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What is this "harvest" stuff. We had our last frost a week and
a half ago! LOL.<br><br>
Dave<br><br>
At 08:46 AM 5/9/2024, you wrote:<br>
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Dear All,<br><br>
<br><br>
We suspect we will harvest more than we are able to eat or preserve. We
would rather pay them forward rather than compost them! There is an adage
in the field of “Harvest early; harvest often!” The earlier you begin
harvesting the more the plant is encouraged to produce. Sometimes unripe
fruit is picked resulting in a larger harvest. As we harvest our crops
and begin giving them away, let us know and we will bring fresh picked
produce to share. You can it forward by giving what you feel its value is
to the chapter! Here’s where we are right now with our garden.<br><br>
<ol>
<li>We have begun harvesting yellow squash and our crop of them seem to
be pretty prolific. We have five plants and each will likely produce
about ten squash.
<li>Of the two acorn squash, only one has survived but it is very
healthy. We are not expecting many this season but have the experience
for a larger yield next season.
<li>I have three cantaloupes but I am not sure how many we will get from
them as they struggled a bit in the beginning. Gardening teaches life
lessons like learning through your challenges and being patient with the
process.
<li>Of all the squash, I am most excited about our butternut! As a winter
squash characterized by its thick outer layer, winter squash is so-called
for its ability to stay fresh through winter. Not only is butternut
squash great for soups, casseroles, and pies, slicing one in half,
seasoning it with a bit of seasoned salt, pepper, and olive oil, it is an
excellent side dish! They also make great decorations during the fall!
<li>In the near future, we will have an abundance of garlic. Merry has
lost count of how many we have but I’ll bet it numbers near triple
digits!
<li>Our Florida peach tree is loaded with small fuzzy fruit which
appeared after the 1-year-old tree now about 12-feet in height was
covered with fragrant pink flowers.I believe peaches will be on the
give-away table.
<li>We have about 20 Kentucky Wonder string beans on a 4-foot fence and
you can almost see them (well, feel them) growing they are doing so
quickly. This is another very prolific producer, so count on string
beans!
<li>I am going to be selfish with our first harvest of blueberries, as
their first harvests are not very plentiful. Next year at this time will
be a very different story, I hope!
<li>Beefsteak tomatoes, anyone? I do have more tomatoes than I know what
to do with! These tomatoes sell for nearly $6.00/pound in the grocery
store. They are very large and star-shaped. The plant would be 10-feet
tall if it were able to be supported but it’s growing over the fence and
the neighbors will likely have a few tomatoes, as well. It’s also
encroaching into another bed, so its presence is short-lived, as tomato
plants are!
<li>Coming soon! This weekend we will start snap peas and another variety
of pea I don’t remember. In June we will begin our sweet potato box and
July will have us establishing a pumpkin patch. These will be Somerset
pumpkins which are sweet edible gords. I am seriously considering a patch
for jack-o-lanterns but not sure where I can find that much room! Merry
is not in favor of my idea of a giant pumpkin (400-pound) patch in the
front yard, though!
<br>
Though Merry and I have the room for these gardens and the energy to care
for them, it is possible to garden on your patio if you only live in an
apartment. Food we get from our garden tastes very different than what
you generally get in the produce market unless you are shopping at a
local farmer. Most of us know the difference between the strawberries
from Mexico we were buying in October and the ones that we may have had
over the past three months from Plant City! BTW, you can find locally
grown blueberries this time of year, as well and blueberries are great
container plants!<br>
<br>
I’m going to get my day started after I turn off the microirrigation
system! Keep planting seeds, growing your own harvest, and sharing the
fruits of your labor with others!<br>
<br>
Fraternally yours,<br>
Marion<br>
<br>
We are hoping to have a gathering when our lives settle down a bit –
definitely in the fall
<ol>
<li>
<li>
<li><b>From:</b> NFBF-Tampa <nfbf-tampa-bounces@nfbnet.org> <b>On
Behalf Of </b>Louise Peyton via NFBF-Tampa
<li><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, May 8, 2024 6:58 PM
<li><b>To:</b> NFB of Florida Tampa Chapter List
<nfbf-tampa@nfbnet.org>
<li><b>Cc:</b> Louise Peyton <lp2473@hotmail.com>
<li><b>Subject:</b> Re: [NFBF-Tampa] Blind Gardening Hack
</ol>
</ol><br>
<br><br>
Would like to buy some veggies from you.<br><br>
<br><br>
<b>From:</b> NFBF-Tampa
<<a href="mailto:nfbf-tampa-bounces@nfbnet.org">
nfbf-tampa-bounces@nfbnet.org</a>> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Marion Gwizdala
via NFBF-Tampa<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, May 8, 2024 4:51 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> 'NFB of Florida Tampa Chapter List'
<<a href="mailto:nfbf-tampa@nfbnet.org">nfbf-tampa@nfbnet.org</a>>;
'NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List'
<<a href="mailto:nfbf-l@nfbnet.org">nfbf-l@nfbnet.org</a>><br>
<b>Cc:</b>
<a href="mailto:marion.gwizdala@verizon.net">
marion.gwizdala@verizon.net</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [NFBF-Tampa] Blind Gardening Hack<br><br>
<br><br>
Dear All,<br><br>
<br><br>
Some of you may know Merry and I are urban gardeners. We have recently
begun xeriscaping our front yard and planted fifty-four Asiatic Jasmine
over ten yards of potting soil. Unfortunately, grass has begun poking up
through the soil and the Jasmine are not yet able to choke out the
grass.<br><br>
<br><br>
I contacted the University of Florida’s Institute for Food and
Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) which has offices around Florida and spoke
to their master gardener. Not knowing I was blind, he shared a gardening
hack his father taught him and it is a great adaptation for those of us
who are blind! Here is the hack.<br><br>
<ol>
<li>Mix Roundup in a bucket as you would normally do so (1/2 cup of
Roundup to 1 gallon
water)
<li>Put a rubber glove on one hand and cover it with a cotton gardening
or other work glove;
<li>Touch the plant you want to avoid with the Roundup with the ungloved
hand;
<li>Dip your hand in the solution and rub the product on the ground over
the grass being careful to not get the product on the leaves of the
plant;
</ol><br>
Roundup is absorbed through the leaves of the plant and it will not harm
the plant roots but you want to avoid getting too close to the stem of
the plant.<br><br>
<br><br>
BTW, we are also growing hibiscus, gardenia, spearmint, sweet mint,
lavender, thyme, Frangiapani, and rosemary. In our vegetable garden, I
just harvested our fourth yellow squash. We also are growing butternut
squash, acorn squash, canteloup, garlic, onion, Florida peaches, ruby red
grapefruit, Bearss lemons, tangerines, and pineapple. We get our meat
from the store! (smile)<br><br>
<br><br>
If anyone would like to chat gardening, please write to me off-list
at<br><br>
<br><br>
<a href="mailto:Marion.Gwizdala@verizon.net">
Marion.Gwizdala@verizon.net</a><br><br>
<br><br>
Fraternally yours,<br><br>
Marion</blockquote></body>
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