Tridens flavus Purpletop  Photo by Mail Order Natives The VegHeadz received an email this week from Hope Corona, a follower of our blog, who wanted to make a comment on a previous post.  Her comment was too long for the blog app to accept so she contacted us to see if we could post it for her.  She is referring to our previous post about sustainable and regenerative gardening.  Link to Previous Post  Here is her very interesting comment.  She’d love to have some feedback.  Thank you Hope, for your thoughtful input and for providing information on n ..read more

  As fall planting approaches, it’s time to revisit an earlier post about winter mulching and the best way to use marigolds to discourage nematodes.   The bottom line—dark, partially composted mulch not only provides the usual benefits, but may help plants survive the cold better.   When using marigolds to deter nematodes, it’s important to select the right variety of marigold and to plant them a particular way and far enough ahead – at least two months – to be effective in reducing the nematode population. Read the full article and the recommended reference link for the full ..read more

This week’s report on Wednesday garden activities from our intrepid garden coordinator, Cathy Alfano: We welcomed a new volunteer: Kristen Coyne. She was a great addition to our crew.   Mostly we weeded and tended beds. Peggy and others expanded the Roselle area, and enlarged the fencing around it to keep the deer away.  There were still many cherry tomatoes and a cucumber to harvest. Some melons are coming along and the eggplants look delicious. The squash in Beds B and C are trying to take over the garden. And – finally – Dave harvested another watermelon that he took home and p ..read more

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

  Just another day in the VegHeadz garden—weeding, harvesting, cleaning up the compost bins to get rid of weeds sprouting and trying to go to seed, mowing grassy areas, spending time with friends, learning from each other.  Just a normal day.  Most of all, reveling in the beauty and abundance we have created together.   Our garden arches provide  shade as well as support. Beautiful purple beans Corn is ready to harvest when the silk turns brown.  The husk can be pulled back from the top to check the firmness of the kernels ..read more

  June and Tommy loved exploring the rain garden June and Tommy have been coming to the VegHeadz garden with their grandmother since they were barely old enough to walk.   We hadn’t seen them in a while, but they picked a good day for a return visit.  These are some of the things they saw today.   Nicotiana—Woodland or flowering tobacco  A perfect eggplant Mexican sunflower—a butterfly  favorite Tobacco Hornworm. Similar to a tomato hornworm and feeds on the same plants.    First one seen this year.   P ..read more

Zinnias are a favorite for the bees Feeding the Bees—and not only the bees.  Lots of other little garden helpers like nectar and pollen too.  In the heat of summer, everything in the garden is still unless you look closer.  There you will see many different kinds of good bugs “making hay” while the sun shines.    It is the harvesting season for many of our spring vegetables.  This week a bounty of beets and potatoes made way for more heat-tolerant crops.   A Large Milkweed Bug on milkweed Beets Nancy and Mary are en ..read more

The annual open house and plant sale at the Leon County Extension which was scheduled for Saturday, May 11 was canceled because of the severe storms, including three tornadoes, that passed through Tallahassee the day before. The plant sale was rescheduled and many people showed up to buy plants on Wednesday and Thursday of the following week.  If you are one of the hundreds of people who would have enjoyed tours of the many gardens on the grounds, you will have to wait until next year unless you’d like to visit them and the adjoining orchard on your own any time during daylight hours.&nb ..read more

 The annual plant sale and open house at the Leon County Extension was unfortunately canceled because of the tornadoes that ripped through our area. It has been rescheduled as just a plant sale for Thursday, May 16, from 3 to 7 PM. You don’t want to miss this. https://facebook.com/events/s/leon-county-extension-plant-sa/2902290199923395 ..read more

https://drawdown.org/programs/drawdown-science/food https://drawdown.org/news/insights/introducing-drawdown-food-%E2%80%93-a-new-strategy-for-engaging-agriculture-in-solving “Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming” is a best selling 2017 book created, written, and edited by Paul Hawken about climate change mitigation.  There is also a website and a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting research-based solutions to elevated carbon dioxide and other emissions and to provide realistic solutions to climate change.  According to Project Dr ..read more