Wednesday in the Garden — Bamboo, Bananas and Biochar

Linda L. is loading garden mix 
from a pile near one of the 
two bamboo clumps.

Fall planting season is in full swing and our gardeners are busy getting seeds and seedlings in the ground. 

We wanted to give you an update on our clumping bamboo planted in April 2019, and our biochar trial, which got underway at the garden workday on Wednesday.

This looks like a lot of bamboo, but both clumps of bamboo are well behaved and although tall, do not take up much space on the ground.

Clumping bamboos usually develop new shoots in the fall.   A little over a month ago, Louie D. noticed some coming up around the edges of the clumps. She knocked them over and removed them (this is easy before they harden). This left those coming up in the middle. The spiky new shoots can be seen at the top of the clump.  The shoots emerge from the rhizomes at their mature diameter and grow to their full height very quickly, often in a matter of weeks.

The new culms (the bamboo version of a trunk) have grown larger in circumference each year. We like to use them to define paths in the forest garden, and to build garden structures, such as trellises and tomato supports.

The footprint of the clump
is not very large

The bamboo stays erect, except when it rains.  Then the weight of the water on the leaves causes the culms to arch over, sometimes reaching the ground.  They usually return to an upright position after they dry.  If they don’t, we cut them off so they don’t get in the way. The area under the clumps is shady, quiet, and cool. We’re thinking of putting a bench there so we have another place to hang out in the heat.

Clumping bamboos usually belong to the Bambusa genus.  Those in the VegHeadz garden are Bambusa textilis gracilis and  Bambusa chungii barbelatta

Something else we noticed this week is the bananas. After a cold winter and a week of snow on the ground, the bananas got a slow start this spring.   They just recently sprouted a number of huge clumps of bananas. There’s little chance they will mature before cold weather later this fall, but we’ve learned that even when they’re not fully developed, they can be harvested and ripened.  To learn more about our ripening experiment, insert “banana ripening” in the search box in the right sidebar. 

 

When fully developed, this would 
be a substantial
crop of bananas

Banana blooms are complex and
interesting

There is a new row of florets under each bract layer of the red blossom or “heart.” Each row of florets develops into a “hand“ of bananas. Cutting The blossom off will stop new bananas from forming, and direct the plant’s energy into maturing the ones that have already emerged.  The florettes are edible, and the blossom contains an edible core in the center. These are used in Asian recipes.

Finally, we are preparing to move our biochar trial into the garden.  Four different versions of a compost/biochar mixture have been “marinating” and have now been added to the trial plots.  

Last week—an overgrown
 watermelon patch—and weeds

Watermelons and weeds gone
Four 4 x 4 beds

Six inches of soil removed from 
beds and mixed together to
provide a uniform growing medium
Photo:  Lisa Jacobson

Four different mixtures of 
compost and biochar were 
added to the beds along 
with the mixed soil from the beds. 
Photo:  Lisa Jacobson

The workers who made it happen

Ready for the next phase.   In a 
couple of weeks we’ll plant the
same crops in each bed.
Photo:  Lisa Jacobson 

BUG ALERT!

If you look closely, you can 

see the insect on the flower.

Photo:  Peggy McDonald

We’ve been noticing some discolored and deformed leaves on this year‘s Roselle plants. Peggy the VegHeadz “Roselle Queen” has been harvesting calyxes for several weeks.  She was very concerned about the appearance of the plants, particularly since she learned that our garden was not the only place the problem is appearing.  From Peggy:

ROSELLE HAS A NEW PEST AND IT'S BAD. THE TWO-SPOT COTTON LEAFHOPPER HAS ATTACKED PLANTS ALL OVER LEON COUNTY AND IN SOUTH FLORIDA.

Horticultural Agent Mark Tancig had the Roselle plants which are growing in the VegHeadz Garden tested and here are the results.

"It’s an insect! Some new pest of cotton that also gets hibiscus and roselle. Those aren’t whiteflies we saw, it’s these leaf hoppers. I checked today. Good news is the seed isn’t affected. Bad news is few known control options."

Follow the link to an article about the pest and for control and management options.

https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/2025/09/15/uf-ifas-warns-of-emerging-pest-threatening-south-florida-crops-two-spot-cotton-leafhopper-detected/

Two-spot Cotton Leafhopper

Photo:  Alexandra Revynthi

Our fruit is okay this year because the insect appeared late in the season, but not sure about next year. With stunted deformed leaves the yields will be more affected next year.

Burn all infected plants or bag for the landfill; do not compost this material!

We will keep you posted.

NetZero

If you click on the Google Earth image in the left sidebar, you’ll notice some details of which you may not have been aware. The building which houses the UF/IFAS Leon County Extension is a net zero building.  NetZero is the balance point where the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by human activities are equal to the amount of GHG removed from the atmosphere through natural or artificial processes.  In this building, it also means that the property produces its own power, heating and cooling, and recycled rain water for irrigation of the surrounding gardens.

Overseen for the Extension by now retired conservation agent Will Sheftall, the retrofit has been operating since 2012. It was certified as NetZero a little over a year after its completion.  The building, owned by Leon County, is also designated as the County’s “Sustainable Demonstration Center.“

Two parking areas serve multiple purposes. The east parking lot immediately adjacent to the building is covered with solar panels which produce energy for the building and shade for parking. The other parking area is south of the building, adjoining the Bed 5 tropical demonstration garden, and the vegetable gardens. This turf parking area covers 60 geothermal wells or bores, each 90 feet deep, which supply heating and cooling to the building.

Solar array over parking area
Photo:  Kendra Zamojski  

The seven horticultural demonstration gardens, the fruit orchard, and the vegetable gardens are all irrigated with rainwater collected from the roof of the building and stored in a repurposed 500 gallon gas tank, which is underground next to the fruit orchard west of the building.

Extension, under the leadership of University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), brings UF's research and education to every county in Florida. It is a leading educator and proponent of earth friendly practices in home, family and businesses as well as in community planning, food systems, energy, water, disaster preparedness, farming, horticulture, and gardening.  It also fosters environmental and health education for youth through 4-H, school gardens, and other programs. https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/sustainable-communities/sustainability-starts-here/ 

There is a wealth of information and assistance available from the Extension which can be accessed both online and by contacting the staff or Master Gardener volunteers.  The local Extension operates under the umbrella of the Leon County Office of Resource Management in a joint arrangement with UF/IFAS.  More information about this partnership here.  

NetZero Certification details here:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RCJQU6sC6pSLjcNG0PhYFIRzF8ODEmOW/view?usp=drivesdk

US Depatnent of Energy site about this building:  https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-09/geothermal-heat-pump-case-study-leon-county.pdf

Article about the project by Will Sheftall:  https://PIts.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/author/sheftall/

Wednesday in the Garden

Field Peas (cowpeas)

It was a lovely day in the VegHeadz garden. We harvested Roselle, eggplants and field peas. The gardeners gathered for our fall planning meeting chaired by Glenn B.  We had an outstanding turnout and much interesting discussion as we reviewed last season’s crop and made plans for the new season. Stay tuned for upcoming adventures in the garden as fall crops are planted and our biochar trial gets under way. In the meantime, share with us some of the scenes from our garden today.  

Each fall we get to enjoy the exotic blooms from our neighboring demonstration bed – Bed 5–Tropicals. In their native area, many of them are evergreen perennials.  In our area, they die back to the ground in the winter, get a late start in the spring when the soil warms up, spend all summer growing, and only reach their full potential in the fall. Sharing them in pictures is lovely, but to truly appreciate them you must see them in person. Come by the demonstration garden on Paul Russell Road to see them while they’re still in their prime. It’s worth the trip. (We don’t know the names of all of them.)

Firebush

Yellow Butterfly Vine
Callaeum macropterum

Red Bird of Paradise — Peacock Flower — Pride of Barbados
Caesalpinia pullcherrima

Blue Cat’s Whiskers
Rotheca myricoides

Candelabra Bush
Senna Alata

Red Orchid Tree
(Bauhinia galpinii)

Thai Basil

Field peas as cover crop
And to harvest

Cover crops—Mustard and, in the rear, Buckwheat

Zebra Longwing, official Florida butterfly
On Firebush (Hamelia patens)

Peggy harvested Roselle 
calyxes in the cage erected to
keep  out deer 


 

Saving Seeds

Luffa seeds. Photo by Peggy McDonald

Most plants have worked all year to produce buds and then flowers, fruit, and finally seeds. As they reach the end of their productive season, or the end of their lives, it’s our opportunity to gather another harvest, this time to ensure next year’s crop.

There are some seeds we don’t want to save.  It’s a good time to remove as many weeds as we can before they sow next year’s problem. 

The Leon County Master Gardeners are beginning now to propagate plants for next year’s May plant sale. In addition to growing from cuttings, they are gathering seeds to plant this fall or next spring to produce small shrubs, saplings, and seedlings for transplant.

Cuttings produce a clone of the host plant with identical genetic makeup, while seeds may or may not have the same traits as the parent plants. While we have a wide range of choices when buying seeds, they don’t compare to Nature’s unlimited varieties. The seeds for many heirlooms and less familiar plants are only available from other gardeners, boutique growers, or online sources like eBay and Etsy.  

By saving seeds from your strongest and most productive plants, you create your own varieties that are better adapted to your local conditions. Saving seeds from your garden is a rewarding practice that preserves genetic diversity and saves money.  Relying less on commercial seed companies increases your independence as a gardener. 

You can help protect and maintain unique, often rare, plant varieties that are not widely available in the commercial market.  Many seeds carry a rich cultural history. Saving and sharing them with others helps keep these seeds and stories alive. Seminole pumpkins, heirloom varieties of okra, and unique cowpeas and beans come to mind.  Often they have been nurtured and saved by families for multiple generations.  The process is also helpful in understanding plant life cycles and genetics, especially for children. 

The best time to harvest seeds is when the fruits or pods have reached full maturity and the seeds inside are fully developed. A dry day is ideal for harvesting to prevent potential rot and mold. For dry-fruited plants like beans, peas, and okra, leave the seed pods or heads on the plant until they are completely dry and brown.  For wet-fruited plants such as tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers, the fruit should be allowed to fully ripen on the plant. The seeds inside will be mature at this stage.  For flowers, wait until the blossoms have faded and the seed heads have turned brown and dried out.

Properly collecting, preparing, and storing seeds ensures their viability for future planting. The following references, focusing specifically on our north Florida area, contain everything you need to know to produce great seeds for next year’s crops and to share with others.  

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP647

https://workingfood.org/savingseeds/

Timing is (Almost) Everything

We’re starting to think about fall planting, ordering seeds and starting some plants in flats.  When planning your garden each season, timing your planting is of utmost importance.  

North Florida generally has two main gardening seasons—a shorter spring/summer season for warm-weather crops and a longer, more productive fall/winter season for cool-weather vegetables, while the intense heat and humidity of mid-summer is only suitable for a few varieties.

Different vegetables are adapted to different temperature ranges.Warm-season crops are sensitive to cold and will not grow—or will be severely stunted—if planted when soil temperatures are too cool. This includes tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers.  Conversely, when temperatures get too warm, the same plants will stop blooming and setting fruit. They must be grown within a distinct range of average temperatures.

Cool-season crops prefer different conditions. They may "bolt" (prematurely produce flowers and seeds) if they mature in excessive heat, which can cause the leaves to become bitter. This applies to leafy greens like lettuce and spinach as well as hardier greens like kale, collards, and mustard.  Proper timing aligns your plants with the natural cycles of nature and provides ideal moisture and light conditions, allowing for strong root development and healthy growth.  

It’s always a good idea to plant earlier in the suggested range.  Early planting in spring will allow crops to mature for harvest before the crush of bugs and diseases.  Early planting in fall will allow seeds to germinate and crops to get started before cool weather slows them down.  Some crops may need protection when planted early.  In the fall, depending on the heat level, earlier plantings may need to be protected with shade cloth from over-exposure to sun and heat and to discourage late summer bugs.  In spring, tender seedlings may need to be protected with frost cloth from late freezes.  

Practice succession planting.  Plant small batches of the same crop every few weeks throughout the planting window.  This will ensure a steady supply of vegetables and improve your chances of hitting the environmental sweet spot for temperature, light, etc.  Every year is different. 

Choose the right varieties: Select vegetable varieties that are recommended for the north Florida climate. Local nurseries are a good source for varieties appropriate for our area.   

This probably sounds somewhat confusing. It is difficult to keep up with, particularly if you’ve recently moved from another part of the country and are accustomed to a totally different planting schedule. The Red Hills Small Farm Alliance has developed a planting calendar particularly appropriate for our unique area.  It can be relied upon to keep you on track with the correct dates for starting seeds, planting seedlings and direct sowing.  The planting calendar and monthly gardening advice from Gardener Ed are available in the left sidebar to let you know what to plant each month.

Or follow our links to two different versions of the planting calendar. One can be printed or saved, the other will import a Google calendar with the same information, which you can turn on and off in your calendar app to keep you up-to-date each month on what should be planted then.  We find that both calendars are useful. The printed one is good for planning your garden, determining what seeds to order and when, deciding when in a planting window is best to plant, and getting a sense of gardening seasons. The calendar app is great for deciding what and seedlings to buy locally and what to plant on any particular day that you have time to spend in the garden.

Red Hills printable planting calendar:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jo5XJaj5AYBNKsBtXtgle8Dp4SGRqIhh /view?usp=drivesdk

Same information for import to a Google calendar:  Link to Google calendar. Or use the QR Code below.  When you access the link or the code, an option should pop up to download the planting calendar. If you have trouble accessing it on your phone or iPad, try a laptop or desktop computer. Once you have it downloaded, it will appear as an optional calendar on any of your devices. You can turn it off or on by selecting the planting calendar in the menu of your calendar app.  

The app was created by local gardener Liz Hammock. Here’s her take on gardening and how she uses the calendar app: 

“My early childhood was spent on a small farm in rural middle Tennessee and being in the garden feels essential. The resources supplied from Red Hills and Master Gardeners and the Extension office have been really helpful for me to get oriented to gardening in this climate. 

My career is indoors and my gardening time is more limited than I would like. I noticed I was spending perhaps too much of my very limited gardening time reading and sorting my seed packets rather than actually putting seeds in the ground and letting the sun and rain take it from there (my compost pile contributes too). It occurred to me that I really needed something to tell me what to put in the ground the next time I could be in the garden. 

The planting guide that was already available just needed to be on my phone to be used - at the store if I needed to pick up seeds or in the garden when a new spot opened up. Having the planting guide in calendar form has already transformed my own gardening time- less planning and more doing. The calendar quickly turns my garden dreams into action by telling me what to put in the ground today. I certainly could not have done it without the guide that Red Hills distributes freely. I hope many people will benefit!”

New Food Forest Plants Database for North Florida

Enjoying the cooler shade as we 
learn about designing guilds and selecting plants. 

The VegHeadz have just completed a six session workshop on creating food forest guilds, selecting plants and other aspects of growing a food forest. As a part of our workshop, those participating helped to create a master plant database for our area, growing zone 9a.  The list includes some of the information needed to make selections of plants for your food forest. 

Link to Database.  The most up-to-date version of the database will always be available in the left sidebar of this site under Gardening Resources.

We’ll be adding to and refining the database as we continue to grow in our  small food forest (just 40’ x 70’) in the VegHeadz garden in Tallahassee. In this small space we have over 50 species of plants including over 10 sub-canopy size fruit trees.  We hope this information may be of use to you in selecting plants for your landscape, garden, or food forest. 

In case you think you don’t have room for a food forest, consider watching these brief videos about some tiny forests, any one of which might fit in your space. Thanks to Lorraine, one of our gardeners, for finding this resource.  Small Food Forests and Pocket Forests  

Ugly Garden Helpers

Horned Passalus Beetle
Helps decompose dead wood

Our garden helpers aren’t always pretty—at least by human standards.  Consider the ground beetle, a big black ugly bug.  But he doesn’t care if you think he’s handsome, he just goes about his business helping you in your garden. He’s a garden predator, preying on other ‘ugly’ bugs.  Some varieties of ground beetles also eat weed seeds, decompose dead wood, and provide other important environmental services. 

North Florida hosts a variety of ground beetles—ranging from the burrowing Scarites subterraneus to the foliage-hunting Calleida decora and seed‑eating Harpalus species. Their larvae also add to a workforce which can help keep pest and weed populations in check, and break down organic matter.

Ground beetles may not be flashy, but they’re among the most beneficial insects you can welcome into your vegetable garden. These nocturnal predators spend their nights patrolling the soil surface and the base of plants, feasting on a wide range of pests—including slugs, cutworms, aphids—and weed seeds.

Most ground beetles are shiny, black or metallic, and fast-moving. They don’t damage plants and rarely fly, preferring to hide under mulch, rocks, or garden debris during the day. Their larvae are just as valuable, attacking soft-bodied insect pests before they reach your crops.  

Ground Beetle larva
UF/IFAS Photo

The larvae don’t look like you’d expect. The big white grubs you see in the soil are not ground beetle larvae – they are the larvae of the scarab beetle. The diet of scarab larvae includes plant roots, causing drought-type symptoms.  Adult scarabs can be distinguished by their club-like antennae. 

Ground beetle larvae are long and dark, and have legs and strong mandibles. They reside in the topsoil and leaf litter, consuming insect eggs, larvae, caterpillars, root maggots, and other soil-dwelling pests—acting as effective subterranean pest patrols.   

Daytime shelter is critical for dark-colored ground beetles, which would quickly cook in hot midday sun. They are are active at night or during periods of rainy weather, so you may not see them often, despite their constant presence. Mulches, bunching grasses and established perennial plants can serve as conservation points for these important natural predators.

To encourage them to live in your garden, don’t use pesticides, provide mulch, and avoid disturbing the soil. Incorporate a few perennial vegetables (asparagus, lemon grass, sunchokes, etc.) or vigorous perennial flowers or herbs into your garden; they will provide year-round habitat for ground beetles. Composting sites are also good places for these important beneficial insects. By supporting the habitats they prefer, you’re enlisting a low‑maintenance, pesticide‑free pest control team right beneath your feet.

Things That Thrive in July!

The temperature every day hovers between 90 and 100, at night it rarely gets below 80°.   It rains every day, and then the sun shines, creating a steamy humid soup. When you wake up in the morning, your windows are fogged up with condensation from the humidity, even at 5 a.m.  In north Florida, and pretty much anywhere in the Southeast, this is how it is in July. 

All the tomatoes are gone except a few hardy cherry varieties.  The summer squash has slumped and disappeared. The peppers are still hanging on, but they’re not blooming.  You’ve harvested your last green bean and your last ear of corn. The best eggplants have been picked and eaten and okra requires that you go to the garden every day to harvest.  What do you do with that much okra anyway?  Spending time in the garden is a hot sweaty ordeal.

There are some plants which make your efforts worthwhile. Most any type of cowpeas will thrive at this time of year and it’s not too late to plant them. Keep up with your okra and eggplant and they’ll continue to produce throughout the summer and into fall. Nurture your peppers and as soon as the weather cools a little, they’ll start producing again. 

Pictured below are some other plants which will reward you with refreshing flavors and trouble-free gardening. Many of them are perennials which come back every year with no help from you. How much easier can it get?

Thai Ginger (Alpinia galangal)

Galangal blooms.  The leaves can
be used to wrap fish or vegetables
for steaming and the rhizomes 
are used much like culinary ginger. 

Native Dune Sunflower (Helianthus 
debilis) blooms all summer,
comes back every year,
and attracts and feeds helpful 
insects

Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia) provides
a wall of blooms along the edge of the garden

Dune sunflowers surround the
pole holding Purple Martin gourds.

Pole beans and a tropical cucumber relative

French Marigolds provide ground cover
and fight nematodes

Gulf fritillaries and many other insects love the Tithonia.   Here they find food, habitat, and prey.  

Okinawa spinach, another heat-loving 
perennial. 

Asparagus provides a wispy contrast
to other garden plants as it stores up
energy for its spring harvest of shoots.

Sochan or Cherokee Greens
(Rudbeckia laciniata) provides
fresh or cooked greens all summer

Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus
tuberosus)  This is a
smaller variety – Dwarf Sunray.
Rhizomes provide crunch to 
salads and stir fries.  

Turmeric (Curcuma longa)
grows under the partial
shade of a Loquat tree. Use a 
small knob of the rhizomes in
smoothies; reported to
reduce inflammation. 

Chayote (Sechium edule)
completely covers a large trellis.  
The mild light green fruit can be 
used like summer squash.

Culinary Ginger
(Zingiber officinale)

Comfrey blooms

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
Feeds pollinators and accumulates 
minerals from deep in the soil.  

Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) a type of gourd.
We are always amazed when the
melons appear.  The red flesh around the 
seeds is moist and slightly sweet.  Younger green melons are used
in stir fries and Asian stews. 

Native Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) is a

pollinator plant that blooms from spring until frost,  

populated by a large variety of bees, butterflies and
helpful flies and wasps.  It is also a legume, harvesting
nitrogen from the atmosphere for itself and surrounding plants