July 15, 2023
 |
| Our next garden planning meeting is coming up… Tuesday, July 18. Same time (starts at 6 pm), and same place (Tim and Tish’s riverfront pavilion, 6104 River Terrace. Follow their driveway down to the catwalk path to the river). Please join us! This will be fun! Bring your family and friends!  Along with some surprise activities, there will be garden tours, either self-guided or you may be lucky enough to time yourself with a volunteer docent. And of course, making art. “Garden Bundles” (see below) will introduce children to an awareness of the lovely forms of natural things. We will have lots of materials to select from and to combine into pleasing arrangements. And palm frond painting is offered for all levels of artistic ability. We’ve already primed the fronds with white and they’re ready to be decorated with random colors or more stylized designs. Let your creativity flow!  First primed white, then prettied up! Come on out and make some art and make some friends. We hope to see you there, Saturday July 22, 10.30 am to noon. Click here for more details and to register online.  Back issues of the newsletter are now posted on our website – www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
June 13, 2023
|
We took a month off in May, but the planning meeting is back to kick off summer. Tuesday, June 20.  Always the third Tuesday of the month. Our meeting starts at 6 pm, and Tish and Tim Ganey are graciously hosting again at their riverfront pavilion. Directions: 6104 River Terrace – park along the street from the garden to Tish and Tim’s driveway, walk down their driveway and follow the catwalk path to the pavilion in the back. Please join us! We’ve won it three times in years past. Let’s give it another go. It’s time to nominate your favorite local people, places, businesses, events, and more (including Best Community Garden) for Creative Loafing Magazine’s Best of the Bay 2023! Nominate us now through 11:59 pm on June 30th at vote.cltampa.com. Only the top 10 nominees with the most nominations will move on to the final voting phase in August, so we need everyone’s support. Tell your friends and family, too! Some garden updates from Maria Sgambati  What follows is an email that Maria sent specifically to our weekly watering team, (“the Water Lilies”). But there’s good information in here for all of us, so we hope she doesn’t mind that her garden update ended up in the June newsletter for the rest of us. Thanks, Maria for watching things so closely and reporting back. Dear Water Lilies, Summer rains are working their magic in the garden. Water as you see fit. I use the summer as a good time to take a break from heavy watering. Is there anything we need to support the water lily team? A few things: The only new ‘seeds’ we planted on Saturday are peanuts! Austin (our newest garden member who joined on Saturday) planted them with Zack. They are in two spots: 1) along the path leading away from the compost bins towards the driveway and 2) down near the driveway beside the papaya. Both spots are marked with straw. Please keep checking the potted plants across from the potting table. They do tend to dry out pretty quickly. A couple of the metal watering cans are leaking. Marc and Tim think they can be easily repaired so please don’t throw them away. They have lots of life left in them. I am also thinking about putting some hooks or nails on the wooden watering posts that we can use for hanging up sprinklers and nozzles. Our water has so many minerals in it that if we leave nozzles and sprinklers attached to hoses too long they become ‘frozen on.’ Harvest basil, beans, okra, eggplant! Cheers and happy gardening, Maria Sgambati, Garden Master Lyrical LIBbe returns home from New Zealand. Here’s her latest. She was away overseas for several weeks not too long ago, and we welcome her back. This month, LIBbe presents two topics of note, one arty and one, well, farty (you’ll see).  ART IN THE GARDEN, JULY 22 The garden is rocking along with lots of youthful members, Austen, Brandon, Jakov, Carissa, Jenny, Sophia, Zack… as well as older fellas like me. We plan to have another kiddie Art Day, Saturday July 22, where we’ll painting palm fronds and hold other fun activities. Watch for more info on that, but put the date on your calendar and tell your parenting friends. And watch for quarterly Art events. Art is an ageless experience, and everyone is always welcome, whether you’re a member or not. Water play, garden tours, and palm frond and rock painting! Rico Gadsen art at USF CAM (through July 29) has inspired in me a desire to make colorful Healers (see his work below). We can paint his Healing Vibe on our palm fronds. It won’t be as precise, but I posit that making a field of blobbed color is another version of the Healer. It’s nice to have a higher intention when playing with color. If you have some leftover house paint in light colors, please text me at 813-785-0129 so I can use it to paint a base coat on our palm fronds.  Look out for more info. Next Quarterly Art Day: Cyanotypes or eco dyeing!! TRONCHUGA BRASSICA Some call it a kale. I declare it is a cabbage… see, it’s almost making a head. Click here or on this photo I took the garden, and see what the internet has this to say about it… This plant is responding well to conditions in our garden, and it’s flourishing and plentiful. It has large collard like leaves with white stems which support a pretty blue-green leaf with a lighter yellower edge. The worms in our worm beds are doing magnificently being fed on it. It is enormously fart-acious! This, I have discovered after one disastrous meal of it, but that’s because cooked it wrongly. Tronchuga needs to be pre-boiled and the waste water discarded. This is the sensible process for all brassica, Ellen tells me. Precook them in water, subsequently discarded. I’m going to cook mine in a rice cooker outside the house, as boiled cabbage has a penetrating smell. Then I’ll finely slice the cooled leaves and fry them up with random spices I choose off the shelves, and with my favorite garlic infused olive oil. Garlic Infused Olive Oil is so easy to make. Smash four or five peeled cloves of garlic and add to a jar of olive oil. Leave it for three or four days or longer, then fish out the cloves of garlic for cooking. The remaining oil tastes wonderful and can be used in cooking and in salads to great effect. I pour it over rice, have it instead of butter on potatoes; add it to everything actually. It’s great in salad dressing, or as a dressing itself with a little salt and pepper.. What a happy place the garden is. We work together and talk and inspire one another, inform each other of interesting knowledge, and enjoy cooperating with Earth in the growing of plants. I encourage you to come and join in. Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated) Silk Painting and Studio Experiences. www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com Thanks for reading, and see you on Saturday!  |
May 17, 2023
|
Our April 22nd Earth Day/Birthday was another great day for the garden!  The weather for the day was beautiful, so maybe it’s no wonder so many showed up for the occasion. Even Tampa’s Mayor Jane Castor came out to help us celebrate. Thanks to everyone who contributed food, and to those members who brought along family and friends to enjoy the festivities with us. (Thanks too, Ellen Leedy for the mighty-fine photos!)  The latest dirt from our Garden Master, Maria Sgambati: “Hello Summer! What’s happening in the garden now.” Summer is arriving here in Tampa with hotter daytime and nighttime temperatures. These hotter temps make it harder to grow things, so we think of summer as a bit of a slower time in the garden. It’s been a very dry spring and thanks to the diligent efforts of the water lilies, the garden has thrived. Hopefully summer rains will start soon. Meantime, here’s what’s happening in the garden. Okra, basil, and green beans are in full swing. Please pick okra and beans regularly. They are best harvested when smaller. To harvest basil, pinch off the top of the basil plant near a node (where the leaves come off. See photos #1 and #2). This will keep the plant from flowering and will allow it to get bushier. In Bed C (the main Big bed), we are experimenting with planting sunn hemp in between sweet potatoes (this is known as interplanting) Both sweet potatoes and sunn hemp take about 90 to 120 days to mature and they occupy different spaces in the sense that sunn hemp grows up and sweet potatoes grow tubers below the ground. Sunn hemp serves as a cover crop providing nitrogen to the soil, building organic matter, improving soil health, and conserving water and reducing soil erosion. It grows quickly and within 60 days can be 6 feet tall! We’ve also got collards growing in Bed C and the eggplant winding down. In Bed C, plans are to plant a lot more okra, more collards and to see how the two types of kale handle the summer heat. Bed D (pineapple bed) will probably be given over to mostly sweet potato vines, and in a few more months we’ll treat ourselves to pineapple! We may need to protect the pineapple from squirrels and other critters by building small cages, like those in photo #3. Interested in working on these? Let Colleen or me know. Sweet potatoes – We continue to experiment with growing sweet potatoes to improve tuber yield. This summer, we planted some slips in one of the big black compost bins (see photo #4). As the vines grow, we will add soil and pull the tops of the vines over the top of the bin. Please help with this project by continuing to put yard waste in the curbside bins or long term compost bins and not in the sweet potato bin. And lastly, a word on a common Florida problem: the root knot nematode (see photo #5). Been staying up at night wondering what the Root Knot Nematode is? Well, insomnia be gone! Root-knot nematodes are microscopic plant-parasitic creatures. They exist in soil in areas with hot climates or short winters (can you say “Florida?!) About 2,000 plants worldwide are susceptible to infection by root-knot nematodes and include things like tomato, eggplant, peppers, and potatoes. Root-knot nematode larvae infect plant roots, causing the development of root-knot galls that drain the plant’s photosynthate and nutrients (galls shown in photo #6; and photo #7 shows and an infected tomato plant from our garden). Infection of young plants may be lethal, while infection of mature plants causes decreased yield. Treatment of plants infected with root knot nematodes is hard. So, the focus is on prevention of nematodes in the soil. Practices include crop rotation for affected crops (we rotate our tomatoes and eggplants for this reason), solarization, cover crop or intercropping (planting things like sunn hemp), planting marigolds and tilling them under, and treating the soil with things like crab meal when planting susceptible crops. This year we plan on trying several of these methods, including planting root knot resistant varieties of certain plants and using crab meal in the soil at planting time.  There’s obviously diligence involved, but maybe some of the fun is in the challenges. Happy planting and harvesting!Maria Sgambati, Garden Master Two final notes —First, please mark your calendar for Tuesday, June 20, the date of our next garden planning meeting. Always scheduled for the third Tuesday of the month, except that we sat it out for May while our president Colleen and her husband Alon vacation in Spain and Portugal (lucky them!)  Secondly, Maria just dropped us a last-minute note that the garden was awarded another grant from the Riverview Garden Club. We had recently submitted for funding to erect a bat house habitat on back northwest corner of our garden site, and a check for the requested amount showed up in our P.O. box this week with a letter of congratulations. Thank you, Riverview Garden Club… we are most grateful (as will be the bats!) Thanks for reading, and see you on Saturday!  |
March 16, 2023
|
Special announcement from Colleen to our members Gardeners – At our last monthly meeting I announced that two of our SHCG Board members are stepping down after many years of service. Please join me in sharing our gratitude to Lynelle Bonneville, who served as our Garden Secretary for seven years, and also to Doris Gagner, who was a fantastic Treasurer/Membership person for more than eight years! Their efforts on behalf of the garden allowed us to continue growing through some productive times and some challenging times, too. We appreciate them both for their dedication and diligence over such a long run. So now it is time for us to warmly welcome their successors, new to our Garden Board. Colette Hughes will be taking over Treasurer/Membership duties, and Yaakov Stern stepped up to serve as our new Garden Secretary. Congratulations to our two newest board members, both of whom readily offered their time and talents to further our garden’s progress. Thank you to all of our board members, present and past! Colleen Parker, Garden President  Colette, on the left, digs in at the garden. On the right, additional congratulations are in order for both Yaakov and his wife, Sophia. They’re newlyweds! This photo appeared in an announcement they sent out to friends and family not too long ago. We wish them the best for many years of happiness together. Our next Planning Meeting is Tuesday, March 21. It starts at 6 pm, and Tish and Tim Ganey are graciously hosting again at their riverfront pavilion. Directions: 6104 River Terrace – park along the street from the garden to Tish and Tim’s driveway, walk down their driveway and follow the catwalk path to the pavilion in the back. See you there! Save the date and swap some seeds. April is Community Garden Month in Tampa, and we’re kicking off the celebration by hosting the first Seed and Seedling Swap on April 1st. See below and plan to join us!  p.s. Seed-saving has been popping up in conversations in our area. Enough so that the Coalition of Community Gardens gathered some of the local seed savers to talk about what we can do, what we need to learn, and how we can spread the word. Will Stone with the UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County shared these useful links with us: Seed Saving – Gardening Solutions – University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (ufl.edu) Seed Saving Basics – UF/IFAS Extension Orange County (ufl.edu) Saving Seeds Dos and Don’ts — UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County (ufl.edu)  Our next Earth Day/Birthday is coming up, Saturday, April 22. As we mentioned in our last newsletter, we will host another Open House Potluck Brunch on April 22 to both recognize Earth Day and to celebrate the Seminole Heights Community Garden’s 14th anniversary. Put it on your calendar, and watch for updates from us as the event draws closer.  Hi, from Lyrical LIBbe* — I’ll be taking a hiatus for a month or two to test my theory more intensely. And my theory is this: I posit that essence precedes existence; i.e., consciousness unmanifest became (or manifested itself) in the big bang and here we are. In this understanding, all matter is its own emanation of one consciousness. Now my consciousness sees the plants manifesting their inherent desire to survive and reproduce. When I was in the garden recently, I came across a withered pile of torn up purple Amaranth, its long tassel heads of seed going brown with readiness to fall. I was carrying it towards the bin for mulching larger more solid garden waste — it’s amazing to witness the good dirt created in a year or two out of sticks and roots and stringy grasses and plants put into the yard waste containers. I felt the Amaranth seeds’ desire to have a chance to grow and so I shook the mass over the wild areas of ferns and starter oaks and aloe plants and elephant ears that run along the fence line. Now maybe there will be an addition of red in those areas in time to come. I biked home down the alleyways and sadly regretted the missed opportunity for a little wildness in so many dusty green-grassed empty backyards with chain link fences. If they would just let the weeds and wildness exist for a foot or two along those fences, then when the grass is neatly mowed the appearance looks intentional and also more natural. I saw a round whole stump of a fully healthy tree which had been cut down — it was on the edge of the alley beside a newly cleared lot — and regretted so much this loss of a beautiful tree, a habitat for peace and insects and a creator of oxygen to breath. I regret the new tendency to “poodle cut” the trees that removes all lower branches, and even more, TECO’s butchery of trees near power lines. Yes, they need to be cut but the trees are being killed by TECO which makes the most of Tallahassee’s new guidelines to take the fewest cuts rather than (as it used to be) the smallest cuts. This sorrow I feel in me is communicated to the trees which reply, “we abide”. In the garden the chard is flourishing, seemingly glad to serve the mouths and bodies which consciously eat. Ethiopian Kale, a softer leaf than Lacinato kale with its dimpled bluish leaves, has small yellow flowers, which can look pretty in a salad or be left to grow lots of seeds to make more plants next season. We have them to give away to visitors or in seed swaps. Koginut squash puts out babies; those recently transplanted have bright green leaves, while the leaves of the more established plants are blue green with a pale grey vein zig-zagging round the five fingered protrusions of the leaf. The leaf is like a duck’s webbed feet, not narrow leaves returning to base like a chicken’s foot. The whole which might be Gaia Earth consciousness as felt in the human me, grieves to see opportunity for beauty and community missed. But the consciousness of the whole in me rejoices at the beautiful day, the co-operative friendly garden, the chance to commune with plants and to bike ride beneath a blue sky with wisps of cloud. “Rejoice, rejoice! We have no choice but to carry on.”. See you in a bit. The garden welcomes you. Elizabeth E Mitchell Silk Painting and Studio Experiences. www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com *(BE liberated) Some expert notes from our Garden Master Maria  Tulsi Basil: Medicine from the Earth Several months ago, my friend Bill, who runs Earthsong nursery in St. Pete, gifted me some Tulsi basil plants. You may find a couple of these in our garden: one planted in the ground in the pollinator area and one in a pot in the herb circle. Tulsi basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) is also known as holy basil, or tulasi and tamole, damole, or domole in Fiji. It’s an aromatic perennial native to the Indian subcontinent and widespread as a cultivated plant throughout the Southeast Asian tropics. Tulsi basil is more closely related to mint rather than the other basils we have growing. A perennial that will grow up to 24 inches high, it is cultivated for many reasons including using the leaves to make a tea with anti-inflammatory properties. Please feel free to harvest leaves to use at home.https://www.thespruce.com/holy-basil-plant-profile-5184884 https://theherbalacademy.com/use-tulsi-everyday/  Tulsi basil planted in our pollinator garden What’s happening with the tomatoes? You may have noticed that many of the tomato plants look like they’ve died or are dying. And they are. Tomatoes, while delicious to eat, are challenging to grow because of how susceptible they are to many diseases. Our tomatoes are suffering from what is known root knot nematodes. Unlike other diseases and pests, root knot nematodes survive by feeding directly off of the nutrients pumped through tomato roots. They form galls that can reach up to an inch (2.5 cm.) wide where they hide and reproduce, causing a number of symptoms that point to problems in infected plants’ transport systems. Root knot nematode control focuses on many methods including adding organic material to the soil, rotating tomatoes, alternating planting with French marigolds (that are then turned into the soil) and other methods. I personally think magical incantations may be as beneficial. If removing infected tomato plants, please place them in the city yard waste bins rather than the black compost bins.https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/tomato/tomatoes-nematodes.htm  Image showing plants on right affected by root knot nematodes Rejuvenation pruning: resetting the clock for certain shrubs. You may have noticed that several multi-stemmed woody shrubs in the garden – beautyberry, firebush, and casseia – are much shorter than then they used to be. What happened? They’ve been pruned using a method call renovation or rejuvenation pruning – or translated – whacking them down to 18 inches or so. After several years without pruning, shrubs can begin to look misshapen or crowded, and have lots of older, unproductive wood (meaning that it doesn’t flower or have a lot of leaves). At this point, thinning just won’t do the job; it calls for more extreme measures. By cutting a shrub to the ground, you “reset the clock” – the result is a smaller, younger plant that usually flowers more profusely and can be thinned as necessary to keep it looking its best. Timing matters. Rejuvenation pruning should be done in early spring – in Florida, that means late February or early March. Too early or too late can stress a plant and it may die. And only some shrubs can be pruned using this method.https://pruningguide.com/rejuvenation-pruning/  Rejuvenation pruning images left to right: Beautyberry springing back after rejuvenation pruning, Firebush 2-3 weeks after pruning, Casseia 6 weeks after pruning, and a sulfur butterfly on a Casseia shrub (this beauty will morph into a bright yellow butterfly).I hope you find this information useful. Happy gardening! Maria Sgambati And Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Then see you on Saturday! |
February 17, 2023
|
| Your garden newsletter editor doesn’t usually share his own notes, but here I am again for the second month in a row. This time, it’s because I was really impressed by the submission published below from Andrew Rock — it’s his summary of a Q & A session that he and several other garden members attended earlier this month, presented by the enlightened Indian scholar and activist, Vandana Shiva. First of all, nice job Andrew in highlighting what was likely Vandana Shiva’s most salient and insightful points. And second, reading this re-cap reinforces for me just how incredibly interesting it’s been to stay involved with the garden. It’s the appeal of nurturing plants and produce that usually attracts new members, but they probably also soon appreciate their new exposure to several open, thoughtful people with smart ideas, some artistic inclinations and/or informed occasional musings about politics. It’s always fun, nurtures the mind, and enriches one’s life. All that for only fifty bucks annual dues… who could ask for anything better? Join us. Thanks for reading, Your editor p.s. Last month’s article from Andrew Rock started with a lead-in I wrote that included a glaring typo. Gah! — it’s conscience, not conscious — I hate that stuff! Worse, I was quickly busted by the Grammar Police (the starched brown uniforms seemed a little much) and they served me a stern summons to appear before my mean, pinch-faced English teacher from back in the tenth grade. You should know that this newsletter gig is fraught with peril, but I continue to risk it all for my love of the garden. Please consider a generous donation to offset the rapidly mounting legal expenses!  Our next planning meeting is Tuesday, February 21.  Tish and Tim’s pavilion is illuminated with these eerie colored fluorescent lights, but all the better for a gathering of avid gardeners. We’ve all got green thumbs! It starts at 6 pm, and Tish and Tim Ganey are graciously hosting again at their riverfront pavilion. Directions: 6104 River Terrace – park along the street from the garden to Tish and Tim’s driveway, walk down their driveway and follow the catwalk path to the pavilion in the back. See you there! Something else coming up and not to be missed. Thank you Maria Sgambati, for organizing a Seed & Plant Swap. And for designing this flier, too. If you know of a neighborhood hang-out with a community bulletin board, think about printing this out and tacking it up. The more participants, the merrier. And something we wish we hadn’t missed. Andrew Rock shares his notes from VANDANA SHIVA’S talk in Tampa, Feb. 7th, 2023  Vandana Shiva’s talk at the Tampa City Center, attended by a few hundred people, including several members of the Seminole Heights Community Garden, was in the form of a conversational Q & A, with the Acting Dean of the USF College of Arts and Sciences asking the questions. For those who don’t know of her, Vandana Shiva is an Indian scientist, scholar, ecofeminist and tireless advocate, activist and organizer in the service of eco-agriculture, food sovereignty, seed saving and “earth democracy.” Here is a summary of the notes I took at her talk, with many direct quotes from Vandana Shiva: ____________________________ Q: You talk a lot about reclaiming the “plurality of knowledge” … A: Back in 1603, when science was being developed, and we started seeing the world as a machine, the philosopher Bacon said we must “bend nature to your service and make her your slave.” The earth and its indigenous people were seen as objects. Colonialism narrowed our knowledge of the world, and ignored indigenous knowledge, resulting in a “monoculture of the mind.” “Women are the foundation and glue of society,” and their knowledge was also ignored. “Those who produce are discounted; those who destroy are treated as creators.” Q: How do we move forward from the current inequality of wealth? A: “The currency of life is life, not money.” The word “wealth” used to mean well-being… “seeds, plants and animals are not human inventions…” We need more realism about the economy, and economic democracy. Q: If government is not addressing our problems, what is the role of community? A: It’s time for us as individuals to be true to life. The integrity of life is connected to the integrity of the soil. We need to nourish the earth and nourish our bodies. We must see our food as our source of health, not food as a commodity. Q: How should we address climate change? A: Approach it from Gaia’s perspective. Gaia once was a very hot planet – surface temperatures hundreds of degrees hotter than now – and she brought the temperature down with plants, by developing chlorophyll and photosynthesis, that took in carbon dioxide and put out oxygen, to make the atmosphere that would support animal life. 50% of greenhouse gases come from the industrialized production of food as a commodity. We must produce our food following ecological laws. We can regenerate the planet by building biodiversity and stopping the burning of fossil fuels. Q: What can we do to wake up those who don’t understand this? A: Many people really don’t have choices about food. Most of our diseases are because of our bad food system. The US is the most subsidized food system in the world, paying many billions of dollars for commodity production of corn, soy, wheat, cotton and rice, as well as sugar, dairy and meat. “We need a new democratic consciousness as taxpayers of where our money is spent.” “Food is the currency of life, not a commodity.” Food is where the best innovation needs to take place. Even in impoverished communities, there is always someone growing their own food. Q: You talk about food sovereignty. How is that different from food security? A: The World Bank pushed debtor countries not to grow food for themselves, but instead to grow commodity food for export and to buy their own food with the income. But that hasn’t worked for them; the giant commodity food companies like Cargill make vast profits, and Monsanto, which patents and owns most of the seeds, while the people starve. [Many thousands of Indian small farmers have committed suicide over the past decades because they are in debt and can’t feed their families]. Food sovereignty is making your own decisions about what you grow. And it is very dependent on having seeds, saving your own seeds. If I’m connected to the soil, I’m connected to my neighbors, to the rivers… Q: Can you talk about eco-feminism? A: Woman sustain life, instead of working for the market economy. Women are the biggest defenders of the land. Gaia is a woman; through her eyes, everyone is a creative being. Q: What is Earth Democracy? A: Instead of World Trade Organization rules [that protect corporate ownership of seeds, plants and DNA as patented intellectual property], our rules are that we are part of the earth, of the web of life. The plants and animals are our elders. Indigenous people understand this. All religions teach justice, and care for the earth. But they’ve been hijacked and used as a political tool, to create division. We need to reclaim religion as a tool for setting our values. We must bring religion back to its ecological roots, and reclaim what is sacred. Each temple or place of worship should have its own seed sanctuary. My vision of the future: gardens everywhere, no piece of land wasted. In closing, I want to remind us: “You are what you eat!” Working with the earth, food sovereignty is possible. Not only is that more healthy for us, but it leads to a happier, more creative life. It’s been a long time since we threw in a newsletter shout-out for Tish Ganey‘s yoga practice. But we began at the top of the page this month with the idea that our members’ varied interests and backgrounds can enrich your life with more than just providing access to organic produce for the family table. The discipline of yoga certainly can do that. Tish is an IAYT Certified Yoga Therapist, teaching since 2013, and here is an abbreviated copy and paste of her most recent email, starting with a savvy book recommendation . For more detailed information about Take Me to the River YOGA, click on her photo above.  Book recommendation A little birdie urged me to listen to an episode of the podcast, “The Ezra Klein Show” and I heard an interview with Rick Rubin. The episode was called “The Tao of Rick Rubin.” If you don’t have a chance to check out his 2023 book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being, give a listen to the podcast interview. It is a wonderful, calming discussion on meditation techniques and mindfulness approaches to life that you may find interesting. This side of Rick Rubin, the uber-famous record producer, is a far-cry from his many influences on just about every genre of modern music. Rubin is a good example of taking a mindfulness approach to everyday life and career. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –Tuesday’s Class – $5.00 TUESDAY Chair Yoga Class – 10 am ESTCHAIR-ish Yoga Class – Every Tuesday at 10-11 AM EST 1 hour, Chair Yoga movement mix of Qi Gong, Yoga, Breath work, and Meditation. Register on the TampaYogaTherapy.com website or on Eventbrite.Get the best price on all yoga classes by purchasing a PACKAGE. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – -TWO different ways to join class: 1. Register via my website and get an email with the link, OR 2. Use Zoom link and join immediately!Donation CHAIR-itable Yoga – Every Wednesday at 10-11 AM EST 1. Find it in the class schedule, register and Zoom details will be sent to you. – OR – 2. Click this link for CHAIR YOGA and go right to the Zoom Class! Donation Hatha Yoga – Every Wednesday at 6-7 PM EST 1. Find it in the class schedule, register and Zoom details will be sent to you. – OR – 2. Click this link for HATHA YOGA and go right to the Zoom Class!Call or text before or after class time if you have questions or concerns: Tish Ganey 678.772.7912. Sign in a few minutes early to get set up and be ready to practice on time. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Like me, follow me, share with me on FB & Instagram! NAMASTE! Tish Ganey email: tish@takemetotheriveryoga.com / facebook: facebook/takemetotheriveryoga News you can use… the City of Tampa’s S.W.E.E.P returns to our neighborhood this weekend!  In fact, if you live anywhere in close proximity to the garden, the time to start digging through your garage and attic is now. Deadline for setting your junk on the curb is 8 pm this Sunday for pick-ups taking place February 20-24. All the details at this link — TAMPA S.W.E.E.P. Teach your children well. See you tomorrow at the garden. |
January 12, 2023
|
 What consumes the most time composing our monthly newsletter is the work of stringing together all the miscellaneous tidbits of information with word bridges, phrases and introductory paragraphs that might somehow make it all flow. Frankly, your editor isn’t really up for the task this time. We simply have too much good stuff to share, so many cool photos, and so many upcoming events to announce… just thinking about putting all this into an orderly fashion makes my head hurt. So accept my apologies for this month’s hasty slapdash montage of this and that. Thanks for reading, Your editor Our next planning meeting is Tuesday, January 17. It starts at 6 pm, and Tish and Tim Ganey are graciously hosting again at their riverfront pavilion. Directions: 6104 River Terrace – park along the street from the garden to Tish and Tim’s driveway, walk down their driveway and follow the catwalk path to the pavilion in the back. See you there! USF Volunteers are coming again to help us this Saturday.  We’re going to have a group of USF students at the garden this Saturday, January 14th. They will be volunteering as part of the Stampede of Service in honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. All garden members are urged to join us this weekend to provide guidance and gratitude. We love the Bulls! Shell’s Feed & Garden Supply is no more. A fond adieu to a neighborhood friend.  December 8th Holiday Party… a wonderful time was had by all! Thank you again Cathy Zanghi for hosting us all in your beautiful home. (and thank you, Ellen Leedy for these great photos.)  From our Garden Master, Maria Sgambati – Give us your leaves.  Leaves, mainly oak leaves, are a key part of our compost making. We need to refill our leaf bin for the year. Now is the time oak leaves are falling and getting bagged up. If you see bags at the curb and can load them up and bring them to the garden, we’d be grateful. If you can’t load them yourself you can let me know (202.486.6491) and I might be able to arrange to pick them up. (A important p.s. Our worm beds are running low on essential shredded paper, too, so please bring us what you got.) * * * * * *More from Maria — The Ghosts of Christmas 2023 The garden took on an eerie ghost like look as garden members Carissa, Cindy, Andrew, and Maria covered up the most tender plants – tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers – during the recent freeze. Sheets and buckets were used to cover plants and went on Friday December 23rd, then removed Monday the 26th. The tomatoes suffered some tip damage and dropped some fruit and appear to have survived. Eggplants and peppers appear relatively untouched. The banana tree leaves browned a bit. Please remember to put the snips down! Resist the temptation to trim the brown leaves until the time of our average last frost date, February 15th. Thanks to Doris and Lib, who provided sheets and Cindy, Thomas, and Neddy, who came to help remove coverings. Lyrical LIBbe* introduces us to another source of her inspiration… priest, cultural historian and “geologian”, the late Tom Berry.  Lib has shared so much of her acquired wisdom with us over her many years of writing her Lyrical LIBbe newsletter column, that by now she should no longer need much of an introduction. If you’ve been reading her mostly-monthly installments in earnest, you’re probably a happier person for it. Thank you, Lib. One gardener commented on how much richer our soil is now. We have been bringing in mulch and ageing horse manure for five years. We’ve made compost and added worm tea to the soil and rested the land with a pea crop to add nitrogen in the fallow months of summer. I spoke to a member of a different garden where the philosophy is for members to join for a year and get instruction and practice in growing their own plot and helping community plots. They will go on to have backyard gardens and spread the message of them to others – leading to a great deal more resilience in our food web. These gardeners have the ready-made soil model, not the long term experience of creating soil. Their way also has its place in the darning of the web. I am glad for our history. I imagine that Paradise is on Earth, but along with a human devised hell. I love going forward into the garden… healing the ancestral tale of separation. When we are separated from each other by belief, when we hurt others because we are enculturated to know ourselves as a more important other, then we are creating hell. When we work with others in a common appreciation of community and of food, we are joined in a communication with nature and each other and it is good. Here is a link to quotations from the cultural historian, and one of the twentieth century’s most prescient and profound thinkers, Thomas Berry. This visionary showed me how, in relation to nature, I can free up my notion of communication. It is more visceral as communion. Wordless being of tree and plant, bringing those many gifts of shelter, beauty and food. Living gratitude and love for them, and aware of the cycle now connected with the linear, irreversible at human scale; and the cyclic, smaller and larger than human scale. Gardening is good. Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated) Silk Painting and Studio Experiences. www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com An urgent call for activism from Andrew Rock.  Andrew, who like many of our members is a committed advocate for a less polluted world, asked us to pass along this email. Please take action as your conscious dictates (the deadline is imminent). – – – – – – Dear friends: Please take a minute to review this Action Alert and a few minutes more to submit your comment. More gas pipelines will lock TECO and Tampa Bay into a long-term commitment to fossil fuels that is both unnecessary and irresponsible in the face of accelerating climate change. We need instead to be committing to serious efforts to develop alternative energy that is abundant, low-cost, always available and ready and waiting for us to implement now. In gratitude, Andrew – – – – – – From: “‘Brooke Ward’ via Tampa Bay Climate Alliance” <coalition@tampabayclimate.org> Subject: [Tampa Bay Climate Alliance] ACTION: Stop the Tampa Bay pipeline expansion! (1/13 Deadline) Date: January 11, 2023 at 2:35:51 PM EST To: Tampa Bay Climate Alliance <coalition@tampabayclimate.org> Reply-To: Brooke Ward <bward@fwwatch.org> Hi friends – I have a rapid action alert asking folks to submit public comment on a FERC docket. TECO has contracted with Florida Gas Transmissions to expand their gas pipeline to include two loops: one in St. Pete and one in Tampa. These loops will increase the flow of gas to Tampa’s Big Bend power plant, setting them up for increasing their use of methane gas. This is just one of several fossil fuel infrastructure projects necessary to expand TECO’s burning of gas. The deadline for comment is this Friday, January 13, 2023. Please submit comment and feel free to share the following email with networks: Dear friends: Tampa Electric has contracted with their pipeline company, Florida Gas Transmission, to expand two lengths of pipeline on either side of the bay, including a 1.26-mile loop in the middle of St. Pete! But it’s not a done deal yet. The expansion project needs approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) first, and public comments are being accepted by the agency until this Friday, January 13. Submit your comment today! As part of their “modernization” project at its Big Bend plant, Tampa Electric is doubling down on fracked gas. These pipeline expansions are meant to increase the flow of this dangerous fossil fuel to that plant. Not only are fossil fuels dangerous to our health and environment, they are also expensive. Florida utilities, like Tampa Electric, are guaranteeing their massive executive compensation packages and shareholder returns by passing on the costs of these dirty energy projects to those of us just trying to keep the lights on. Tell FERC you’re tired of footing the bill for dangerous fossil fuels while utility companies and their shareholders keep getting richer! Each new fossil fuel project locks us into years more of relying on expensive and dangerous gas. Not only are we paying for the increasing cost of that fracked gas, we are paying for these projects as well — at the expense of our health and community. It’s those who can afford it the least who end up paying the most. Tell the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: No new or expanded pipelines in Tampa Bay! Thank you! — Brooke Ward, Florida Senior Organizer – Food & Water Watch and Food & Water Action 727.599.4902 (m) berrett@fwwatch.org / https://calendly.com/brooke-errett And finally, the happiest news so far in 2023! Congratulations Lynelle and Chris. Welcome to the world, Isaac Henry Plantijn!  See you all on Saturday! |
November 1, 2022
|
Our next planning meeting is Tuesday, November 15.  Our planning meetings are scheduled for the third Tuesday of every month, so join us November 15. It starts at 6 pm, and Tish and Tim Ganey are graciously hosting again at their riverfront pavilion. Directions: 6104 River Terrace – park along the street from the garden to Tish and Tim’s driveway, walk down their driveway and follow the catwalk path to the pavilion in the back. P.S. We’d like to add a few faces to this photo that we’ve been using over and over again. If you haven’t made it to a monthly meeting in recent months, come over to Tish and Tim’s for the next one and get in our new group shot. See, be seen, and say ‘cheese’!* * * * * * And make yourself a special note… our annual Holiday Party will be Thursday, December 8! Faithful long-time member, Cathy Zanghi has volunteered to host our party at her house this year, and we thank her in advance for that. We’ve got a venue, a date, and a time (starts at 6 pm), but other details will follow. Save the date and stay tuned! Making it happen from the ground up.  We appreciate that our garden master, Maria Sgambati, has been regularly emailing updates to members of the watering team. It’s useful information for them, but also good for the rest of us, providing a timely summary of our progress growing stuff. Here’s the latest from Maria, sent out after last Saturday’s work session. What we’ve got going on right now is pretty impressive, frankly. Dear Water Lilies, We had a good work day on Saturday! Volunteers Tyler and Dillon, from the College of Osteopathic Medicine joined us again. Thanks for keeping the tender plants and seeds nice and wet as we continue to have hot, dry weather. The weekly forecast currently shows not even a speck of rain. Here’s what needs extra attention this week. Everything should be marked with straw. Upper raised bed sweet potatoes dug up and in the shed, so help yourself to themBeets planted so please keep them as moist as possible until they sproutSecond raised bedcarrots and radish seeds in and need lots of water as they begin to sproutplease continue to harvest radishesUpper bedeggplants and peppers (planted on the edge near the driveway) still need some extra watering attentionMiddle bedswiss chard transplantedlancinato kale seeds replanted Also please feel free to harvest lemongrass; we have lots and lots. Cheers, Maria “Enjoy the present reality without stress”… sound advice from Lyrical LIBbe Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, is attuned to the spirituality of gardening. Her essays are inspired by her time spent tending the plants and worm beds, but also from her fervent interest in the substance and meaning of our existence on this beautiful earth. Talk to Lib for only a short while, and you will soon appreciate that she’s read a lot in her pursuit of knowledge in this realm. Curiosity begets learning.Which brings us to the philosopher Alan Watts, who Lib quoted here to begin her November column. (Lib got your newsletter editor enthused for Alan Watts’ writings, too, showing again that our garden enriches its members’ lives in ways beyond just growing fruits and vegetables.)  USF student and garden volunteer, Zack Neztel, might be Lib’s latest fan of Alan Watts after she gifted him her well-worn copy of Watts’ autobiography, “In My Own Way”. Zack shows up frequently to help us on Saturdays, and we’re grateful for his support.* * * * * * We are living in a culture entirely hypnotized by the illusion of time, in which the so-called present moment is felt as nothing but an infinitesimal hairline between a causative past and an absorbingly important future. We have no present. Our consciousness is almost completely preoccupied with memory and expectation. We do not realize that there never was, is, nor will be any other experience than present experience. We are therefore out of touch with reality. – Alan Watts Guilty as charged! For this reason, I love to come to the garden. There is, for me, “nothing to do that must be done”; I, worm lady, have had long absences yet when I return the worms are flourishing. I also enjoy trimming the wild areas, or the sweet potatoes, back so they do not overtake more than I think they should. I like to leave them looking “natural”. When I am absent the garden boundaries are not overrun – too badly.I see Cindy planting seedlings, yet if she did not the seeds would be planted. Colleen, Cathy, Maria, Zack, are here doing the compost, the planting, the preparing of garden beds, sifting dirt, greeting visitors, weeding, preparing seedlings — all the many garden activities which are listed each Saturday on a chalk board. Marc – painting the new cedar shed with preserving stain – hurrah that he has taken this on (and many other one-off projects ) . Ellen is visiting New York this particular weekend… and there are others who maybe or may not be present any given Saturday. Let me not fail to mention the “garden lilies” who come at their scheduled weekday of their choosing to water the growing plants and experience the presence of life growing, continuing, being as it has always been when humans co-operate with nature which is, in a temporal sense, timeless. Humans invented time.Our garden has a different organizational structure than many community gardens. It is organic. There is the pattern – the DNA – we turn up on Saturdays, and have organizational meetings once a month in which the president leads the agenda. Attendance is optional and appreciated. As for the material garden, each person follows their own inner light as to what to do. Some, like me, do their own thing. Others choose whatever task appears on the To Do Today board.Pater, pattern, DNA; Mater, material, this. Alan Watts is an exponent of co-arising. Freedom emerges within structure. Structure enables freedom to flourish. Hey, there’s a bit of a political message there – come to the garden and share the joy and the acceptance and the mutual labor for our common good. Enjoy the present reality without stress, Saturdays (9-12 am, more or less). See you! Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated) Silk Painting and Studio Experiences. www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com Really, truly, it’s a huge deal this time. Make your voice heard in the midterms! Early voting ends Sunday, November 6. Election Day is Tuesday, November 8. Mail-in ballots must be received by 7 pm, November 8. Thanks! We’ll see you Saturday morning (and November 15, too).  |
October 12, 2022
|
Our next planning meeting is Tuesday, October 18. Our planning meetings are scheduled for the third Tuesday of every month, so our October get-together is now less than a week away. The meeting starts at 6 pm, and Tish and Tim Ganey are graciously hosting again at their riverfront pavilion. Directions: 6104 River Terrace – park along the street from the garden to Tish and Tim’s driveway, walk down their driveway and follow the catwalk path to the pavilion in the back. See you there! Ian’s aftermath  Not so devastating for us, really. It’s been a few weeks since Ian’s near miss, and we still appreciate just how lucky we are. Tampa was spared, our homes were spared, and so was the community garden. Pictured here are a few fallen limbs and palm fronds… pretty much the extent of the damage, and it only took a few minutes to pick it all up on a Saturday morning. Several garden members also showed up prior to the storm to help secure loose items that might have blown around and caused more trouble for us, and we thank them for their efforts. Read this recent email update to the watering team from our Garden Master, Maria Sgambati. It illustrates just how quickly we got ourselves back on track. As you can see, we’ve got lots in the ground for the fall. I hope that you and are your family members and friends are safe after the storm. This morning we cleaned up debris in the garden and then got to planting! The forecast calls for cool weather and not much rain. Things that will need some watering include: Raised bed #2 radishes and carrots Upper bed Tomato seedlings – 3 rows Middle bed Curly kale – planted today Lower bed ethiopian kale tomatoes arugula – planted today The well-established plants probably don’t need as much water as temps cool off. Seedlings in pots need some water and probably every 3 days is enough. They can die easily from too much water and their tender roots sitting in wet soil. Maria Sgambati The 2022 Garden Tour is this Sunday.  We’re not one of the stops on this year’s tour, but the event is of interest to all of us gardeners just the same. Click here for the details. Our compost leaves are getting a little low. Please help us fill up the big bin again.  Don’t drag your bags of leaves to the curb. Throw them in the trunk of your car and bring them to us, where they’ll break down naturally and return to the earth as organic soil. “Compost Happens”, as they say, but it needs your assist! Thanks. We’ll see you Saturday morning (and next Tuesday evening, too!) |
September 15, 2022
|
Grab a beer, grab a chair, and join in at our planning meeting next Tuesday, September 20.  It’s been a long time since our garden members gathered at a local beer hall to hash over business. You can blame covid for that, but why not visit a bar like c.1949, with it’s roomy open-air patio? Lots of fresh air but with a rooftop overhead, good beer and wine, and rotating food trucks… let’s party a little with our planning and enjoy a nice change of pace this month. The bar is located at the corner of Sligh and North Orleans Avenues (just a little bit west of Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park). Our meeting starts at 6:00 pm, We hope you can join us! Raising worms and pulling up sweet potatoes… Lyrical LIBbe gets “down to earth” again.  Silk painting artist and longtime member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, is acutely attuned to the spirituality of gardening. Our regular newsletter readers are familiar with her essays, which are inspired by her time spent tending the plants and worm beds. She is moved too, by her interactions with other garden members. The communal nature of what we do is something strongly appealing to all of us… a frequent gathering of friends sharing common interests. The glorious crew: In the garden with Maria and Ellen is always rewarding. Cindy who tends during the week, made an early Saturday appearance. Colleen who agreed we could make a student membership, was talking to Marietta, and we hope to see her again. Zach is the student at USF where the next generation is interested in plant-human interaction. Jacob and Sofia are more young inner-chi of long standing at the garden. Dylan is part of a group practicing plant healing.Thomas has a lifetime of experiential wisdom from various locations to share… a compendium of a life spent learning about plants and politics. He got those of us who were drinking his political words to commit to signing up to vote in November, or to commit signing up two other people to vote. We get ‘em signed by October*, but if they’re already signed up, then we get them to commit to signing up two more. This could go viral!Thomas showed me how a thin bamboo stake would go about ten inches into the ground where the sweet potatoes had been strewn; whereas, it would go four feet into the prepared ground, and we could see the difference in the harvest.Take a look in the photo at the left above: the pink sweet potatoes to the left are from the prepared ground, and are fuller and larger than the pale ones to the right.Beth, who moved from Oklahoma, wanted news of worm gardening (vermicomposting). This is the most unusual vermicomposting season. First came a “plague” of slaters (a.k.a. pillbugs or wood lice). But they haven’t returned since the great drowning. This week, all the boxes were rather soggy but full of worms. One box had a rotting smell and attracted flies. One had meal worms… great for my friend’s pet fringed lizard.Some of the damp paper shred had been turned into a removable blanket by the mycelium fibers from a growth of white mushrooms. Maybe we don’t need to break that down, but next week I’ll flip it. This time I stirred up the old damp shred and the new vegetable matter with the old rotting vegetable matter into a fairly evenly distributed mix, and sprinkled fresh shred on top. We’ll see next week what happens. It’s rewarding to cultivate and nurture, and gratifying to observe our progress. And as always, it was a day of great joy at the garden. Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated) Silk Painting and Studio Experiences. www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com We support those who support us… so our kudos to AP Quality Produce & Deli.  Long time garden member Ellen Leedy, suggested a well-deserved newsletter shout-out for AP Quality Produce in the Forest Hills neighborhood where she lives. The small, family owned store shares their unsaleable produce with us to add to our active compost bin, and Ellen dutifully visits each week on her way to the garden to pick up what they set aside for us.So thank you AP Quality Produce and owner Frank Pardo! And stop in if you’re anywhere nearby… the store is located at 2323 West Linebaugh Avenue. * The voter registration deadline for the midterm election is October 11. We urge everyone to exercise their precious right and participate. Thanks again, and we’ll see you Saturday (and Tuesday too, at c.1949)! |
August 19, 2022
|
 Go to the polls, and go online. Please vote twice, and maybe on the same day. Hmmm…. isn’t that supposed to be against the law? Well, not if your votes are for two different election events. And in fact, we’re in the middle of two going on right now, one of course admittedly more important than the other. We’ll let you decide for yourself which one is which, but we urgently ask you to participate in both. First of course, is the Florida statewide election, with voting day on Tuesday August 23. If you think about it, there’s a lot packed into your choices of candidates in most of these contests… the economy and your financial health at home, our precious and fragile environment, and you could even argue democracy itself. So visit VoteHillsborough.gov for all the dates, deadlines, and other important information you need to get your voice heard. Please, please vote! Just remember how many elections have been won by the thinnest of margins. * * * * * Then there’s Creative Loafing magazine’s Best of the Bay readers’ poll. The list of nominees came out on August 1, and we’re on it again for 2022! With your vote, we could take the Best Community Garden category for the fourth time (previously won in 2017, 2019, and 2020). So please go to this link and cast a ballot for us. You can do it right now even — no waiting for Election Day — but voting ends at 11:59 pm on August 31. Tell your friends and family to vote for us, too. Thanks everyone, and see you tomorrow morning! P.S. Also mark your calendar for our next planning meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 20. Details will follow in our next newsletter, but tentative plansare to host it at the new Angry Chair brewery! |
August 10, 2022
|
No hard hitting news this month, so how about some really nice photos start things off?  A heaven in a wildflower, as James Blake put it in his famous poem… to see the imagined beauty of heaven in an insignificant weed, which is what a wild flower is. Garden member and professional photographer, Ellen Leedy, took these wonderful shots a few weeks ago and we’re sharing them with you to begin our August newsletter. There’s lots more beauty to behold at the garden on any given day, so visit often for some needed respite from an oftentimes crazy world. Join us for our planning meeting next Tuesday, August 16. Our planning meetings are scheduled for the third Tuesday of every month, so our August get-together is only a week away. The meeting starts at 6 pm as usual, and Tish and Tim Ganey are graciously hosting again at their riverfront pavilion. Directions: 6104 River Terrace – park along the street from the garden to Tish and Tim’s driveway, walk down their driveway and follow the catwalk path to the pavilion in the back. See you there! From the Coalition of Community Gardens to you… Hope you can make it out to this event!  We’re nominated again, and we need your vote!  Creative Loafing magazine’s Best of the Bay list of nominees came out on August 1, and we’re on it again for 2022! With your vote, we could take the Best Community Garden category for the fourth time. So please go to this link and cast a ballot for us. Voting ends at 11:59 pm on August 31, but don’t wait until the last minute. And tell your friends and family to vote for us, too.  Thanks, and see you on Saturday! |
July 14, 2022
|
Meet Will Stone, a new ally and advocate for community gardens in Hillsborough County.  Will Stone confers with Maria Sgambati and Colleen Parker at an early morning visit to our garden. Will Stone from the Hillsborough County Extension Service, was recently assigned to assist the many community gardens in our area, and so he paid us a visit on June 23 for a tour and to gather information and answer questions.On his business card, Will is titled “Ornamental Horticulture Assistant, Community Gardens & Irrigation”, and he brings valuable knowledge and experience to the position. We’re pleased to have a new resource like Mr. Stone to assist in our endeavors. Plus his new post indicates that our county recognizes the important benefits community gardens bring to the neighborhoods they serve. We’re impressed, and we welcome Will and thank the Extension Service. Join us for our next meeting, Tuesday July 19. Our planning meetings are scheduled for the third Tuesday of every month, so our July get-together is less than a week away. The meeting starts at 6 pm as usual, and Tish and Tim Ganey are graciously hosting again at their riverfront pavilion. Directions: 6104 River Terrace– park along the street from the garden to Tish and Tim’s driveway, walk down their driveway and follow the catwalk path to the pavilion in the back. We hope you can make it. Happy worms for a happy garden… Lyrical LIBbe shows us what it takes.  From almost the beginning of our community garden, we’ve maintained a sizeable red worm bed to produce precious organic “worm tea” fertilizer for our plants. Lib Mitchell has dutifully taken care of these worms for a long time, and this month she explains what goes into the task. It’s simple but messy and sometimes a little icky, and we (and our worm friends) appreciate her diligence.  Look at my photos of this worm box… you can see the shredded paper we use had gone clumpy and thick with the recent damp rainy weather. Inside the paper, the vegetable mass was slimy with an unpleasant smell and a few flies. In the second photo, note that I moved the rotted paper to one side and added fresh vegetable matter.Now the clumpy damp paper has been broken up and shaken out and spread over the fresh vegetable matter. This is the procedure at any time — the paper is not usually so clumped.Finally a light coating of fresh paper shred is sprinkled on top. It functions to moderate the dampness in the worm bin, keeping it a little wet in dry weather but soaking up moisture if there’s too much. The excessive rain had overwhelmed that function, but the worms were not yet troubled. A healthy worm box smells good, with no clumping or slime.I took these next photos the following week, and you can see things are starting to improve.  The bins still have too much clumpy shred and not enough green matter to balance out the paper needed for soaking up dampness, but the worms themselves are flourishing.More greens are added and the clumpy shred spread out over the top, with another light cover of shred also added. And that’s it… the worms are properly tended for the week. Worm tea is given to favored plants (and the worm dance enacted with hilarity and joy).The presence of young people like 11-year old Vanessa is delightful. A major benefit of the garden is sharing the experience of growing our own food — how useful this will be in these mad times of high prices and insufficient supply. Gardeners live in the ongoing present moment… the eternal present so to speak. Humankind is connected to a greater wholeness through gardening and nature; community gardening connects us to a historical and healing way of being in the whole and healthy life of our planet Earth. Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated) Silk Painting and Studio Experiences. www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com Please don’t stack ‘em, because a stuck bucket is a sticky wicket!  We’re culling some of the many plastic buckets we accumulated over the years for various tasks like collecting compost and spreading worm tea. The first buckets to go out will be those that got stuck tightly one inside another. They generally don’t come back apart even with a lot of effort, rendering them useless (in fact, they often end up breaking). So please don’t nest our buckets. Keep them separate. Also, open buckets should be left upside down or on their side to avoid trapping any hapless lizards or frogs. Thanks, and see you on Saturday! |
June 13, 2022
|
People, plants, plus a little planning make a community garden. Join us for our next meeting, Tuesday June 21.  Our planning meetings are scheduled for the third Tuesday of every month, so our June get-together is now only a week away. The meeting starts at 6 pm as usual, and Tish and Tim Ganey are graciously hosting again at their riverfront pavilion. Directions: 6104 River Terrace – park along the street from the garden to Tish and Tim’s driveway, walk down their driveway and follow the catwalk path to the pavilion in the back. We hope you can make it. An event notice forwarded to us from the Coalition of Community Gardens… (and it sounds pretty cool!) The Oldsmar Organic Community Garden was kind enough to share the information about this upcoming presentation. A super opportunity for you/your gardeners to learn more about bats…. and to visit this very fine community garden. Kitty Wallace, Coalition President * * * * *Bats in Oldsmar! Presented by Francine Prager from Tampa Bay Bats. Tampa Bay Bats is a bat rescue, rehabilitation and educational group located in Hillsborough County. When: Wednesday, June 22 at 7:00 pm Where: Oldsmar Organic Community Garden. 423 Lafayette Blvd. Join us for this lively and educational program describing bats around the world, those found in our area, where they live, what they eat, how they reproduce, their benefits to our environment and threats to their survival. We will have plenty of time for Q & A and enjoy a live demonstration of bats and echolocation. Also from the Coalition — Did you know that June is Pollinator Month and June 20-27 is Pollinator Week?  Kitty Wallace asked her Coalition partners to also pass along this information, which came her way from the National Wildlife Federation’s Garden For Wildlife program. Click on each of these topics below for some educational blog posts and podcasts. Good stuff! – How To Help Pollinators During Pollinator Month & Pollinator Week – Accessing the Right Native Plants – The Science behind Your Wildlife Habitat Garden – The Truth about the Butterfly Bush (And What To Plant Instead!) Lyrical LIBbe: A return to the Garden Silk painting artist and longtime member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, is acutely attuned to the spirituality of gardening. Our regular newsletter readers are familiar with her essays, which are inspired by her time spent tending the plants and worm beds. Her last newsletter post came to us from New Zealand where she was visiting family, but she’s back home now and back to the joy of gardening.  Lib shows us how to eat callaloo picked fresh from the garden(!), and her potato leek soup made more delicious with chermoula (pictured on far right) As I was away, I missed the most prolific time of the garden; however, there is still plenty to pick. My perennial favourites, Okinawan spinach, Callaloo and Popalo are going strong in the increasing heat.I planted chunks of organic potato before I left, and even got one or two potatoes back then, in late March. When I returned, I turned over the soil and was delighted to find several more sizeable potatoes and some smaller ones. There’s nothing like homegrown potatoes. I want to try again and more diligently so next potato season.In the meantime, I am spreading Popalo, which has a seed head like a dandelion, and Callaloo with its long tassels of seeds. Hopefully, they can sprout up between some blackeyed peas or sun hemp, which I can plant there to give nitrogen to the soil.In a previous garden season, the Callaloo seeds fell on the vacant kiddy swimming pool beds and made a total covering of fine little baby greens. The tiny seed grains can be extracted from the tassely heads and ground for a good protein, which is done in South America (but too labor intensive for our garden!). The new plants will provide lovely soft green heads of leaves throughout the summer, when there are no other greens. Even now, the larger leaves of the mature plants can be used with the stem stripped out. The Okinawan spinach though, grows its pretty purple underside leaves all year round. The tip leaf bunch can be eaten stems and all. And Popalo… stripping the leaves off the long slender stalks provides another tasty ingredient for a mess of greens. I fried up handfulls of those three greens with some Venezuelan mild pepper and tiny Everglades tomatoes from the garden, plus fresh garlic, then added that to a rather dull potato and leek soup. Mmm… much improved taste and nutritional content.Even better is to throw on some Chermoula: a bunch of sturdy garden parsley, a chopped garlic clove, the zest of one lemon, plus salt and pepper. Gardening on Saturdays is a lovely experience. We grow community, we grow friendships, we experience a communal activity in one of its most excellent manifestations. Our garden is whole and holy and healthy. All those words come from one root. Let’s flourish! Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated) Silk Painting and Studio Experiences. www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com See you Saturday! And to all the dads, Happy Father’s Day! |
May 6, 2022
Honestly, sometimes our community garden is so beautiful that it feels like we should be charging admission to get in. Cordoned off behind a velvet rope, and maybe by exclusive reservation only. But there’s nothing exclusive about us at all. We welcome everyone to join us. April 11, 2022
March 10, 2022
|
Our next planning meeting is Tuesday, March 15 at 6 pm. We’ll gather again at Tish and Tim Ganey’s riverfront pavilion on Tuesday March 15, starting at 6 pm. With the start of Spring just around the corner, we’ll have some major stuff to talk about this month. First and foremost will be our upcoming Earth Day/Birthday (see below). We hope you can join us.Directions: 6104 River Terrace – park along the street from the garden to Tish and Tim’s driveway, walk down their driveway and follow the catwalk path to the pavilion in the back. If you can walk/bike/kayak to Tim and Tish’s instead of driving, please do! There are 10 chairs available to us so feel free to bring beach chairs just in case. Maybe a flashlight, too, to navigate your way to the riverbank… it still gets dark early. See you next Tuesday!  It’s our 13th anniversary. Save the date, Saturday April 23, to celebrate our Birthday and recognize Earth Day. 2022 marks our 13th year as a community garden, and five years at our current River Terrace location. Covid stymied our celebration plans last year, but this time. Mark your calendar for Saturday April 23, when we’ll be hosting our next Earth Day/Birthday with an open house and potluck. There will be details to follow once we work them out our next planning meeting, so stay tuned. Better yet, please join the discussion on Tuesday to help us pull off a celebration worthy of our many achievements as a community garden over all these years. A poem for the garden from Lyrical LIBbe  Silk painting artist and longtime member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, is acutely attuned to the spirituality of gardening, and regularly shares with us the inspiration she draws from it. This month, her “lyrical” moniker gets literal, with an original and nicely composed ode .Thank you, LIBbe! We are not only human, but also divine, especially when we know every person in this snapshot moment is part of a happening flow. Here at the garden we see human divinity – paradise clothed in Now, Imperfectness part of perfection; together manifesting how the plus one part of infinity is this neverending flow. The Flow loves itself as us. When we feel the Love we grow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + + + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ At this happy season in the garden, where delicious healthy greens are flourishing, the new shed makes managing tools easy, there are many hands making light work, there is time to chat and share. In one random conversation after another I heard garden members express joy for the garden, for being able to visit its consoling, delighting space and work quietly during the week, taking care of plants, watering, pulling weeds…. Garden membership is growing like the vegetables. We are being the change we want to see in the world. We are growing community. We welcome you. Elizabeth E Mitchell Silk Painting and Studio Experiences. www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com Their level best… precise, practical and perfect!  Special thanks to our assembly team, who promptly and expertly installed our new storage shed last month (note the red arrow above — everything is perfectly level from bottom to top — an impressive and not-so-easy accomplishment!). Our durable clapboard cedar structure is now already in use, and should suit our needs for many years to come. See you Tuesday evening. See you Saturday morning. Thanks!! |
February 10, 2022
|
Our next planning meeting is Tuesday, February 15 at 6 pm.  Last month’s meeting was a cozy gathering, thanks to Tish and Tim’s nifty fire pit. Here are Colleen, Lynelle and Doris enjoying the warmth — and based on next week’s forecast, we’ll probably be stoking up the flames again on Tuesday. Omicron rolls on, so our planning meetings will remain outdoors for yet another month. We’ll gather again at Tish and Tim Ganey’s riverfront pavilion on Tuesday, February 15, starting at 6pm. BYOB and haul-in/haul-out (bring your own single serving cool refreshing beverages, and please plan on taking your trash with you). Directions: 6104 River Terrace – park along the street from the garden to Tish and Tim’s driveway, walk down their driveway and follow the arrows to the path to the pavilion. If you can walk/bike/kayak to Tim and Tish’s instead of driving, please do! There are 10 chairs available to us so feel free to bring beach chairs just in case. Maybe a flashlight, too, to navigate your way to the riverbank… it still gets dark early. See you next Tuesday! Oh, (cold) snap! Freezing temperatures struck the garden last week for the first time in years. Some of our plants got whacked, and so here’s what we need to do now. Nothing, actually. The wisdom from the experts is to not trim them yet. Let’s allow the impacted plants to recover, and we can trim them in March. Click here to read more. Good things come in big packages… our new cedar storage shed has arrived.  You might have spotted this sizeable parcel parked at the garden in recent weeks. Boxed up is the new cedar storage shed we purchased with some hard-sought grant funding a few months back (thank you again, both the Riverview Garden Club and Pure Farmland’s Pure Growth Project for their generous support! Also the Old Seminole Heights Association for their administrative assistance in procuring these funds). Our membership’s Shed Installation Team should have the cinder block flooring put in place next to our old shed by this weekend. Then if all goes well, they’ll need just a day or two to put the new shed together. It’s going to work great for us and look great on the property, too. Another notable achievement in the garden’s steadfast progress… thanks to all involved. S.W.E.E.P. is back, starting February 14.  The City of Tampa released its Solid Waste Enhanced Environmental Program (S.W.E.E.P.) schedule for 2022, and their zone map shows that we must leave our refuse for pick-up at the curb by this weekend. So this Saturday is an important day for the garden, and we hope you can pitch in to help us clear out all the unwanted junk we’ve accumulated over the past year. Bring some work gloves, and we’ll see you at the garden, 9 am to noon. Many hands make light work… thanks! P.S. Click her for more S.W.E.E.P. info. This is your chance to de-clutter your own home, too. Finally, a special wish to all of our members for a very  |
January 12, 2022
|
USF student volunteers are visiting again tomorrow. We hope you can be there, too!  It’s hard to overstate how much we appreciate the volunteers from USF who help us at the garden. They’ve pitched in periodically for many years; and in fact, it was only two months ago that the last volunteer crew joined us. They’re already coming back again tomorrow morning, and that’s fantastic for us… we’ve got lots for them to do. So please make an extra effort to come out this Saturday morning as well, to lend your support and guidance. As an added benefit to all, it promises to be a brisk and beautiful Florida winter day. Thanks, and thank you USF. GO BULLS! Mark your calendar for our first planning meeting in 2022… Tuesday, January 18.  Our December meeting was a holiday gathering hosted by Maria Sgambati on her backyard patio. It was more party than planning last month, as it was meant to be. We celebrated the season, but also our garden members and their many achievements in the year 2021. Omicron rolls on, so our planning meetings will remain outdoors for yet another month. We’ll gather again at Tish and Tim Ganey’s riverfront pavilion on Tuesday, January 18, starting at 6pm. BYOB and haul-in/haul-out (bring your own single serving cool refreshing beverages, and please plan on taking your trash with you). Directions: 6104 River Terrace – park along the street from the garden to Tish and Tim’s driveway, walk down their driveway and follow the arrows to the path to the pavilion. If you can walk/bike/kayak to Tim and Tish’s instead of driving, please do! There are 10 chairs available to us so feel free to bring beach chairs just in case. Maybe a flashlight, too, to navigate your way to the riverbank… it still gets dark early. See you next Tuesday! Another event for your calendar… all member gardens/gardeners are encouraged to attend.  The Coalition’s Quarterly Meeting takes place Thursday, January 20, 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Members will gather outdoors with proper covid precautions at the Harvest Hope Community Garden, 13704 N. 20th Street in Tampa. The meeting will start as a garden tour of Harvest Hope, with sharing and networking among your other garden representatives. Priorities and key activities for the coming year will be discussed, so please come out and join your friends… your input is appreciated! www.communitygardenstb.org / communitygardenstb@seminoleheightscg Lyrical LIBbe… the rewards of gardening and the bounty of harvesting  Silk painting artist and longtime member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, is acutely attuned to the spirituality of gardening, and regularly shares with us the inspiration she draws from it. Two little boys watering the plants, the sky, the trees, themselves. Coco sifting dirt, Lib managing the worms. Elle, Cathy, Annie, MacFadden, the bearded guy, Maria, Andrew, maybe others the writer didn’t see – taking on the garden, harvesting, watering, nourishing, planting, trimming. Someone threw out sprouting spuds, those redskins no doubt organic judging by the sturdy growth emerging. I have decided to commit to potatoes as well as worms. I planted these in the area of soil made with orange peels and mulch – using a bit of our compost as well. I will go during the week to water. As the sprouts clear the ground by a few inches, I’ll mound up the mulch and dirt around them. Then when the time comes, push over the mound and pick the new spuds out of the dirt. Maybe it will become one big mound of potatoes. This will provide the ongoing story of my increased commitment to the garden and its rewards. With my last visit there, a harvest of excellent turnips and greens was gained and will be made into soup. Click here for the recipe I like to use. You are so welcome to join our happy healthy community. Saturdays 9.30 to noon, more or less. Elizabeth E Mitchell Silk Painting and Studio Experiences. www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com Freebird… some good chickens looking for a good home.  A Seminole Heights resident (and prospective new garden member), Becky, asked us to post that she has two or three laying hens that she wishes to place in a new loving home. Her backyard is simply overwhelmed with too many chickens, and she needs to part with a few. Becky lives up the street from members Marc and Cindy Sutherland, who have agreed to help her screen any would-be adopters. If you are interested and have the means to properly care for these Easter eggers, drop an email note to msuther1@tampabay.rr.com, and we’ll put you in touch with her. Join us tomorrow! See you next Tuesday! Back issues of the newsletter are now posted on our website – www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org * * * * * * |
December 9, 2021
|
Join us as we celebrate the season and another successful year.  Happy indeed. After skipping our annual holiday gathering last year, we feel comfortable bringing it back in 2021. Thank the vaccine for that, and also the knowledge that’s accrued about the relative safety of congregating outdoors. To that end, this year’s party will be held outside in the lovely backyard of member, Maria Sgambati. The date is next Tuesday, December 14, and Maria is billing it as a “garden alfresco potluck”. She already reached out to members via evite.com, so please RSVP if you haven’t already done so. And if you’re a garden member who somehow didn’t receive the invitation, please contact us at info.shcg@gmail.com We’ll cover a little business prior to celebrating that night, so our party is in lieu of a regular planning meeting this month. We hope you can make it. And thank you Maria, for hosting us! Good news to finish out the year… another grant has been awarded to our community garden.  For a while now, we’ve had our eye on a new garden shed to expand our storage capacity for tools and supplies. As membership grows, we get more and more cramped for space in the little shed we brought over from our previous Highland Avenue location. But with the successful pursuit of two generous community grants, we’re at last funded to purchase the durable, attractive cedar shed pictured above. We just received a generous $1,000 check from the Pure Growth Project grant project sponsored by Pure Farmland plant-based protein foods. Added to the $500 grant from the Riverview Garden Club of Florida awarded to us in June, and we’re finally set to go with shed #2… a happy addition to the garden to keep us moving forward in 2022. Thank you Pure Farmland and the Riverview Garden Club! Lyrical LIBbe: Growing Season Silk painting artist and longtime member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, is acutely attuned to the spirituality of gardening, and regularly shares with us the inspiration she draws from it. Last month, we regrettably had to edit out part of her column for length; a recipe she included for a greens recipe rich in vitamin K. So here it is, shown below. And also take note that you can find many more delicious, healthy recipes submitted by other members and posted on our garden website… just click on the “Let’s Eat!” tab.  In a large frypan with sides or a wok, heat garlic, oil, rosemary, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, Himalayan sea salt – yep, any spices you have in your cupboard – throw in a good mix – I do think rosemary really adds great flavor.Let these cook up some savor while chopping a bit of leftover or new onion, throw in withering spring onions, some celery tops chopped finely – or whatever vegetables need to be used up BEFORE they are tossed. Let that simmer away. Maybe add a slosh of wine or leftover soup or veg stock or whatever is available, or just water. Steam all this while chopping up the mustard greens, Okinawan spinach, lemon thyme (great quantities of this ready growing plant add a mild flavor) basil, Malabar spinach, and whatever other green leaves made it into the collection bag. Chiffon these leaves; i.e., cut into thin ribbons – a most enjoyable task, rolling the leaves into a cigar shape and slicing, turning, slicing, then scooping up a bunch and dropping it in the pan, where drops of water on the washed leaves hiss, as you give the pan a stir.Before long the greens soften and are ready to eat, and store for a hit of delicious intense green with other meals during the week. A delicious pot liquor is created of which I usually sip several spoons… a delightful treat for the cook.Yay, garden! If you aren’t with us yet – what are you waiting for? Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated) Silk Painting and Studio Experiences. www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com  One last note: We need your bagged leaves. The collection bin is running kind of low. Thanks!Join us Saturday! See you next Tuesday!  P.S. It’s the newest addition to the community garden experience… thanks to Tim Ganey’s carpentry and design, we’ve now got our own Little Free Library. Share a book, take a book! Back issues of the newsletter are now posted on our website – www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org * * * * * * Also visit us on (or “Meta”, or whatever). |
November 11, 2021
Gardeners – we need your help this weekend!
A group of 4 to 6 USF volunteers will join us at our garden this Saturday, November 13 at 9 am. They represent the student organization PrevCare, a small group that focuses on wellness and preventative health, which includes healthy eating and also mental health. PrevCare does on-campus wellness events and looks for volunteering opportunities to help students de-stress and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Sounds like a perfect match for us, and we’re super-glad to host them. We’re hoping Saturday’s student volunteers will enjoy helping us dig up our sweet potatoes and tackle the oak seedlings that are taking over the front of the garden, along with other assorted tasks needed (compost, worms, etc.). Please join us to welcome and guide this team. Thanks! And thank you PrevCare and USF. GO BULLS!
Our November planning meeting is next Tuesday at 6 pm. 
Colleen chats with a special guest at last month’s meeting, Ryan Cragun, Professor of Sociology from the University of Tampa. Ryan joined us to describe an academic study underway that encompasses the opinions and attitudes of community garden members in our area. Ryan sought volunteers to interview for the project, and several of us gladly stepped up to participate. Tish and Tim Ganey have again offered up their outdoor riverfront pavilion to host our November planning meeting. As with previous meetings there, it’s BYOB and haul-in/haul-out (bring your own single serving cool refreshing beverages, and plan on taking your trash with you). Directions: 6104 River Terrace – park along the street from the garden to Tish and Tim’s driveway, walk down their driveway and follow the arrows to the path to the pavilion. If you can walk/bike/kayak to Tim and Tish’s instead of driving, please do! There are 10 chairs available to us so feel free to bring beach chairs just in case. Maybe a flashlight, too, to navigate your way to the riverbank… standard time is upon us, and it gets dark early. See you on Tuesday, November 16 at 6 pm.
Well, that was fun! Our Garden Tour participation this year was another success. 
This year, the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association included us as stop #2 on their annual self-guided tour showcasing some of the best local private gardens in our community. It was another opportunity for us to shine, and shine we did. The October 24th event brought over fifty visitors through our gate… we happily hosted them, answering questions and even giving out gifts of seeds, seedlings, and fresh fruit. There was interest among some of guests of becoming new members, too. We’ll keep you posted on that, but in the meantime, thank you OSHNA for sharing a slot with us again.
Lyrical LIBbe:
Growing SeasonSilk painting artist and longtime member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, is acutely attuned to the spirituality of gardening, and regularly shares with us the inspiration she draws from it.
Rows of small green sprouts are intermixed with more mature plants; radishes, carrots, beets, mustard greens flourish. Eggplant bushes grow large and strong. Here and there a pepper or an everglades tomato produce fruit. Papaya plants still offer green papayas and the last of the sweet potatoes wait to be harvested so the soil can be turned over for the next crop. Okinawan spinach is available year round with tender new leaves to be picked, and Malabar spinach offers a juicy light green to be eaten raw or cooked. Basil and lemon thyme offer plenty of flavor, and there is an occasional self-seeded arugula with hearty leaves to be picked. Store bought greens cannot match the flavor. The worms are thriving with the amount of green matter they are getting, which can easily balance out the shredded paper in their beds. In times of plenty the population flourishes. That is true for humankind too. Our population has greatly increased since humans learned to farm and store grain thousands of years ago. Still on Earth many are starving, though starvation is not yet the common fate of whole communities in America like in places like Afghanistan and Ethiopia, where climate change and misused resources are more devastating than here. At least so far. Being aware of biospheric destruction is difficult. We cannot focus on it to the exclusion of individual joy, and so we are unable to find a remedy as a species whose common problem it is, and will increasingly be. At the garden, there are folks who may or may not talk about the state of the world, but all of us are involved in the present action of offering a small, but not insignificant alternative to selfishness. We’re one tiny example of co-operative enterprise, one organization where everyone’s contribution is welcome and recognized in the happy collaborative.Working outdoors with plants and people is satisfying. The garden framework creates a happy, stress-free environment where there is freedom within the sharing of common responsibilities. No one among us holds the system ransom for their own ideas to prevail, no “my way or the highway”; instead, we have a structure we all respect, and a simple command chain whose reign feels light. The property owners have shared their needs with us and contributed much of the garden infrastructure. Our garden president, working between them and the gardeners, avoids unnecessary layers of rules and bureaucracy, yet deftly manages to fulfill city requirements and ensures that the our own management meetings run efficiently. Meantime down on the farm, Lib and Maria are doing the evolving worm dance with whomever turns up to join in, or with themselves. A bit of stamping and chanting never goes astray… I personally feel like a tribes-person enjoying the ritual dance that goes along with the task at hand.Ellen brings stories from the society in which we live and puts our stories into perspective – into each life some rain must fall, along with the joys which come to us all. Up at the compost bins, newest member Reshma learns the ropes and the magnificent art of creating rich soil from food waste, leaves, and clippings. Our compost is successful; many hands make light work. It is frequently turned by volunteers who enjoy this productive ritual of work with hands and body. Colleen can be found at the work table instructing newcomers, and introducing them to the multiple roles and locations in the garden. Cathy gets the water flowing down the mounded rows between the new seedlings — this system encourages them to grow longer and sturdier roots. Lynelle plants new seedlings that she sprouted on her porch, and today Doris is trimming and thinning any plants that have grown out of control. Others I have not mentioned move about at their enjoyable tasks. Conversations ebb and flow, work gets done happily and we go home with baskets of greens. Yay, gardening*. If you aren’t with us yet, what are you waiting for? See you Saturday – round 9 ‘ til noon. And hopefully at our planning meeting next Tuesday, too.
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated)Silk Painting and Studio Experiences. www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
* LIBbe backs her enthusiasm and love of gardening with science, by the way. Check out this recently link she sent us.
One last note:We need your bagged leaves. The collection bin is running kind of low. Thanks! Join us Saturday! See you Tuesday!
P.S. It’s the newest addition to the community garden experience…thanks to Tim Ganey’s carpentry and design, we’ve now got our own Little Free Library. Share a book, take a book!
October 17, 2021
|
A meeting reminder… join us this Tuesday October 19 at 6 pm. Tish and Tim Ganey have again offered up their outdoor riverfront pavilion to host our October planning meeting. As with previous meetings there, it’s BYOB and haul-in/haul-out (bring your own single serving cool refreshing beverages, and plan on taking your trash with you). Directions: 6104 River Terrace – park along the street from the garden to Tish and Tim’s driveway, walk down their driveway and follow the arrows to the path to the pavilion. If you can walk/bike/kayak to Tim and Tish’s instead of driving, please do! There are 10 chairs available to us so feel free to bring beach chairs just in case. We hope you can make it. See you on Tuesday at 6 pm. The Grow Conference is back in 2021, Friday October 22. The Coalition of Community Gardens invites you to a day of gardening talk at the 4th Annual Grow Gardens Conference, Friday, Oct. 22, 9:30-4:00 at the Trinkle Center, HCC Plant City, 1206 N. Park Road, followed by a reception and a garden tour at the Plant City Commons Community Garden across the street. HCC regulations for wearing a mask inside and social distancing will be followed, and virtual attendance is also available. The Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, the Honorable Nikki Fried, will kick off the conference with the keynote address, then members of the Coalition will be on board as presenters –Karen Elizabeth, Plant City Commons Jennifer Grebenschikoff, VISTA Gardens Paula Olesen, Apollo Beach Carla Bristol, St. Pete Youth Farm Chris Kenrick, Sweetwater Dell, deChant, New Port Richey gardens Presenters from Department of Health, as well as from USF will also present valuable information. Please make your plans to attend… proceeds from all ticket sales will be used to support new community gardens. We’re a stop on the Garden Tour next Sunday! This yearly event is a self-guided tour showcasing some of the best local private gardens, but also our community garden again this year. It’s a great opportunity for us to shine, and maybe even recruit some new members. The tour is limited to 200 tickets spaced out over the day and will likely sell out, meaning lots of folks coming through. Tickets ($25 to benefit the Friends of the Library) are available on Eventbrite, at the Seminole Heights Library 2nd floor during normal business hours, and day of the event. But you won’t need a ticket to just hang out with us at the community garden and chat with the guests coming through. In fact, we could us your help to make sure our visitors get some personal attention. Mark your calendar and drop on by. Lyrical LIBbe: The garden’s material offerings and its spiritual gifts Silk painting artist and longtime member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, is acutely attuned to the spirituality of gardening, and regularly shares with us the inspiration she draws from it.  At the garden we are growing spring vegetables and community. Mindful of Joy, Supportive, Conversational, Real. Unique Selves coordinating a Whole, which is greater than the sum of its parts. The Seminole Heights Community Garden on Saturdays and its members are two kinds of blessings.On Saturdays in October, a grandmother may be seen teaching an 8-year old who loves foxes, to read the words of the fox in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s novella, “The Little Prince”.“The Boy, the Horse, the Mole and the Fox” was another story which engaged the interest of the little one who had not yet learned that words can be meaningful at a level which matters.At the garden, a boy entering his double-digit years was using a pitchfork for the first time to dig up sun hemp — its long hollow stalk making it light but impressive to break over one’s thigh; its gnarly root washed, looking like a creature from a comic book. As he stands with the pitchfork he’s like Neptune with his trident, or Grant Woods’ American Gothic farmer. Having been advised to hold the pitchfork with tines down, he stands like the obedient, working farmer child he sort of is. Armed for mad rebellion when the mob goes insane, he will stand sturdy with his pitchfork tines down and hold the line.A pretty little girl, the third child who forever feels overlooked, charmed everyone and got lots of adult affirmation. Each adult consciously undertook an activity which contributed to the maintenance, fertility, productivity and care of The Garden’s Material offerings: new chard appears, beans are ready to grow fat, and the little pepper bush has offered the last of its hot seed pods. The Garden’s Spiritual gifts are large healthy yellow butterflies and others, and big yellow and black caterpillars on the nicely trimmed and fulsomely blooming cassia.  Weeds are pulled — some take over an area for a while before one or two of us clean them out. Another wheels the barrow by, picking up such matter for the stick and trash compost. Amazingly, these tough weeds, plus sticks, moss, and pineapple leaves eventually manage to melt down in our large plastic mulching bins allowing more matter to be added. When the pile finally is shifted, the years-old material at the bottom has returned to soil. At the wooden compost bins, vegetable food waste, other green and brown matter – leaves, etc. are added, turned, matured, then sifted becoming fertile dirt over the course of only a few months.Thomas turns the compost during the week — it needs aeration to process the materials without odor of rot. Just as in our less healthy stomachs, food can rot and smell but is still digested just less efficiently if healthful practices are not given a chance to dance with nature’s natural urge to be healthy. The compost enables us to create productive garden soil in satisfying quantities, to provide beds for the seed sprouts nursed into small being on the seed nanny’s porches. Lynelle is a star nanny whose sprouts are sturdy and plentiful.The worms flourish in this time of green growth and plenty. They get leaf matter from trimmed bushes, from trimmed papaya plants, from easy plucking leaves of any sort. The worms receive some treats from the citizenry’s compost vegetables, left in 5-gallon buckets at the garden entrance.Philosophy is shared amongst those who philosophize or meditate. Politics are lightly mooted amongst those who choose to see another world is possible. Singing is freely indulged in by those who long to make a joyful noise. Sensible taking care of business goes on. The management plan unfolds, records are kept. Caesar gets his due — to keep him quiet and light on our backs.He is locally a well-meaning fellow, although some see him and the management hoops required as an activity whose meaning is hard to fathom. Like reading, for the child who has no idea why the world she is growing up in demands her participation in what seems to be the meaningless ritual of schoolwork. Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated) Silk Painting and Studio Experiences. www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com* * * * * * * *  Join us Tuesday evening, join us Saturday morning, then see you at the Garden Tour on Sunday. P.S. It’s the newest addition to the community garden experience… thanks to Tim Ganey’s carpentry and design, we’ve now got our own Little Free Library! |
October 15, 2021
|
Our next planning meeting is Tuesday October 19 at 6 pm. Tish and Tim Ganey have again offered up their outdoor riverfront pavilion to host our October planning meeting. As with previous meetings there, it’s BYOB and haul-in/haul-out (bring your own single serving cool refreshing beverages, and plan on taking your trash with you). Directions: 6104 River Terrace – park along the street from the garden to Tish and Tim’s driveway, walk down their driveway and follow the arrows to the path to the pavilion. If you can walk/bike/kayak to Tim and Tish’s instead of driving, please do! There are 10 chairs available to us so feel free to bring beach chairs just in case. We hope you can make it. See you on Tuesday at 6 pm. The Grow Conference is back in 2021, Friday October 22. The Coalition of Community Gardens invites you to a day of gardening talk at the 4th Annual Grow Gardens Conference, Friday, Oct. 22, 9:30-4:00 at the Trinkle Center, HCC Plant City, 1206 N. Park Road, followed by a reception and a garden tour at the Plant City Commons Community Garden across the street. HCC regulations for wearing a mask inside and social distancing will be followed, and virtual attendance is also available. The Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, the Honorable Nikki Fried, will kick off the conference with the keynote address, then members of the Coalition will be on board as presenters –Karen Elizabeth, Plant City Commons Jennifer Grebenschikoff, VISTA Gardens Paula Olesen, Apollo Beach Carla Bristol, St. Pete Youth Farm Chris Kenrick, Sweetwater Dell, deChant, New Port Richey gardens Presenters from Department of Health, as well as from USF will also present valuable information. Please make your plans to attend… proceeds from all ticket sales will be used to support new community gardens. We’re a stop on the Garden Tour next Sunday! This yearly event is a self-guided tour showcasing some of the best local private gardens, but also our community garden again this year. It’s a great opportunity for us to shine, and maybe even recruit some new members. The tour is limited to 200 tickets spaced out over the day and will likely sell out, meaning lots of folks coming through. Tickets ($25 to benefit the Friends of the Library) are available on Eventbrite, at the Seminole Heights Library 2nd floor during normal business hours, and day of the event. But you won’t need a ticket to just hang out with us at the community garden and chat with the guests coming through. In fact, we could us your help to make sure our visitors get some personal attention. Mark your calendar and drop on by.Getting organized.  Ellen and McFadden sifting organic soil from compost, a sign-up sheet for members wishing to host garden visitors on Saturday mornings, and Cindy preparing beds to plant turnip seeds for the fall. As our garden grows, so do the challenges. With more members and more activities, we came to understand that we need a little more structure to spread the necessary garden tasks equally among everyone involved and to keep everything moving in the desired direction. And from that realization, sprung a committee of members who put together a plan that came together remarkably fast and is already running well. Here are the basic ideas, as outlined by our club secretary Lynelle Bonneville.Philosophy behind Team Operational Structure: Garden Teams will provide a focus for members on Saturdays on a certain set of activities. The spirit behind Garden teams is not to limit anyone on what you can or can’t do in the Garden. Garden needs will always ebb and flow and certain times we will need an “all hands-on deck” approach for certain activities. We encourage each member to join the team they are most interested in (and this also gives new members an area of focus to hopefully generate more staying power). It is okay to change teams too, if you want a change of pace! Under a Teams approach, the idea is that on Saturdays you would use self-directed observation and communication with your teammates to determine what you should do that day! We want to keep Teams focused on basic garden operations for now. As our membership grows, we can expand the number of teams, or expand the teams’ tasks if we have more help. But for now, teams will be more focused on core garden functions. The Teams structure would decentralize the Garden operations from a top-down approach to a more sustainable operation system, where each team decides what tasks in their “bucket” are most pressing through conversation, simple observation, or consideration of the time of year. Draft Garden Teams Structure: (The names I put down were only the names I was sure about for example purposes. We need a formal way for someone to join a team, even if it’s just a sign-up sheet in the shed or something. Something to develop further.) Watering Team Current Members: Ellen, Doris, Neddy, Marc & Cindy, and LynelleActivities: Daily Garden watering in growing areasMaria is on this team as a backup/fill in waterer! Soil Team – Members NeededAdding/Turning Compost – Current members: Colleen, Thomas, and McFaddenSifting completed compost Spreading mulch and arranging for mulch deliveries 2x a year Ordering manure in May(ish) and spreading it at the end of August/early SeptemberTending to Worm World – Current Members: Elizabeth and Ellen Garden Nannies Team – Members neededCurrent members: Ellen, Cathy, and LynellePlant seeds pre-growing seasons (July/August and again November/December)Transplant new seedlings into the garden once seedlings are viableOrdering new seeds and sorting older seeds before each growing season Curb Appeal Team – Members neededCurrent Members: DorisWeeding and trimming back growth, creating pathsRow making for plantingPlanting flowersSignageOrganizing shed Thanks Lynelle, and thanks too, to all the members who have already joined a garden team! Don’t forget to join us next Tuesday. See at the Garden Tour on the 24th. And finally, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! |
July 25, 2021
Be sure to be there! Join us for our
July planning meeting coming up Tuesday.
Last month’s well-attended meeting at Tish and Tim’s house; and Cathy Christie-Zanghi, who will be hosting our next meeting on Tuesday.
Our planning meeting in June was a good one, and the first held in person since the covid crisis threw a year-long wrench in things. Our thanks go out to Tish and Tim Ganey for hosting the event in their outdoor riverfront pavilion (see above). The next meeting is in-person too, scheduled for Tuesday July 27 at 6 pm, and this time at the home of garden member Cathy Christie-Zanghi —
“My patio area is quite large around the pool with some shade and some sunny areas, so if it’s too hot, or raining, I have no problem meeting inside. My address is 5602 North Central Avenue. I’m on the northwest corner of Central and Comanche. Beige house with large camphor trees around the perimeter. Plenty of street parking on Comanche Avenue!”
Thank you Cathy! Like last month, this meeting is BYOB and haul-in/haul-out. Please bring your own single serving cool refreshing beverages, and plan on taking your trash with you. Cathy didn’t mention how much seating she has available, so you might think about bringing a folding chair with you, just in case. And because we’re still playing it extra safe with covid, we prefer that participation remain limited to garden members only, or for any prospective members ready to sign up. We hope you’ll be there. See you July 27 at 6 pm!
Get out the vote!
Act now… Best of the Bay nominations end July 29th!The call is out from Creative Loafing magazine for 2021. Please help us win in the Readers’ Poll “Best Community Garden” category. We’ve done it three times before, and because the garden is better than ever, let’s go for four…click the “Start Nominating Now” bar below now. Good luck to us!!* * * * * *
It’s that time of the year again—the BEST time of the year! Nominate your Tampa Bay area favorites during a three-week-long open nomination period.
Nominations can be submitted NOW through 11:59 p.m. on July 29th.
Categories are broken up into: People, Places, Food & Drink, Arts, Entertainment, Goods, and Services.
During nominations, you can write in any nominee and, this year, only the top 20 nominees will move on to the voting phase from August 19th through September 9th!
Thanks, and see you at Cathy’s on Tuesday!
The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.
Alfred Austin
July 20, 2021
Another face-to-face planning meeting is coming up…
next Tuesday July 27 at 6 pm.
Our planning meeting in June was the first we held in person since the covid crisis invaded, and our thanks go out to Tish and Tim Ganey for hosting the event in their outdoor riverfront pavilion (see above). Attendance was outstanding, and so was the meeting itself…. certainly a pleasant and rewarding get-together in light of all those Zoom meetings we had to manage through the many months prior.
We’re going for in-person again in July. The public library meeting rooms still aren’t open to us yet, so this time our meeting will be at the home of garden member Cathy Christie-Zanghi —
“My patio area is quite large around the pool with some shade and some sunny areas, so if it’s too hot, or raining, I have no problem meeting inside. My address is 5602 North Central Avenue. I’m on the northwest corner of Central and Comanche. Beige house with large camphor trees around the perimeter. Plenty of street parking on Comanche Avenue!”
Thank you Cathy! Like last month, this meeting is BYOB and haul-in/haul-out. Please bring your own single serving cool refreshing beverages, and plan on taking your trash with you. Cathy didn’t mention how much seating she has available, so you might think about bringing a folding chair with you, just in case. And because we’re still playing it extra safe with covid, we prefer that participation remain limited to garden members only, or for any prospective members ready to sign up. We hope you’ll be there. See you July 27 at 6 pm!
A gift to the garden bearing fruit for us and a benefit to the environment
June 27 was a very special Sunday for our community garden, when a team of volunteers from IDEAS For Us supported by their partner One Tree Planted delivered and planted a gift of sixteen tropical fruit trees on our property. Our sincere thanks to them for their generous donation and hard work in service to the organization’s mission of advancing environmental action worldwide.
Get out the vote!
The call is out from Creative Loafing magazine for 2021. Please help us land the Readers’ Poll “Best Community Garden” category. We’ve done it three times before, and because the garden is better than ever, let’s go for four…click the “Start Nominating Now” bar below now. Thanks!!* * * * * *
It’s that time of the year again—the BEST time of the year! Nominate your Tampa Bay area favorites during a three-week-long open nomination period.
Nominations can be submitted NOW through 11:59 p.m. on July 29th.
Categories are broken up into: People, Places, Food & Drink, Arts, Entertainment, Goods, and Services.
During nominations, you can write in any nominee and, this year, only the top 20 nominees will move on to the voting phase from August 19th through September 9th!
A request for help from our friend Lyrical LIBbe
Here’s my plea. I need to step away from orange peel delivery. The buckets and my shoulders are beginning to feel antagonistic. As I feel no longer physically able to transport the donated compost I’ve been collecting from Whatever Pops and burying it in the garden, I am reaching out today in search of a new volunteer to take over this weekly task.
There are usually three to four buckets of peels which are picked up behind Whatever Pops & Bowls, 5127 North Florida Avenue 33603. The store is just south of Hillsborough Avenue on the east side and across from the Faedo’s Bakery.
Once back at the garden, I rake a depression two or three feet long in the garden’s northwest corner, tip in the peels and rake the mulch back over the peels to completely cover them. Then the buckets need to be rinsed and returned to Whatever Pops. I store them upside down on the platform behind the back of the store where the staff leaves us these produce scraps each week.
After two or three weeks, the buried peels have thoroughly melted and you can use the same area to bury some more. The rich dirt filled with large dark worms in that far northwest corner of the garden is a testament to the earth creating benefits of peels in the fairly barren soil of Florida. It is rather thrilling to be able to make dirt.
Can you help? Would you like trying to take this on? Please contact me – 813-785-0129, to arrange for your happy new commitment. I have loved having this regular interaction and work to do in the garden. If we get four volunteers, we could even cover for each other, leaving just one week a month for each.
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated)Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
And finally, a request from your newsletter editor…
Our garden is full of photo opportunities and members send great shots all the time. Please keep doing so, but know that they don’t work so great if they come to us via text messaging. Your pictures will arrive as a “heic” file (as in, “what the heck is a heic?”), a format that appears to be incompatible with the software that produces our newsletter. So instead, send your photos as a jpeg email attachment to msuther1@tampabay.rr.com… a much better way to ensure your pictures get shared with your fellow gardeners. Thanks!!
Don’t forget to join us next Tuesday!
And see you on Saturday!
The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.
Alfred Austin
June 12, 2021
Next week, Tuesday June 15 at 6 pm.
Bye-bye to Zoom. Our regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, June 15th will be in person again at last. To facilitate this big step back to normal, Tish and Tim Ganey have graciously offered to host our members, and we’re invited to meet at their outdoor pavilion on the Hillsborough River starting at 6 pm.
Directions: 6104 River Terrace – park along the street from the garden to Tish and Tim’s driveway, walk down their driveway and follow the arrows to the path to the pavilion. If you can walk/bike/kayak to Tim and Tish’s instead of driving, please do!
This meeting is BYOB and haul-in/haul-out. Please bring your own single serving cool refreshing beverages, and plan on taking your trash with you. People have asked about whether they can bring food to share, and it would be prudent to follow (conservative) covid protocols and not share with other members in case some of us have been unable to get vaccinated yet. If you really want to bring something, single servings are best and be prepared to take the trash home with you.
There are 10 chairs available to us so feel free to bring beach chairs just in case. And because we’re still playing it extra safe with covid, participation in our first in-person meeting should for garden members only please (or any prospective members ready to sign up). We hope you can make it. See you on Tuesday at 6 pm!
Thank you, Riverview Garden Club!
The Riverview Garden Club has again come through for us, with significant funding toward a new garden storage shed. Last year, the club provided grant monies to install a series of durable, moveable trellises for our vining plants. Then last month, they announced further support in response to a grant request we submitted to their community gardens committee back in February.
The Riverview Garden Club’s new grant gets us close financially to purchasing the double-doored 6-foot x 3-foot cedar shed pictured above. It’s functional, sturdy, pleasing to the eye, and something we very much need. And just last week, we came across another grant opportunity that if secured by us, will take us to the finish line.
We’re optimistic about that, and for good reason… time and time again, our community garden has won both admiration and support of grantors, volunteers, and business neighbors in Seminole Heights. The garden’s beauty and magic seems to speak for itself. (Lyrical LIBbe also puts it in words, quite eloquently. Read on below.)
Lyrical LIBbe: “Garden Paradise.”
Silk painting artist and longtime member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, regularly shares with us the inspiration she derives from her time in the garden. LIBbe ponders things both small and big… not just the garden day-to-day, but also how it actually serves to sustain our spirits, and even the planet.
The last Saturday in May saw about ten people enjoying the co-operative enterprise of the garden. One of life’s traumatic experiences has engulfed me recently leaving me feeling at a loss for meaning, direction, purpose. But I felt happier than I have in months, being at the garden that day.
One great happiness was the presence of two brothers aged about 5 and 8. They complained of boredom, their mother said, so I got them to help with raking the dirt away to bury the orange peels. It’s quite a challenge and certainly a different activity for today’s children to use a rake.
Watering is always fun… an adult mentioned water weighs about eight pounds per gallon, so then the boys took up a water carrying competition. “How strong you are! That’s about 14 pounds of water!” I love to tell the children what they are good at. “You’re good at directional throwing”, I praised one in earshot of his mum so he could feel proud of himself as he soaked a pretty little pineapple that glowed dust-free.
The older one looked somewhat unhappy when the little one got praised. I asked him, “When your brother gets praise, does that make you feel that you’re not as good?” He nodded slowly.
I told him, “Nah, it doesn’t mean that. He’s little so we have to praise him when he does something right” (adding sotto voce, “for once”). I was making an alliance with the older brother, hoping to help him cope with difficult insecure feelings of jealousy. It’s hard growing up.
We all took a variety of produce home. I took popalo, callaloo, okinawan spinach, lacinato kale, everglades tomatoes, anaheim peppers, two slender hot peppers, and a sweet venezuelan pepper, a papaya and lemongrass, sage and broad leaf thyme. I am going to try stuffing the anaheim peppers with rice, sage, thyme, pepper shavings, and maybe some grated cheese for a binder. Or maybe coconut oil and dulse. I like to experiment.
My lunch was calaloo, lacinato (blue russian) kale and okinawan spinach stir-fried in garlic infused olive oil, with a little red wine. I chopped up the slim hot pepper (deseeded… I’m a medium heat girl) into little tasty, decorative slivers. I added dulse seaweed for a wonderful rich thickening and salty flavor. See the photo I took of it above.
And the bunch of lemongrass, also pictured above, will make maybe twenty cups of tea. I made the tea by steeping a few leaves in boiling water – it had plenty of flavor. I used the whole leaf including the brown part, which is just dried lemongrass after all. Pick outer leaves from each stalk so the stand of lemongrass remains tidy and healthy.
Our garden is so much more than a place where food is grown. It is indeed a place of healing. You know that a healthy portion of a natural system can in the right circumstances heal the surrounding wound by its increasing health – as when the natural health of the body heals over a laceration. We at the garden are providing earth’s immune system with a locus of healing in the midst of so much poison. I think we all do that in our lives without even realizing it.
The greatest sickness is debilitating doubt, but recognizing the significance of what is seemingly insignificant can make us resilient when gloom pervades the airwaves, the conversations, the soul. My Bhakti (devotional) mind says: Our little garden is part of keeping Earth in love with her human creatures. You might prefer to simply say with all of us — I feel good at the garden.
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
Don’t forget to join us on Tuesday!
And see you next Saturday!
Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are.
Alfred Austin
May 17, 2021
Please join us.
It still seems a miracle to witness tiny seeds transform into lush plants that provide organic fruits and vegetables for our families. But the miracle requires some work, as well as informed forethought to make it happen season after season. The thinking part of the growing process happens for us on the third Tuesday of each month, so we again seek your input at our next SHCG planning meeting on May 18. That’s tomorrow; we’ll start at 5 pm.
We’re still meeting virtually via Zoom, so drop Colleen a note at info.shcg@gmail.com if you’re not already on her distribution list for sign-in instructions. But here’s a special heads-up: for the first time since the covid threat began over a year ago, we are considering holding a face-to-face planning meeting the following month on June 16. It will be an outdoor gathering, possibly at Tish Ganey’s pavilion on the riverbank behind her house, or maybe at a local open-air tavern (like c.1949). So part of our May meeting will be about planning for our June meeting. Please join us tomorrow and weigh in with your thoughts.
A few new photos from our garden oasis…
Visit us often, and you’ll discover that there’s always plenty on the property to please the senses. Here are a few recent shots, but it’s nothing like being there in person, to experience firsthand the peace and calm of our garden environment. May is Mental Health Month, so think about being kind to yourself. What better time to commune with nature and interact with your friendly fellow gardeners, too?
(p.s. Eustace the cat belongs to Tim and Tish Ganey next door, and he’s as sweet as cats come. That is to say, he’d like to take a few minutes from you to be his bud if you happen to see him.)
Lyrical LIBbe: “Our garden is so much more than food.”
Silk painting artist and longtime member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, regularly shares with us the inspiration she derives from her time in the garden. This time, LIBbe focuses her thoughts on a bigger picture… how our modest gardening endeavors actually play a somewhat significant role in sustaining the planet.
Lib also sent along a link to an enlightening interview on the BBC’s website with “eco-warrior goddess”, Vandana Shiva (pictured below). Known as the “Ghandi of Grain”, Shiva tells us, “food is the currency of life“. Her insights likely helped LIBbe in writing her article this month.
The garden flourishes and grows community. Friendships blossom, knowledge grows, resiliency puts down roots. Our garden is about so much more than food. In tough times ahead, community is what will save us, and growing local food is what will feed us. Come to the garden to experience how our garden grows.
I will always be thrilled at learning how to make dirt in a desert, seeing the soil we have created in a place of sandy aridity. I love that burying buckets of orange peels from Whatever Pops builds wonderful, worm-rich dark soil.
My favorite fruits at this time are Papaya – like any fruit ripened on the tree, the flavor is full and delicious. I have been enjoying the Surinam Cherry – a plentiful crop this year. The Surinam Cherry is a great provider of Vitamin C. People who like sickly sweet stuff may find the taste too tart – the darker the red the sweeter the taste. The more you water them, the fatter the fruit. Apparently it is an introduced plant – the philosophy of our garden’s surrounding landscape has an emphasis on Florida Natural, so Surinam Cherry must be sourced on your walk to the garden as it will not be found on the premises. The graceful bush is found everywhere in our neighborhood. I’ve planted a few of the big seeds myself in my own backyard where I’m ameliorating the sand with leaves and lemon peels. My desire to foster sturdy self-supporting local food plants can outweigh respect for the now non-existent original landscape on the little land around my house.
I want to mention that we are also getting compost from Bayshore Market. We thank them for generously contributing their unsold produce for us to re-purpose into organic soil, while keeping their stock rotated for optimum quality and freshness for their customers.
Our garden is a community effort; it is also a locus for future community evolution, an anchor in the storm of which covid is one of the warning signs. We have survived and strengthened through covid. Who knows what the future holds – we have to admit that our governments are not ceasing to value the current economy above the future of all life which is one biosphere. The current economy is a one-way process of increasing extraction and trash-making pollution. Community gardens and the things we do locally to support local resilience, represent we humans taking the lead in changing the value system. We work with Earth and each other, in a system of reciprocity.
I will add that this letter is from your opinionated Lyrical LIBbe and is not intended to represent the opinions of anyone but myself. The garden is a place of enjoyment in the real life of people and planet.
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
Thanks for being part of our ‘community’!
See you on Saturday!
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org /
April 13, 2021
We need your thoughts and ideas at our next SHCG planning meeting, Tuesday April 20 at 5 pm. We’re still meeting virtually via Zoom, so drop Colleen a note at info.shcg@gmail.com if you’re not already on her distribution list for her sign-in instructions.
The garden is ever-changing, with lots going on and much to be decided upon. This was extracted from a recent email sent by Colleen, just to give you an idea:
“We planted sweet potatoes (indicated with black markers) along the back wall, and there are sunflowers planted along the outside edge, among the zinnias and marigolds and cayenne. I’ll bring more on Saturday. Maria sprayed the tomatoes again and will ask Thomas his opinion on what’s going on with the tomatoes, but we harvested a couple of baskets’ worth. Also harvested long beans – keep an eye out for long beans! And peppers – there are lots of Anaheim peppers.”
You can see from this that there’s always lots to do at the garden, too, and so we also invite you to join us whenever you can every Saturday morning, 9 am to noon. The weather has been great for getting outdoors and digging in.
Earth Day is Thursday April 22.
Here is something you can do today.
(This was sent to us by member Andrew Rock, with the email subject line, “Easy way to speak out against pending bad bills in the Florida Legislature restricting the move to renewable energy”):
“Dear friends: Here is an easy, one-click way for you to send letters today to the Florida Legislature to tell them not to pass the bad pending bills that would restrict the ability of Florida cities and counties to move towards renewable energy. If at all possible, please do this today! Thanks, Andrew”
Help Stop the Power Grab. Take Action 4 Clean Energy
Join PSR Florida and our allies in a Day of Action:
Tell Legislators to Stop the Power Grab and VOTE NO on SB 1128/HB 919
We are approaching the final weeks of Florida’s 2021 Legislative session. Your support has helped slow the fast-tracking of harmful energy preemption bills (SB 1128/HB 919) but session is NOT OVER YET.
There is still room for Florida’s legislature to pass bad laws. SB 1128/HB 919 would undo decades of work and prevent 100% clean energy initiatives in municipalities around the state.
Rather than prioritizing public health during a pandemic, Florida legislators are prioritizing corporate industry measures that puts people’s health at risk. To find out more about the negative health consequences of SB 1128/HB 919 listen to Physician for Social Responsibility Florida’s President, Dr. Howard Kessler, MD speak out and explain why PSR Florida is taking a stand.
Join Dr. Kessler and PSR Florida as we take action. Tell your legislators that clean energy means better health for all Floridians.
Join Physicians for Social Responsibility Florida and our coalition partners in a DAY OF ACTION today. Help stop SB 1128/HB 919
First, click the “Take Action: Send Email” button to send an email to members of the Florida Senate Rules and House Commerce Committees letting them know that CLEAN ENERGY = BETTER HEALTH.
Second, join PSR Florida’s coalition partner, Rethink Energy Florida, and MAKE CALLS to target legislators and tell them to VOTE NO on SB 1128/HB 919. Click the “make calls today” button to get names, numbers and a suggested script.
Protect the environment and promote public health today.
And something fun for Earth Day, Saturday April 24
(This flyer was sent to us by Kitty Wallace, Coalition of Community Gardens president. Please also note her other exciting news items posted below it.)
* * * * * * * * *
You are invited to visit our HEALTHY 22ND STREET Demonstration Garden on the west side of 22nd Street between Chelsea and Osborne. You will enjoy a variety of gardening, health, earth friendly information, demonstrations, and home gardening tips.
* * * * * * * * *
Greetings, Community garden leaders/advocates,
I hope you are all well.. and your families….and your gardeners! Sharing some great news:
Mayor Jane Castor has crafted a proclamation, naming April as Community Gardening Month in Tampa! Outstanding!!
The Garden Steps Project (our multi-agency collaborative project to improve the health of our community through gardening) will be holding an Earth Day Celebration at the Healthy 22nd Street Demonstration Garden on April 24th, 11:00 to 2:00. Crafting a press release right now.
Lastly, a big shout out to two new community gardens:Wellswood Community Garden, the first garden in a Tampa park
New St. Paul AME Church, on 42nd Street in Tampa
QUARTERLY COALITION MEETING IS THURSDAY, APRIL 29TH, 6:00 ON ZOOM, link to follow. Please put this on your calendar. All are invited. Warmest regards, Kitty
Going for the greens with Lyrical LIBbe.
Silk painting artist and longtime member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, regularly shares with us the inspiration she derives from her time in the garden. This month, LIBbe gives some useful tips for sustainably harvesting chard and preparing it, too.
1) Chard ready to go home. 2) Cut chard at the base of the leaf. 3) Try not to leave long chunks of stalk.
The garden is giving us a bounty of greens. My favorite is chard. As well as the tender leaves, the juicy stalks are worth eating. They can be chopped small and cooked for a minute before adding the leaves either in a fry pan with spices or in a saucepan with a knob of butter, and a 1/4 cup of good water, which evaporates away by the time the chard is cooked. I like to chop the stalks into very small chunks and add them to salads or other foods as a crunchy giver of texture.
A note on picking chard… even if you are not going to use the stalks, it is better to pick the leaf and the whole stalk with it. The leafless stalks left on the plant tend to rot, and weaken the base (see pictures). In fact, please pick all leaves low to the base. It is a thirsty time in the garden right now – today the problem was less with rot, and more that the plants are wilting. They have to try to feed those useless bits of stem with the precious water resources.
The spring onions do not regrow leaves from the cut off ones, so take the leaf from close to the plant. The kale doesn’t need to be trying to feed little bits of stem… this is my theory anyway, and I believe my reasons for it.
We are getting some cucumbers which is exciting, The everglades tomatoes are offering an abundance of fruit. Our herb mistress, Cindy, has introduced a new flavor, Georgia Calamint (actually, a Florida native). This small leafed plant has more of a spearmint taste.
You are welcome to visit on Saturdays between 9:30 and noon. If you wish to share in this seasonal abundance, and to experience the peace and giving of the garden at any time we invite you to become a member. Members undertake activities in the garden on weekdays, too: watering is one, weeding, compost turning, or specific projects in consultation with Colleen will be explained to you so you find yourself contributing to a communal project with all the satisfaction that brings.
Then grab some greens and head home for a really delicious bite.
I just ate the last of my chard… I cook it up with olive oil and garlic, and chop in some of the plentiful lemon balm. I love its earthy taste… ain’t nothing as good as the greens you grow yourself!
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
Thanks! We’ll see you at the garden!
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
March 15, 2021
We need you to share your thoughts and ideas at our next SHCG planning meeting, Tuesday March 16 at 5 pm. We’re still meeting virtually via Zoom, so please drop Colleen a note at info.shcg@gmail.com if you’re not already on her distribution list for her sign-in instructions.
Some recent photos from the garden
The community garden is simply one of the most pleasant, calming place to be. We can tell you all about it in words, but its beauty and serenity is probably more effectively expressed in pictures. These shots speak for themselves, but even they’re no substitute for experiencing the garden firsthand. So we always encourage you to join us as often as you can to take it all in, to lend a hand in tending our crops, and to enjoy the company of a lot of like-minded good people.
Please continue to mask up.
The covid vaccine is going into lots of arms at last, but some of us are still waiting a turn for our shots. Special precautions remain prudent then, and so we urgently encourage you to protect yourself and your fellow gardeners by dutifully donning a mask when you visit. You can also CLICK HERE for further pandemic advice written especially for community gardens, including science-based updates on the virus and tips on how to harvest, share tools, swap seeds and manage work flow.
We’ll see you at the garden!
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
February 14, 2021
best PRESIDENT’S DAY wishes!!
We got that out of the way… now to community gardening
* * * * *
Our next planning meeting is coming up soon… Tuesday, February 16 at 5 pm.
We need you to share your thoughts and ideas at our next SHCG planning meeting. We’re still meeting virtually via Zoom, so please drop Colleen a note at info.shcg@gmail.com if you’re not already on her distribution list for her sign-in instructions.
Help lead the way for Tampa’s future…. here’s another date to add to your calendar
This was forwarded to us by Kitty Wallace, president of the Coalition of Community Gardens. The City of Tampa encouraged her to spread the word about their upcoming “Listen First” online meetings throughout the spring to collect input and guide the creation of a new Citywide Mobility Plan (Tampa MOVES) and Citywide Vision Plan. These plans will help shape transportation, growth and development policy across the city now and into the future. Interested in participating?… The program’s flyer is copied here with the details, and you can also click on the image above for information about the listening sessions. More info about the Citywide Vision Plan is available at this link.
Lyrical LIBbe* sings of worms and their ways (literally), and praises the communal nature of our garden
Garden member Yanick, and a view of the garden’s “Worm World”
Silk painting artist and longtime member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, regularly shares with us the inspiration she derives from her time in the garden. This month, Lib is not only her philosophical self, but she even a gets scatalogical. And somehow, it works. Hmmm….
More than gardening goes on in our garden. Last week, some of us invented a worm song. In some cultures song and dance is a daily part of living. I have found this rhythmic word and movement pattern, which could be call and response singing too, to be a fun way to process information. It is actually helpful in other settings, already. It brings an element of fun and joy into weighty adult matters – formulating needs, actions, desired results into a little song and dance – hey try it sometime…
The Worm Song and Dance
Sing: Eat eat eat, eat eat eat; poop it out, poop it out
Action: repetitive gestures of hands to mouth, hands to mouth, then hands sweep over and away from glutei
Sing: work all day, work all day work, work and poop, work and poop
Action: turn in circles, arms feathering (whatever that means to you)
Sing: eat eat eat, eat eat eat; poop it out, poop it out
Action: repetitive gestures of hands to mouth, hands to mouth, then hands sweep over and away from glutei
Sing: make bacteria make bacteria; poop them out, poop them out
Action: arms rock cradle style, (some sing rock a bye baby) hands sweep over and away from glutei
Sing: Make worm tea make worm tea, work all day work all day etc etc
Maria, who brings enlightenment, got the song and dance going with me. Tomas who has walked barefoot over the fields in Nicaragua, farming with the farmers and subsequently teaching farming gardening to kids and others in Illinois before coming to Tampa and joining us – gave the input about the bacteria. Lib, worm queen, insisted on a group performance for visitors..
Oh, was I happy!!! We are slowly getting some children to come to the garden. The child in us is already playing. We have three 7-year old boys who show up sporadically with grandparents or parents who come to share the happy laboring in the fields of the goddess. I wonder if I can get them involved in the worm dance – it is for them of course. There is no right way to do it, no correct formula to the words – especially if I am teaching it. I who sing in my own scale, and dance to my own rhythm. Makes for a very forgiving and encouraging atmosphere to play in.
The Lord of the Dance would have been happy. We follow those footsteps of joy and peace. (I get a little excited about inclusion and recognition of the mother, Mother Earth. I reckon that the putative Jesus learned a lot of his wisdom from His Mother.)
Later, I spoke to Yanick about my 5-year old granddaughter who says she is bullied at school. Yanik spoke of ways to help a child suffering from peer pressure or bullying. I cannot reproduce his cogent words. I enlarge them thus: Ask questions, and listen to the answers. Listen – listen for the underlying values or confusion of values. Talk with the child about values. Listen to the child’s responses. (I remind myself: know when to stop teaching and allow being.) See it from the child’s point of view.
Listening is an act of love. Talking is an act of need. To understand, we need to listen.
I will help my grandchildren to understand our humanist values, that they may be confident and stand firm in their own truth. It is not always easy to move away from bullies and ignore them, but for the weak, that can be the best course. Or to unite with others and defeat them.
The worms are fat and happy. Yanick learns about worms so he can create his own worm bin at home. We create fertile soil at our garden. The okinawan spinach growing in the soil created by burying orange peels and covering them with mulch, is flourishing and full. At my home it is struggling and scrawny, even in an earth box. At home some of us do “Darwinian Gardening” – Colleen’s term – oh yes, it’s only the sturdiest that survive my untender care at home.
At the garden we work as a team, a loosely affiliated team of lightly directed participants with room for vagaries and specialties. Our team pulls together, our garden flourishes.
At our garden we are free and invite others to experience the freedom of working in a team with a common goal.
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
February photo journal
L to R: — David Rose, reporter for Florida Focus, a news show that airs on local public television, interviews Colleen for a story on February 6, focusing on community gardens and how beneficial they’ve been for local residents during the past several months while isolating during the pandemic. — A perfect watermelon radish harvested from the garden. — Late stage monarch butterfly caterpillar finishing off a milkweed plant in the garden’s pollinator area. — Former garden president Denise Moore sits with Ellen Leedy at the garden last week. Denise and her husband Alex moved to the Carolinas last year, but she stopped by recently while in town for a family visit.
Please continue to mask up.
The covid vaccine is becoming more accessible, but many of us are still waiting a turn for our shots. Special precautions remain prudent then, and so we urgently encourage you to protect yourself and your fellow gardeners by dutifully donning a mask when you visit. You can also CLICK HERE for further pandemic advice written especially for community gardens, including science-based updates on the virus and tips on how to harvest, share tools, swap seeds and manage work flow.
We’ll see you at the garden!
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
January 18, 2021
our next garden planning meeting is tomorrow January 19 at 5:00 pm, via Zoom
Help us make 2021 another successful year for the garden by contributing your thoughts and ideas at our next planning meeting. We’re still meeting virtually via Zoom, so please drop Colleen a note at info.shcg@gmail.com if you’re not already on her distribution list for her sign-in instructions.
Lyrical LIBbe* praises the communal ways
of our community garden
LIBbe took this photo of member Cathy Christie-Zanghi
with radishes freshly pulled from the ground last Saturday
Silk painting artist and longtime member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, regularly shares with us the inspiration she derives from her time in the garden. This month, she pays tribute to the unity and comradery among our members that makes it all the more special.
Andrew, Alex, Alon, Chris, Colleen, Ellen, Cathy, Maria, Tom, and myself… all wearing masks and not getting too close to each other… worked together at the garden on Saturday. Tim came over to greet us and see if we needed anything from the lumber yard. Marc and Cindy, Doris, and a whole load of other people – forgive my not mentioning you by name – carry on the work behind the scenes.
Oh, the garden is a happy community. We are a different sort of Community Garden – we work in community, not just in the community. This is not a garden of individuals who happen to be doing their own thing together. This is a garden of people happily working together for the common aim of creating a lovely place from which we can collectively share the fruits of the labors of all of us. We have a management structure and location in common as all community gardens do, but what makes us special is how we do the garden in common, rather than in individual plots.
I love our form of gardening. People undertake the work they choose, the work that pleases and fulfills. One person does not have to do all the tasks, or even any particular task if they really don’t want to.
Turmeric, ginger, radishes, okinawan spinach, arugula, bok choy, mustard greens, carrots, lettuce, herbs and other things coming up I don’t even know what they are – some greens or other that will be ready for me and everyone to eat soon enough.
Our garden is flourishing. I love to eat a handful of okinawan spinach with some leaves of arugula – fresh picked, right there in the garden. The vegetable greenness feels so alive, so healthy as well as tasting delicious – and without salt, too.
You know they say your friends are your garden… here I have friends and fellow gardeners. My father said, he found God in the garden (when I asked why he didn’t go to church). Our garden is a holy place in the original sense of the word – whole, hale, healing, and healthy.
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
Meet some of our non-dues paying garden members
Flora, but fauna too… our organic garden is a thriving habitat for many creatures vital to the local environment, and so by extension to us. Some we actively invited by planting a sizable pollinator section last year. Others found their way to us no doubt, sensing safety from pesticides and other chemicals. Take some time to notice how much our garden teems with life when you visit, and you may feel yourself uplifted.
Please don’t forget your mask
Access to the covid vaccine is within sight, and it’s a welcome miracle. In the meantime though as our membership and Saturday morning participation swell, we must urgently encourage you to protect yourself and your fellow gardeners by dutifully donning a mask. You can also CLICK HERE for further pandemic advice written especially for community gardens, including science-based updates on the virus and tips on how to harvest, share tools, swap seeds and manage work flow.
Thank you for your support!
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
December 10, 2020
Tuesday December 15 at 5:00 pm, via Zoom
As we continue to deal with the pandemic, our planning meetings remain virtual. Please drop Colleen a note at info.shcg@gmail.com if you’re not already on her distribution list for Zoom sign-in instructions.
A look at Roselle…an interesting edible you won’t find in your grocer’s produce aisle
But you’ll find it at our garden. We now have several of these beautiful roselle plants in bloom. Here are two links to find out more information about the history of these plants and how to enjoy both their leaves and calyces for dinner.
https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/vegetables/roselle.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUTMbS86bg
Lyrical LIBbe* makes the case for us
Silk painting artist and longtime member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, regularly shares with us the inspiration she derives from her time in the garden. This month it seems that LIBbe’s thoughts would make the perfect copy for our membership brochure. Who could read this and not feel compelled to take part?
I LOVE the garden. It fulfills so many of my essential needs.
1. To be with like-minded and also very different people.
2. To be open to other ideas, other cultures, other genders, other ages for the wonderful human exchange which is facilitated by working together on a common project.
3. To have a place which I value and in which I feel valued; to have a common GOAL to which I can contribute and which values the contribution of everyone.
4. To learn how and to actually GROW FOOD.
5. To grow and share those generous plants which survive easily and feed the multitudes; as well as to know their healing properties.
In the major section of the garden, western normal lettuce, kale, radish, carrot and herbs like parsley, thyme, etc. are grown by others and shared with all; along with more southern collard, and hot leaves – um, what it’s name? – a large leaf in a light green with a peppery taste which cooks down deliciously. Also broccoli raab, turnip, delicious chard, spring onions and so on.
My favorites are callaloo, okinawan spinach, malabar spinach, popalo, moringa (growing in a pot), pineapple, papaya, venezuelan sweet pepper and a hopeful little blueberry bush. All these grow in the probably somewhat acidic soil I am creating by adding orange peels from Whatever Pops to the sandy Florida soil. It is magnificent to see the rich dirt, inhabited by large worms, which forms within a few weeks after the peels are dug in. It is MAGNIFICENT to make worm-filled soil, and a MIRACLE to me.
I spoke to one young woman from my children or grandchildren’s generation, about her, her children or grandchildren who will be on the move away from the rising tides, and other man-made catastrophes – who will wrap the cuttings and roots of my favorite easy grow plants to take with them, so when they find somewhere else to settle they will be able to grow food when they get there. I have an apocalyptic vision which includes surviving through the hard times because we are living now with awareness of what is coming – thus we won’t be stunned into inaction.
I appreciated help from Yannick Yoshizawa, a young man who has recently joined the garden. I love sharing this knowledge about how to reclaim soil, as well as all I have learned about creating and enriching soil with horse manure and bark mulch – all free locally. We spoke of the added layer of complexity given by Covid to our lives, and of the surprising benefits that can also occur under restriction.
Speaking to Colleen, I appreciated again how she calmly and quietly maintains the structure of the garden – its legal entity, the necessary constant recreation of its underlying organisation and all the little management details that must be tended to behind the scenes.
The reward of the garden is its gift of life which is mutual and reciprocal.
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
We end this newsletter with two requests…
one for the health of our garden; one for the health of our members
Please donate compost, please don a mask.
Seemingly unrelated, except that both of these asks are essential, and especially now. More seeds and plants are going in the ground at our garden, and more and more members and volunteers are showing up on Saturday mornings to work together. The need then is evident. So, much appreciated!
Thank you for your support!
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
November 13, 2020
As we continue to deal with the pandemic, our planning meetings remain virtual. Please drop Colleen a note at info.shcg@gmail.com if you’re not already on her distribution list for Zoom sign-in instructions.
The Old Seminole Heights 4th Annual Garden Tour…
we dazzled ’em!
A whole lot of work went into preparing for our participation in the event held on October 25th. But the results were impressive, with attendance estimated at 80 visitors. From Colleen:
All –
What a wonderful day. I want to thank everyone who helped us clean up and water the garden this month and everyone who took time to represent our garden for the Seminole Heights Garden Tour on Sunday. Our garden looked fantastic! Cinda Hitchcock said that they sold 110 tickets for the event which means Friends of Seminole Heights Library raised over $2000!
I really appreciated our little community coming together to make our garden beautiful. Thank you everyone!
Be well. Colleen
And from our garden muse, Lyrical LIBbe*:
Fabulous! Our garden is beautiful. This is my take on our garden: We are recreating Eden, going forward not backwards. I believe this is the era when the other half of the story is told.
Adam and Eve return to the garden and God admits He made a mistake (like so many fathers), overreacting to a situation HE set up(!!!), and throwing the children out. Eve, (who was also his wife in a different version of the woman’s story), said at the time, “Paradise will be the same on both sides of your wall. Only those who build walls between themselves will suffer. Don’t you know that a wall which keeps others out, keeps you in?!”
Eve is also Mother Nature, and we who co-operate respectfully with her, receive her love and bounty. YAY! We are transcending the limited ego, because we have a common purpose. To live in joy and peace, sharing, caring, co-operating with nature and others.
YAY, I celebrate. I celebrate US.
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated) www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
The Coalition of Community Gardens invites you to their quarterly meeting via Zoom, Saturday at 2 pm.
We’re forwarding this invitation to you a little last-minute, but hopefully you can log on with us tomorrow…
Time: Nov 14, 2020 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83557582825?pwd=UW4xMVFPUXJEeGRzMmo5RldMQXJhdz09
Meeting ID: 835 5758 2825 / Passcode: 162000
Another Zoom event of interest…
sign up now for a Butterflies Webinar
BUTTERFLY GARDENING
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 11:00 am – noon
Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/butterfly-gardening-on-zoom-tickets-124110916091?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch
Learn about the many types of butterflies in our area. We’ll talk about the butterfly life cycle, how to identify butterfly life stages, good plant choices and creating a butterfly habitat. When you plant a butterfly habitat, you will be guaranteed not only a visit to your garden, but possibly permanent residency by these beautiful creatures.
NOTE: Registrants will receive an emailed Zoom link to access the Webinar the day before the program. *If you do not receive the Zoom link, please check your SPAM folder for an email from Starling Morris (MorrisSA@hillsboroughcounty.org). If no link is received, please contact Starling at 813-744-5519 Ext. 54127 for assistance.
Contact: Nicole Pinson, 813-744-5519
****
Virginia Overstreet, Nanette O’Hara, Peggy Reineking, Irene and David Potter, Hyacinth Burrowes, Michele Mistretta, Ann DeBaldo
Your Seminole Heights Library Master Gardener Team
A watered community garden is a happy community garden. Please help us keep it happy.
In case you missed her email last month, here’s an update from Lynelle, our watering coordinator:
Hello Gardeners,
Wanted to share a quick watering update! We have some new plants that require your watering attention. There are arugula seeds planted in the front bed next to the fennel plant. There are also sage seedlings in the herb circle. Also, in the butterfly garden in the back there are native passion fruit vines on either side of the bench. Please remember these new additions when you are watering. Kathy’s rows in the center of the garden are full of kale, chard, turnips and radishes! There is plenty of worm tea to use, too 🙂
Ellen also suggested that we spray down the lower, 2nd section of rows when we water even though there is nothing planted there at the moment – keeping it moist will help prevent it from becoming too dusty and blowing our good soil away.
Lastly, I just learned that Sundays are now an open watering spot if anyone is available to help water on Sundays? Thank you and wishing you all a great week ahead,
Lynelle Bonneville
Finally, another ingredient that a happy garden needs…
Don’t take your bags of raked leaves to the curb. Bring them to the garden, where they’ll stay out of the landfill and enrich the earth as nature intended. Thanks!
IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE ABOUT VISITING THE GARDEN – Please protect our other gardeners as well as yourselves. Come in with clean hands, wear clean gloves, touch as little as possible, and even bring your own tools or disinfectant. Detailed pandemic advice for community gardens, including science-based updates on the virus and tips on how to harvest, share tools, swap seeds and manage work flow is available at this link: CLICK HERE.
From your friends at the garden, thanks for your support!
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
October 18, 2020
As we continue to deal with the pandemic, our planning meetings remain virtual. Please drop Colleen a note at info.shcg@gmail.com if you’re not already on her distribution list for Zoom sign-in instructions.
We’re taking part in this year’s Garden Tour,
Sunday October 25
An important topic of discussion during our planning meeting will be final arrangements for our participation in the Old Seminole Heights 4th Annual Garden Tour on Sunday, October 25. This special afternoon event, from 1:00 to 5:00 pm, is a self-guided tour showcasing some of the best local private gardens throughout the neighborhood, including us. OSHNA is limiting attendance to 200 guests spaced out over the day, and proceeds from the $20 tickets will support the work of Friends of the Seminole Heights Library, who fund many of the programs at the library.
We need your help to make this a success for us, possibly even recruiting a few new members. We’ve already talked about social distancing precautions, but they need a little tweaking. And we need your input regarding protocols for welcoming and registering visitors, handing out printed materials, etc. So please log on to our planning meeting and/or contact Colleen via email. Thanks!
A scene from last Saturday… final sprucing-up touches for the tour event later this month.
IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE ABOUT VISITING THE GARDEN – Please protect our other gardeners as well as yourselves. Come in with clean hands, wear clean gloves, touch as little as possible, and even bring your own tools or disinfectant. Detailed pandemic advice for community gardens, including science-based updates on the virus and tips on how to harvest, share tools, swap seeds and manage work flow is available at this link: CLICK HERE.
Thanks for your support! From your friends at the garden
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
October 11, 2020
We took it again in 2020… the Creative Loafing magazine’s “Readers’ Choice Best Community Garden“ award! That’s three wins for us over the past four years. It’s a testament to the popular appeal we’ve nurtured with a well-tended garden, a people friendly environment open to all, and of course, our members’ dedication and work. Congratulations to all involved, and thanks to everyone who voted for us.
Our next garden planning meeting is
Tuesday October 20 at 5:00 pm, via Zoom
As we continue to deal with the pandemic, our planning meetings remain virtual. Please drop Colleen a note at info.shcg@gmail.com if you’re not already on her distribution list for Zoom sign-in instructions.
We’re taking part in this year’s Garden Tour,
Sunday October 25
An important topic of discussion during our planning meeting will be final arrangements for our participation in the Old Seminole Heights 4th Annual Garden Tour on Sunday, October 25. This special afternoon event, from 1:00 to 5:00 pm, is a self-guided tour showcasing some of the best local private gardens throughout the neighborhood, including us. OSHNA is limiting attendance to 200 guests spaced out over the day, and proceeds from the $20 tickets will support the work of Friends of the Seminole Heights Library, who fund many of the programs at the library.
We need your help to make this a success for us, possibly even recruiting a few new members. We’ve already talked about social distancing precautions, but they need a little tweaking. And we need your input regarding protocols for welcoming and registering visitors, handing out printed materials, etc. So please log on to our planning meeting and/or contact Colleen via email. Thanks!
and speaking of OSHNA…
The Old Seminole Heights digital quarterly newsletter, The Seminole Heights Advisor, just came out for Autumn. Here’s a link to it, and we especially want to direct you to page 7 for an article about the aforementioned Garden Tour; and also page 8, where updates are published regarding the City of Tampa’s curbside recycling program. Did you know they no longer accept old milk and juice cartons? There are a few other changes you should know about, so please take a look.
Lyrical LIBbe* — Why I’m addicted to the garden
Silk painting artist and longtime garden member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, shares the inspiration she derives from our garden to carry her through this challenging time. Her thoughts here might help us all to appreciate the special satisfaction that comes from getting close to the earth and being close with our friends.
Why am I addicted to the garden? I am addicted to the garden because —
It brings meaning to my life. I am living a life in which I contribute and my contribution is appreciated.
It feels good. Physically moving, carrying, lifting, chopping – chop food scraps small for worms, carry buckets of various garden substances to various garden locations. In the old language, it was said, Chop Wood Carry Water – this is enlightenment when done consciously.
I employ my inner chi to enable this current high, so I experience a satisfaction which is gratifying, however temporary.
I enjoy the company of other gardeners; the dealing with the paraphernalia, the sharing of tasks, the productive and/or useful work.
I enjoy the part I play at the garden.
I know why the Caged Bird Sings. I know to what I am addicted.
Sometimes visitors come. I remember how it used to feel being in their shoes. I just wanted to be the person who was pushing the barrow of mulch purposefully, fully at ease and at home in the work.
Arden, a child of 5 or 6 graced us with his presence, thanks to gran’ma and grandpa Carolyn and Chris Adler. The way to have a kid enjoy working at the garden is to praise everything he or she is doing, explain how it is helping (even if it isn’t exactly; a bit of redirection can be slipped in).
Be ready to adjust to a new task, or part of a task when the little mind wants something new, and keep it positive – oh, OH I adore taking time to “work” with the little ones. Less of a task gets done perhaps, but a so very much more important thing is happening – the child is learning to love what he is doing.
I am very idealistic — it takes a village — I can as easily make a child decide they want to do something else, as entice them to decide to help me. Play with me. What an adventure the garden is for a little one… his big dark eyes looking with such interest and enthusiasm, curiosity, LIFE itself, beautiful above the mask covering his nose and mouth.
My mask says VOTE. “We must still believe, because it is true, that the VOTE is the best mechanism humankind has yet devised to manage our affairs.” — Jose Marti.
This is the season of the witch, low die, the turning point, Muriwai – the fork in the river… it is no longer enough to say I believe in democracy, we must say I stand for a legitimate vote and my right to believe that even with misinformation rife, the intelligence of people can be trusted to do the right thing.
This will not happen if we betray our intelligence by voting without considering the future in terms of love not money. Our Community Garden demonstrates what the loving populace does and will do, whoever is running the world. True leaders will emerge from places like gardens, places where humans work co-operatively; sharing, caring, co-operating. Breathe in and breathe out. This is it.
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE ABOUT VISITING THE GARDEN – Please protect our other gardeners as well as yourselves. Come in with clean hands, wear clean gloves, touch as little as possible, and even bring your own tools or disinfectant. Detailed pandemic advice for community gardens, including science-based updates on the virus and tips on how to harvest, share tools, swap seeds and manage work flow is available at this link: CLICK HERE.
We can’t mess this one up. Please vote early.
Lyrical LIBbe stated it the best in her column this month… your participation in this year’s election is essential. Hillsborough County voters are strongly encouraged not to wait until election day to make their voices heard. You can drop off your mail ballot or vote in person beginning Monday, October 19 and early voting runs through November 1. Hours are 7 am to 7 pm. Click here for more info.
Thanks from your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
September 13, 2020
As we continue to deal with the pandemic, our planning meetings remain virtual. Please drop Colleen a note at info.shcg@gmail.com if you’re not already on her distribution list for Zoom sign-in instructions.
Speaking of Tuesday on Zoom…
four new Tuesday morning yoga classes available online for you
Member and registered yoga teacher Tish Ganey regularly sends us emails promoting her online yoga classes, and occasionally we like to pass the information along to her fellow gardeners. Yoga and gardening are both contemplative activities (see Lyrical LIBbe below), and so share some natural synergy.
In fact, Tish has hosted many early Saturday morning “Yoga In The Garden” sessions for us. Social distancing has put that on hiatus for the time being, but you can always benefit from her expertise online in the safety of your home. Recently Tish announced four new Tuesday morning yoga classes accessible via Zoom and so we’re sending you this link for the schedule and other details, If you’re interested in signing up, be sure to include the promo code “50NOW” for 50% off on yoga in September. Namaste!
So what’s new at the garden?
Pandemic, shmam-demic. This coronavirus thing has made our face-to-face gatherings smaller and less frequent, but it can’t seem to slow down our progress. The trellis project we mentioned last month is moving forward (funded by a grant award from the Riverview Garden Club of Florida… thank you again!), member Tim Ganey just installed the cool-as-heck sink enclosure pictured above (the sink is a 100+ year old antique donated by the garden’s next door neighbor, Jessica (whose son Ben is shown here receiving a hand of bananas from Ellen Leedy)), we have a new compost sifter built by Tom Ennis, and Cindy Sutherland recently planted a full raised bed of five varieties of carrots in a rainbow of colors (even purple ones) that are already coming up nicely. So good things continue apace, and we encourage everyone to join in and stay engaged.
Lyrical LIBbe* talks about Restorative Time
Silk painting artist and longtime garden member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, shares the inspiration she derives from our garden to carry her through this challenging time. Her thoughts here might help us all to appreciate the special satisfaction that comes from getting close to the earth and being close with our friends.
Two photos submitted by Lib… “Okinawan Spinach greens and okra for lunch, and beautiful papaya – lovely even in the worm food collector”
Time is an interesting phenomenon now. Is there more of it or less of it.? It seemed at the beginning of Covid that there was so much more time, but by now, that busy set point we usually accept has largely restored itself. Is this your experience?
That “busy” set point. We are taught this from our earliest days – after infancy, just about every child will experience an increasing amount of frantic rush as parents attempt to live their busy lives, around the newcomer who has upset all routines. By the time the child goes to school, with schedules, arrival times, minutes before and after class begins and ends — always it is a rush to be done in time.
Restorative Time is what we find at the garden. There is time to converse, time to listen, time to ponder and speak again. Ideas are shared, healing happens as memories are turned over with the dirt, and maybe others have a perspective which heals and strengthens. Maybe it is the plants who are the only witnesses of the thought; maybe the mind is given a chance to empty itself of thought in the activity to hand.
Time at the garden is restorative. Those of us who are dedicated to this most human of activities, are recreating a timeless experience which is all too rare in modern times. We work together on the common goal of making sustaining food. This connects us to ancestral patterns. We work in nature, with nature. The spiritual benefits are inestimable.
This is what I see and feel. Others are quite possibly totally unaware of these benefits, but that doesn’t change that in them the benefits have accrued. I would like to celebrate some of the newcomers – some of whom come to the garden during the week to water or weed or otherwise tend the space.
Thanks to Tom Ennis who made us a compost sifter which is very useful. To Ron Giovanelli who made a platform for the worm buckets, which keeps them from getting sandy. Much more pleasant to handle now. Thanks to those who water during the week. Thanks to newcomers Grace, Audrey, Jasmine and Daniel. It is wonderful to have new people at the garden, enjoying this opportunity.
It is a pleasure to work with Colleen, whose collaborative style of leadership provides guidelines, while being open to consider one’s own ideas for what could be planted and where. It is great to have the opportunity to plant something one is fervent about, then to care for it week after week; to find that others have cared for it in one’s absence.
I have that particular fondness for purslane – not that I eat much of it – but because I know it’s good for cholesterol and who knows who will need it. Its story goes back to our first location, two gardens ago. It needed to be moved from a garden bed now required for more readily edible food such as lettuce and carrots. I so enjoyed making a new bed and edging it with bricks. My father, who loved designing his gardens, was with me in spirit.
There is time for Peace in the garden, time for chatter, time for spirit. There is no hurry. Time at the garden is restorative time.
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
We’ll explain this photo if you don’t already recognize it,
but first consider this…
Your membership in the community garden opens you to many experiences that don’t always involve seeds, sprouts, and dirt. Ours is a very social club, with many in it possessing amazing talents and jobs in music and art, and careers and interests including meditation, yoga, farming, crafts, and the environment. The result of this mix means that over the years we’ve met up countless times at concerts, gallery exhibits, exclusive parties, and at local live music clubs and restaurants.
Back in July, we even met in Tim and Tish Ganey’s basement, the stage set used for a live production “Natural Shocks”, a one-person play by Lauren Gunderson. This being the time of Covid, the occasion for most of us was virtual, live-streamed on the internet. But it was a special event just the same, and the actor, Marie-Claude Tremblay pictured here from a screen capture during her performance, was simply terrific. Surely those who tuned in are glad they didn’t miss it.
So that was a few months ago already. But memorable, and still worth noting as an example of how the Seminole Heights Community Garden enriches our lives in ways reaching beyond its physical boundaries on River Terrace. How might we have otherwise heard about this live play, or so many other activities, without the word of mouth among our well-connected, plugged-in members?
We keep the faith that one day we can again participate together in public activities without the fear of a pandemic, and that our lives will go on as before. But don’t wait until then to become active in the garden. This newsletter has over a hundred subscribers who readily open and read us but have yet to decide whether or not to join us. So if you’re one of these folks, please accept this invitation to again explore the benefits of membership. Click here for membership information, or email us to start a conversation. We welcome all!
IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE ABOUT VISITING THE GARDEN – Please protect our other gardeners as well as yourselves. Come in with clean hands, wear clean gloves, touch as little as possible, and even bring your own tools or disinfectant. Detailed pandemic advice for community gardens, including science-based updates on the virus and tips on how to harvest, share tools, swap seeds and manage work flow is available at this link: CLICK HERE.
Please stay safe and healthy!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
August 16, 2020
First we make plans, then we grow plants. Our next garden planning meeting is this Tuesday August 18 at 5:00 pm, via Zoom
From May to today… a patch of dirt became this bountiful crop of sweet potatoes.
It just takes some planning and then a little gardening TLC.
We are all still dealing with the pandemic, and so our planning meetings are still virtual. Please drop Colleen a note at info.shcg@gmail.com if you’re not already on her distribution list for Zoom sign-in instructions.
Election season is here. Vote for us.
Local Florida elections are August 18, the same Tuesday as our planning meeting. Here’s a civic duty reminder to cast a ballot for your chosen candidates.
But there’s another race now in progress, and with this one we’re seeking your support for an incumbent. That candidate is us. We’ve just been nominated again for Creative Loafingmagazine’s annual Best of the BayReader’s Poll in the Community Garden category. We won it last year and won in 2017, too. You can see our certificates proudly hanging inside of our garden storage shed door, where we hope that one day we might even run out of display space.
Help us make that happen, by clicking here and submitting your vote. And a special note — you’re not limited to showing support only once. Between now and September 3 you can place a vote once every day. S.H.C.Gardeners unite!!
Another reflection on the garden from Lyrical LIBbe*
Silk painting artist and longtime garden member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, shares the inspiration she derives from our garden to carry her through this challenging time. Her thoughts here might help us all to appreciate the special satisfaction that comes from getting close to the earth and being close with our friends.
“We are living in a time of ever increasing crisis. The only way humanity will survive in the long term is if we can evolve and become mature. That is what is happening at the garden. Signs of maturity: ability to hear other people’s differing opinions. Ability to accept that we have a role in the whole, and to lay down individual preferences for a common goal.
Today at the garden, some Black Lives for Trump visitors came to visit. Some people politely chose not to engage, others of us spoke with the guests. Economics and a fear of China were the motivations of the Trump voters. There was agreement that in some countries there is a wealthy “over class” and a “screwed” under class, whose rights are regularly abused. After the guests had been invited to return again and participate with us, the conversation among garden members celebrated our ability to interact with those whose views we agree with and those we don’t actually agree with.
The garden is a living example of common ground. It is a place where people of any political conviction can listen, speak, and be heard. We do not argue about politics – we don’t feel adequately informed to attempt to change someone’s mind, or if we do feel adequately informed we don’t feel that changing someone’s mind matters more than finding common ground. We stand on the common ground of the garden.
We work together to create a beautiful healing space, as well as food, for all of us. Here in Tampa, we are already glad to supplement our nutrition with food we have grown. I feel that one day, this food source may become necessary – more than an extra relish to our meals.
Our goal is to grow food, to reconnect with nature’s giving and bounty, to create something that is worthwhile – a benefit to our whole community. Right now the major edibles are Okinawan spinach, Malabar spinach (above left), popalo, okra, passion fruit, pineapple, and herbs.
It is a veritable joy to work and talk with others. Our garden is supportive, caring, welcoming and productive. One of our new members, Tom Ennis, made us a dirt sifter (above on right… thank you, Tom!) for making compost into dirt. Caroline and Chris brought youngster Arden to the garden, and he was happy digging mulch. Colleen, Elle, Cathy, Kris, were all engaged while yours truly was also fulfilling my task of burying the fruit trash from Whatever Pops – really fresh juice delicious popsicles they make… and taking care of the worms, my happy task shared with Elle.
I love the garden. I feel happy there contributing to a shared purpose, working freely within a structure. It’s joyful. The garden contributes to my life and enables me to contribute to something greater than myself. Something I passionately believe in. We must grow our own food. It is an activity that succeeds when humans work together, with nature, as we do at the garden.”Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE ABOUT VISITING THE GARDEN – Please protect our other gardeners as well as yourselves. Come in with clean hands, wear clean gloves, touch as little as possible, and even bring your own tools or disinfectant. Detailed pandemic advice for community gardens, including science-based updates on the virus and tips on how to harvest, share tools, swap seeds and manage work flow is available at this link: CLICK HERE.
Please stay safe and healthy!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
August 6, 2020
via the Zoom app
In accordance with social distancing guidelines, our planning meetings have gone virtual. Please drop Colleen a note at info.shcg@gmail.com if you’re not already on her distribution list for Zoom sign-in instructions.
A couple of “points of interest’ from Colleen
Our garden president Colleen forwarded a couple of emails she received recently that might be of interest to our members. The first one comes from Kitty Wallace of the Coalition of Community Gardens…
“I thought you might be interested in the annual conference of the American Community Gardening Association, held virtually in Los Angeles on August 8. https://www.communitygarden.org/events/2020-acga-conference-host-city-los-angeles-ca…. This looks beneficial. I attended the conference in 2017 held in Hartford, and did a movie night for all of our local gardens that August. Last year I presented our Garden Steps project at the conference in Indianapolis and came away feeling like our community garden network was awesome!!” Kitty
– – – – – – – – –
Next is a notice from Whitwam Organics, based here in Seminole Heights. David Whitwam is doing live chats on Wednesdays at 5:30, a sort of state of the garden. Here’s a copy and paste of Whitwam’s social media post with the details (you won’t be able to link to the addresses from this image, so we included them separately underneath David’s photo for your convenience).
Facebook: facebook.com/whitwamorganics
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/whitwamorganicstampa
Another reflection on the restorative nature of the garden by Lyrical LIBbe*
Silk painting artist and longtime garden member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe, shares the inspiration she derives from our garden to carry her through this challenging time. Her thoughts here might help us all to appreciate the special satisfaction that comes from getting close to the earth and being close with our friends.
Of this month’s essay, LIBbe says, “I did go a little out there. DO edit if you think some of it is untoward or inadvisable or prolix.” No, we’ll run with it as is. Like the old song goes, don’t mess up a good thing. So read on…
“In these times when computers go offline, time machines won’t eject, service providers are out of touch etc etc, the garden provides a respite, a space where the material is co-operative and responsive.
I feel like a Japanese gardener I heard on a dainty YouTube channel – sorry I forget the name – as I train the sweet potato vines to stay in their patch. I speak to them, encouraging them to twine along the boundaries, and physically assisting that process. It is highly satisfying to create the beautiful flow of the garden. Some lovely offerings at this link though I don’t recognise the program I saw.
Two new members, Chris Healy and Tom Ennis are sharing their Inner-chi with the space. Today being an introductory day, their mission which they chose to accept, was to weed. In Chris I met a woman who can laugh, in Tom we have a man who can concentrate on one thing. Isn’t that the way with men, ladies!! (forgive me Tom, I like my joke.) He reminds me of the noble garden member Andrew Rock, and also of my long tall man (who is not a gardener in the least.)
Purslane, mediterranean lettuce, one of my beloveds, is flourishing in the seed beds and will be removed to the butterfly garden next week as the seed beds will be seeded with tender greens of some sort. There was one more passion fruit. Small, on the ground, and needing a little more ripening. A second gorgeous big pineapple is on the way, needs maybe four weeks or three.
I was challenged to make a pan pipe out of the stem of a papaya leaf – these are wonderful hollow tubes about 24 inches long. I have made one, but getting sound out of it is a challenge.
Cathy, Ellen and I shared stories of eldercare as we pulled wayward grasses. It is helpful to know that others hold you in the light – all of us have parents. Variations on the theme of love.
Garden president Coco, (as I alone have the temerity to call her), and I discussed shortnin’. It ain’t even lard!! It is the Crisco type stuff. When we have piggies galore and coconuts too, why would anyone create such goo? Then sell it cheap to make a buck, off those who must eat, WTF%#$^&*()! Colleen makes exquisite buttery, crumbly moist shortbread. Now something that is crumbly AND moist is an oxymoron – an impossibility. Like the jester – a sharp fool. Tom and Chris will one day get to taste the non nonpareil baked goods of our garden prez.
Tim stopped by wearing a t-shirt which said VIA, suggesting viaje vita vida way tao – the path and life are inseparable. The tao which can be separated from Tao is not the tao. Tim makes enlightenment thoughts grow out of my brain.
Gardeners love, support, and pay attention to each other’s wishes. It is restorative, reconstructive, renewing to be part of a space in which co-operation, caring, sharing and hearing are fostered. I invite you to start accepting potential and its lived activation into your life.”
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical LIBbe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE ABOUT VISITING THE GARDEN – Come in with clean hands, wear clean gloves, touch as little as possible, and even bring your own tools or disinfectant. Our garden is a wonderful place to be, but please protect our other gardeners as well as yourselves.
Detailed pandemic advice for community gardens, including science-based updates on the virus and tips on how to harvest, share tools, swap seeds and manage work flow is available at this link: CLICK HERE.
Please stay safe and healthy!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
July 8, 2020
“It’s time to fix that!”
Live theater is coming back… online.
Innovocative will be bringing you NATURAL SHOCKS, by Lauren Gunderson on July 9 & 11… right to your living room.
Innovocative Theatre, a local Tampa theater group is recreating the live theater experience by streaming on YouTube … and it’s coming from Tish and Tim Ganey’s basement! It’s actually Tim’s workshop, but has the creep factor of a basement that this play requires (from Tish: “We actually have no part in this play other than having one of the few basement-type environments in Tampa! We’re happy to have ANY role in this kind of creative community work. In these days of distancing we applaud and encourage activities that creatively move in new directions, and this is one.”)
Tish* and Tim are planning an in-person group viewing (distancing appropriate) the night of the July 11 9-pm showing at their River House. If interested, shoot them an email for the details. Otherwise, support the local arts by buying a ticket to one of these shows, and watch live theater! (The basement will make a brief cameo appearance, by the way… well actually, just provide a backdrop…but the show is certain to be unique and entertaining.)
Get ready…
The live streamed performance of NATURAL SHOCKS will take you on an unexpected journey of confession, realization and revelation as Angela’s story unfolds in an unforgettable, fast-paced 65 minutes!
The story…
A tornado is fast approaching as we join Angela, played by Marie-Claude Tremblay, hiding in her basement. As the storm increases in intensity, she begins to reflect on her life and what has led her to this point. Based on Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy, NATURAL SHOCKS is a confessional by iPhone which will keep you on the edge of your couch.
The reviews…
“Gunderson’s NATURAL SHOCKS raises important points about the need to take action in times of crises.” ~DCMetroTheaterArts.com
“…taut and lively…the writing…evinces great skill. ” ~StageLeft.nyc
“…a compelling play on important and topical themes.” ~TheatreScene.net
Plus…
We are thrilled to announce that America’s most produced playwright, Lauren Gunderson, will be joining us for a post-show talk-back following the July 9th performance!
Tickets are on sale now ~ Just click the link below to reserve your space today! And please pass this on!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/natural-shocks-by-lauren-gunderson-tickets-109011773148
INNOVOCATIVE THEATRE is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of INNOVOCATIVE THEATRE must be made payable to Fractured Atlas only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. We truly appreciate your support during this challenging time.
Our next garden planning meeting takes place on Tuesday July 21 at 5:00 pm, via the Zoom app
In accordance with social distancing guidelines, our planning meetings have gone virtual. Please drop Colleen a note at info.shcg@gmail.com if you’re not already on her distribution list for Zoom sign-in instructions.
Give peace (of mind) a chance with online yoga instruction from Tish
*Speaking of Tish Ganey, you might already know that she is a registered yoga teacher and over the past couple of years has hosted many early Saturday morning “Yoga In The Garden” sessions for our members. That’s on hiatus for the time being of course, but her expertise is available via Zoom every Wednesday. Tish offers pre-recorded online classes, too. Check out the links below for all the details. Just like with gardening, you might discover that yoga can provide you with some much-needed relaxation and inner peace.
YOGA via Zoom, every Wednesday at 10 am & 6 pm — “And now, the practice of yoga begins. – Yoga Sutra 1.1”
Click on the zoom links below to register. You will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining these respective meetings. Return each week using these same links:
Chair Yoga – Every Wednesday at 10:00 AM EST
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/vJMvd-qsrjstGtIfKPikmrM6-8HSyTgsBQ
Hatha Flow – Every Wednesday at 6:00 PM EST
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/vJ0qce-qrDIjhiP1sCU6UbZ6612nUMNYIQ
Pre-Recorded Yoga Classes – Each “course” includes several different lessons within the course, so you’ll get a few different yoga classes for the price of one with each course purchased!
Free Sampler Class – Click here and select a free, pre-recorded Chair Yoga class. Thank you to those who take the course and give me FEEDBACK!
Go to TampaYogaTherapy.com – All courses are on TampaYogaTherapy.com under “Online Courses.” Namaste!
Another reflection on the restorative nature of the garden by Lyrical libBe*
Silk painting artist and longtime garden member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical libBe, shares the inspiration she derives from our garden to carry her through this challenging time. Her thoughts here might help us all to appreciate the special satisfaction that comes from getting close to the earth and being close with our friends.
“This is a perfect day. A purrfect day. I am purring on the inside where 5th Dimension lies curled in my throat, stretching its paws for the pen to scratch these lines.
The excellent immigrants, Malabar and Okinawan Spinach are differently gifted. Malabar, which draped in gorgeous loops over a block wall last season turned, as expected, into scrawny, scanty vines by the end of its seed-creating journey. This year’s new plants are thriving in pots of round pale green and dark green leaves; sturdy and crunchy in salads, melting down in cooked mixed greens. One picks sporadic leaves off the stem, thinning them out a little to improve the effect, in the Japanese manner.
Okinawan is a completely different beast, and neither of them are the least bit like Euro spinach. Okinawan Spinach grows into an attractive round bush about 3 feet high.The leaves are a simple pinnate with toothed edges, dark green on top and purple beneath. A truly handsome plant. One picks the top sprigs of leaves, (like picking tea apparently, the first top leaves of the season make the most expensive tea; ruinously they could not be picked this year because of corona). After its top sprigs are removed, the plant pushes more branches out of the main stem, flourishing and thickening.
I LOVE Okinawan Spinach and others of its kind – callaloo for example. Foods that feed the multitudes, propagate easily, and are hardy – we all need to be growing them as a home solution for hard times. It may not be next year, but it’s getting ever closer that we will want to rely on ourselves and our community for food.
A fabbo survivor of a maleficent illness brought us the waste vegetables and fruit from a food pantry – where others in the community DO share their plenty with those of us who are in need of more food than we can easily buy.
Ellen pointed out to me the transplanted Purslane. An Iranian garden friend shared with us the story of his grandmother in Iran, who refused Western cholesterol medicine – “look at the donkeys she said. They eat خرفه , and they don’t have cholesterol.”
Purslane – Mediterranean Lettuce – Portulaca, has “fleshy succulent obovate leaves”; it is often grown as a potherb or salad herb; a weed in areas where people are ignorant of its pretty flowers, and medicinal uses. From ScienceAlert.com: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of .. Purslane leaves on… rabbits ….hypercholesterolemic animals were treated with or without different doses of Purslane extract. Blood samples were obtained at 0, 6 and 12 weeks… We show that the serum total cholesterol decreased in all groups treated with purslane extract…These findings indicate that this plant may be useful for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia.
WhateverPops & Bowls has started leaving us orange peels again – I had one of their delicious Riesling Pear Pops on the way home, and got an extra one for the freezer.
I am looking forward to the enriched soil in the butterfly garden – those orange peels turn to dark loamy dirt in weeks. Big worms are found in orange peel dirt. A load of 2-year old horse manure was dropped off, and we covered the still somewhat stinky “black gold” with tarps. Adding the horse manure, orange peels, tree mulch together on top of the sandy Florida soil creates marvelous dirt.
Ellen of the garden is a pixie child, her face framed in swings of long dark hair. Her ability is to accept, to make the rough edges of others mesh together in a constructive happy fashion. Useful when you have various personalities, as happens at a community garden.
Colleen, Garden President, is a shortnin’ bread. Blonde, exactly the right sweetness, holds together fabulously for practical moves and one can imagine the perfection of that shortbread melting in the mouth. Colleen is a baker and maker of heavenly desserts. As garden president her direction is firm, not intrusive. She encourages independence and listening, to discern the good of the community in the way forward.
We are careful to wear masks and socially distance when our moves bring us closer to each other as we work and/or talk. The social benefit of working together on a common project cannot be overstated. By demonstrating what a sustainable community looks like in our lives, we are seeding the future with hope. There will need to be an evolutionary leap. We are preparing resilience for the chaos which precedes such an event.
I wish to thank Tish and Tim who demonstrate and facililtate joyful, earth-healing creativity because they share generously and are able to do so at this community level. This is what is created when Mammon (endowed Mammaries of Plenty) leaves Mars (God of War) and goes to the East, where the role of Lakshmi is found. The Earthchild goddess who gives, who is generous, who is the sharer of plenty.
My glorious world of Logos comes together in the garden. Your dreams will be strengthened here, whether you dream them awake or asleep. xxxx Libster.”
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical libBe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE ABOUT VISITING THE GARDEN – Come in with clean hands, wear clean gloves, touch as little as possible, and even bring your own tools or disinfectant. Our garden is a wonderful place to be, but please protect our other gardeners as well as yourselves.
Detailed pandemic advice for community gardens, including science-based updates on the virus and tips on how to harvest, share tools, swap seeds and manage work flow is available at this link: CLICK HERE.
Please stay safe and healthy!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
June 6, 2020
We’re asking you to please either send an email opposing the demolition of the Seminole Heights Baptist Church property located at 801 E. Hillsborough Avenue or to attend the Tampa Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) meeting in person, Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 9 a.m. to speak out against the demolition.
The Southeast Seminole Heights Civic Association (SESHCA), Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association (OSHNA), and Heights Urban Core Chamber (HUCC) boards have each voted to oppose a request made to the HPC concerning the demolition of the Seminole Heights Baptist Church property (excluding the Fire Station No. 7 structure, which is no longer part of the demolition proposal).
We ask you to attend the HPC meeting if you can and encourage you to send an email voicing your opinion to Beverly.Jewesak@tampagov.net before June 8, 2020. A suggested template for this email has been included; please feel free to use it as is or edit as you see fit.
“To the members of the City of Tampa Historic Preservation Commission,
I have been informed of the request made to demolish the structures that sit on the Seminole Heights Baptist Church property located at 801 E. Hillsborough Avenue. I believe these structures serve as iconic symbols of the greater Seminole Heights neighborhood and should be listed as local historic landmarks to be maintained rather than bulldozed. These structures are architecturally significant, as well as significant to the history of Seminole Heights and to Tampa. These properties have distinctive character, architectural value, and historical and cultural significance to the city and thus, should qualify for preservation rather than demolition.
Thank you,
< Your Name >
< Your Address >”
MEETING INFO: A hearing regarding this issue will be held on June 9, 2020 at 9am at the Tampa Convention Center, 333 Franklin Street, Meeting Rooms 14-17, 1st Floor. We ask for those able to attend, please voice your opinions in person (a mask will be required to enter the building).
Our next garden planning meeting takes place on Tuesday June 16 at 5:00 pm,
via the Zoom app
In accordance with social distancing guidelines, our planning meetings have gone virtual. Please drop Colleen a note at info.shcg@gmail.com if you’re not already on her distribution list for Zoom sign-in instructions.
The Restorative Nature of the Garden
by Lyrical libBe*
Silk painting artist and longtime garden member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical libBe, shares the inspiration she derives from our garden to carry her through this challenging time. Her thoughts here might help us all to appreciate the special satisfaction that comes from getting close to the earth.
“I feel desperate. My life seems to be useless. I can’t make it like this….” Do you ever feel like this?
When I come to the garden, I am restored. Nature feeds my sense of connectedness to a living world. Our gardeners are generous spirits who restore my faith in humanity and in what we humans can achieve with peaceful co-operation. They restore my faith in myself.
For me, the little children next door are such a delight – they grow like plants and help to water. Their curious minds offer insight into how humans are before adulteration sets in.
Aah – when does play become work? When does work stop being play? When we do it for pay and not for the love of being part of a co-operative effort. Co-operation is the only way for humanity to survive. You know what they say – peace will come, peace will come, let it begin with me.
Our garden on River Terrace is a manifestation of co-operation. Each one brings the gift of themselves and is appreciated for being who they are. I feel appreciated for being who I am. Nature appreciates our co-operative efforts and assuredly co-operates with us giving beans and greens, fruit and peppers, joy and satisfaction.
Saturday gardening is one of the most fulfilling moments of my week. I can breathe again. The meaning of my life is restored (I am here to contribute to our common project. That notion extends beyond the garden, though it is clearly evident in our paradise of co-operation, generosity, shared labor, and joy.) I can manage another week of uncertainty in the loosening lockdown.
Live life love.
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical libBe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE ABOUT VISITING THE GARDEN – Come in with clean hands, wear clean gloves, touch as little as possible, and even bring your own tools or disinfectant. Our garden is a wonderful place to be, but please protect our other gardeners as well as yourselves.
Detailed pandemic advice for community gardens, including science-based updates on the virus and tips on how to harvest, share tools, swap seeds and manage work flow is available at this link: CLICK HERE.
Please stay safe and healthy!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
May 26, 2020
It’s almost the end of the month, and you’re finally receiving a newsletter for May. And so let’s call it an early June newsletter, too. Sorry for the tardiness… your editor didn’t have much access to the computer recently, and admittedly procrastination is always a factor. As such, a couple of timely items went unreported (e.g., International Composting Awareness Month, May 3-9… who knew?), but anyway these are strange days and the most important news is simply that the garden is still beautiful and thriving just the same.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, this is the longest garden newsletter yet.
If ever a peaceful sanctuary from the world was needed, the time is now. And those who have been regularly visiting our community garden know we have created just that place. All of the pictures shown above were shot at the garden within the past two weeks, and we put them together with the hopes they’ll share with you the peace of mind that can be found there. Like we said, it’s beautiful and thriving… come take part, to nurture the garden and nurture your heart and your soul.
Notes from our president… (That’s her, in the next photo.)
Colleen sent this information to us in an email in late April. Reading it over now, it’s still timely and pertinent.
Good morning gardeners!
A big thank you to Tom Spaulding for doing the work of spraying copper sulfate on Sunday. Here’s what you should know:
1. Ethiopian kale – this is what was sprayed, so you must wash the kale leaves well before eating.
2. The other crops are on their way out so we did not spray them. These we must harvest or throw away. This includes: carrots, turnips, mustard greens and bok choy.
3. The Malabar spinach is too far gone at this point. and needs to be thrown out. I’ve taken the seeds to start new plants – we’ll start over. The Red Russian kale does not look healthy and the older Ethiopian kale has gone to seed so we can throw out both of these crops.
4. If you touch anything with the fungus on it, you must wash your hands before touching non-affected things in the garden, otherwise we’re just spreading it. Any plant matter that has fungus on it must be thrown away AND NOT COMPOSTED.
5. The copper sulfate mixture from Rick is hanging at the back of the shed, and is labeled.
6. We may wish to just throw down buckwheat as a ground cover in this section of the garden for the summer. I have a couple pounds of buckwheat from Shell’s. (Added note: This has since been done and the buckwheat is coming up nicely.)
In other news:
1. We still have aphids on the long beans, so feel free to take the bottle in the shed labeled Anti-Aphid and spray those suckers liberally. The spray is a mixture of vegetable oil, Dr. Bronner’s soap and water. The long beans are flowering and producing – eat those beans!
2. We planted sweet potatoes in a section just behind the mulch pile. We staked where the potato slips were planted – please water these!
3. We have okra started and they’re in pots at my house.
4. Please help us sift dirt. We used up all the available dirt in planting the sweet potatoes.
Thank you everyone for keeping our lovely little garden alive!
Be well,
Colleen
Our next garden planning meeting takes place
on Tuesday June 15 at 5:00 pm, via the Zoom app
In accordance with social distancing guidelines, our planning meetings have gone virtual. Please drop Colleen a note at info.shcg@gmail.com if you’re not already on her distribution list for Zoom sign-in instructions.
7 Fun Container Garden Projects Kids Will Love
With everyone looking for a little back-to-the-earth solace, there seems to be a lot of garden-related articles on the internet right now. One example is the Fast Company story about a Princeton study boldly claiming that “home gardening solves everything”. Wow! (Colleen posted a link to it on our Facebook page.)
And here’s another link for you, especially if you are dealing with an abundance of quality time with your kids. Actually, the simple container garden projects described in the article are fun for anyone of any age. Better yet, scroll to the very bottom of the web page for a bunch of other useful grow-at-home tips.
IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE ABOUT VISITING THE GARDEN – Come in with clean hands, wear clean gloves, touch as little as possible, and even bring your own tools or disinfectant. Our garden is a wonderful place to be, but please protect our other gardeners as well as yourselves.
Detailed pandemic advice for community gardens, including science-based updates on the virus and tips on how to harvest, share tools, swap seeds and manage work flow is available at this link: CLICK HERE.
One last garden photo for you…
We planted this Passion Fruit vine last July, to grow up on three trellises constructed and donated by a good friend of Ellen Leedy, Ron Giovannelli (which in turn, makes Ron a good friend of ours). It looks so great today, and it started bearing edible fruit too, so we’re closing out this newsletter with another sincere “thank you” to Ron.
Please stay safe and healthy!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
April 18, 2020
on Tuesday April 21 at 5:00 pm, via the Zoom app
In accordance with social distancing guidelines, our planning meetings have gone virtual. Please drop Colleen a note at info.shcg@gmail.com if you’re not already on her distribution list for Zoom sign-in instructions. (Kind of) see you Tuesday!
Garden Delights by Lyrical libBe*
Silk painting artist and longtime garden member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical libBe, shares the inspiration she derives from our garden to carry her through this challenging time. Her thoughts here might help us all to appreciate the special satisfaction that comes from getting close to the earth.
Hello Fellow Corona Endurants. “Covid-19” the name of the virus, has other implications for me as a gardening woman. CO – that means together, like community. VID – vid is the latin root of words like videre – see, and vida – life.
At the garden we see life, we create life, we share life, and life works with us to flourish, and to prosper our health. For me, 19 is a reference to the 19th amendment – which gives women the vote and an equal franchise with men. That’s how it is at the garden – we work together, men and women enjoying and sharing the necessary tasks.
We who are already members are lucky because during this time of social distancing, those who haven’t already joined us are unable to visit and enjoy what we do at the garden. Members still are in contact by email, text and Zoom meetings. Our solidarity is strong, and our bodies are enjoying the fruits of our labor.
The papayas are a treat, a rich apricot raspberry flesh full of flavor. Dark greens cooked down into a rich mess are fabulous hot or cold – collards, okinawan spinach, spring onion, maybe a last one or two arugula leaves – the arugula is mostly going to seed now. We have one wonderful leafy callaloo, and some seedlings which will continue to give greens through the summer if previous experience holds true at this garden.
We stay a required distance from each other if another gardener happens to turn up. We are always happy at the garden. The garden will still be here after this has passed. Naturally the garden provides that benefit as well – of giving us hope and vision to hold onto, and somewhere peaceful, fulfilling and beautiful outside to go, which is so necessary now and always.
I give thanks for the garden, for the garden participants, and for Tish and Tim who enable the garden to happen.
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical libBe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE ABOUT VISITING THE GARDEN – Come in with clean hands, wear clean gloves, touch as little as possible, and even bring your own tools or disinfectant. Our garden is a wonderful place to be, but please protect our other gardeners as well as yourselves.
Detailed pandemic advice for community gardens, including science-based updates on the virus and tips on how to harvest, share tools, swap seeds and manage work flow is available at this link: CLICK HERE.
Happy Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22
( 50th Anniversary )
Please stay safe and healthy!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
April 10, 2020
The importance of watering: dramatic before and after images
This covid-19 situation has kind of upended our garden routine. Our most recent planning meeting went virtual. And in an effort to stay socially distanced, our weekly Saturday gatherings are officially closed to visitors. But our members still pitch in individually all week long to tend to things, and together we’ve been administering enough TLC to keep the garden looking good overall.
Among the garden tasks needing attention, watering is especially important during this recent spell of dry weather. Here’s a schedule of who is handling watering duties throughout the week… our thanks to each of you!
Sunday: Carolyn Adler
Monday: Ellen Leedy
Tuesday: Neddy Astudillo (a new member, and also her husband Tom Spaulding. Welcome both!)
Wednesday: Marc and Cindy Sutherland
Thursday: Lynelle Bonneville
Friday: Marc and Cindy
Saturday: whomever is in the garden
In addition to their scheduled days, Ellen and Cindy go to the garden numerous times during the week to water when things look dry. It’s frequent irrigation that makes all the difference, and we encourage all members to just drop by anytime that’s convenient to run a hose for a few minutes (* but please see special safeguard instructions at the bottom of this newsletter). With Florida’s sandy soil and sunny days, you can’t overdo it. Thanks again.
Garden Delights by Lyrical libBe*
Silk painting artist and longtime garden member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical libBe, shares the inspiration she derives from our garden to carry her through this challenging time. Her thoughts here might help us all to appreciate the special satisfaction that comes from getting close to the earth.
Hello Fellow Corona Endurants. “Covid-19” the name of the virus, has other implications for me as a gardening woman. CO – that means together, like community. VID – vid is the latin root of words like videre – see, and vida – life.
At the garden we see life, we create life, we share life, and life works with us to flourish, and to prosper our health. For me, 19 is a reference to the 19th amendment – which gives women the vote and an equal franchise with men. That’s how it is at the garden – we work together, men and women enjoying and sharing the necessary tasks.
We who are already members are lucky because during this time of social distancing, those who haven’t already joined us are unable to visit and enjoy what we do at the garden. Members still are in contact by email, text and Zoom meetings. Our solidarity is strong, and our bodies are enjoying the fruits of our labor.
The papayas are a treat, a rich apricot raspberry flesh full of flavor. Dark greens cooked down into a rich mess are fabulous hot or cold – collards, okinawan spinach, spring onion, maybe a last one or two arugula leaves – the arugula is mostly going to seed now. We have one wonderful leafy callaloo, and some seedlings which will continue to give greens through the summer if previous experience holds true at this garden.
We stay a required distance from each other if another gardener happens to turn up. We are always happy at the garden. The garden will still be here after this has passed. Naturally the garden provides that benefit as well – of giving us hope and vision to hold onto, and somewhere peaceful, fulfilling and beautiful outside to go, which is so necessary now and always.
I give thanks for the garden, for the garden participants, and for Tish and Tim who enable the garden to happen.
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical libBe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
Live and Online – Tampa yoga studio in Seminole Heights
Speaking of Tish Ganey, you might already know that she is a registered yoga teacher and over the past couple of years has hosted many early Saturday morning “Yoga In The Garden” sessions for our members. That’s on hiatus for the time being of course, but now you can benefit from her expertise online and in your home. Click here for Tish’s website to see course descriptions, schedules and other details. Just like with gardening, you might discover that yoga can provide you with some much-needed inner peace.
Our next garden planning meeting takes place on Tuesday April 21 at 5:00 pm, via the Zoom app
In accordance with social distancing guidelines, our planning meetings have gone virtual. Please drop Colleen a note at info.shcg@gmail.com if you’re not already on her distribution list for Zoom sign-in instructions.
* IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE ABOUT VISITING THE GARDEN – Come in with clean hands, wear clean gloves, touch as little as possible, and even bring your own tools or disinfectant. Our garden is a wonderful place to be, but please protect our other gardeners as well as yourselves.
Happy Passover and best Easter wishes!
… and please stay safe and healthy.Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
February 14, 2020
February garden planning meeting.
Tomatoes, garden greens, papayas… things are popping and lots need picking.
Now’s the time to get more active and share in this wonderful bounty.
At out monthly meetings, we discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden growing and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome to join us at our next one, Tuesday February 18 at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne) in Community Room A. We start at 6:30 pm… see you there!
Our garden has never been better!
This would be our longest newsletter yet, but fortunately pictures are worth a thousand words. So we’ll let them do the talking… better than any adjectives there are to describe how our garden looks these days. These photos (and the photos accompanying our meeting announcement at the top of the page) were all shot within just the past few weeks. To think we started with a grass-covered empty lot only a couple of years ago. It was work to get us this far, but the work was always more fun than it was hard.
If you’re not a part our garden already, we invite you to join us. It is truly a pleasure to plant, nurture and harvest fresh organic produce for your family’s table, and you’ll also meet a lot of nice people to hang around with. Come see us any Saturday morning and introduce yourself. Bring some friends, too!
Our best wishes to Denise and Alex!
Speaking of nice people, we are overdue in saying, “all the best!” to founding community garden members Denise Moore and Alex Spassoff. A few months ago, they sold their house in Seminole Heights to move to their new home in North Carolina, where Denise tells us she is already at work planning terraced gardens and a garden for butterflies in her backyard.
We again share our special gratitude to Denise for the many years she served as our organization’s president, and hope she and Alex enjoy their new life in the mountains. From their smiles in this photo sent to us, it looks like a happy place to be indeed.
Please look out for our garden critters’ welfare… place buckets and watering cans on their sides.
If a lizard or a frog falls into an upright bucket or can, it’s likely they can’t get back out. The guy shown here is an actual rescue we discovered in the orange pail you see in the background. He was luckily still alive though he’d been floating in a few inches of water for who knows how long. It explains such a close-up shot… he was too tired to scamper off right away.
We’re not crazy about mites and aphids, but the other fauna get a pass. Most are even beneficial to the garden. So please don’t leave a hazard for them when watering. Remember to tip over cans and buckets, or place them upside down. Thanks!!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
January 20, 2020
for our January garden planning meeting.
Our garden never looked better, if we do say so. Tomatoes, garden greens, papayas… things are popping
and lots need picking. Now’s the time to get more active and share in this wonderful bounty.
At out monthly meetings, we discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden growing and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome to join us at the next one, this Tuesday January 21 at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). We start at 6:30 pm… see you there!
Thank you, USF Bulls student volunteers!
They come often and never disappoint. This past Saturday, January 18, a group of USF student volunteers joined us again for three hours of intense gardening activity… spreading mulch, planting seeds, harvesting sweet potatoes, and more. It’s amazing how much work always gets done when the Bulls show up. We can’t say ‘thank you’ enough. Come back anytime!
Attention Garden Members!
(especially those who can’t commit to Saturday gardening time right now):
The garden is simply beautiful! Here are a few things you can do in just a few minutes sometime during the week to keep it going.
We now have the two raised beds in the front part of the garden full of baby salad greens, such as arugula, lettuces, baby beet greens, and baby swiss chard. Bring a pair of scissors with you and just gently cut off the top of the greens, without pulling of the roots. You will be helping us keep these small and tender for a longer period of time as they grow back (and treating yourself to some wonderful fresh produce).
The same thing goes for the three rows of baby kale in front of the first concrete block berm. From left to right, there is a row of mustard greens, then three rows of baby kale, and then three rows of kale that will get full-sized.
We also have ready to harvest: mustard greens, other kales, bok choy, and papayas. Once the papayas get yellow, they won’t last long, so go ahead and take one.
If you see something that that needs water, please give it some. Thanks!
Thoughts for the new year from Lyrical libBe*
As the old year drew to a close, anyone attentive to the news could foresee 2020 shaping up to be a wild ride. An impeachment, a contentious upcoming election, and new tensions overseas… no matter which side you’re on regarding no matter what the issue, it can be dispiriting. So we asked silk painting artist and longtime SHCG member, Lib Mitchell(a.k.a. Lyrical libBe*), to share with us the life-affirming inspiration she draws from her time at our garden and the respite it provides from a seemingly chaotic world. Lib has a gift for expressing the special satisfaction derived from getting close to the earth, so if you too are seeking peace of mind (and who isn’t?), then you’ll take her thoughts to heart. Happy new year to everyone.
Does it sometimes feel hopeless; as if humanity will never get it together before it is too late? And do you go outside to feel restored by connection to light, air and sky, to plants and trees, to living creatures?
Then you are someone who loves and responds to this garden planet. Someone who regrets that “humankind is a desert making species”. (Elisabet Sahtouris). Nature is taking care of herself – flourishing where possible and diminishing her presence where she is abused.
At our garden, nature surrounds us, nature nurtures us, and we work with her, play and delight with her, she feeds us and we feed her.
I bring the compostable material from Whatever Pops, sometimes on a Saturday morning when I enjoy human interaction with others, and some other times when only I am there and I enjoy the peace of nature – just thinking of it makes my breath slow down and my body feel calm.
Sometimes children of various ages come to say hello and look at the worms, discuss ants and their habits, talk about spiders we have known – How my heart is lifted by the presence of young ones whose individual personalities are windows into the roots of the adult world.
These days, I pick arugula, Okinawan spinach (long serrated leaves purple on the underside), Malabar spinach (round dark green leaves); outer leaves of bok choy and kale (the plant responsively, quickly produces more and more leaves growing from the center); I may dig up a turmeric plant to replenish my supply of fresh turmeric root, and I will pick a pepper or two and some small sweet Everglades tomatoes; a papaya may be ready to take home. All of us at the garden experience this bounty of freshness.
And all of us at the garden welcome you to join us, the work is pure enjoyment – I myself enjoy raking aside the mulch to bury the orange peels; I like the vigor I feel when it is mulch-spreading time; I am happy to deal with the muck of the worms. Others rake compost, grow and plant seeds and seedlings, water – you chose what tasks appeal, you come when you wish; Saturday mornings are a time of cheerful community solidarity working to create a future we can imagine – this is no idle dream. This is the idealist in practice. The realist in creation. All are welcome.
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical libBe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
All the best!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
January 5, 2020
Our meeting in December, the garden’s annual Holiday party, was held at the home of Andrew Rock and his wife Nancy Natilson. We had a wonderful time… thanks to both of you for hosting!
We’ll discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden growing and our organization thriving, and everyone is welcome. Our meeting on January 21 starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). See you there!
Attention Garden Members!
(especially those who can’t commit to Saturday gardening time right now):
The garden is simply beautiful! Here are a few things you can do in just a few minutes sometime during the week to keep it going.
We now have the two raised beds in the front part of the garden full of baby salad greens, such as arugula, lettuces, baby beet greens, and baby swiss chard. Bring a pair of scissors with you and just gently cut off the top of the greens, without pulling of the roots. You will be helping us keep these small and tender for a longer period of time as they grow back (and treating yourself to some wonderful fresh produce).
The same thing goes for the three rows of baby kale in front of the first concrete block berm. From left to right, there is a row of mustard greens, then three rows of baby kale, and then three rows of kale that will get full-sized.
We also have ready to harvest: mustard greens, other kales, bok choy, and papayas. Once the papayas get yellow, they won’t last long, so go ahead and take one.
If you see something that that needs water, please give it some. Thanks!
We’re hosting the Coalition of Community Gardens’ quarterly meeting, Thursday January 16
This short note from Coalition president Kitty Wallace tells you everything you need to know. Hope you can make it out to join us.
Our quarterly meeting, 1/16, will be hosted by the Seminole Heights Community Garden, 6114 River Terrace, Tampa. Since the light is fading fast at this time of year, Colleen will be able to take us on a tour of their garden at 5:45. Come at 5:30, if you wish and we can chat until Colleen can get there. You will find an interesting garden beloved by its devoted members. I look forward to seeing you there!
Kitty
And we’re hosting the USF Bulls student volunteers agai on Saturday January 18
Please make a special effort to join us at the garden from 9 am to noon on the 18th, to show our support of the volunteers’ efforts on our behalf. Their energy and enthusiasm is always amazing to witness, and we truly appreciate the students’ dedication to service. Go Bulls!
Thoughts for the new year from Lyrical libBe*
As the old year drew to a close, anyone attentive to the news could foresee 2020 shaping up to be a wild ride. An impeachment, a contentious upcoming election, and new tensions overseas… no matter which side you’re on regarding no matter what the issue, it can be dispiriting. So we asked silk painting artist and longtime SHCG member, Lib Mitchell(a.k.a. Lyrical libBe*), to share with us the life-affirming inspiration she draws from her time at our garden and the respite it provides from a seemingly chaotic world. Lib has a gift for expressing the special satisfaction derived from getting close to the earth, so if you too are seeking peace of mind (and who isn’t?), then you’ll take her thoughts to heart. Happy new year to everyone.
Does it sometimes feel hopeless; as if humanity will never get it together before it is too late? And do you go outside to feel restored by connection to light, air and sky, to plants and trees, to living creatures?
Then you are someone who loves and responds to this garden planet. Someone who regrets that “humankind is a desert making species”. (Elisabet Sahtouris). Nature is taking care of herself – flourishing where possible and diminishing her presence where she is abused.
At our garden, nature surrounds us, nature nurtures us, and we work with her, play and delight with her, she feeds us and we feed her.
I bring the compostable material from Whatever Pops, sometimes on a Saturday morning when I enjoy human interaction with others, and some other times when only I am there and I enjoy the peace of nature – just thinking of it makes my breath slow down and my body feel calm.
Sometimes children of various ages come to say hello and look at the worms, discuss ants and their habits, talk about spiders we have known – How my heart is lifted by the presence of young ones whose individual personalities are windows into the roots of the adult world.
These days, I pick arugula, Okinawan spinach (long serrated leaves purple on the underside), Malabar spinach (round dark green leaves); outer leaves of bok choy and kale (the plant responsively, quickly produces more and more leaves growing from the center); I may dig up a turmeric plant to replenish my supply of fresh turmeric root, and I will pick a pepper or two and some small sweet Everglades tomatoes; a papaya may be ready to take home. All of us at the garden experience this bounty of freshness.
And all of us at the garden welcome you to join us, the work is pure enjoyment – I myself enjoy raking aside the mulch to bury the orange peels; I like the vigor I feel when it is mulch-spreading time; I am happy to deal with the muck of the worms. Others rake compost, grow and plant seeds and seedlings, water – you chose what tasks appeal, you come when you wish; Saturday mornings are a time of cheerful community solidarity working to create a future we can imagine – this is no idle dream. This is the idealist in practice. The realist in creation. All are welcome.
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical libBe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
All the best!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
November 30, 2019
Member Carolyn Adler will again host the Mosiac Artists Collective Artscapade at her home studio. Check out unique pieces created by talented artists from our Seminole Heights neighborhood. Artwork will be for sale, so a perfect opportunity to cross a few Christmas gift recipients off your list. See you there!
And here’s another reminder for
an additional December event of interest…
Member Andrew Rock invites us to join him at a special meditation workshop next Saturday, December 7. This is a free event sponsored by the Florida Buddhist Climate Action Network.
Finally, one last December reminder
exclusively for Garden Members…
Garden members should have received an Evite to our annual party this past Monday. Check your email inbox and be sure to RSVP as soon as possible If you didn’t get your Evite, please drop us a note to be included… info.shcg@gmail.com. Our special thanks to Andrew and Nancy for hosting the event at their house this year.
Lend a hand, make some friends, and help
our garden grow. Saturday mornings.
Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden.
We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us as often as you can. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated.
We look forward to seeing you. Happy Holidays!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
November 18, 2019
November 19. Please join us!
We’ll discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden growing and our organization thriving, and everyone is welcome. Our meeting tomorrow starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Room 105. See you there!
Three events for your December calendar…
#1 — Member Carolyn Adler hosts her annual Mosiac Artists Collective Artscapade. Check out unique pieces created by talented artists from our Seminole Heights neighborhood. Artwork will be for sale, so a perfect opportunity to cross a few Christmas gift recipients off your list.
#2 – Member Andrew Rock invites us to join him at a special meditation workshop. This is a free event is sponsored by the Florida Buddhist Climate Action Network.
#3 – And finally… pencil in Sunday, December 15 for this year’s Garden Holiday party.
This date is all we have to share with you right now, but more details will follow shortly… time, place, etc. We will work it all out at tomorrow’s planning meeting and fill you in. So stay tuned and don’t let your other holiday plans get in the way.
Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings.
Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden.
We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us as often as you can. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated.
We look forward to seeing you.
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 11, 2019
November 19. Please join us!
We’ll discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden growing and our organization thriving, and everyone is welcome. Our meeting next Tuesday starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Room 105. See you there!
We’re back in the news again.
A journalism student at USF, Sonju Trivedi, invited us to participate in an article and video she is producing for the online publication 83 Degrees. As Sonju describes it, “I wanted to cover your community garden and how it benefits people and brings them together”. Should be the perfect project because we have lots to share with her. We’ll keep you posted, and certainly provide a link to the feature when it appears.
Pencil in Sunday, December 15 on your calendar… the likely date for this year’s
garden Christmas party.
This date is all we have to share with you right now, but more details will follow shortly… time, place, etc. It’s always a fun evening… we can share that with confidence, too, so stay tuned and don’t let your other holiday plans get in the way.
Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings.
Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden.
We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us as often as you can.
Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated.
We look forward to seeing you!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
October 6, 2019
at Hampton Station Pizza.
We’ll discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden growing and our organization thriving, and everyone is welcome. Our meeting is earlier this month than usual… it’s this Monday, October 7, starting at 6:30 pm… and were holding it at someplace different, too, the Hampton Station Pizzeria, 5921 N. Nebraska Avenue (just south of Publix). See you there!
We did it again!
Congratulations to all of us, and thanks to everyone who voted in this year’s Creative Loafing Reader’s Pick Award for Best Community Garden. It’s our second time earning this accolade, having previously won the Best of the Bay in 2017. The garden keeps getting better, and it looks like people are taking notice!
Attention garden lovers: mark the date,
Sunday October 27
The 3rd Annual Seminole Heights Garden Tour is coming up on October 27th from 1 pm to 5 pm. Our community garden isn’t among the list of stops this time around, but we thought you’d be interested just the same. You’re likely to come away with lots of inspiring ideas for your own garden at home, and will probably run into some of your like-minded friends along the way.
Tickets are available for a suggested donation of $20 in advance and $25 the day of the event. Tickets can be purchased from Eventbrite or the Seminole Heights Library.
This event raises funds for the Friends of the Seminole Heights Library and funds Summer Fest and other activities that are offered at the Library.
Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings.
Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden.
We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us as often as you can.
Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated.
We look forward to seeing you!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
October 4, 2019
Join us Monday October 7 at Hampton Station.
We’ll discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden growing and our organization thriving, and everyone is welcome. Our meeting is earlier this month than usual… Monday, October 7, starting at 6:30 pm… and this month were mixing it up even more by holding it at the Hampton Station Pizzeria, 5921 N. Nebraska Avenue (just south of Publix). See you there!
We did it again!
Congratulations to all of us, and thanks to everyone who voted in this year’s Creative Loafing Reader’s Pick Award for Best Community Garden. It’s our second time earning this accolade, having previously won the Best of the Bay in 2017. The garden keeps getting better, and it looks like people are taking notice!
Take in a little jazz music, while helping teach kids how to grow food
Garden member Lib Mitchell (a.k.a. lyrical libBe) received this notice from a friend of hers, and thought we should pass it along. Sounds like a good time for jazz fans and supports a worthy cause, the Seedfolks Afterschool and Summer Program (described below the graphic).
The Seedfolks Afterschool and Summer program gives students opportunities to learn how to grow food while developing leadership skills. Volunteers have been working with 3rd and 4th graders at Edison Elementary School in East Tampa. It’s a lovely historic school located 1607 E Curtis St. off of Osborne Ave. This fall crops at Edison include sweet potatoes, okra, collards, pineapple, beans, carrots, kale, basil, rosemary, lemongrass. Food forest trees include starfruit, avocado, mulberry, Japanese plum, banana and mango.
More event info by clicking here.
Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings.
Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden.
We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us as often as you can.
Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated.
We look forward to seeing you!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
September 15, 2019
We’ll discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden growing and our organization thriving, and everyone is welcome. Our meeting on Tuesday starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Room 220. See you there!
Our special thanks to Pat O’Shea…
…for joining us at our last planning meeting in August. She’s a Hillsborough County Master Gardener with expertise in planning and planting gardens to benefit butterflies. As we set about our own pollinator garden project, we were glad she took the time to share her vast knowledge.
In a follow-up email, Pat shared these useful links with us, too. Good info you might enjoy perusing…
http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/mastergardener/
https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/
https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/hillsborough/
And thanks once again too, to our
student volunteer friends from USF!
They returned on Saturday September 7 to help us trim, weed, spread wood mulch, and more… three early morning hours of intense people power to assist as we prepare for some new fall planting. What a bighearted, hard working bunch. Our garden is looking great…GO BULLS! You’re welcome back anytime.
Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings.
Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden.
We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us as often as you can.
Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated.
We look forward to seeing you!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
August 29, 2019
We need your vote for Creative Loafing’s
Best of the Bay award!
We’re up for Creative Loafing magazine’s Best of the Bay award again (we won in 2017) – and we’re the only community garden nominated from Tampa! Please vote – and help spread the word. Convince friends and family to vote as well 🙂 This is posted on the Garden facebook page so feel free to share from there. Link is below.
Check out Seminole Heights Community Garden. Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2019…
https://cltampa.secondstreetapp.com/og/c268655b-e497-40a9-a89c-bbc8a763947f/gallery/170749998 Thanks!
The USF student volunteers return for another Stampede of Service, Saturday September 7
USF’s student volunteers have helped us out at the garden numerous times over the past several years as part of the university’s ongoing Stampede of Service program. They scheduled a return visit on Saturday, September 7 from 9 am to noon, and we’re anticipating a team of seven participants this time.
The program is now focused on the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals and our garden projects were selected in support of two of them: Goal 11- Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Goal 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production. Additionally, we promised to assign garden projects that will help the students develop their career readiness skills, specifically teamwork collaboration and professionalism/work ethic.
So a win for the students, a win for the garden, and even a win for a better world. Please make an extra effort to be on hand to welcome our volunteers and provide some friendly guidance, Saturday September 7. As always, our deepest gratitude to USF. Go Bulls!
Mark your calendar now for our next planning meeting, Tuesday, September 17
We schedule the evening of the third Tuesday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden growing and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting on September 17 starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Room 220. See you there!
Our special thanks to Pat O’Shea…
…for joining us at our last planning meeting in August. She’s a Hillsborough County Master Gardener with expertise in planning and planting gardens to benefit butterflies. As we set about our own pollinator garden project, we were glad she took the time to share her vast knowledge.
In a follow-up email, Pat shared these useful links with us, too. Good info you might enjoy perusing…
http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/mastergardener/
https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/
https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/hillsborough/
Finally, to return the favor of her visit, we’re sharing Pat’s online contact info with you. A little free promotion for her — as you can see, Pat is also a professional pet sitter, so look her up if your cats need some TLC while you’re away from the house.
Pat O’Shea =^..^= www.kittensittin.biz / https://www.facebook.com/kittensittinbiz/
Happy Labor Day! See you at the garden on Saturday!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
August 19, 2019
Join us for our planning meeting at the library,
this Tuesday August 20.
We schedule the evening of the third Tuesday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden growing and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. This time, there will be special emphasis on the pollinator garden we’ve been working on for the past month or so. And we invited a special guest to lend some expertise… Hillsborough County Master Gardener Pat O’Shea will give guidance to the best plant choices and planting practices to attract the most butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. Our meeting on August 20 starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Room 220. See you there!
The deadline is looming. We need your vote for
Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay award!
We’re up for Creative Loafing magazine’s Best of the Bay award again (we won in 2017) – and we’re the only community garden from Tampa! Please vote – and help spread the word. Convince friends and family to vote as well 🙂 This is posted on the Garden facebook page so feel free to share from there. Link is below.
Check out Seminole Heights Community Garden. Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2019…
https://cltampa.secondstreetapp.com/og/c268655b-e497-40a9-a89c-bbc8a763947f/gallery/170749998 Thanks!
Check out our revamped website
We’ve discussed it for a while, but now it’s finally here. Our website has been updated with a static landing page and a new look that truly captures the spirit of our beautiful, inviting community garden. Have a peek by clicking the homepage screen capture pictured here. And special kudos to Colleen for her talent and tenacity to make this happen. Our garden president seems to have a pretty good eye for web design!
Attention garden lovers: mark the date, Sunday October 27
The 3rd Annual Seminole Heights Garden Tour is coming up on October 27th from 1 pm to 5 pm. Our community garden isn’t among the list of stops this time around, but we thought you’d be interested just the same. You’re likely to come away with lots of inspiring ideas for your own garden at home, and will probably run into some of your like-minded friends along the way.
Tickets are available for a suggested donation of $20 in advance and $25 the day of the event. Tickets can be purchased from Eventbrite or the Seminole Heights Library starting next week.
This event raises funds for the Friends of the Seminole Heights Library and funds Summer Fest and other activities that are offered at the Library.
See you at the meeting. See you at the garden. All the best!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
August 11, 2019
Join us for our planning meeting at the library,
Tuesday August 20.
We schedule the evening of the third Tuesday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden growing and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. This time, there will be special emphasis on the pollinator garden we’ve been working on for the past month or so. And we invited a special guest to lend some expertise… Hillsborough County Master Gardener Pat O’Shea will give guidance to the best plant choices and planting practices to attract the most butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. Our meeting on August 20 starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Room 220. See you there!
We need your vote for Creative Loafing’s
Best of the Bay award!
We’re up for Creative Loafing magazine’s Best of the Bay award again (we won in 2017) – and we’re the only community garden from Tampa! Please vote – and help spread the word. Convince friends and family to vote as well 🙂 This is posted on the Garden facebook page so feel free to share from there. Link is below.
Check out Seminole Heights Community Garden. Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2019…
https://cltampa.secondstreetapp.com/og/c268655b-e497-40a9-a89c-bbc8a763947f/gallery/170749998 Thanks!
Lyrical libBe* shares her love for the garden
Silk painting artist and longtime garden member, Lib Mitchell, a.k.a. Lyrical libBe, finds inspiration in the garden that can be said to be almost spiritual. Probably all gardeners do, but she has a gift for expressing it in a way that helps us all to realize the special satisfaction that comes from getting close to the earth. Here’s libBe’s latest…
I love plants that will feed the multitudes. I foresee a future in which groceries are not so easily available in the stores, when humankind is striving to survive a calamity. Calamities are happening around the globe – people still have to eat.
I love plants that will feed the multitudes. I love being part of a community effort to create local resiliency by growing our own food. I love eating the variety of delicious fresh greens the garden provides. Most of all, I love co-operating with nature in a garden.
Here in the garden it is not work, it is joy to move the mulch, foster the plants, feed the worms, and share the labor and the fruits of it with others.
Malabar Spinach is now flourishing in the rainy summer season, when other tender greens will not grow.
Popalo, from Cuba, is delicious and tender. Collards are flourishing. There’s some callaloo (green amarynth food staple in Jamaica). It is hardy in the wet and hot season. It seems to have crossbred with the red amaranth (a food staple in South America), hardy in the drought. At the garden, the green leaved callaloo has a red amaranth flower instead of the more common pale yellow flower/seed head.
Cindy’s Herb Garden efforts are creating a flourishing area, with a gazing ball to boot.
Variety in food sources creates a healthy microbiome – essential to gut health and mental health too.
I eat the greens straight off the bush (I like Kefir and KimChee too).
I love the garden. Find us there any Saturday morning. At 9.30 am, join Garden members for serene and joyous, free yoga… a half hour with Tish of Take Me to the River Yoga Studio.
As our community grows and we grow older, the grandparents can sit under the papayas to watch the little ones play, rearranging the pretty stones, and planting or repotting on the child size table. Children can help in the garden. Ellen, a professional photographer, inspires the young ones and patiently poses for shot after shot until shooing the amateur away so she can finish sifting the compost.
A garden is a place of love where the community heals and is healthy.
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical libBe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
See you at the garden. All the best!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
July 10, 2019
Colleen presides at the June meeting held at the local 7venth Sun Brewery.
A good turnout, with a couple of new faces in attendance!
We schedule the evening of the third Tuesday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden growing and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting on July 16 starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Room 220. See you there!
Help us create a butterfly garden
There’s a patch of land at the back of our site that is calling out to us for a butterfly garden. We need one… the butterfly garden at our previous location on Highland Street was a big hit with the local pollinators. The butterflies are beautiful to look at, and we don’t need to tell you how essential they are for the well-being of our planet.
We have some things to start with, including a new wooden trellis and a donated butterfly house, but we need a vision for the butterfly garden layout and a little expertise from someone who knows a thing or two about the kind of native plants that butterflies love.
We’re offering up this project for someone who desires to make a tangible contribution to our endeavors, and to our neighborhood and the environment. Come to our meeting on Tuesday and we can talk about with you in detail.
We’ve got curb appeal.
Members, and even friends of members, are making our community garden more attractive by the day. Here are two examples: First, a thriving herb garden visible through our entrance way designed and constructed by Cindy Sutherland. She laid the brick pattern that divides the different herbs by type, and created the gazing ball pedestal from clear glass vases she bought at Goodwill (inspiration compliments of Pinterest).
Cindy also planted the passion fruit vine growing up on the three trellises shown to the right. These lattice trellises were built and donated by a good friend of Ellen Leedy, Ron Giovannelli. Thank you, Ron!… they work great to cordon off our garden from our neighbor’s driveway on our west side.
Ron also built us the fourth trellis that we mentioned in the butterfly garden article above. This one is horizontal, not vertical and we hope to put it to use soon. Thanks again to both Cindy and Ron!
See you this Saturday morning. See you next Tuesday evening. All the best!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
June 13, 2019
We schedule the evening of the third Tuesday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting on June 18 starts at 6:30 pm, and this time it’s at our local 7venth Sun Brewery, 6809 N Nebraska Avenue, just a little south of Sligh Avenue. Join us!
We’re the Best!
We won Creative Loafing’s Reader’s Poll in 2017, and the magazine is now tallying votes for 2019. If you think we deserve the accolade again, you can cast your ballot through June 26th. Click here to make your voice heard.
New inspiration from Lyrical libBe*
Gardening isn’t just a practical matter. In addition to acquiring food for our tables, the garden nourishes the soul. To that end, member Lib Mitchell often muses about gardening’s meditative and even spiritual side, and shares her thoughts as “Lyrical libBe” (Be Liberated). Here’s her latest…
What is it about community? The commons?
I like to have a happy story to tell myself – it is my way of coping with the cognitive dissonance of living such a privileged life when I know millions of others do not.
Once upon a time and in my heart, land is not owned, it is regarded as Mother. We are part of a living system, the web of life is not an analogy. It is our living network.
Stories were told about features of the landscape, how spirits, gods, goddesses, ancestral beings formed the land during their humanlike interactions.
12,000 years ago, the stable climate of the Anthropocene enabled more complex societies. Writing was developed. Some people moved from the land into cities, and away from their natal land. Their stories moved with them and become disassociated from the land. The characters in the stories become gods and godesses who live(d) in a different realm than this our earth.
Monotheism arose. We lost our connection to Earth as a living mother.
Still for a while the unowned land was the commons, until conquerors drove the Irish from their commons and the British fenced in the common lands, and the Americans stop New Zealanders from accessing the beach now they own the farm land around the coast.
First people, and futurenow people live in rootedness with and on our mother Earth. Whether we share it like Tish and Tim, or like me, work together to make a common garden with others. In the community garden, paradise is lived daily. We are the beings who shape the land and the future.
When I returned the compost buckets to Whatever Pops, a group of muralists – kids and mentors – were working on a mural on the north side of the building. I love to see this kind of community activity. One of the participants told me of a community garden in Ybor who might also help to take out the compostable materials from Whatever Pops. Nature creates no waste – I wish our culture didn’t. I’m working on it.
If YOU have time on a Wednesday for example and YOU want to pick up the fruit matter and bring it to the garden, dump it on the cardboard and cover it with mulch – please be in touch! I’d love to tell you all about it and show you exactly how. Whatever Pops could give us twice or three times as much matter – I just can’t cope with more than four or five buckets a week.
See you in Paradise!
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical libBe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
How to Win Friends & Influence Produce…
now is the time to become
a Community Garden member.
Why now? Why not now? Stop procrastinating already. Those who have joined will tell you that we’re an open and friendly bunch and that the garden is not only bountiful foodwise but also calming and well, kind of fun. Should be an easy decision.
Still tentative? Then just come hang around with us for a few Saturday mornings before you make any kind of commitment. Or come to our planning meeting next Tuesday and introduce yourself to some our more actively engaged members.
Here’s what you need to know. Young and older are welcome, we’re totally accepting gender/race/etc./etc., and you don’t have to be a resident of Seminole Heights. Some members dig in hard, others are more laid back. Beyond a bare minimum of hours asked of our members each growing season, it’s up to you how much or little you want to do.
Does this sound like we are desperate and pleading for new members? Well, we’re not really, but we are concerned that we have so much to offer yet aware that so many prospects just seem to be walking the fence. Frankly, if you’re one of those people you are simply missing out. We even have more stuff to harvest right now… lots of collards and kale… than members who want to eat it all (we told you it’s bountiful foodwise).
So click here now, or reach out to our president, Colleen Parker, at info.shcg@gmail.com Or come to our meeting Tuesday, or to a garden session on Saturday. But get off the fence…we know from firsthand experience that S.H.C.G. membership makes life just a little more rewarding.
Help us create a butterfly garden
There’s a patch of land at the back of our site that is calling out to us for a butterfly garden. We need one… the butterfly garden at our previous location on Highland Street was a big hit with the local pollinators. The butterflies are beautiful to look at, and we don’t need to tell you how essential they are for the well-being of our planet.
We have some things to start with, including a new wooden trellis and a donated butterfly house, but we need a vision for the butterfly garden layout and a little expertise from someone who knows a thing or two about the kind of native plants that butterflies love.
So we just invited you to join the garden in the article above this one, and now we’re offering up this project for someone who desires to make a tangible contribution to our endeavors. And to our neighborhood and the environment. Opportunity knocks to get involved with our wonderful organization.
Thanks, and all the best,
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
May 19, 2019
We schedule the evening of the third Tuesday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting on May 21 starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Room 220.
New inspiration from Lyrical libBe*
Gardening isn’t just a practical matter. In addition to acquiring food for our tables, the garden nourishes the soul. To that end, member Lib Mitchell often muses about gardening’s meditative and even spiritual side, and shares her thoughts as “Lyrical libBe” (Be Liberated). Here’s her latest…
“Tish and Tim are the (community garden) landowners. I am a villager. I am SOOO happy to pick up the compost at Whatever Pops – someone there is happy to feel part of creating soil, being “linked-in” to the community. When the buckets go and are emptied and returned – at least not all the waste is wasted. We are behaving like Nature. She who knows there is no waste.
Tish and Tim participate in the garden, Tish teaches yoga for free on Saturday mornings, and Tim does what is required. I have gathered the Egyptian kale seeds, they are the second crop of seeds this year. The late bloomers perhaps. I tell Tish I will put them in a paper bag and wait for the seeds to fall out, shaking it to help, then add the seeds to the ones in the little jar marked Egyptian kale 2019.
If we lose our home in a hurricane, I hope I will find my seed stores. If our children’s children – still little ones – find themselves in a time when trucks no longer bring packets of seed from afar, and the seed store is a long walk from home anyway – and if at that time the collection of seeds has become an enjoyable part of life with gardening – may those seeds find a fertile soil and a pleasant climate and a season to grow and feed the darling humans and the animals they co-exist with.
Becky brings her bucket of compost to contribute. Today it has lettuce leaves and some tomatoes that got too ripe. I dump it in the area which is being mulched in, pulling out the paper towels – we do not like to put bleached white paper towels in our compost areas – although they do break down, Becky assures me.
She puts them in her turnbarrel compost maker. How nice of her to contribute to the community garden even when she has a composter of her own. Nature is so plentiful, and when we are one with her, not wasting but recycling we are creating the strength and resilience that will enable us to have a chance of surviving the climate events that are already happening.”
Elizabeth E Mitchell, *a.k.a. Lyrical libBe (Be Liberated)
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
(Lib also sent us this link to an article about solarizing… a chemical-free way to keep pesky bugs from devouring your garden. Smart info, courtesy of our friends at Shell’s Feed & Garden Supply.)
How to Win Friends & Influence Produce… now is the time to become a Community Garden member.
Why now? Why not now? Stop procrastinating already. Those who have joined will tell you that we’re an open and friendly bunch and that the garden is not only bountiful foodwise but also calming and well, kind of fun. Should be an easy decision.
Still tentative? Then just come hang around with us for a few Saturday mornings before you make any kind of commitment. Or come to our planning meeting at the library this Tuesday and introduce yourself to some our more actively engaged members.
Here’s what you need to know. Young and older are welcome, we’re totally accepting gender/race/etc./etc., and you don’t have to be a resident of Seminole Heights. Some members dig in hard, others are more laid back. Beyond a bare minimum of hours asked of our members each growing season, it’s up to you how much or little you want to do.
Marilyn shows how to make garden maintenance easy
Does this sound like we are desperate and pleading for new members? Well, we’re not really, but we are concerned that we have so much to offer yet aware that so many prospects just seem to be walking the fence. Frankly, if you’re one of those people you are simply missing out. We even have more stuff to harvest right now… lots of collards and kale… than members who want to eat it all (we told you it’s bountiful foodwise).
So click here now, or reach out to our president, Colleen Parker, at info.shcg@gmail.com Or come to our meeting Tuesday, or to a garden session on Saturday. But get off the fence…we know from firsthand experience that S.H.C.G. membership makes life just a little more rewarding.
This sweet little kitty needs a loving home.
The previous article made mention of desperation and pleading. This article is all about it. Your garden newsletter editor has been feeding this kitten (probably female) for a few weeks now, and it’s truly a great cat. Likes being petted and talked to, and even sits on your lap. It’s ear is tipped, so that means that she has been fixed and given shots. No chip though; we checked.
But Cindy and I have enough cats hanging around already, so hopefully you’re in the market for a new family member. Contact Marc at msuther1@tampabay.rr.com… hey, I’ll even throw in a few cans of Fancy Feast. Limited time offer; first come, first served (ha!).
Thanks, and all the best,
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
May 13, 2019
You’re invited to join us! Here’s a copy-paste of an email we received from the Coalition that gives you all the details (we also know that the agenda for the meeting will include a garden tour, update on the Garden Steps project, and planning for next year’s a Coalition activities)…
Greetings garden friends,
Just as a reminder that this Thursday May 16th is the Coalition of Community Gardens quarterly meeting which will be hosted at the Riverhills garden from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
Please bring extra chairs if you have them. We are providing light refreshments and snacks. I am planning – or more so hoping to bring- a lightly sweetened lemon grass ice tea from my home garden. If you happen to have a crop that just won’t quit, feel free to cook it up and share your delicious harvest with our guests.
Come out and meet fellow community gardeners from throughout Tampa Bay! If you haven’t had a chance to meet Ms. Kitty Wallace, she is a real cool lady and I imagine there are lots of other neat folks in her group to connect with and learn from. You may have even heard her on a WMNF show at some point.
Visit the Coalition of Community Gardens website to learn more!
For those who will be joining us for the very first time the Riverhills Garden is located East of the tennis courts (or I guess pickle ball courts now). You can also find parking on Broxburn Ave, Temple Terrace, FL 33617 next to Boy Scout Park.
Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.
Best,
Shelby
SDAlinsky813@gmail.com
And the next S.H.C.G. Planning Meeting is Tuesday, May 21 at 6:30 pm. Please join us.
We schedule the evening of the third Tuesday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting on May 21 starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Room 220.
Lend us a hand, make some friends,
and help our garden grow.
Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden.
We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us as often as you can.
Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated.
We look forward to seeing you!
All the best,
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
April 26, 2019
Saturday April 27, 10:00 to 11:30 am
All are invited to come to the Garden and create a piece of artwork inspired by the beauty of nature around you. Many supplies will be available – lots of colors of paint, oil pastel crayons, scissors, glue, and pictures for collage. Paint on paper or cardboard, palm fronds or rocks. Local artists will be assisting. Plein Air painters are welcome. No charge, but donations towards the supplies are appreciated. We are looking forward to meeting you and showing you the garden!
Thank you, Davis Islands Garden Club!
Garden members Doris Gagner and Ellen Leedy hosted the Davis Islands Garden Club for a visit on April 19th. The Davis Islands Garden Club has been incredibly generous, helping us fund important improvements as we develop our space: our water stations and the new entrance to our garden (see below!).
Doris described their visit…
“It was an amazing morning! The weather was perfect … the garden looked beautiful. We had several members of the garden club show up, and they would also like to pop in on a Saturday morning to garden with us. I don’t know who had a better time … them or us!”
So, if you haven’t been to the garden lately, you’re in for a pleasant discovery. Our new entrance way is simply beautiful. Here’s a better look, but come by and see it firsthand. Our garden is shaping up into something to truly make our members proud.
New inspiration from Lyrical LibBe*
“On Saturday morning, there was no-one at the garden but me. Many others were out of town or otherwise disposed.
I was not alone because there were the plants I talk to, the small Venezuelan Sweet Pepper plants I have grown from seed, and the Cuban Popalo grown from my friend’s seeds — a tasty small leafed green once it gets flourishing. I have a gathering of five or six survivors I greet and encourage. I admire Papaya’s fruit slowly growing larger; and pumpkin’s flowers — encouraging them to blossom and flourish and fruit by giving some worm tea.
There were the worms which are flourishing with the banana peels from Whatever Pops & Bowls and the old, outer leaves from the collards and other plants in the big garden.
If you get YES magazine (issue 89, Spring 2019) you will have read how good it is for OUR health, to be in the garden with dirt in our fingernails. How good it is for GARDEN health to have worms creating micro organisms which help to stabilize the soil. And in fact how proper soil husbandry could reduce carbon in the atmosphere by a plentiful percentage. Tilling and cutting through the top layer of soil is not good husbandry. We are losing topsoil at an alarming rate because of agribusiness.
One of the most wonderful things for me, was scraping back the leaves in the orange peel area to drop in some more fresh peels and finding huge healthy earth worms with lots of little ones in the rich dark dirt which is soon created by decaying citrus. I didn’t put the citrus there; the worm box worms – red wigglers – don’t like citrus, so I guess these earthworms won’t either. I buried it in another less worm rich area. I have been putting orange peel onto that sandy Florida dirt and covering it with wood mulch and leaves for about 18 months, and there is good soil with earth worms already.
Gardening makes me feel optimistic.
cheers, lib”
Elizabeth E Mitchell
Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
www.elizabethmitchellstudio.com
* Be liberated
See you tomorrow. All the best!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
April 10, 2019
Our next monthly planning meeting is
Tuesday, April 16
First, we misread the calendar and booked the wrong date in April to meet at the library. Then we announced the wrong date in our last newsletter. To make matters worse, when we contacted the library to re-book a room with the correct date (April 16th), we were told there were no spaces available for us.
So let’s make lemonade from lemons, and meet at one of our favorite craft beer halls instead. Mark your calendar for next Tuesday, April 16 at Seventh Sun Brewery, starting at 6:30 pm. It’s at 6809 North Nebraska Avenue, just a little south of Sligh.
All members welcome, but also anyone who simply wants to learn more about our thriving organization. See you there!
The date is coming up fast… don’t miss it!
Art in the Garden returns,
Saturday April 27, 10:00 to 11:30 am
All are invited to come to the Garden and create a piece of artwork inspired by the beauty of nature around you. Many supplies will be available – lots of colors of paint, oil pastel crayons, scissors, glue, and pictures for collage. Paint on paper or cardboard, palm fronds or rocks. Local artists will be assisting. Plein Air painters are welcome. No charge, but donations towards the supplies are appreciated. We are looking forward to meeting you and showing you the garden!
Do you enjoy good music?
Here’s an invitation again to join your friends at the Wine Bar Cafe to enjoy some sublime jazz performed live by garden member/singer Denise Moore, and accompanied by keyboardist Billy Marcus. Saturday, April 27, 7:00 to 10:00 pm.
* * * * *
Or for tastes leaning classical, Lib Mitchell
(a.k.a. Lyrical libBE) sent this:
“An excellent performer in an intimate space… please share this info with those lovers of classical music in your acquaintance.
Friends, we have a new musical talent coming to us through the Chopin Project. Igor Lovchinsky will bring us an evening with Chopin, Gershwin and more. We welcome a donation of $20 or what is possible. Please share and bring some new folks to this wonderful musical opportunity!” Lib Mitchell
All the best!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
April 4, 2019
So many events! Let’s start with the biggest, our 10th BIRTHDAY OPEN HOUSE in conjunction with our annual Earth Day celebration.
Thanks to Denise and Doris for putting together a flier that tells you all about it. Here it is, with all the details for your calendar… come out, and bring some friends, too!
Next up is our monthly planning meeting,
Tuesday, April 23
Once again, we’ll get together at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Room 105. Please come out and contribute your thoughts and ideas. All members welcome, but also anyone who simply wants to learn more about our thriving organization.
Then Art in the Garden returns,
Saturday April 27, 10:00 to 11:30 am
All are invited to come to the Garden and create a piece of artwork inspired by the beauty of nature around you. Many supplies will be available – lots of colors of paint, oil pastel crayons, scissors, glue, and pictures for collage. Paint on paper or cardboard, palm fronds or rocks. Local artists will be assisting. Plein Air painters are welcome. No charge, but donations towards the supplies are appreciated. We are looking forward to meeting you and showing you the garden!
Ready for more music?
Not a link to a song this time, but rather an invitation again to join your friends at the Wine Bar Cafe to enjoy some sublime jazz performed live by garden member/singer Denise Moore, and accompanied by keyboardist Billy Marcus. Saturday, April 27, 7:00 to 10:00 pm.
* * * * *
Or for tastes leaning classical, Lib Mitchell
(a.k.a. Lyrical libBE) sent this:
“An excellent performer in an intimate space… please share this info with those lovers of classical music in your acquaintance.
Friends, we have a new musical talent coming to us through the Chopin Project. Igor Lovchinsky will bring us an evening with Chopin, Gershwin and more. We welcome a donation of $20 or what is possible. Please share and bring some new folks to this wonderful musical opportunity!” Lib Mitchell
And finally, some news about our friends at Sweetwater Organic Community Farm
FYI, we are copying you with some correspondence sent from Sweetwater Farm to Community Garden Coalition president, Kitty Wallace. She asked us to pass it along.
Hello Kitty,
I wanted to let you know Sweetwater Organic Community Farm is relaunching its Sunday market this Sunday, April 7th. It will run for the rest of the season through the last weekend of May. In this moment Sweetwater is very low in produce after closing in January. I would like to invite your members to vend at our Sunday market. Also if you have any other ideas I would be interested to hear them as well. We are also open to the idea of a community garden onsite at Sweetwater. If your members or affiliates are interested in vending at the market they should contact Gail Eggeman of the St Petersburg Saturday Morning Market at: gaileggeman@gmail.com.
Also I would like to invite your members and affilates to refer to our facebook or website for upcoming classes, workshop and events. Maybe some of your members would like to give a class at Sweetwater.
We have office space leasing potential and future onsite co-housing opportunities starting in June, they can reach out to me if they are interested.
We are looking for farmers. The Childrens home is four acres, maybe a smaller space would interest someone, more of a co-farming opportunity.
Also, we have Pesto Festo coming up on April 27th. This is a fundraising festival that is a great event to bring the community together, with live music, great food and a lot of fun.
Last week we saved Sweetwater farm after raising $110,000 in four days, but we are not out of the woods yet. We would like to payoff Rick’s mortgage of $330,000 and explore the idea of building a commercial kitchen, 20 tiny houses and more. We are looking for more short term or long term community investors. “Slow money investors!” Take care and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Chris Kenrick, Sweetwater Organic Community Farm
727.212.2883
All the best!
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
February 8, 2019
Planting and harvesting garnet sweet potatoes, before and after… another plan comes together at the garden.
We schedule the evening of the third Tuesday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden growing and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting on February 19 starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne) in Community Room A.
Special dispatch, compliments of Lib Mitchell (a.k.a. Lyrical libBe)… Earthbox Workshop coming.
Thank you Lib, for forwarding this information. And thank you to our friends at Shell’s Feed & Garden Supply (and instructor Susan Roghair) for hosting…
RSVP/purchase tickets here
Lend us a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow.
Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon
Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden.
We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us as often as you can.
Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated.
We look forward to seeing you!
All the best,
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
December 15, 2018
Lots of smiles at last year’s party. Come join us for this year’s celebration of the holidays,
and to bask in our accomplishments in 2018. It was a very good year for the community garden!
Once again this year, our garden president is hosting a celebration of the season at her home. It starts at 6:30 pm… there will be a some garden business to discuss, but mainly it’s a social event. All garden members received an Evite – but if you did not receive yours, or want to know more about becoming a member of the garden, please contact us at info.shcg@gmail.com. Hope to see you there!
Check this out and see what you think… a grassroots way to make the world better for all of us.
Garden member Andrew Rock (pictured at top, sitting center with the red plaid shirt) sent us an email to share a very intriguing idea and one pertinent to the times…
“This is the Green Living Handbook. It’s available through Amazon or through the publisher, the Empowerment Institute. The program is best done by 5 – 8 households going through it together, with bi-weekly in-person or online meetings to discuss each chapter (each chapter is a “step” – waste, water, energy, transportation, consumption, and maybe an ongoing support group. If there are members and others from the community garden (or your other friends) might like to do it, I’ll be happy to help you get started. Perhaps we can put this on the agenda for the garden’s January meeting (I’m copying Colleen on this e-mail). Thanks for your interest; the Green Living Program has been a lot of fun, very informative, and quite transformative.
And here’s something from Lib Mitchell (a.k.a. Lyrical libBe*), including an “Art in the Garden” update.
(Note too, that some of her thoughts tie nicely with Andrew’s idea. The community garden can lead you down some rewarding paths.)
In the Garden, 12.1.18
“We will no longer call it Art for Kids in the Garden but Art in the Garden. One kiddie was there this past event, but three of us adults had such a good time making the art which was well planned by Caroline and finely illustrated by Lib – that we decided proudly and exultantly to hang our own art on the fridge. It was enormous fun to make it. We welcome the free spirit whatever age it is to join us in a periodic art exploration.
A topic of conversation arose – intentional communities for us as we age. We agreed that getting to know each other, our foibles and quirks, and learning how to co-exist and co-create with each other is an excellent ground work for a possible future intentional community. We aren’t ready for relocating our houses at all yet; we are creating the bonds of community in the meantime and that feels great.
Conversations eddy and flow, each one has their interest and their area of expertise. We share ideas and information, and grow food to share. There is nothing like fresh greens. So great for bones.
The Florida Community of Mindfulness people are represented, Take me to the River Yoga participates, Quakers have a person who comes to the garden. We rejoice in community and in community building. All ages are represented, the youngest is 4 and the oldest maybe 74 or more. or maybe that’s me no longer 63.
i do like to rhyme, i do it all the time, when i’m in my flow. Time to go!”
Lib. *(BE liberated)
Elizabeth E Mitchell, Silk Painting and Studio Experiences. November 29, 2018
Long-time garden member and professional singer Denise Moore returns to the Wine Bar Cafe this weekend, accompanied by piano player Billy Marcus. The duo performs 7 pm to 10 pm. Their talent is extraordinary, and that’s a promise, so come out on December 1 for great jazz, craft beer, and fine wine and food in a friendly new neighborhood spot. You’ll likely run into several of your friends from the garden.
6428 North Florida Avenue (south of Sligh).
Here’s another event for your calendar by another resident artist at the garden, Saturday December 8
Garden member Carolyn Adler is hosting her annual event early next month at her mosaic studio in Old Seminole Heights. You and your friends are invited. Here’s all the pertinent info you need, copied and pasted from a flier Carolyn sent out. It’s a fun social event, and with pieces for sale, also a good source for completing your holiday shopping.
Parking
1. You can park on Dexter.
2. Or park on Lynn near the intersection with Paris, one block east of Dexter. Walk up Paris one block, right on Dexter, 2nd house on right.
3. A parking lot is 3 blocks away at the Henry & Ola Park at the south end of Dexter.
Closed toed, flat shoes might be best for the gravel walkway. The studio is behind the house; walk down the driveway and you are there. Checks, cash and credit cards are accepted.
Happy Holidays to you, and all the best from your friends
at the Seminole Heights Community Garden!
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
November 14, 2018
10 am to noon.
Our popular all-ages event returns this Saturday, November 17. We’ll all get together, grown-ups and children alike, to create colorful painted palm fronds that you can take home with you or leave behind to decorate the community garden. Paints and fronds will be supplied for everyone. Come join us for a morning of plein air painting and fun, free-form creativity.
We’ll also have special kid-friendly gardening chores lined up for our “Children in the Garden” program (ages 4 to 8) to provide the young ones with some enjoyable hands-on experience. Old clothes and shoes recommended. We’ll provide the garden tools.
“I’m looking forward to the annual painting of palm fronds in the garden. We are creating garden spirits. it’s outside and its fun. Little kids can slap on the paint and make abstract color pieces, older ones make superbly expressive faces, adults can let themselves get creative. The simple way is to paint eyes, and color around them. You can’t go wrong and you may well find yourself quite satisfied with your garden spirit which you can leave at the garden or take home with you.”
From resident artist at the garden Elizabeth Mitchell (a.k.a. “Lyrical LibBe” (BE liberated))
Elizabeth E Mitchell, Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
Here’s another event for your calendar by another resident artist at the garden, Saturday December 8
Garden member Carolyn Adler (pictured at the top of this newsletter), is not only helping to organize our Art in the Garden, but also putting on her own event early next month at her mosaic studio in Old Seminole Heights. And you and your friends are invited. Here’s all the pertinent info you need, copied and pasted from a flier Carolyn sent out last week. Her annual show is a fun social event, and with pieces for sale, also a good source for completing your holiday shopping.
Parking
1. You can park on Dexter.
2. Or park on Lynn near the intersection with Paris, one block east of Dexter. Walk up Paris one block, right on Dexter, 2nd house on right.
3. A parking lot is 3 blocks away at the Henry & Ola Park at the south end of Dexter.
Closed toed, flat shoes might be best for the gravel walkway. The studio is behind the house; walk down the driveway and you are there. Checks, cash and credit cards are accepted.
Happy Holidays to you, and all the best from your friends
at the Seminole Heights Community Garden!
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
November 5, 2018
Our popular all-ages event returns. We’ll all get together, grown-ups and children alike, to create colorful painted palm fronds that you can take home with you or leave behind to decorate the community garden. Paints and fronds will be supplied for everyone. Come join us for a morning of plein air paintingand fun, free-form creativity.
We’ll also have special kid-friendly gardening chores lined up for our “Children in the Garden” program (ages 4 to 8) to provide the young ones with some enjoyable hands-on experience. Old clothes and shoes recommended. We’ll provide the garden tools.
No planning meeting scheduled for November (make your plans now not to attend).
Garden members gather the third Tuesday evening of every month to talk about anything and everything related to keeping our organization thriving. But we’re taking a break and skipping November. The next meeting will happen on Tuesday, December 18 though, and it will be our annual holiday social that you won’t want to miss. Mark your calendar!
Dig our new sign!
Our new garden marker debuted at last Sunday’s second annual Seminole Heights Garden Tour. The weather was beautiful, the garden was lush, and over 70 guests came through during the 4-hour event.
We are so excited about our new printed metal sign, featuring the community garden logo created last year by graphic designer Madeline Baker. A huge thank you to member and past president Denise Moore for making this happen!
Fantastic!
Kitty Wallace is the head of the Coalition
On behalf of the conservation projects that our community gardens accomplished in the spring, the Coalition of Community Gardens was honored to receive “Project of the Year” from the Hillsborough Soil & Water Conservation District at the Hillsborough 100 Kickoff Luncheon on October 24. Congratulations to the Coalition!
Don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, see you at the garden on Saturday (and for Art in the Garden on the 17th), and Happy Thanksgiving.
All the best,
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
October 9, 2018
Join us for this popular family-friendly program, October 13 … children will learn how to grow a garden, and participate in garden related crafts and games. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the garden where we grow organically and work and harvest communally… Saturday mornings are when most of our members are there, interacting and going about their gardening tasks.
A parent or guardian needs to attend with their child. RSVP to carolynadler@rocketmail.com as spaces are limited.
(And make plans for these additional Children in the Garden dates: November 3 and 17, and December 1.)
What else is going on at the garden? Lots and lots!
– Garden Planning Meeting, Tuesday October 16, starting at 6:30 pm. At the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Room 220. Everyone is welcome!
– Second Annual Seminole Heights Garden Tour, Sunday October 28. Our community garden will be one of the stops for this event, organized to support the annual Summer Fest put on by the Friends of the Library. Here’s a link with more details. This is a great opportunity to gain us more exposure, and hopefully several new garden members. Help us spruce things up for our guests in the weeks ahead to make the best impression!
– Art in the Garden, Saturday November 17. Mark your calendar now, and watch for more details to follow.
Two other events of interest…
– Denise Moore & Billy Marcus live jazz at the Wine Bar Cafe, Wednesday October 18 and October 18. 7 pm to 9 pm. Member and past Garden president, Denise Moore sings. Come out for some incredible music, craft beer, wine, and small plates in a friendly new neighborhood spot. 6428 North Florida Avenue (south of Sligh).
– Art Exhibit, Edgar Sanchez Cumbas, “Dormant”, September 27 thru October 25. Reception, Thursday, October 11, 4:30 pm to 7:15 pm – Gallery Talk 5:30 pm. “Dormant”, a solo exhibition by Tampa artist Edgar Sanchez Cumbas, celebrates not only an esteemed HCC alumnus and current art instructor, but also the 50th Anniversary of Hillsborough Community College, and Hispanic Heritage Month on the Ybor City Campus. We mention this event, because our own Elizabeth Mitchell (a.k.a. Lyrical libBe*) will have one of her paintings on display. HCC Performing Arts Building, Palm Ave & 15th Street in Ybor City.
And speaking of Lyrical libBe*, some thoughts from her…
“For people – its always the same story. This human spirit cannot be killed and hopefully will learn to organize – crisis is an evolutionary driver. We are beginning to organize alternative structures, more Grameen banks, etc getting the economy going aside from the gold barons… who knows… the young the young .. I place my hope in the young and the young at heart, those who still believe in the struggle and live it every day. We who believe in being decent people and who feel happy and fulfilled and HUMAN being who we are. Imperfect, striving, living together. Going to community garden this am has got me revved…”
Cheers,
Lib. *(BE liberated)
Elizabeth E Mitchell, Silk Painting and Studio Experiences. Thank you once again, USF Bulls student volunteers!
A team of ten highly-energetic volunteers dropped by the garden in mid-September for another morning of service. For almost three hours, they helped us spread mulch and compost, pick up garden debris, water, and till. It’s unbelievable how much they accomplished for us, and we can’t thank them enough. GO BULLS… we hope to see you again!
All the best,
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
September 14, 2018
The garden has been chosen once again to benefit from another USF Morning of Service event. We’re expecting up to ten student volunteers to visit us Saturday morning from 10:00 am to 12:45 pm. That’s over 2-1/2 hours of enthusiastic people power, and we need to show our appreciation with lots of members on hand to greet and guide them.
Here’s the agenda for the event, put together by Colleen…
USF Student Volunteers Action Plan Water and cookies provided!
9:30am Prep for student arrival
pull out tools, gloves
10:00 – 10:30 am Arrive 6114 River TerraceStudents sign in (release sheet)
Orient students – tell them about the history of the garden, our project and the impact of student help. Why community gardens are important
Divide students between tasks
Projects
Till the ground – front area – center of okra + greens area (be careful of new seedlings!)
Sweet potatoes, then till
Layer horse manure – front area, front bed, back area
Spread horse manure evenly over growing areas
Cover with a thin layer of leaves (front)
Cover with a layer of mulch (back)
Mulch – back area, gathering area
Weed front fence
Weed/clip scrub under tree / front area
Attack oak seedlings, leave ferns
Transplant aloe babies – for students + seed swap
Compost
Worms
General cleanup – branches, tidy back area
12:30 – 12:45 pm Clean up / wrap up / depart
Please make plans to work alongside us tomorrow morning. Thanks, and GO BULLS!
Monthly Garden planning meeting – Tuesday, September 18, starting at 6:30 pm, at the new Wine Bar Cafe
To mix a little social activity in with the regular business of running a garden, we’re holding this month’s meeting at a new and wonderful establishment in the neighborhood. Join us at the Wine Bar Cafe, at 6428 North Florida Avenue. The meeting starts at 6:30, but get there a little early because we’re told that the cafe is planning a free wine and cheese tasting on Tuesday.
You won’t want to miss that, plus we’ll bring you up-to-date on all the important garden news… the upcoming Children in the Garden events, Art in the Garden, Yoga in the Garden, the OSHNA Great Neighborhood Yard Sale, the Second Annual Seminole Heights Garden Tour, and more. Whew!
We look forward to seeing you!
All the best,
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
September 2, 2018
Things are hopping at the garden this fall. Here are some upcoming events…
“Children in the Garden” – Saturday, September 8, 10 am to 11 am
Our family-friendly program returns next Saturday… children will learn how to grow a garden, and participate in garden related crafts and games. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the garden where we grow organically and work and harvest communally… Saturday mornings are when most of our members are there, interacting and going about their gardening tasks.
A parent or guardian needs to attend with their child. RSVP to carolynadler@rocketmail.com as spaces are limited.
And make plans for these additional Children in the Garden dates: October 13, November 3 and 17, and December 1.
USF volunteers in the garden, Saturday, September 15, 10:15 am to 12:45 pm
The garden has been chosen once again to benefit from another USF Morning of Service event. We’re expecting up to ten student volunteers to visit us on Saturday morning, September 15 from 10:15 am to 12:45 pm. That’s 2-1/2 hours of enthusiastic people power, and we need to show our appreciation with lots of members on hand to greet and guide them. Please make plans to work alongside us that morning. Thanks, and GO BULLS!
Monthly Garden planning meeting – Tuesday, September 18, starting at 6:30 pm, location TBA
To mix a little social activity in with the regular business of running a garden, we decided to hold this month’s meeting at a local drinking establishment again. We just haven’t decided which place yet, so mark your calendar for now and watch for a newsletter update in the days ahead.
OSHNA Great Neighborhood Yard Sale (?)
No final word on the date for this year’s annual event, but we’re assuming (hoping!) it’ll happen again. We will keep you posted, but please start accumulating items you would like to donate for us to sell. Last year the day netted us over $500!
Second Annual Seminole Heights Garden Tour, Sunday, October 28
Our community garden will be one of the stops for this event, organized to support the annual Summer Fest put on by the Friends of the Library. Here’s a Facebook link with more details. This is a great opportunity to gain us more exposure, and hopefully several new garden members. Help us spruce things up for our guests in the weeks ahead to make the best impression!
Finally, don’t forget Yoga in the Garden Saturday mornings, starting at 9:30 am
We were on a brief hiatus, but Yoga in the Garden begins again September 8th. Come join us in the garden for 30 minutes of tranquility. Tish Ganey, Registered Yoga Teacher and owner of Take Me To The River Yoga Studiowill take you through a basic routine of standing poses, teaching and training. No mats are required, but shoes (any kind) are recommended.
We look forward to seeing you!
All the best,
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
August 13, 2018
Keep the momentum going at our next meeting, Tuesday, August 21.
We schedule the evening of the third Tuesday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting on August 21 starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Room 220.
Among other topics, this month we’ll discuss ideas for adding a perimeter fence to the property, which will be another major development for the security and well-being of our garden site. Please join us Tuesday next week!
Mustard seedlings (left) and bush beans (right).
We’ve also started patty pan squash and broccoli raab.
Dig this news from Shell’s Feed & Garden Supply!
Here’s a free plug for one of our favorite hangouts, Shell’s Feed & Garden Supplyon Nebraska Avenue (just a little north of Busch Boulevard on your right). They’re hosting three seed swap events in the coming months, and we thought the announcement they sent us would be of interest to anyone who reads our newsletter.
More detailed info here.
Do you like having a community garden in Seminole Heights?
Please support us with your membership!
Being a part of the community garden brings many rewards. Fresh organic produce of course, but also other benefits like meeting new friends while you enjoy Florida’s sunshine and the great outdoors in a beautiful patch of Old Seminole Heights. There’s yoga sessions on Saturday mornings, too, and several scheduled gardening sessions especially created for young children (next one coming September 8).
We know we’re an important asset to the neighborhood, and we need more people to be an asset to our efforts. Are you getting this newsletter from us each month, but haven’t committed yet to becoming a member? Don’t hold back! Go to this link to sign up now.
Or come out on a Saturday morning to ask us any questions you have about joining. Here’s what you’ll discover — we’re a sociable bunch, the rules aren’t rigid or stifling, decision-making is democratic, and we grow and harvest our garden communally. It’s a fun place to be and a fun group to be a part of.
Sound good? We’d love to have you aboard with us!
We look forward to seeing you!
All the best,
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
July 16, 2018
We schedule the evening of the third Tuesday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our tomorrow starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Room 221. Please join us!
We held our May meeting at Southern Brewing and Winemaking, where we were paid a visit by two Tampa Community Revitalization Partnership representatives who took an interest in our garden’s contribution to the fabric of life in Seminole Heights. L to R: Lynelle Bonnville, Colleen Parker, Natasha Goodley from TCRP, Tony Perilla.
Water flows and the garden grows.
Come by and see our newly installed irrigation system!
It’s actually pretty amazing how much we’ve accomplished at our new location in only less than a year. There is still much to do, but one of the biggest projects on our wish list just got checked off with the recent installation of four faucet heads strategically placed across the garden property.
They’re all connected to a well, not Tampa water, maintaining the distinction for us of operating fully and sustainably off the city grid. And now suddenly, raising a flourishing garden of organic fruits and vegetables has never been easier.
We wish to recognize Lynelle and Tony for all their planning and project management (in the photo at the top of the page); and lots of other garden members assisted their efforts, too.
We also share our heartfelt gratitude for generous grant support from the Davis Islands Garden Club ($1,000 to purchase materials) and the Hillsborough Soil & Water Conservation District ($600 to fund the handiwork of a licensed plumbing team). Thank you, thank you!
Longtime garden member Ellen Leedy, meets with the plumbing contractors hired to run pipes to a nearby well. With the spacing of the four new faucet heads they installed, we can now reach any area of the garden with a fairly short hose.
Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings.
Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden.
We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us as often as you can.
Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated.
We look forward to seeing you!
All the best,
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
June 15, 2018
We schedule the evening of the third Tuesday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Room 220. Please join us!
Another irrigation project update from Lynelle Bonneville…
We’re lucky to have some garden members who are either already knowledgeable about irrigation and plumbing, and/or curious and dedicated enough to learn. And we’ve also been blessed recently with some grant money to fund the water works labor and materials needed to really make our garden site bloom.
In our last newsletter, we shared an email that board member Lynelle sent out to tell you about the progress being made. Copied below is a later email from her with a further update. Some of this is already in the past tense… the posts went in the ground last Saturday… but note that the actual pipe installation is still pending and needs your input and assistance.
Thanks Lynelle, for overseeing this essential development to our garden space!
> Hi everyone!
>
> Tony has purchased four, 4 by 4 posts for the garden. So as we agreed upon at the end of our meeting on Monday night, Tony will install the four posts in the garden and thereby creating the line for Alex the contractor to follow when laying the pipes down.
>
> Chris and Tony will be at the Garden this Saturday morning at 8:30 to install the posts. I will be there as well to help with positioning. We will go about 22 ft out from the side fence and then do two post in the front bed and then two posts in the back growing bed.
>
> We will want some Garden members to be present on the day of pipe installation to help oversee that it is going according to plan. We will try to aim for a Saturday installation so that hopefully we will have a few volunteers that would be available to be in the garden during that time. We will let everyone know about the installation date once we have it set!
>
> Please let me know if you have any questions. We are making good progress on our water project!
>
> – Lynelle
Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings.
Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden.
We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us as often as you can.
Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated.
We look forward to seeing you!
All the best,
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
May 7, 2018
Southern Brewing is at 4500 N. Nebraska, between Osborne and MLK Blvd.
Our monthly planning meeting follows the regular schedule in May (the third Tuesday of each month, starting at 6:30 pm), but this time we’ve opted again to change the location. Join us at Southern Brewing and Winemaking, 4500 N. Nebraska Ave., for a nice change of pace. We’ll likely meet on the outdoor covered patio in the back, but if the weather’s not right the indoor area is a relaxed spot for mixing business and social, too. Hope to see you there, Tuesday May 15!
Children in the Garden is back for one last Spring Series Session this Saturday, May 12
Lib Mitchell (a.k.a. “Lyrical Garden libBe”) at our April 21 Art in the Garden event for children.
The day also celebrated Earth Day and the garden’s 9th birthday. (See libBE’s latest column below.)
For children ages 3-1/2 to 8 years old, from 10 to 11:00 am. Activities will include Flower Pots for Mother’s Day and Tomato Harvesting. Please register by emailing carolynadler@rocketmail.com. The Children in the Garden Series will start again in mid-September. (Donations towards supplies are appreciated.)
From Lyrical Garden libBe*: To be aware of the consciousness in other species is one of the delights of gardening.
Give this talk a listen to learn the new attitude to the science of trees – Peter Wohlleben on the hidden life of trees – when interpreted in human terms the same phenomenon once dryly explained in terms of chemicals, delivery and quantity becomes a mirror of human relationships and society.
I feel reciprocal relationships in the garden – the worms flourish with the fruit peels I bring them. I appreciate the worm tea they make; the tomato plants offer bounty and I reciprocate with worm tea. I greet and encourage the herbs as I pour some tea and water on them. I allow myself to feel that they appreciate the moisture and the food – it’s not so hard to imagine that.
This video is about making soil with orange peels – we have our own experiment going at the garden. So far, the peels – from Whatever Pops & Bowls – are merging with the mulch covering them. Each week I add some more and will gradually cover the dedicated area, then check out the first load and see what we have got. If they make an acidic soil we can sprinkle on lime and plant acid loving crops – it is great to build up the sandy soil that is prevalent in Florida.
Being a part of the garden is to strengthen a possible future right here now in the present moment. Imagination is creative – our whole world is alive.
It is so dry right now – you can come to the garden as suits your own schedule and give the plants some water and yourself some peaceful delight. Come and get started on any Saturday morning.
Cheers, Lib. *(BE liberated)
Elizabeth E Mitchell, Silk Painting and Studio Experiences. Tip of the month… get a free subscription to Guide For Real Florida Gardeners magazine
We happened upon a copy of this free magazine at a garden store in Pinellas County. Published by the Florida Association of Native Nurseries, it’s both incredibly informative and beautifully designed, and the FANN organization is offering annual subscriptions at no cost. Just go to this link to sign yourself up.
We look forward to seeing you at the garden!
All the best,
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
April 15, 2018
Everglades tomatoes and squash are among several plants thriving at our garden at the moment.
(Lib Mitchell, tells you more about these wonderful Everglades tomatoes in her column below.)
We schedule the evening of the third Tuesday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne, Room 220). April 17… that’s coming up fast, so put it on your calendar for the week and please join us!
Lyrical Garden LibBe…
our community garden sows inspiration
Longtime member and painter, Elizabeth Mitchell, a.k.a. “Lyrical Garden LibBe”
(photographed here at our last Art in the Garden), shares her joy of gardening…
Today after the experience of breeze and sun and stretch and experience in #YogaAtTheGarden with Tish at 9:30 am, I turned to picking the small everglades tomatoes. They are prolific tomato creators, and they also produce a mass of leaves. The little tomatoes are hidden by the leaves. Moisture gets trapped and white fungus grows along the stems. I started to remove leaves to create breeze, light and visibility for the little green tomatoes.
In a former era of the garden our French friend, Simone advised pinching out the laterals below the fruiting heads at the top of any branch so the plant would feed those fruit and they would be big and plump. This is no doubt good for big tomatoes, but Everglades tomatoes are small and create fruit producing laterals at every leaf joint. I enjoy picking and eating the small tomatoes. I’m testing picking off many of the leaves, and leaving the fruiting sprouts to grow lots of fruit. I gave them all some worm tea and fed the worms the tomato leaves and look forward to observing the results of my experiment next week.
That is why I LOVE being at the garden so much. I feel in touch with the wise woman inside of me, who has always been here on earth, working with nature, communing with plants, and being a constructive part of the human ecology in which I live.
Further to that, Cindy was planting some lovely looking sunflower seeds from 2013 – we know that seeds loose maybe 20% viability every year, so there is less chance of these sprouting. We agreed it is good to plant them and see. On the promptings of my inner Anastasia (stranger than fiction Russian wise woman some may have heard of), I told Cindy to spit on the seeds and rub spit on them, so they will feel the human communication and want to thrive for us. If Cindy doesn’t spit on the seeds – she was dubious – we will not know, and if the seeds come up we will not know, and if they don’t come up we will know those seeds didn’t make it because of age and whatever other reasons – the spit just couldn’t revive them. It may need a bit of communion as well.
I have some really old seeds I’ve planted too. I did all the spit and call them when I remember to water them. If they sprout – it will be the miracle that affirms faith. If they don’t arise – I will ignore it. I love to live in a world which communicates and is full of love. Life and death are inevitable phenomenon for every living thing – including those of the species that forget to communicate with, and love Nature. Evolve in your own way. Or be part of the destruction of humankind. It’s easy. Be happy.
Elizabeth E Mitchell, Silk Painting and Studio Experiences.
It’s our Earth Day / Birthday Potluck
and Garden Tours celebration,
Saturday April 21
We’re 9 years old this year!
For Pot Luck, please bring a dish to share. In an effort to be more sustainable, BYOP (bring your own plate), along with a glass. And please bring a set for a friend if you have it. Come out and see your friends and see how we’ve grown… 10 am to noon, Saturday April 21. If it’s your first visit, you’ll find our address at the bottom of this email.
Add these dates to your calendar, too!
April 28 – 10 am Children in the Garden
May 12 – 10 am Children in the Garden
May 15 – 6:30 pm (Tuesday) Monthly planning meeting at the Library
May 26 – 10 am Children in the Garden / Memorial Day Weekend
We look forward to seeing you!
All the best,
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
April 11, 2018
It’s our Earth Day / Birthday Potluck
and Garden Tours celebration,
Saturday April 21
We’re 9 years old this year!
For Pot Luck, please bring a dish to share. In an effort to be more sustainable, BYOP (bring your own plate), along with a glass. And please bring a set for a friend if you have it. Come out and see your friends and see how we’ve grown… 10 am to noon, Saturday April 21. If it’s your first visit, you’ll find our address at the bottom of this email.
But first, another Art in the Garden gathering this Saturday, April 14. All ages!
At our March Art in the Garden, children made Easter bunnies from clay, twigs and leaves
At this event, we’ll all create painted garden decorations from natural materials, including palm fronds and rocks. If you are a plein air painter, come join us!
Children who are in the “Children in the Garden” program (ages 3-1/2 – 8) can also help us with some special kid-friendly chores we’ve created for their hands-on experience! We have a new wheelbarrow and several shovels for them. As always, wear old clothes and shoes.
(The next meeting will be Saturday, April 28.)
Please attend our next Garden Planning Meeting, Tuesday April 17
We schedule the evening of the third Tuesday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne, Room 220). April 17… that’s coming up fast, so put it on your calendar for next week and please join us!
We look forward to seeing you!
All the best,
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
March 25, 2018
Here is a conference we think will be of great interest to all of our members. It’s a day chock-full of networking opportunities, educational programs, information gathering and a wonderful way to emphasize the impact of community gardening on the health of the community. Everyone is welcome… please forward this email to your friends!
March 18, 2018
We schedule the evening of the third Tuesday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne, Room 220). March 20… that’s coming up fast, so put it on your calendar for the week and please join us!
Here again, other upcoming garden dates, but with one important change.
Please note that Yoga in the Garden has been pushed back an hour. Due to popular demand, it will now start at 9:30 am.
March 24 – 9:30 am to 10:00 am Yoga in the Garden.
Tish returns to take you through a basic 30-minute routine of standing poses, teaching and training. No mats are required, but shoes (any kind) are recommended.
March 31 – 9:30 am Yoga in the Garden / 10am Children in the Garden
April 7 – Coalition of Community Gardens conference
At the Tampa Heights garden. Click here for details and registration info.
April 14 – 10 am to noon. Art in the Garden & Children in the Garden
This event will include painting rocks and palm fronds to use as garden decorations. The event is all ages, everyone is welcome!
April 17 – 6:30 pm (Tuesday) Monthly planning meeting at the Library
April 21 – 10 am Earth Day open house + potluck
April 28 – 10 am Children in the Garden
May 12 – 10 am Children in the Garden
May 15 – 6:30 pm (Tuesday) Monthly planning meeting at the Library
May 26 – 10 am Children in the Garden / Memorial Day Weekend
Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings.
Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden.
We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us as often as you can.
Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated.
We look forward to seeing you!
All the best,
Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens
www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org
February 23, 2018
Tish Ganey, Registered Yoga Teacher and owner of Take Me To The River Yoga Studio invites you to a 30-minute session at the community garden on Saturdays, 8:30 to 9:00 am. This is an excellent introduction to yoga’s benefits to both mind and body… Tish will take you through a basic routine of standing poses, teaching and training. No mats are required, but shoes (any kind) are recommended.
Thanks, Tish! She is letting us use her spare lot as the current site for our garden,
and now also sharing with us her 30+ years of experience teaching yoga.
Her Yoga In The Garden begins March 3, and she returns March 24 and 31. Tish is reaching out to other local yogi’s to cover March 10 and 17, so it’s hoped that a yoga experience can soon become a regular part of your week.
Her certifications and professional experience teaching yoga is extensive, so we think you’ll find these Saturday sessions to be wonderfully rewarding. Donations will be accepted, and the proceeds go directly to the continuation of the Seminole Heights Community Garden. See you bright and early, Saturday March 3!
Thanks also for photo by
We’ve copied and pasted the fliers for you… two upcoming events of interest to all community gardeners
All the best from your friends at the Seminole Heights Community Garden!
https://seminoleheightscommunitygardens.org/
February 9, 2018
We’ve benefited from countless hours of volunteer assistance from USF over the past few years, most recently with a team of eight students one Saturday last month (see photo below). More volunteers are heading our way again this Saturday, February 10, 9 to 11:30 am, and and we need to show our appreciation with lots of members on hand to greet and guide them. They’re coming to us from the USF Kosove Society, an esteemed on-campus group dedicated to community engagement as a way to further members’ leadership abilities. Please make plans to work alongside us tomorrow morning!
USF student volunteers, on hand for a “Stampede of Service”,
pose with garden members, January 13. Thanks again, and Go Bulls!
Catch your garden on WFLA News Channel 8.
A segment about us slated to air on Monday!
Garden member Lynelle Bonneville was our spokesperson
for the WFLA segment, shown here being interviewed by the reporter.
Our community garden got paid a visit this week by News Channel 8 reporter Meredyth Censullo, who came to interview us for a story about the re-purposing of coffee grounds for our organic compost.
Maybe you can catch it when it airs sometime Monday morning, February 12th. Meredyth told us that it will run a couple of times on her station 8 between 4:30-7 am, again between 11-noon. The story and video will also be added online to their website on Monday morning. Good positive exposure for us, and member Lynelle’s television debut!
Special thanks to our coffee grounds donor, Blind Tiger Cafe for putting the TV station in touch with us and making this all happen.
February 7, 2018
|
| Help us welcome another team of student volunteers this Saturday We’ve benefited from countless hours of volunteer assistance from USF over the past few years, most recently with a team of eight students one Saturday last month (see photo below). More volunteers are heading our way again this Saturday, February 10, 9 to 11:30 am, and and we need to show our appreciation with lots of members on hand to greet and guide them. They’re coming to us from the USF Kosove Society, an esteemed on-campus group dedicated to community engagement as a way to further members’ leadership abilities. Please make plans to work alongside us Saturday morning! USF student volunteers, on hand for a “Stampede of Service”, pose with garden members, January 13. Thanks again, and Go Bulls! A special invitation for you and your friends!  Our next planning meeting happens Tuesday, February 17 The meetings were formerly the third Monday of every month, but have now been moved to the third Tuesday. Please make note of the change, and more importantly, please attend. We value your input! The next one is Feb. 17th, and starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Here are a few contributions to your garden newsletter from fellow members…  First, do you know who this guy is? He’s Nathan Ballentine, the “Man In Overalls”, a gardening expert from Jacksonville FL. Our Garden Master, Denise Moore, suggested we hook you up with his pretty incredible blog. Check out this link, and be prepared to spend a little time digging deep into some good dirt about the art of gardening. * * * *Next, a couple of photos submitted by Andrew Rock, taken at a recent Saturday morning gathering. The pace of progress at our new site is energizing, and so are the friendships and fellowship.   * * * *Garden member and mosaic artist, Carolyn Adler created this beautiful hanging sign to mark the status of the organic materials composting in our bins…   * * * *And finally from Elizabeth Mitchell (a.k.a. “Lyrical Lib”), a few nice shots emailed from her extended vacation stay in her New Zealand homeland.   “Darling baby fern offering hope “Central – I love the yellow tussock grass.” and the ever present renewal of life.”  “West Coast – temperate rain forest, will get lots of rain- the roads will likely have slips, glad we are not travelling there and were there when it was dry – people can get washed into rivers or blocked by slips.” One last note, and an important one at that, the new garden is still in need of bags of leaves for compost, and cinder blocks to build terraces and berms. Please donate! Thanks, and all the best from your friends at the Seminole Heights Community Garden! https://seminoleheightscommunitygardens.org/ |
January 6, 2018
|
Okay, we got that out of the way. But really, 2018 does indeed promise to be a happy year for our community garden. Our new location is shaping up nicely, and quickly too. And that in turn seems to be breathing new life into our members’ spirits, with renewed inspiration and enthusiasm (read “Lyrical Lib’s” entry below to get one idea of what we’re talking about). And with that, we begin the year with three important dates for your January calendar… Saturday, January 13 — The Student Volunteers are Back! Once again, the Seminole Heights Community Garden will benefit from a USF Morning of Service event. We’re expecting up to ten student volunteers to visit us next Saturday morning, arriving at 9:15-9:30 am and leaving 12:15-12:30 pm. That’s three hours of people power, and we need to show our appreciation with lots of members on hand to greet and guide them. Can you help? Please make plans to work alongside us that morning.  August 19, 2017: Student volunteers get primed for a morning workout with a heartfelt welcome from garden president, Colleen Parker. * * * Monday, January 15 — Community Garden Planning Meeting at 7venth Sun Brewery Please attend our next planning meeting, starting at 6:30 pm. With our new garden site, there’s so much to talk about. This month, we’re hosting our meeting at that at the 7venth Sun Brewery (6809 N Nebraska Avenue, just north of the Mermaid Tavern and south of Sligh). So you can enjoy an excellent beer with us, too.  Our last meeting in December was a well-attended Holiday gathering at Colleen’s house. A good time was had by all. * * * Thursday, January 18 — Coalition of Community Gardens – Tampa Bay Quarterly meeting This organization is really hitting its stride, as more community gardens pop up across our region of the state. The Coalition’s next meeting will take place at the Seeds of Faith Community Garden at Brandon Bay Life Church (1017 N. Kingsway Road). It begins at 5:30 with a garden tour, and the meeting to follow. Sharing a couple of newsletter contributions from our garden members…  Among our members, there’s always an inherent interest in subjects relating to the business of growing food. So Ellen Leedy was struck by a segment airing recently on PBS NewsHour that described researchers’ efforts to explore whether indoor farming could solve world food shortages. Very compelling stuff. She sent this link to the show, but note that once there you will need to advance about 8-1/2 minutes into the video to get to the story. * * * And longtime member and silk painting artist, Elizabeth Mitchell, a.k.a. “Lyrical Garden Libby“, muses further this month on the joy of community gardening. Read on… It Takes a Garden – Lib’s Lyrical Garden Rhapsody Today I picked up 2 buckets of compost from Whatever Pops and they promise us more in future. Located on east side of Florida, South of Hillsborough – they serve yummy all natural fresh made pops and bowls. We got a lot of orange and banana and some kiwi, some tea leaves — they use the real stuff. I was glad to smell that good natural smell as I drove to the garden – at least I don’t need to fear dementia which is indicated by a loss of the sense of smell. I’ve always been a little demented. I fed the worms – they’ll have to be moved out of the sun – and gave the orange peels to the compost. Tony has made the excellent compost bins; Worms don’t like acidic fruits (nor onions). Picked up five bags of leaves from a nearby driveway. And got some shred from Bramlett’s – they do direct mail. I feel purely happy doing this. I feel like part of something greater than me. That is my concept of divinity. To be a conscious part of what the big bang now is. Consciousness was born in the Big Bang. Consciousness IS Big Bang Diaspora. Hey it’s the time of year when we celebrate birth – HERE. NOW. eek!!! (Word Play Joke: Human Consciousness is in Big Bang Diapers.) I care that I am here, feeling part of something good. That which can be seen as bad co-exists with that which can be experienced as good. I love conscious living, gardening, being aware of my story here, and who I AM. See ya at the garden. Elizabeth E Mitchell, Silk Painting and Studio ExperiencesOne last note, and an important one at that, the new garden is in dire need of bags of leaves for compost, and cinder blocks to build terraces and berms. Please donate! Thanks, and all the best from your friends at the Seminole Heights Community Garden! https://seminoleheightscommunitygardens.org/ |
December 10, 2017
|
The Garden has moved! The Seminole Heights Community Garden is officially closed at our old location on Highland Avenue. We now garden at 6114 River Terrace. Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our new garden grow. Please join us on Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon! Any questions? info.shcg@gmail.com https://seminoleheightscommunitygardens.org/   Steady progress, thanks to many hardworking hands. Chris at the tiller; Tony constructing bins for compost (p.s. We’re ready to accept your compost at the new garden site. Please contribute!) Upcoming events for your calendar Wednesday, December 13 at 5:30 pm FDOT – Downtown Tampa and Urban Core areas Community Working Group Seminole Heights Branch Library 4711 N. Central Ave. (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne) Transportation and traffic are big issues with residents in our neighborhood, especially when it comes to the state’s plan for a major expressway expansion (TBX) that will have a huge impact on Seminole Heights, and also Tampa Heights and Ybor City. Come out to the next workshop to learn more, and give your input to guide the effort in a direction that makes the most sense for all of us living here. Complete meeting info at http://www.tampabaynext.com/event/downtown-community-working-group-3/ Monday, December 18 at 6:30 pm Seminole Heights Community Garden Holiday Gathering at Colleen’s House! Once again this year, our garden president is hosting a celebration of the season at her home. There will be a some garden business to discuss… this gathering is partly a substitute for our regular monthly planning meeting… but mainly it’s a social event. There will be food and drinks, and you’re welcome to bring your own contribution to share. If you did not receive an Evite to the event, please RSVP by email at info.shcg@gmail.com Hope to see you there! Thursday, January 18, 2018 at 5:30 Garden Coalition Quarterly Meeting Brandon Bay Life Church, Seeds of Faith Community Garden, 1017 Kingsway Rd. in Brandon Garden Florida, the coalition of community gardens throughout Florida, (http://gardenflorida.org/), invites you to join them at their next scheduled meeting where members will provide support and encouragement to one another and share best practices to keep their produce (and their clubs) growing and thriving. Lyrical Garden Libby… Some thoughts on starting a garden from one of our own “Lyrical” is an adjective that longtime garden member Elizabeth Mitchell used to describe herself, as she embarked on the essay that follows to describe her delight at the potential of our new River Terrace garden site. Those who know Lib well, know her refreshing, hopeful and often inspiring worldview. It shows up most vividly in her colorful paintings on silk (click here to see Lib’s artist side at the website for her studio). But it also comes out in Lib’s musings, both in conversation and here in her writing. See below, and watch for future installments from “Lyrical Garden Libby”… I love starting a garden. Cardboard is laid on the grass, and bark spread upon it. A field of useless grass, which needs mowing if not also chemicals to maintain, is soon transformed into an attractive natural looking area, at the same time as it is creating a rich soil out of the decomposing bark and cardboard. The cardboard is recycled from large containers, and the bark is given free by tree companies who are happy to offload it rather than take it to the dump. Next come autumn leaves, and manure from vegetarian animals, spread on the areas where soil for plants is to be created. I love moving the mulch and feeling the sun and breeze on my working muscles. This body loves physical labour. It feels exultant when perspiration arises, anticipating the pleasure of bathing later. I dream of a time when more and more of those grassy lawns we see, are reduced with areas of mulched ground, pleasant to see, and suggesting wild nature, which recycles and does not create waste. They will be decomposing – breaking down ready for creating a garden; top up the mulch with more free mulch as needed. One day we will need to feed ourselves and not rely on food that is shipped in. This is how to create local resilience – I can’t wait to harvest our own organic crops. How good they taste. Elizabeth E Mitchell Enjoy the Holidays! All the best to you and your family from your friends at the Seminole Heights Community Garden! https://seminoleheightscommunitygardens.org/ |
November 16, 2017
|
We changed the date! Our next planning meeting is scheduled for MONDAY, NOV. 27.Our previous email invited you to attend our upcoming planning meeting set for next Monday (we usually schedule the evening of the third Monday of each month). But since then, we had to push things back a week to Monday, November 27. The time and location remains the same though: it starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). There is much to discuss as we approach the new year, so please join us! Everyone is welcome.Three additional dates for your calendar (including one happening this weekend): A Porch Party on Saturday… Saturday, November 18 — You are invited to mingle with some fine folks from the neighborhood at the next Old Seminole Heights Org. porch party. This one is special for the garden because one of our long-time active members, Anita Lawson is hosting. Her home is at 6010 N. Orange Blossom Avenue, and the party will go from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. Attendees are asked to bring what they want to drink and a snack to share. There’s always enough food to count as a light supper!* * *A night of live jazz to kick off December… Saturday, December 2 — Come out to the Independent Bar and Cafe on Florida Avenue for their First Saturday Jazz Series, featuring our past-president and current garden master, Denise Moore. We’ve encouraged our readers to catch Denise in her back-up singing role with the incredible Steely Dan tribute band, Show Biz Kids. But on this night you can see her performing lead, singing a fine jazz repertoire accompanied by some of the best musical talent from the local jazz community. Show starts at 8:00 pm; no cover.* * *A party at our president’s home to toast the holidays… Monday, December 18 — Our garden president Colleen Parker is again hosting a party to celebrate the season and salute our accomplishments as the 2017 year comes to a close. Save the date, and watch for more details to follow!* * *That’s all for now, except to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving! Best to all! Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org  |
October 14, 2017
Our next planning meeting is coming up Monday October 16, and takes place at Fodder & Shine.  We schedule the evening of the third Monday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting starts at 6:30 pm as usual, but this time we’ll get together at the wonderful Fodder & Shine restaurant instead of the public library. The restaurant is located at 5910 N. Florida Ave. Join us for a little socializing to go along with our regular garden business talk. Okay, so that went well. Thanks to everyone who contributed… our yard sale on Saturday brought in over $500!  Our participation in the OSHNA Great Neighborhood Yard Sale on Saturday was better than we ever expected… net proceeds to the garden handily topped $500! Thanks to all who donated items for the sale, and to our garden members who worked so hard to help us organize the event. Plus a special thanks to Denise and Alex who provided their home as our staging site. And finally (at the risk of suddenly sounding like an Academy Awards acceptance speech), we also want to thank the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association for promoting the annual yard sale, which provided the community garden with such a lucrative fundraising opportunity. See you all next year. And what the heck… start setting aside your yard-saleables now!  All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
October 11, 2017
|
| Only one drop-off day left! Donate your Yard-Saleables no later than 5 pm Thursday. The OSHNA Great Neighborhood Yard Sale happens this weekend… SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14… and the Garden’s special yard sale committee is urging you to bring us your item donations. We need your stuff, and here’s what we are asking you to do: When to deliver – We need a few days in advance to organize and display all of our donated items, so we’ve started accepting them until 5 pm each day, today October 9 through Thursday October 12. Where to deliver – The Garden’s participation in the sale will be hosted at the home of our Garden Master/Immediate Past-President, Denise Moore. She lives in the nice yellow bungalow on the northeast corner of Henry and Ola (311 West Henry Street). Leave your items on her carport if no one is there to greet you when you drop by. Pricing – You’re probably the better judge of the value of most of your donated items, especially if they’re antique-y or collectible. So it will help us a lot if you tag your items with a fair sale price for us. But this pre-pricing is not absolutely required… you can leave it up to us if you don’t have the time. And please note that your ascribed value will serve only as a suggested price. The Garden’s selling team will be wheeling and dealing with the yard sale customers all day long, and everything will be negotiable. Of course, we hope to get the most out of each sale, because 100% of the proceeds are going straight to the Garden’s operating funds. The “Abundance Table” – As a special community service of sorts, the Garden will feature a special table at the sale with stuff that’s simply free for the taking. So think about what you might also like to donate to give away, too. Kids’ books or magazines, for example. Or maybe food items you stocked up on for that lousy hurricane that thankfully just brushed us. Ultimately, it’s our hope that the Abundance Table might dole out a little help to someone who can really use it. (Please make sure your donations for this effort are clearly identified for us.) Last but not least – Come by on the day of the sale, October 14… who knows what bargains you’ll find. Bring your rich friends, too… we need their money! The OSHNA Great Neighborhood Yard Sale runs from 7 am to 2 pm. Here’s a link to the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association’s website with all the details of the event… http://oldseminoleheights.org/oshnas-great-neighborhood-yardsale/ Our next planning meeting is coming up Monday October 16, and takes place at Fodder & Shine. We schedule the evening of the third Monday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting starts at 6:30 pm as usual, but this time we’ll get together at the wonderful Fodder & Shine restaurant instead of the public library. The restaurant is located at 5910 N. Florida Ave. Join us for a little socializing to go along with our regular garden business talk. All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
October 6, 2017
Got a bunch of stuff for the Garden Yard Sale stacked up in a corner somewhere? We’re ready to take it off your hands! We’re not able to rid you of the hurricane yard debris on your front walk, but we can gladly help you free up some space in your closets. The OSHNA Great Neighborhood Yard Sale is almost upon us… SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14… and the Garden’s special yard sale committee is finally ready to receive your donations. We need your stuff, and here’s what we are asking you to do: When to deliver – We need a few days in advance to organize and display all of our donated items, so we’ll start accepting them each day until 5 pm, Monday October 9 through Thursday October 12. Where to deliver – The Garden’s participation in the sale will be hosted at the home of our Garden Master/Immediate Past-President, Denise Moore. She lives in the nice yellow bungalow on the northeast corner of Henry and Ola (311 West Henry Street). Leave your items on her carport if no one is there to greet you when you drop by. Pricing – You’re probably the better judge of the value of most of your donated items, especially if they’re antique-y or collectible. So it will help us a lot if you tag your items with a fair sale price for us. But this pre-pricing is not absolutely required… you can leave it up to us if you don’t have the time. And please note that your ascribed value will serve only as a suggested price. The Garden’s selling team will be wheeling and dealing with the yard sale customers all day long, and everything will be negotiable. Of course, we hope to get the most out of each sale, because 100% of the proceeds are going straight to the Garden’s operating funds. The “Abundance Table” – As a special community service of sorts, the Garden will feature a special table at the sale with stuff that’s simply free for the taking. So think about what you might also like to donate to give away. Kids’ books or magazines, for example. Or maybe food items you stocked up on for that lousy hurricane that thankfully just brushed us. Ultimately, it’s our hope that the Abundance Table might dole out a little help to someone who can really use it. (Please make sure your donations for this effort are clearly identified for us.) Last but not least – Come by on the day of the sale, October 14… who knows what bargains you’ll find. Bring your rich friends, too… we need their money! The OSHNA Great Neighborhood Yard Sale runs from 7 am to 2 pm. Here’s a link to the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association’s website with all the details of the event… http://oldseminoleheights.org/oshnas-great-neighborhood-yardsale/ BREAKING NEWS: our Garden takes “Best of the Bay” award! Pick up the latest edition of the Creative Loafing weekly magazine, and inside you’ll find us listed as the Bay area’s most popular community garden among readers. Congratulations and thanks(!) to our members who made us worthy of the recognition. All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
September 15, 2017
|
Attention garden members… our next planning meeting is coming up, Monday, September 18 We schedule the evening of the third Monday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Most likely, we’ll be in Room 220. Please join us! Thank you, USF volunteers!  They came on a sunny beautiful Saturday, August 19, a carload of students participating in USF’s annual Morning of Service event. Once again, our garden was selected along with about 40 other non-profit sites to receive a few hours of invaluable volunteer people power (this year’s theme: “CHARGE: grab service by the horns”). We really put our team to work this time, moving cinder blocks and logs, weeding, and preparing large sheets of cardboard to use as ground cover for mulching. There was lots of heavy lifting for sure, but the volunteers took it on enthusiastically. So here’s to them… our heartfelt gratitude. GO BULLS! Are you hoarding stuff for our fundraising yard sale? It’s not too late (or too early) to start!  We’re hoping to raise some operating funds with a big neighborhood yard sale taking place on Saturday, October 14. That’s about a month away, so it’s really time now to start hanging on to saleable discards that you might have considered taking to a thrift store. Please set these items aside, and we’ll provide details shortly on how we’ll put all your great stuff up for sale. Thanks!!Lend us a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can this weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. We look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
August 17, 2017
|
Your participation at the garden this Saturday will be met and matched by USF’s finest. Please join us. As we mentioned in our last newsletter, the garden has again been selected along with about 40 other sites to benefit from USF’s annual Morning of Service event. And it’s happening this weekend… we’re expecting up to ten student volunteers to visit us this Saturday morning, August 19 from 10:15 am to 12:45 pm. That’s 2-1/2 hours of enthusiastic people power, and we need to show our appreciation with lots of members on hand to greet and guide them. Please make plans to work alongside us that morning. The theme for this year’s program is “CHARGE: grab service by the horns”. To that we say once again, “GO BULLS!“ Reminder… our next planning meeting is coming up next Monday, August 21. We schedule the evening of the third Monday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Please join us!Are you hoarding stuff for our fundraising yard sale? It’s not too late (or too early) to start! We’re hoping to raise some operating funds with a big neighborhood yard sale taking place on Saturday, October 14. That’s less than two months off, so it’s really time now to start hanging on to saleable discards that you might have considered taking to a thrift store. Please set these items aside, and we’ll provide details shortly on how we’ll put all your great stuff up for sale. Thanks!!  “I think that I done never see’d, a poem as noxious as a weed.” – Joyce Kilmer All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
July 15, 2017
| Join us on Monday. Bring your friends!View this email in your browser |
Join us for a good time gathering, Monday evening July 17, at the c. 1949 Florida Beer Bar. It’s time for a lighthearted break from our usual monthly garden planning meetings, so our next one will be more of a social event. We’ll be kicking back at the new c. 1949 bar next to the Lowry Park Zoo (the address is 6905 N. Orleans Avenue, but you’ll see one side of the building facing Sligh Avenue on your right if you’re heading west). There’s beer of course, but also wine, snacks and food trucks; in other words a little something for everyone. Plus a good time for anyone who joins us. It starts at 6:30 pm. Let’s talk about what we should be planting in the fall, and then just let things roll casually and informally. Join us Monday, July 17, and invite your friends to come along, too! Seen on finer refrigerators throughout Seminole Heights  These magnets are very attractive because, well, they’re magnets after all. But they’re also limited edition, and we only have a few of them left to hand out. So if you’re looking to give your kitchen some added flair, be sure to request a magnet from Colleen when you see us at the meeting on Monday. Make plans to attend the next Garden Coalition event, Friday August 4 Here’s an email we recently received from the Florida coalition with all the details. Hope you can make it! Greetings fellow community gardeners! We have the hall and all we need is you….for popcorn & movie night, featuring pictures of community gardens. Friday, August 4, 6:30, 2005 N. Lamar Avenue, 33602. Kitty Wallace will be attending the annual conference of the American Community Gardening Association in Hartford, CT and will be visiting several community gardens on the tours planned for the attendees. We could just send out the pictures on email…but it would be so much more fun to have a “get together”. This is a perfect opportunity to share info about our wonderful community gardens with each other. So we invite each community garden to send a few pictures, with captions, so we can put them all together on the slide show/movie. We work hard all year – Let’s come together to show support for each other, to learn from each other, to celebrate another year of gardening ahead! Any questions? Sure, you can bring some snacks to share, if you wish….or a cold six pack. We have plenty of red and white (does that go with popcorn??? Sure it does). -Looking forward to seeing you in August..  Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can next weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. We look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
July 7, 2017
| Good times… join us at c. 1949 on July 17.View this email in your browser |
| Join us for a good time gathering, Monday evening July 17, at the c. 1949 Florida Beer Bar. It’s time for a lighthearted break from our usual monthly garden planning meetings, so our next one will be more of a social event. We’ll be kicking back at the new c. 1949 bar next to the Lowry Park Zoo (the address is 6905 N. Orleans Avenue, but you’ll see one side of the building facing Sligh Avenue on your right if you’re heading west). There’s beer of course, but also wine, snacks and food trucks; in other words a little something for everyone. Plus a good time for anyone who joins us. It starts at 6:30 pm. Let’s talk about what we should be planting in the fall, and then just let things roll casually and informally. Come on out, Monday, July 17! We need leaves If you’re raking up leaves, don’t take them to the curb for pick-up. Bring them to the garden instead. We need leaves, lots of leaves, to keep our compost going strong. You can bring your bags down the alley behind the garden and deliver them through the back gate and into the corner behind our compost bins. (But remember, we’re pure organic… please donate only leaves from yards that are uncontaminated by lawn service fertilizers or pesticides.) Thanks!! And we need yard sale stuff (but don’t bring it to us yet!) Our community garden is hoping to raise some operating funds with a big neighborhood yard sale taking place in October. That’s a few months off, but it’s probably not too soon to ask you to start hanging on to saleable discards that you might have considered taking to a thrift store. Please start setting these items aside, and we’ll provide details later on how we’ll put all your great stuff up for sale. Again, thanks!! Make plans to attend the next Garden Coalition event, Friday August 4 Here’s an email we recently received from the Florida coalition with all the details. Hope you can make it! Greetings fellow community gardeners! We have the hall and all we need is you….for popcorn & movie night, featuring pictures of community gardens. Friday, August 4, 6:30, 2005 N. Lamar Avenue, 33602. Kitty Wallace will be attending the annual conference of the American Community Gardening Association in Hartford, CT and will be visiting several community gardens on the tours planned for the attendees. We could just send out the pictures on email…but it would be so much more fun to have a “get together”. This is a perfect opportunity to share info about our wonderful community gardens with each other. So we invite each community garden to send a few pictures, with captions, so we can put them all together on the slide show/movie. We work hard all year – Let’s come together to show support for each other, to learn from each other, to celebrate another year of gardening ahead! Any questions? Sure, you can bring some snacks to share, if you wish….or a cold six pack. We have plenty of red and white (does that go with popcorn??? Sure it does). -Looking forward to seeing you in August.. Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon  Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can this weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. We look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
June 18, 2017
| Three dates for your social calenderView this email in your browser |
| A reminder: Garden planning meeting tomorrow evening, Monday June 19 We schedule the evening of the third Monday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Please join us! Two events of interest for you First, we happened to notice an ad in Thursday’s newspaper announcing USF Botanical Gardens’ 2016 Summer Plant Festival, happening the weekend of June 24-25. Five bucks admission, but well worth the price (kids free, and free parking). There are workshops, but also scores of vendors with plants of every kind… you’re not likely to leave empty-handed. More info, click here.* * * *Next, we’re once again helping our longtime member and past president, Denise Moore, get the word out about her band’s next performance. She sings back-up vocals in the 12-member Steely Dan tribute band, Show Biz Kids, and for a second time they’re coming to St. Pete’s Palladium Theater. It’s probably the best venue yet to showcase the talents of this extraordinary band. See and hear for yourself… Saturday, August 5, 8:00 pm. More info at this link.Stop the skeeters! Dump out standing water at the garden When conditions were dry, we encouraged members to stop by and water the garden any chance they got. Now it’s thankfully raining like crazy almost daily, but the new challenge is the moisture that might collect in pots and trays laying about. So anytime you visit the garden, please take a minute to look around and empty any standing water you find. And if possible, turn offending containers upside down. Thanks! Finally, Happy Father’s Day to all our Dads!  Garden member, Michael Brannock with his son, Riley Thaddeus Brannock born May 29. All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
June 14, 2017
| Announcements, pronouncements, and a couple of requestsView this email in your browser |
| Attention Garden members… our next planning meeting is coming up, Monday, June 19 We schedule the evening of the third Monday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Please join us! Fantastic! Our new garden members have a new family member! Congratulations to proud parents Sarah and Michael Brannock, who brought their firstborn into this world on May 29. We wish all the best to them and to their new son, Riley Thaddeus Brannock. We need leaves If you’re raking up leaves, don’t take them to the curb for pick-up. Bring them to the garden instead. We need leaves, lots of leaves, to keep our compost going strong. You can bring your bags down the alley behind the garden and deliver them through the back gate and into the corner behind our compost bins. (But remember, we’re pure organic… please donate only leaves from yards that are uncontaminated by lawn service fertilizers or pesticides.) Thanks!! And we need yard sale stuff (but don’t bring it to us yet!) Our community garden is hoping to raise some operating funds with a big neighborhood yard sale taking place in October. That’s a few months off, but it’s probably not too soon to ask you to start hanging on to saleable discards that you might have considered taking to a thrift store. Please start setting these items aside, and we’ll provide details later on how we’ll put all your great stuff up for sale. Again, thanks!! Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can this weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. We look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
April 13, 2017
| We need your input at Monday evening’s planning meeting.View this email in your browser |
| Please join us Monday April 17 for an important monthly planning meeting.We schedule the evening of the third Monday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Please join us… this one is important, because we’ll be discussing all the final details for our Earth Day/Birthday Open House celebration the following weekend (see below!) Everyone is invited to our special Open House. Bring your old friends, make some new friends.  |
April 11, 2017
| Celebrate Earth Day with us (it’s our birthday, too!)View this email in your browser |
| Bring your friends. Bring your kids. Everyone is invited! |
March 18, 2017
| Don’t miss our Earth Day/Birthday planning meeting!View this email in your browser |
 |
What on Earth Day is going on? Earth Day is coming up fast, Saturday April 22. And it’s also our garden’s birthday, something we plan to celebrate with a special open house for the public. So please mark your calendar to attend our monthly planning meeting on Monday March 20th, where we’ll finalize the details for the big day. The meeting starts at 6:30 pm at Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Join us to share your input. (And keep collecting your little plastic yogurt cups in the meantime… we need them to pot seedlings to share as garden gifts with our Earth Day/Birthday guests.) Thanks!Rain has been scarce. Help us keep the garden watered. It’s been a very dry winter. But our team of watering volunteers under the leadership of our “Water Lily”, Lynelle Bonneville, has managed to keep everything green and growing. Each volunteer is assigned to a different day of the week and to a designated watering zone in the garden. With such dry conditions though, our plants would greatly benefit from some additional attention. That means additional volunteers to fill in. If you can help, reach out to Lynelle through our regular email… info.shcg@gmail.com. Or just grab a watering can anytime you visit the garden and douse as many plants as you can. They can never get too much.Plant festival season is here. FYI, a pretty good article appeared in last Sunday’s Tampa Bay Times that listed several plant festivals coming up in March and April. Here’s the Times’ link to the article online… you might be interested in checking out some of these events.Lend us a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Every Saturday, 9 am to noon Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can next weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. We look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
February 11, 2017
| Earth Day is our birthday and other interesting newsView this email in your browser |
|
| So much stuff to tell you about…Where to begin? There are just a lot of assorted items to share this month, so we hope you don’t mind that this newsletter runs a little long. Just scroll up and down and check out the topics that catch your interest. But we did put the two most important items right up at the top. Starting with… Item #1: Please save your little plastic yogurt cups. We’re going to need them for Earth Day on April 22 We’re pulling together plans to celebrate Earth Day 2017 with a special event to raise awareness for both the occasion and for our community garden (which will also be celebrating it’s 11th birthday!). One component of this neighborhood gathering will likely be the give-away of free vegetable seedlings to our guests. Re-purposed plastic single-serve yogurt cups make the perfect pots for the seedlings, so please start collecting yours now. Other similar sized cups will also do. Save them for us to ensure we’ll have lots on hand as the date draws near. Thanks!Item #2: Mark your calendar for our next planning meeting, Monday February 20 We’ll be talking more about our Earth Day/Birthday event at this meeting, as well as spring planting plans. The planning meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Please join us! Item #3: A quick shout-out to our wonderful USF “Stampede of Service” volunteers who helped us out in January The seven hardworking, enthusiastic students pictured here joined us for a few hours on Saturday morning January 14th, weeding and watering, and pitching in on whatever else needed doing that day. It was part of an annual community volunteer effort hosted by USF all over town, and we can’t overstate our gratitude for being made a part of it. GO BULLS!Item #4: A reminder to visit our website’s “LET’S EAT!” page for some great recipe ideas  Our immediate past-president and current garden master, Denise Moore, is shown here with some fresh picked carrots from the garden and also a jar of homemade carrot-top pesto. So how do you make pesto? Start by going to this link from our website’s “Let’s Eat!” page, where you’ll find a pretty good recipe for it (the recipe calls for kale, but substituting carrot tops should work just fine). You’ll find lots of other interesting recipes submitted by garden members too, plus nutritional benefits information on a variety of vegetables and fruits. We also want you to help us grow this page… submit your recipe ideas to Colleen at info.shcg@gmail.com. She’ll post them for you, and also credit your contribution by name if you’d like.Item #5: Denise Moore (again, pictured above) will be performing at the Gasparilla Music Festival, singing in the Steely Dan tribute band, Show Biz Kids We’ve told you about Show Biz Kids before. You really must see this 12-piece band to truly appreciate how impeccably they cover the sublime music of Steely Dan. Denise is one of two female back-up singers in the group, and the next time you can catch them is on day-two (Sunday, March 12) of the 2017 Gasparilla Music Festival in downtown Tampa. Congratulations to the band for landing another high-profile gig. More info here… you should try to make it out to the show.Item #6: And one final thing from Denise… Here are a couple of links she suggested we share with you. The first one takes you to the website for Growin’ Crazy Acres in Spring Hill. We’re not trying to help them sell their wares, but it’s an interesting enterprise, and the website shares some good planting tips and recipe ideas. Worth a look… click here. The second link Denise shared takes you to the latest newsletter from Sweetwater Organic Community Farm in Tampa. You might already be familiar with this locally renowned organization — they’ve been around for over 20 years — but their endeavors align with many of the interests of our community garden members, and so you might want to check this one out as well… click here. And finally from all of us at the Garden…  If you’re an S.H.C.G. member and haven’t visited the garden in awhile, it’s high time you popped in again. We’ve got lots of kale, chard, salad greens, tomatoes and carrots that are either ready to harvest now, or will be ready very soon. There are herbs too, and probably some other stuff we forgot to list, so bring a bag to take it home fresh-picked for your dinner table. Please join us if you can next weekend… come with a friend too, who might be interested in becoming a new member. We gather every Saturday morning 9:00 am to noon, pitching in together to keep our garden going and growing. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. We look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
January 17, 2017
| Happening this Thursday, for your information…View this email in your browser |
|
| This meeting notice appeared in the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association’s newsletter today. Thought we should share it. This seems worth passing along because of the scope of the project that will be discussed at City Council. For better or worse, the project will make an impact on Seminole Heights, so here’s the text of OSHNA’s newsletter posting, FYI… City Council Meeting – 6000-6008 N Florida Ave, Thursday, March 9th. Time: TPD The property located at 6000 – 6008 N Florida Ave known as the Milhaus Project will be going before Council. You can find information about the project on the cities website here https://aca.tampagov.net/citizenaccess/ and enter REZ16-101. This is a proposed 5 story mixed-use building. The ground floor will be approximately 7200 sq ft of retail while the 4 upper stories will consist of 84 apartment units. Currently they are providing 117 parking spots. If you have concerns, the council meeting will be your opportunity to speak up. You can also email landuse@oldseminoleheights.org. Once we have a confirmed time, we will post it on our Facebook page. |
January 13, 2017
| Please note this corrected meeting date on your calendarView this email in your browser |
|
| Corrected Date!! Our next Garden Planning meeting happens Monday, January 16th at Colleen Parker’s home.We usually hold our monthly meeting at the local public library, but Colleen is inviting members to come to her house this month instead. And contrary to the newsletter we sent you earlier this week, the correct date for this event is Monday, January 16 (not the 17th). Please contact her at info.shcg@gmail.comto RSVP and to get address info. Meeting starts at 6:30 pm. See you there! Please help us welcome the another team of USF student volunteers this Saturday.  It’s back! The USF “Stampede of Service” for 2017 has again chosen our community garden as one of its 70 volunteer sites throughout the school’s service area, and a team of energentic students will arrive by bus this Saturday, January 14 to assist us from 9:30 am until noon. It’s their way of helping to build a growing tradition of community service on the college campus while also helping students learn about the great work their student body does on a daily basis. So please make a point to join us this Saturday to greet our volunteer team and to guide their efforts. We sincerely thank USF for pitching in for us. We look forward to seeing you, and GO BULLS! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
January 11, 2017
| USF volunteers are back this Saturday; our next planning meeting is coming up, too.View this email in your browser |
|
| Please help us welcome the another team of USF student volunteers this Saturday. It’s back! The USF “Stampede of Service” for 2017 has again chosen our community garden as one of its 70 volunteer sites throughout the school’s service area, and a team of energentic students will arrive by bus this Saturday, January 14 to assist us from 9:30 am until noon. It’s their way of helping to build a growing tradition of community service on the college campus while also helping students learn about the great work their student body does on a daily basis. Please make a point to join us this Saturday to greet our volunteer team and to guide their efforts. We sincerely thank USF for pitching in for us. GO BULLS! Our next Garden Planning meeting happens Monday, January 17th at Colleen Parker’s home. We usually hold our monthly meeting at the local public library, but Colleen is inviting members to come to her house this month instead. Please contact her at info.shcg@gmail.com to RSVP and to get address info. Meeting starts at 6:30 pm. See you there! The Coalition of Community Gardens next quarterly meeting is Thursday, January 19th at the Mustard Seed Garden at Tims Memorial Presbyterian Church, 601 Sunset Lane, Lutz, 33549. 4:30 – 6:00 pm Here’s the text of the latest email from the Coalition’s Kitty Wallace, with meeting details and more. Hope you can make the date! We had a great meeting at Plant City Commons Community Garden in October, met several of their gardeners, and toured their wonderful garden. Thanks, Karen! We also welcomed the Vista Gardens members, Jen and Barb. Proposed agenda: Tour the Mustard Seed Garden; share info about our gardens; Q & A re gardening.Plan garden tours in April….It would be most helpful if each of us could meet with our board/planning teams prior to this meeting….and determine a date in April, best case scenario to coincide with Earth Day, that we can ALL hold an event or an open house in our gardens area-wide….it looks like we have some marketing people on board this year and can actually make a fair media splash about this. So bring that information with you or share via email so we can come away from this meeting with a PLAN. Re: the Healthiest Cities-Counties Challenge Grant: We have had one general meeting with the partner agencies of the grant. Data on statistics regarding food deserts, current community gardens, as well as health-related statistics are being gathered. And we (the coalition members) are putting together a “Starting a community garden tool kit.” The goal of this grant is to develop a model of networking and use the model to establish at least 3 community gardens in food desert areas in Tampa/Hillsborough. (The USDA defines what’s considered a food desert: at least 500 people and/or at least 33 percent of the census tract’s population must reside more than one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store (for rural census tracts, the distance is more than 10 miles). Please reply to this email regarding your attendance….Ardell and Renee at Mustard Seed Garden would appreciate getting a head count at some point (RSVP to Colleen at info.shcg@gmail.com). All are welcome and encouraged to attend and to bring other gardeners from your group. Best wishes for a happy, healthy 2017! KittyLend us a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow every Saturday morning, 9:00 am to noon. Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can this weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. We look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
December 27, 2016
| Garden happenings for your happy New YearView this email in your browser |
|
| Simple Mindful Living — here’s an upcoming workshop to explore a happier, healthier wayYour New Year’s resolutions might call up a commitment to more dieting or exercise, or some other singular change of habits. But you might consider starting 2017 with a something that goes further and deeper… a new focus on Simple Mindful Living. Garden member, Andrew Rock, asked us to invite our newsletter subscribers to a workshop he’ll be leading to teach you ways to get there. His program will explore how we can simplify our lives to be happier, healthier and to have a more sustainable world. Together participants will discuss the relationship between mindfulness and simple living including:Examine how our values manifest in the way we live.Consider ways and opportunities to make our lives simpler, happier and more sustainable.Ask ourselves: “What do we really need?” and “How much is enough?”The Simple Mindful Living workshop takes place Saturday January 7 beginning at 9:30 am at the FCM Practice Center, 6501 N. Nebraska Ave. Learn more about FCM and register online by clicking here. (More about Andrew: He has been a member of FCM since 2004 and the Order of Interbeing since 2011, and has led previous workshops for FCM’s Mindfulness Institute on mindful consumption, engaged Buddhism and mindfulness for activists. He is also a founder of the Tampa Bay Buddhist Climate Action Network.)The Coalition of Community Gardens next quarterly meeting is Thursday, January 19th at the Mustard Seed Garden at Tims Memorial Presbyterian Church, 601 Sunset Lane, Lutz, 33549. 4:30 – 6:00 pm Here’s the text of the latest email from the Coalition’s Kitty Wallace, with meeting details and more. Hope you can make the date! We had a great meeting at Plant City Commons Community Garden in October, met several of their gardeners, and toured their wonderful garden. Thanks, Karen! We also welcomed the Vista Gardens members, Jen and Barb. Proposed agenda: Tour the Mustard Seed Garden; share info about our gardens; Q & A re gardening.Plan garden tours in April….It would be most helpful if each of us could meet with our board/planning teams prior to this meeting….and determine a date in April, best case scenario to coincide with Earth Day, that we can ALL hold an event or an open house in our gardens area-wide….it looks like we have some marketing people on board this year and can actually make a fair media splash about this. So bring that information with you or share via email so we can come away from this meeting with a PLAN. Re: the Healthiest Cities-Counties Challenge Grant: We have had one general meeting with the partner agencies of the grant. Data on statistics regarding food deserts, current community gardens, as well as health-related statistics are being gathered. And we (the coalition members) are putting together a “Starting a community garden tool kit.” The goal of this grant is to develop a model of networking and use the model to establish at least 3 community gardens in food desert areas in Tampa/Hillsborough. (The USDA defines what’s considered a food desert: at least 500 people and/or at least 33 percent of the census tract’s population must reside more than one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store (for rural census tracts, the distance is more than 10 miles). Please reply to this email regarding your attendance….Ardell and Renee at Mustard Seed Garden would appreciate getting a head count at some point (RSVP to Colleen at info.shcg@gmail.com). All are welcome and encouraged to attend and to bring other gardeners from your group. Best wishes for a happy, healthy 2017! KittyLend us a hand, make some friends*, and help our garden grow every Saturday morning, 9:00 am to noon. Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can this weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. We look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org *Like these people! This photo taken at our December 19 Holiday gathering at Colleen’s home. (Colleen is standing on the far left, wearing the gray top in case you haven’t yet met her. And Simple Mindful Living instructor, Andrew Rock, is seated front and center in the plaid shirt.) |
December 15, 2016
| Invitation reminder, harvesting greens video, and other newsView this email in your browser |
|
 INVITATION REMINDER!Join us Monday evening, December 19.Season’s Greetings! Our December planning meeting will be a Holiday get-together, too. So instead of the public library, we’ll meet this month at the home of our garden president, Colleen Parker. Mark your calendar for December 19 (meetings are always the third Monday of the month). Our planning meeting/party starts at 6:30 pm. You can contact Colleen for more details at info.shcg@gmail.com  We’ve got a bounty of kale to harvest, so come and get some. Here’s the sustainable way to take it from the plant. Greens like collards, lettuce, and kale are great garden plants. If you harvest the leaves properly, they still continue to grow, providing more and more healthy produce for an entire season. Right now, we’ve got lots of beautiful kale ready for our members to share. Lettuce and chard, too. So come out with a bag or basket and take some for you and your family. But please spend a couple minutes first to watch this YouTube video that shows you the right way to cut the plants back to ensure they keep on producing. Thanks, and enjoy! Who can assist with compost? Garden member, Anson Mitchell, has put out a call for anyone who can help him with picking up compost donated by a local restaurant or two. He needs a picker-upper for Wednesdays. If you’re available, contact us at info.shcg@gmail.com and we’ll put you in touch with Anson to talk over the details. The work is pretty simple and doesn’t take a whole lot of time… two details we’re sharing in advance to hopefully encourage your interest in signing on. Thanks!Lend us a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow every Saturday morning, 9:00 am to noon. Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can next weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. We look forward to seeing you! All the best for your Holidays, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
December 10, 2016
| Holiday invitations for you and other newsView this email in your browser |
|
| Here’s a special invitation for you… Join us Monday evening, December 19.Season’s Greetings! Our December planning meeting will be a Holiday get-together, too. So instead of the public library, we’ll meet this month at the home of our garden president, Colleen Parker. Mark your calendar for December 19 (meetings are always the third Monday of the month). Our planning meeting/party starts at 6:30 pm. You can contact Colleen for more details at info.shcg@gmail.com And here’s another Holiday invitation… this one from our friends in Tampa Heights The neighborhood’s Holiday party happens next Sunday, December 18, 2 – 6 pm. All funds raised from this event benefit the Tampa Heights Community Garden. Here are some details. See you there!  Who can assist with compost? Garden member, Anson Mitchell, has put out a call for anyone who can help him with picking up compost donated by a local restaurant or two. He needs a picker-upper for Wednesdays. If you’re available, contact us at info.shcg@gmail.com and we’ll put you in touch with Anson to talk over the details. The work is pretty simple and doesn’t take a whole lot of time… two details we’re sharing in advance to hopefully encourage your interest in signing on. Thanks!Lend us a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow every Saturday morning, 9:00 am to noon. Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can next weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. We look forward to seeing you! All the best for your Holidays, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
November 20, 2016
| A break for the busy Thanksgiving week… no meeting tomorrow. View this email in your browser |
|
 Just a reminder… no planning meeting Monday night Everything at the garden seems to be running smoothly and all of our current plans are on track. And with Thanksgiving just around the corner, we decided to cancel our planning meeting that would normally be scheduled for November 21 (always the third Monday of the month). But watch for news about our December meeting, which might double as a holiday party at a board member’s house. Stay tuned! Let’s eat! Check out the new recipe page on our website When we meet in the garden, the conversations always turn to food prep. It seems that everyone has a favorite recipe incorporating the produce we grow. So our president, Colleen, just created a “Let’s Eat!” page on our websitewhere you can find some of these recipe ideas for your own use in the kitchen. She’s organizing the recipes by the type of fruit or vegetable used, and each food type has an additional link that provides you with some useful nutrition information. You’ll see that our new webpage is very much a work in progress, but we’re announcing it now because we’d like our members to start compiling recipes they’d like to share. Then by the time we send out the next newsletter in December, we should have some simple instructions worked out to get your recipes posted on our site. Get ready, fellow foodies! We need bagged leaves for composting The leaves fall in Autumn, and that’s a good thing because we need lots of them to make our compost for organic soil. If you’ve raked up some bags full in your yard, don’t take them to the curb. Drop them off at our community garden instead … you can just place the bags over the chain link fence in the back through the alley. But please note that we can’t use leaves from yards that have been treated with either pesticides or with fertilizers (no donations from TruGreen customers, for example). Thanks! And finally, Happy Thanksgiving to all!  All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
November 10, 2016
| No planning meeting this month, and other November newsView this email in your browser |
|
 We’re taking a break this month… no planning meeting scheduled for NovemberEverything at the garden seems to be running smoothly and all of our current plans are on track. And with Thanksgiving just around the corner, we decided to cancel our planning meeting that would normally be scheduled for November 21 (always the third Monday of the month). But watch for news about our December meeting, which might double as a holiday party at a board member’s house. Stay tuned! A couple of garden related events for you, both happening this Saturday. Gardeners and foodies have to make a choice this weekend whether to check out the VISTA Gardens Fall Festival in Carrollwood, or the 7th Annual Tampa Bay Veg Fest at the Contanchobee Fort Brooke Park in downtown. Actually you can squeeze in both events if you decide to make a full day of it. They look to be fun and informative, so you might want to do just that… click on the links we included above and make some plans (the weather forecast for the day is perfect). Maybe we’ll see you there! We need bagged leaves for composting The leaves fall in Autumn, and that’s a good thing because we need lots of them to make our compost for organic soil. If you’ve raked up some bags full in your yard, don’t take them to the curb. Drop them off at our community garden instead … you can just place the bags over the chain link fence in the back through the alley. But please note that we can’t use leaves from yards that have been treated with either pesticides or with fertilizers (no donations from TruGreen customers, for example). Thanks!  Lend us a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can this weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. We look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
October 4, 2016
| Food for thought, thought for food…View this email in your browser |
|
| Please assist this USF honors senior by completing a short survey for her thesis project.She is Melissa Falzon, a Biomedical Sciences major at USF, and is interested in how our involvement in a community garden might affect our attitudes regarding food and about our well-being in general. Melissa’s research on the subject will be incorporated in a thesis project, and she’s asking for our help. Here’s the message she sent to our garden president, Colleen Parker — Hello, I am a USF honors college senior that will be working on a thesis project this semester. I am interested in community gardens and believe they can have a positive impact in many people’s lives. This study will analyze how involvement in a community garden affects how an individual views food and their health overall. Please consider helping me gather data by filling out this brief anonymous survey. The survey should take about 5-10 minutes at most and responses are greatly appreciated! Melissa Falzon University of South Florida Honors College Biomedical Sciences Major And here’s the link to her survey — http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2897739/Does-involvement-in-a-Community-Gardens-Change-How-You-Perceive-Food Melissa is hoping for a lot of participation from us obviously, and she also needs your response by Saturday, October 8 if possible. Please take part. This is another simple, but significant opportunity for our garden to fulfill its commitment to community outreach. And frankly, we’re pleased that Melissa chose our endeavors as a topic of study. We give her our best wishes for success with the project.  Attention Garden members… our next planning meeting is coming up, Monday, October 17 We schedule the evening of the third Monday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Please join us!  Lend us a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can this weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. We look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
September 17, 2016
| Planning meeting reminder and other tidbitsView this email in your browser |
|
| Garden Planning Meeting this Monday, 6:30 pm at the libraryWe schedule the evening of the third Monday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our September 19th meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Please join us!Garden Nannies update (“Groundbreaking News”) A few months back, we sent out the call for “Garden Nanny” volunteers to start fall seedlings at home. Several garden members stepped up, and now results are starting to sprout. Here are some pictures of some of the things we’ve got growing… Jalepeno, Red Russian Kale, Orange Fantasy Chard, Fordhook Chard, Cucumbers, Romaine lettuce, Pai Tsai (like bok choy), Romanesco Broccoli, Cauliflower, Broccoli Raab, Tomatillos,and Cherry tomatoes.     Thanks to Colleen Parker Tim Baker, Ellen Leedy, and Cindy Sutherland for the photos. Cindy sent the picture of the square planting pots she folded out of newspaper… they get planted right into the ground with the seedlings where they’ll compost naturally. If you want to try making some pots yourself, instructions can be found at this link. Some planting has already begun at the garden, with lots more going in in the weeks ahead.So lend us a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can this weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. We look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
September 11, 2016
| Planning meeting coming up, new members welcome, and other announcementsView this email in your browser |
|
Attention Garden members… our next planning meeting is coming up, Monday, September 19We schedule the evening of the third Monday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Please join us! One of our “Garden Nanny” volunteers, Lynelle Bonneville, grew these cucumber seedlings on her porch to be planted at the garden Just as our garden grows, so does our club… by four people in just the last month! First, we welcome a couple of new members who happen to be a couple, Anson Mitchell and Lee Ann Corning. We also say welcome aboard to new member Leah Diaz. And finally welcome back to returning member Marilyn Whitfield. It’s always great to make new friends, one of the best benefits of our community garden. So think about other people you know who might want to join our ranks, and feel free to invite them to hang around with us some Saturday morning. Many hands make light work! Organic eggs for sale at Whitwam Organics Whitwam Organics is a Florida registered nursery here in our neighborhood, and owner David Whitwam has sometimes partnered with the garden on various projects we’ve taken on. So we thought we’d help him get out the word that he’s now selling organic eggs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 am to noon. Six bucks a dozen, or half dozen cartons are also available for three dollars. Please call ahead before going to pick up your eggs, to be sure someone’s there to meet you. 813-803-0024. Whitwam Organics is at 7409 Highland Avenue. Concerned about clean water? An opportunity for a little activism. On a few occasions in recent months, we’ve notified our newsletter subscribers about organized efforts to oppose the Tampa Bay Express (TBX), mainly because the proposed project directly impacts our Seminole Heights neighborhood. But otherwise, the Garden has pretty much stayed clear from anything maybe deemed political. We’re really all about growing organic food. But there’s a new issue at hand that might make ‘organic’ in Florida eventually seem moot. The Environmental Regulation Commission (ERC) in Florida just voted in favor of increasing the amounts of cancer-causing chemicals allowed in the waterways, higher than the limits set for the rest of the United States by the EPA. One of these chemicals is benzene, no less. But before it becomes official, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) still has to sign off on this decision that the ERC made. If you would like to tell the EPA that you want them to reject it, here for you then is a link to an online petition… https://www.change.org/p/keep-the-cancer-causing-chemicals-out-of-our-water. Close to 75,000 Florida residents have signed already, and the petition will be delivered to Joel Beauvais at the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water and Heather McTeer Toney, Regional Administrator at the EPA. The link also provides much more information to help you decide whether or not you wish to participate. It’s at least worth a look, because it appears there is much at stake for the quality of our water. Finally as always, we hope to see you next Saturday at the garden, 9:00 am to noon. Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
August 15, 2016
| Garden planning meeting reminder and other newsView this email in your browser |
|
| Join us at the library this evening for our fall planting planning meeting We schedule the evening of the third Monday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our August 15th meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Please join us! And be there at the garden on Saturday August 20, when we host another team of USF Community Partner helpers USF students will return to our garden the Saturday after next to help us turn soil, turn compost, build berms to prep for planting, tend our garden worms, and maybe pull some weeds. We’re hoping for a team of five to seven volunteers, and we’re also hoping for a good turnout from our membership to share a heartfelt welcome and provide some guidance and encouragement. The students’ visit is part of the university’s “CHARGE” city-wide fall annual day of service, and participants will arrive the morning of August 20 at 10:30 for a session lasting until noon. Multiply that by the number of volunteers anticipated to be on hand, and we’re talking a lot of valuable people power! The photo shown here is from USF’s last visit in January… it was a great day in the garden. (Pictured here are two of the students holding some cut papaya from one of our several trees. Garden president, Colleen Parker is on the right, longtime member Lib Mitchell is in the background, and immediate-past president, Denise Moore is on the left). Our thanks to the campus’ Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement for again including us as an organization to benefit from the their students’ generosity of time and effort. GO BULLS! Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, working together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can this weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. We look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
July 14, 2016
| Two upcoming events, one cancelled meeting, and other newsView this email in your browser |
|
| Take Monday off this month. We’re going to. Everything at the garden seems to be running smoothly and all of our current plans are on track. As such, we decided to cancel our July planning meeting that would normally be scheduled for Monday, July 18. See you all at the library building in August though, to share thoughts and ideas for the fall season. Our off-the-grid irrigation is off the charts!  Who needs city water to grow a garden? A couple of heavy rains this week is all it took to fill up our 550-gallon cistern and all seven of our 50-gallon rain barrels. The water is fed into the cistern from the metal roof of our next door neighbors Adam and Patti Ann Rugland (they’re new garden members, too… welcome!), and can then overflow into the barrels through a connection of pipes that was designed and installed by Ricardo Bonilla (pictured here) with the help of Tim Baker and Tony Perilla. Our gratitude to this able team of “hydro-engineers”, and thank you once again to both the Tampa Garden Club and the Hillsborough County’s Neighborhood Relations office, whose funding grants have made it possible for us to develop this efficient, eco-friendly irrigation system for the garden. Coalition of Community Gardens to meet again, Saturday July 23. Everyone is invited to participate! Here’s an excerpt of an email we recently received from Kitty Wallace at the Tampa Garden Club and Coalition of Community Gardens — This is a reminder for you and your gardeners to attend our next coalition meeting at the Hillsborough Extension office on Saturday afternoon, July 23. I am not sure if we set a time but how about 2:00? Thanks to Lisa Meredith for making the arrangements for us to use the building, 5339 County Road 579, Seffner 33584. Topics: – How does your garden get through the summer? – Status of the MPO, Health Dept. grant See you there. Bring a little snack to share. Kitty *** We’d like to see at least two representatives from S.H.C.G. at each of these meetings, but more of us is even better. Everyone can come, and if you do we guarantee you’ll meet some great people there. And taking place earlier that same day… Here’s something else you might want to check out… we also received this email from Lynn Barber, Florida-Friendly Landscaping Extensions Agent for Hillsborough County – We wanted to provide you with the opportunity to attend our City of Tampa Water Department sponsored event on Saturday, July 23, 2016, from 8 am – 12:30 pm, at the Hillsborough Community College – Dale Mabry Campus, Tampa. This year, our FFL 101 theme is: Landscape Selections That Save Time, Money and Water! We have several vendors and a plant diagnostic table. So, bring your plant questions, leaf and insect samples. We hope you will be able to attend. Please register at: http://2016ffl101.eventbrite.com. Thanks. Lynn Barber, Extension Agent – Florida-Friendly Landscaping UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County http://hillsborough.ifas.ufl.edu We need “Garden Nannies” to nurture seedlings for our fall planting. We’ve got a good inventory of seeds of all types, lots of planting trays, and plenty of our own homegrown organic soil from compost. Now we need some people power in the form of “Garden Nanny” volunteers to start our fall seedlings at home. Can you commit to growing a tray or two on your porch or patio? If you’d like to help, please contact Colleen at info.shcg@gmail.com and she’ll arrange to get meet with you to hand off the necessary supplies and answer any questions. Thanks! Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can this weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. We look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
June 18, 2016
| Two important dates coming up next weekView this email in your browser |
|
| Our next planning meeting is Monday, June 20.We schedule the evening of the third Monday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our June 20th meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Please join us! Keeping up with the Stop TBX movement… a critical MPO Board meeting needs your input, Wednesday, June 22. To residents concerned about the impact of the proposed Tampa Bay Expressway (TBX) on our historic neighborhoods, the funding vote by the Hillsborough MPO Board on Wednesday is the most important meeting of the year. It takes place at the County Center at 601 E John F Kennedy Blvd., and begins at 6:00 pm. Sunshine Citizens, the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association & The StopTBX Coalition have combined forces to encourage everyone to pack the place and share in the public comment proceedings prior to the vote. This will last a few hours, and FDOT is presenting before the public makes their comments. So even though the meeting starts at 6 pm, if you don’t get there until 7-8 pm, you will still be able to speak for sure. If you don’t get there until 9, you will probably still be able to speak. Learn more and RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/792948917503004/ Thanks for your interest, and we look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
June 6, 2016
| News for June from the Community GardenView this email in your browser |
|
| We’re cool for school!Good news for High School students in Hillsborough County! Those seeking to access an award through the Bright Futures Program must complete a program of community service work, and we’re proud to announce that our garden was recently approved by the school district as one of the choices they can pick as a community service opportunity. So if you know a Bright Futures hopeful, please send them our way. Our garden is listed on the district’s approved community service opportunities webpage (sorted alphabetically, or locate us under “environmental” if filtering by social issue), and it’s there that you’ll find our contact information to get started. We welcome all students, and promise them a rewarding experience pitching in to grow organically at our beautiful garden.  Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, working together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can this weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. More urgent information regarding Tampa Bay Express (TBX) The movement opposing TBX continues to gain momentum as Seminole Heights,Tampa Heights, and V.M. Ybor residents come to understand the proposed project’s impact on our historic neighborhoods. If you share these concerns and wish to be involved, here are some upcoming meetings announced in an email today from Chris Vela of Sunshine Citizens. — Pinellas County MPO Board Meeting Weds., June 8, 9 a.m. 315 Court St. Clearwater Courthouse Speak against TBX being built all the way into downtown St. Pete, destroying neighborhoods and community assets surrounding 275, 175, and 375 — Tampa City Council CRA Meeting Thurs., June 9, 9 a.m. 315 E Kennedy Blvd. 33602 Tampa City Hall FDOT to appear before Council and address some very specific issues related to the community impacts of the TBX project — TBARTA Board Meeting Fri., June 10, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. FDOT District 7 Auditorium, 11201 N. Malcolm McKinley Drive, Tampa 33612 During public comments, tell the TBARTA board that we need transit not tolls, and that you are opposed to TBX. — TBX Forum: Community Impacts Tues., June 14, 6:30-8 p.m. Tampa Heights Community Center, 2005 N. Lamar Ave. Tampa 33602 Community forum to learn about impacts of TBX to the quality of life in our communities. Presentation and time for participants to speak and contribute. Check the events calendar on Sunshine Citizens’ website for more details about these meetings and others. Attention Garden members… our next planning meeting is coming up, Monday, June 20 We schedule the evening of the third Monday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Please join us! We look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
May 17, 2016
| Join us for a free and informative workshop!View this email in your browser |
|
| We’re hosting a free Micro Irrigation Workshop for home and garden, Saturday, May 28! Limited to the first 30 RSVP’s only, but openings still available. Micro irrigation, also called drip irrigation or drip line irrigation, delivers water right at the base of the plant through a system of flexible irrigation tubing, drip emitters, and micro sprays. Sheila Monahan, Water-Wise Program Coordinator– Florida-Friendly Landscaping from the UF/IFAS Hillsborough County Extension Service, is coming to our garden to teach us about this efficient and effective way to keep your garden healthy and happy. Her presentation takes place at the Garden (6011 N. Highland Ave) on Saturday, May 28, from 10 to 11:00 am. We can only accommodate 30 guests for this special event, so RSVP as soon as possible — info@seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org We look forward to seeing you there. And our special thanks to Sheila! Spreading the word about TBX… Earlier this week, The Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association sent out a notice regarding an important meeting coming up soon… this Wednesday, May 18. We’re passing it along for your information and concerned garden members are encouraged to attend. Here is the text from OSHNA’s email — IMPORTANT: TBX Meeting for Seminole Heights: Wednesday, May 18, 6:30 pm Seminole Heights Library, 4711 N Central Ave. The Florida Department of Transportation will be presenting the plans for I-275 in the area north of MLK up to Bearss Ave. It’s important you attend to review their plans and tell FDOT to STOP TBX. Please invite your friends and neighbors. We are getting very close to the June 22nd vote and we must have a good showing at this meeting and the June 22 MPO meeting. We need YOU and all of your friends. Let’s pack the library inside and out! Please check Tampabayexpress.com for current information and meeting updates or call Chris Speese, Public Involvement Coordinator at (813) 975-6405. Interesting reading, in case you’ve ever wondered…This article showed up on the internet recently, “Here’s why salad greens are always labeled ‘triple-washed’ at the grocery store”, and the answer seems to reinforce the benefit of growing your own in a garden. Enjoy! http://www.businessinsider.com/why-salad-greens-are-triple-washed-2016-5 So, lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can this weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. We look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
May 16, 2016
| A Special Invitation!View this email in your browser |
|
| Reminder to Garden members… planning meeting is tonight (Monday, May 16) at the library We schedule the evening of the third Monday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Please join us! Interesting reading, in case you’ve ever wondered… This article showed up on the internet recently, “Here’s why salad greens are always labeled ‘triple-washed’ at the grocery store”, and the answer seems to reinforce the benefit of growing your own in a garden. Enjoy! http://www.businessinsider.com/why-salad-greens-are-triple-washed-2016-5 So, lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can this weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. (a housekeeping reminder) We need everyone’s help to keep things tidy and secure. Each time you visit the garden, please be sure that all tools are put back in the shed and that the gates both front and back are closed and latched if you’re the last person to leave. Thanks! Recent Garden Highlights Visit our photoblog to see some happenings this month. We look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
May 8, 2016
| A Special Invitation!View this email in your browser |
|
We’re hosting a free Micro Irrigation Workshop for home and garden, Saturday, May 28! Limited to the first 30 RSVP’s only! Micro irrigation, also called drip irrigation or drip line irrigation, delivers water right at the base of the plant through a system of flexible irrigation tubing, drip emitters, and micro sprays. Sheila Monahan, Water-Wise Program Coordinator– Florida-Friendly Landscaping from the UF/IFAS Hillsborough County Extension Service, is coming to our garden to teach us about this efficient and effective way to keep your garden healthy and happy. Her presentation takes place at the Garden (6011 N. Highland Ave) on Saturday, May 28, from 10 to 11:00 am. We can only accommodate 30 guests for this special event, so RSVP as soon as possible — info@seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org We look forward to seeing you there. And our special thanks to Sheila!  Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can this weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. (a housekeeping reminder) We need everyone’s help to keep things tidy and secure. Each time you visit the garden, please be sure that all tools are put back in the shed and that the gates both front and back are closed and latched if you’re the last person to leave. Thanks! Attention Garden members… our next planning meeting is coming up, Monday, May 16 We schedule the evening of the third Monday of each month to discuss all pertinent topics related to keeping our garden bountiful and our organization thriving. Everyone is welcome. Our next meeting starts at 6:30 pm at the Seminole Heights Branch Library (SE corner of Central Avenue and Osborne). Please join us! Recent Garden Highlights Visit our photoblog to see some happenings this month. We look forward to seeing you! All the best, Your friends from Seminole Heights Community Gardens www.seminoleheightscommunitygarden.org |
April 12, 2016
| You’re invited to a celebration Open House/Potluck Brunch!View this email in your browser |
 |
It’s our 7th Anniversary! Join the celebration at our Garden Open House this Sunday, April 17. Happy Birthday to us! To mark the occasion, we’re hosting a special Open House/Potluck Brunch at the Garden on Sunday (6011 N. Highland Ave). Tours for our guests will be available from 10:00 to 2:00 pm, and the brunch begins at noon. Bring a favorite dish to share, and bring your friends and family. Everyone is welcome… we look forward to catching up with all those familiar faces and meeting some new ones! * * * * * * * * Lend a hand, make some friends, and help our garden grow. Saturday mornings, 8:30 am to noon Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and tending the compost and the garden worms… these are a few of the regular tasks essential to our ever-bountiful community garden. We gather for a few hours every Saturday morning, pitching in together to keep it going and keep things growing. So please join us if you can this weekend. Sunscreen and garden hats are recommended, and bring some water to stay hydrated. * * * * * * * * Also this Saturday… a special collaborative gathering for all community gardeners. WHEN: Saturday, April 16, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm WHAT: All members of community gardens in the Tampa Bay area are invited WHERE: University Area Community Center, 4013 N. 22nd Street, Tampa WHY: To share and celebrate and support each other. Enjoy lunch with your community garden peers and discuss ways to promote your organization and activities. * * * * * * * * |
November 2015
Our Milkweed has seeded. Ladybugs have been released. The Okra was trimmed and a frog found some peace. Lib harvested some purslane with curious kids and Jenyce made some tea with our hibiscus nibs. Flowers and fruit decorated our space while collards, kale, and greens grew quickly all over the place! Our Seminole Squash was lost, the caterpillars were heartless. The potatoes survived and made for a bountiful Thanksgiving harvest. Our year has gone by quickly but we are all very thankful that our garden has grown into a place so very tranquil.
October 2015
We have accomplished some amazing things this month to make sure our garden is thriving. We are really looking forward to showing off our achievements at our Garden Gathering towards the end of the month. Hope to see you there!
Cistern Project: Phase 1 Complete
This project is really important to the garden as it will improve the way we irrigate our crops. With the help of the Community Growth Grant awarded by The Tampa Garden Club, Phase 1 has been completed thanks to Tim, Ricardo, Jenyce, Denise, and Amy.
As we were working on this project, we noticed water pooling on the top of the wooden cistern platform. Knowing how detrimental the summer sun and standing water can be on wood, we decided to make a modification to the original design. Our goal was to ensure longevity for the work we did so we had a metal cap custom made to fit over the top of our stand. We should be good for years to come!
What’s Growing:
Special thanks to Lib for repainting our sign. We would also like to thank everyone involved with making sure the sign got to our lovely artist and back again without a hitch: Marc, Cindy, Ellen, Denise and Alex.
Last shout out goes to all of the loyal gardeners that come every week to keep our garden thriving. Look at the amazing work they have done!
September 2015
This month our awesome garden nannies delivered our seedlings to be planted for the fall. Jenyce, Colleen, Lynelle, Doris and Tim all did a fantastic job growing these crops from seedlings. Kudos and many thanks to you for keeping our garden growing!
Jamie Sumner, of Flutter, donated a lovely bench to the garden and we positioned it under the papaya and pecan trees. A wonderful way for our gardeners to take a break, get out of the sun, and take in the view of our thriving okra plants (many thanks!).
Alex and Denise scavenged the remains of a Southern Red Cedar tree from a neighbor and brought them to the garden. We have been positioning the logs as berms and the smell is so fantastic as you walk through the garden. If you have not been by lately, you should stop in, smell the cedar, and see how the garden is teeming with life!
May 2015
This month we started to build the foundation for the cistern. We still have some work to do but week by week we are making progress. The cistern was made possible by a grant we were awarded from Hillsborough County Neighborhood Relations Office.
January 10, 2015
Another busy weekend at the garden. We started building another lovely berm wall making great use of our cinder blocks. We dug new beds and planted potatoes, leafy greens, broccoli and tomatoes. We gave them a good watering and added hay. We tended to the compost and planned out a new space for an herb garden. We organized our things and marked the sprouting black-eyed peas as our new canine friend across the alley watched. We caught up with old friends, gave new ones a tour and took a moment to enjoy all the beauty the garden brings.
January 3, 2015
Our first official weekend at our new location on Highland Ave. We had a record amount of people show up. We loved seeing all the new faces, especially the children, and we always appreciate the veterans too. The garden has come to life over the last few weeks and it is truly amazing to see to transformation.
Flowering Broccoli
Our Mushrooms
Lil cluster
Transplants from Violet waiting for their new home
Transplants from Violet waiting for their new home
Pumpkins take over the compost bin
Lettuce
Batina and Tim planting new crops
Water Lilies
Lil Helpers
Taking a break
Seminole Heights Community Gardens 