected.

Wednesday in the Garden

 

Just another day in the VegHeadz garden—weeding, harvesting, cleaning up the compost bins to get rid of weeds sprouting and trying to go to seed, mowing grassy areas, spending time with friends, learning from each other.  Just a normal day.  Most of all, reveling in the beauty and abundance we have created together.  

Our garden arches provide 
shade as well as support.

Beautiful purple beans

Corn is ready to harvest when the
silk turns brown.  The husk can be
pulled back from the top to
check the firmness of the kernels.

Yen takes shelter under
the arch of a vigorous
indeterminate tomato
plant.  
 

Glenn’s pre-1900s bed is
thriving. 

As are Louie’s herb beds.  

Dune sunflower in a stump

Today’s harvest

Garden Perfection

 

June and Tommy loved exploring the rain garden

June and Tommy have been coming to the VegHeadz garden with their grandmother since they were barely old enough to walk.   We hadn’t seen them in a while, but they picked a good day for a return visit.  These are some of the things they saw today.  

Nicotiana—Woodland or
flowering tobacco 

A perfect eggplant

Mexican sunflower—a butterfly 
favorite

Tobacco Hornworm. Similar to a
tomato hornworm and feeds on
the same plants.   
First one seen this year.  
Probably not the last.
Larva of a large sphinx moth.  

Plum tomatoes galore.
 

This time of year, the predominant 
flower color in our garden is yellow.

Loofah

When immature, the loofah fruit
can be cooked much like squash. 
Dave is taking some home to try. 

The mature loofah fruit will
be at least twice this size and 
will be allowed to dry on the vine
before harvesting seeds and 
creating sponges from the 
fibrous skeleton.  

Nature at Work

The real excitement in the garden today was watching nature at work. A small bat had become entangled in the chicken wire around one leg of the garden’s central arbor, which adjoins the bat house.  The bat had no hope of escape, and became a meal for a resident rat snake.  Mr. Rat Snake couldn’t get the bat loose, so we helped him untangle it from the wire then left him alone as he moved away to finish his lunch in peace.  

We were so excited!

Feeding the Bees

Zinnias are a favorite for the bees

Feeding the Bees—and not only the bees.  Lots of other little garden helpers like nectar and pollen too.  In the heat of summer, everything in the garden is still unless you look closer.  There you will see many different kinds of good bugs “making hay” while the sun shines.   

It is the harvesting season for many of our spring vegetables.  This week a bounty of beets and potatoes made way for more heat-tolerant crops.  

A Large Milkweed Bug on milkweed

Beets

Nancy and Mary are enjoying Emma’s delight with her harvest of potatoes and beets

The deer are back.  Vinegar rags have
been reinstalled and Louie and
Cathy put down a border of
$strong-smelling fennel as an
additional deterrent.

+

VegHeadz Spring/Summer Garden Tour

The annual open house and plant sale at the Leon County Extension which was scheduled for Saturday, May 11 was canceled because of the severe storms, including three tornadoes, that passed through Tallahassee the day before. The plant sale was rescheduled and many people showed up to buy plants on Wednesday and Thursday of the following week. 

If you are one of the hundreds of people who would have enjoyed tours of the many gardens on the grounds, you will have to wait until next year unless you’d like to visit them and the adjoining orchard on your own any time during daylight hours. 

In the VegHeadz garden at the southern end of the property, we were ready to guide you through our many vegetable and pollinator beds. Thanks to Peggy McDonald for these great pictures giving us a virtual tour.  As always, photos just can’t capture the wonder of a garden.  Again the vegetable gardens and food forest can always be seen and fully appreciated on any day during daylight hours or join us for a personal tour on most Wednesday mornings when we are working there. 

Welcome to the VegHeadz garden as you enter
from the east side through
the rose arbor. 

To your right you will see pollinator
gardens and sunflowers.  

There are sunflowers planted throughout the garden. 
They are great trap plants as they are preferred by
stink bugs and particularly leaf-footed bugs.  

Our main rotation beds are designated as A-D.
This is bed D (actually three beds in
graduated sizes). This year plants in these beds
include tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.  

Rotation bed C.  Plants in these beds 
include corn and beans.  

Rotation bed B. Plants in these 
beds include squashes, cucumbers
and melons.  

Rotation bed A.  Included in this bed 
were green peas and sugar snap peas. 
Potatoes were planted in January and
are ready for harvest.  They will be
followed with summer crops—okra, 
field peas and sweet potatoes.  

 

We also have four small rotation 
beds.  No bed is too small for good 
gardening practices.  

You’ve reached the edible forest garden 
at the south end of the garden space,
shadier than the area where we grow annual crops.  
Here you would see bananas, loquat, native plum, 
olive, turmeric, perennial onions and 
other plants.  

At the far back of the garden in the food forest,
this artistic trellis supports chayote vines
next to a fig tree with ground cover of longevity spinach. 

Mayhaw tree, a native with fruit 
for jelly and for wildlife. Also in
this area, peach and elderberry.

Mulberry and wax myrtle anchor 
this area of the forest along with
Satsuma, goji berry, lemongrass and
other understory plants.  

Heading back up toward the top of the
garden, we find a variety of 
individual “test” beds including
various types of pollinator 
plants, a variety of perennial onions, 
 a bed of pre-1900 vegetable 
varieties, a blueberry patch,
and a patio container garden,
among others.  

Herb beds, mostly perennials.  They now include
a number of artichoke plants.  So far they are
thriving.  

This artichoke plant produced five buds, which is the part that is
eaten before they open.  We’re letting a couple of them bloom.  

Adjoining the herb beds are the two
beds used each season to grow plants
from the seeds distributed at the
Leon County libraries.   

The central arbor is planted again this year with 
loofah gourds.  The vines will soon cover the arbor,
providing shade as you pass through.
We love to watch them grow
and the yellow flowers are big and gorgeous.

A Cardinal has built a nest in a large plant
of Sweetie Pie cherry tomatoes.

It’s fun to visit the 4-H beds next to
the arbor.  There are raised beds of many
different configurations and materials.  

Just west of the main garden is 
the rain garden, seen here through
the grape arbor just below it.  

We’re really sorry to miss the honey sale 
held each year with the Open House.  The
bees in the hives adjoining the garden
have been gathering nectar from our
plants all spring, including a large stand of
buckwheat which makes delicious dark honey.  

We even have sunflowers planted between
the compost bins.  

Adjoining the compost bins,
Bananas are already forming.  Can
you find them?

From the bananas, we circle around the main
rotation beds back toward the entrance.  
Here an eye-catching feature of the garden is the
cattle panel arches spanning between each of the rotation
beds.  Seen through this arch is the center part of our
garden, including worktable, storage shed, 
compost bins, and seating under shade for rest.

More arches

The arches support tomatoes, beans,
cucumbers—anything that climbs.  

Last, to the right of the entrance as we leave,
and maybe the most important,
are the many perennial and annual
pollinator plants which help
to control pests and to produce
abundant crops on our fruiting plants.
Also in this area are Roselle and yacon.     

Something is blooming at almost 
every time of year.