VegHeadz: Grape Arbor, Rain Garden and Bats

Friday, October 27, 2023

Grape Arbor, Rain Garden and Bats

Grape arbor. A pruning workshop
is being planned.

This seems like an unlikely combination of garden subjects. It’s been a while since we mentioned our grape arbor which is doing very well. Four varieties of grapes were planted and have been putting down roots in their new location. Most grapes that developed have been pruned off so the vines can put more of their resources into becoming established. Peter Goren, the VegHeadz grape guy, left a few on one of the vines for tasting and to see how they mature.

Muscadine grapes

As a consequence of clearing underbrush from the area to establish the grape arbor, there has been an increase in erosion down the slope and through the arbor area. To combat this, a rain garden is being established. Designed and dug by Peter, it includes a berm keeping water from flowing through the arbor, and will help to control and redirect the water that washes into the area. It’s already a new focal point for the garden and has been used as a learning tool by two separate classes, one on rain gardens, and the other, the current master gardening class. A variety of plants are being incorporated into the rain garden to anchor the soil, and to help direct the flow of water.

Extension agent Mark Tancig, Master Gardener Peter Goren, and the new rain garden in progress to control erosion through the grape harbor

Finally, we found a garden resident in an unexpected place. We’ve had a bat house for many years, which is an element of IPM. The bats help to control insects which fly at night such as moths (think corn ear worm moth), beetles and flies. In the garden today we discovered a sleeping bat under a leaf of the tomato plant still growing in the Hügelkultur bed. It ignored our excited observation. We decided it just wanted some privacy from the other members of its colony, or as one VegHead observed, maybe it got in late and was not allowed to enter the house.

Bats are declining throughout North America, including Florida. This is worrisome because bats are an essential part of natural ecosystems throughout the world, serving as valuable allies to humans by consuming enormous quantities of night-flying insects, many of which are pests to humans and to crops. (See https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw289 for more information on the role of bats in integrated pest management). In tropical countries, bats also play a vital role in pollinating flowers and dispersing seeds.

The primary causes of bat declines in Florida include loss of natural habitat and direct disturbance to bats and their roosts. For more information on bats and how to help conserve them, see: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/UW291.