Category: Blog Post

Cultivate abundance: advancing food security through a local alliance — Deborah Haggett

Posted on by Lillian Peterson

Cultivate abundance: advancing food security through a local alliance

Mar 4, 2021
DEBORAH HAGGETT - Garden Club of Cape Coral (Special to The Breeze) , Cape Coral Breeze
Click Here for full article in the Cape Coral Breeze
Lack of access to affordable, healthy food or food insecurity has exploded due to the multiple consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. David Outerbridge, director of the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension, Lee County noted: with “Covid-19, school closings, and unemployment, we have seen a 500% increase in demand from food banks.”

In addition, 79% of Florida families report they supplement their food budgets by purchasing inexpensive, un-healthy food while 51% say they eat food beyond the expiration date (FeedingFlorida.org). Eating Well Magazine (March, 2021) reports that nutritious, healthy food can cost “six times more” than inexpensive, less nutritious alternatives.

At a time when food nutrition is critical for good health and disease resistance, those struggling financially are being forced to make difficult choices among nutrition, transportation to school and work, medical care and housing.

One innovative non-profit organization, Cultivate Abundance, is making a difference. Under the direction of Ellen and Rick Burnette and along with Immokalee residents and coworkers Lupita Vazquez and Helen Midney, Cultivate Abundance partners with the Immokalee farm worker community to “eliminate hunger and enable small-scale food production in vulnerable households and communities.”

As Rick Burnette recalls, “We were already aware of the ironic existence of the Immokalee food desert in a booming farm town. And as many Southwest Florida gardeners grow an abundance of fruit and other produce appreciated by the local farm worker community, we decided to find a way for an alliance of local gardeners, including churches and nonprofits, to channel their surplus food to Immokalee.”

After launching in 2017, the Burnettes began collaborating with Misión Peniel, an Immokalee-based nonprofit that operates a food pantry and provides social services for the local farm worker community. They cultivated other relationships with stakeholders focusing on food production. With assistance from the UF/IFAS Extension Collier County and the UF/IFAS Family Nutrition Program, Cultivate Abundance manages a donation garden on Misión Peniel property and grows additional food on the nearby Florida State University Health Education Site. In addition, Cultivate Abundance consults with another Immokalee community garden located on a farm worker residential housing facility.

This effort is a mutual alliance. Cultivate Abundance honors the “food knowledge and heritage of the local Haitian, Guatemalan,and Mexican communities by exchanging information and resources, such as seeds.” Many individuals and families supplement their own food needs and share surplus food with neighbors.

Rick noted, “By the end of 2020, collectively, we have grown and shared almost 19 tons of produce amounting to over 102,000 food servings among approximately 400 clients who visit Misión Peniel each week. This includes 93 crop varieties, as well as, fresh eggs. Thus far, over 32 sites including community gardens, church gardens, small farms and home gardens have grown and shared their food.”

Rick and Ellen have been moved by the community’s openness to collaboration, the mutual concern for others and the generosity of sharing knowledge and resources. They sincerely appreciate “the availability of all those involved and the shared humility towards learning and relearning.”

When asked about their wishes for the future health and vitality of this venture, Rick and Ellen stated, “First, we hope to see food insecurity eradicated in the Immokalee farm worker community through an array of solutions that include improved worker compensation, other economic opportunities and highly functional social services, so that no one is left behind. Related to social services, our second wish is for increased local food donations and productivity from Cultivate Abundance partners in Lee and Collier Counties, and elsewhere, to help meet local nutritional needs. Our third wish is that the diverse food cultures of Immokalee are highlighted and honored through the availability of traditional types of fruit and vegetables; some grown by Immokalee households and others produced and shared by their advocates.”

With these wishes in mind, we invite anyone who has an abundance of garden produce to share, to please consider donating to Cultivate Abundance. Additionally, if you would like to volunteer, please contact Rick at [email protected].

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” — Mother Teresa

Wishing you happy and abundant gardening!

Deborah Haggett is a Lee County Master Gardener Volunteer and a member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral. Visit us at www.gardenclubofcapecoral.com

—

Black, J. (2021, March). The real cost of healthy food. Eating Well Magazine, 77-83.

Cultivate Abundance

Hunger and Nutrition: Healthy Communities Need Healthy Foods. (2021). FeedingFlorida.Org.

Savelle, R. & O’Neal, L.J. (2017, February). Food Insecurity and Obesity. University of Florida IFAS Extension.

History of the Garden Club – Breeze Staff & Tom Hayden

Posted on by Lillian Peterson

History of the Garden Club - Staff & Tom Hayden

History of the Garden Club

November 24, 2020
By Staff & Tom Hayden - Garden Club of Cape Coral (Special to The Breeze) , Cape Coral Breeze
Click Here for full article in the Cape Coral Breeze
Tracing the roots of Cape Coral’s growth can literally and figuratively be found in a “garden.”

One of the first clubs to organize in the community was the Cape Coral Garden Club. The club got an organizational push from the community’s first club, the Cape Coral Women’s Club, which started in 1959 and was the idea of first resident Kenny Schwartz. The Women’s Club believed a garden club was needed in the community.

In the spring of 1960, Helen Johnson, of the Everglades Nursery, spoke to a group of Cape Coral residents at the Nautilus Inn about gardening. That talk inspired about 68 people, spearheaded by residents Helen and Otto Sheldon and Dick and Sally Crawford, to form the garden club under the direction of first president Thomas Fleming.

The group’s bylaws provided the direction:

“To stimulate a knowledge and love of gardening.”

“To improve and conserve the beauty of Cape Coral.”

The launch of the club also inspired land developers, Gulf American Corporation, to film the start of a beautification mission, which still exists today.

In 1961, Ann Copenhaver took over as president of the club, which had annual dues of $1.50. The dues bought residents advice from gardening experts and horticulturists on the proper ways to prepare soil and to plant or the right techniques to create a beautifully landscaped yard.

Later, the group also collected funds that purchased gardening books for the Cape Coral Public Library and Caloosa Middle School. Members also planted trees and created a project, called the “forest,” between Cape Coral Hospital and the middle school.

The club had members who were gardening experts. For instance, Daisy Shepard specialized in hibiscus varieties and Madge York knew everything about orchids. And there was not a question too difficult for Bill Norton, who was known as the club’s “answer man,” according to Cape Coral Breeze articles.

Cape gardening stayed true to its roots with the formation of the non-profit Garden Club of Cape Coral in 1997. The club was founded by master gardener Marty Ward and longtime gardening friend Beverly Ray. The 23 paid members had their first meetings at Ward’s home under the direction of president Sherie Bleiler. The club quickly established affiliations with the National Garden Clubs Inc., and the Fort Myers-Lee County Garden Council Inc.

As club membership grew, meetings were moved to a local church and then to the Kiwanis Club of Cape Coral.

The club participated in many projects, including planting and maintaining planters along Cape Coral Parkway and maintaining the Tiny Tots Garden for children at Four Freedoms Park.

The group also has an important part of history on its side. It maintains the prestigious Rose Garden at the Cape Coral Museum of History on Cultural Park Boulevard.

The roses were originally part of a national tourist attraction, called Cape Coral Gardens, which also included the famous Waltzing Waters, lakes and water ski shows, plus hosted many celebrities such as Bob Hope. The garden included more than 40,000 roses. The attraction, facing funding issues, closed in 1969, giving way to development. It is now the site of Tarpon Point.

But the roses were soon to bloom again. In 1990, Lois Herbert wanted to pay tribute to the memory of her father, Russell Herbert, and asked the museum if it would be willing to pay tribute to him and to the roses. A new rose garden was dedicated in front of the museum on Memorial Day 1991. The garden was redesigned in 2007 with raised flower beds. A team of garden club members visit the rose garden to take care of the precious flowers.

The Garden Club continues to educate the community about important landscaping and environmental techniques through various events and in a weekly column found in the Cape Coral Breeze.

Submitted by Tom Hayden, a Cape Coral Museum of History board member. As we celebrate 50 years as a city, much of our area’s history, chronicled at the museum, will be featured twice a month in similar articles provided to the Cape Coral Breeze.

Foodscaping for the New Year – Deborah Haggett

Posted on by Lillian Peterson

Foodscaping for the New Year

December 20, 2020
By Deborah Haggett - Garden Club of Cape Coral (Special to The Breeze) , Cape Coral Breeze
Click Here for full article in the Cape Coral Breeze

I typically don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but in these uncertain times traditions can help firm the ground beneath you. In light of that, for 2021, I plan to explore the possibilities of foodscaping in my garden. Foodscaping is a landscaping strategy in which edibles are integrated into a typical ornamental garden. Rather than dedicated yard areas for herb and vegetable gardening, foodscaping takes advantage of small spaces by filling the open spaces around your ornamentals with edibles such as tomatoes, lettuce, pumpkin, garlic and basil. The list goes on!

“The Foodscape Revolution” (2017) by author Brie Arthur, looks at foodscaping design in terms of the principle, “Right Plant/Right Place/Right Time.” She describes her landscape as having three zones based on the amount of attention needed for success. Zone 1 is closest to the house near the foundation with a suggested mix of 50% ornamentals to 50% edibles. Zone 2 is mid-yard with a 60/40 mix. Zone 3, the farthest from the house, requires the least care and incorporates an 80/20 mix of ornamentals to edibles. When considering the right place for your plants, remember, most edibles need full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil.

Arthur suggests starting with the edges of your garden beds due to its convenient location for planting and harvesting. Her favorites in the cool season are garlic, salad greens, onion, parsley, and potato. As the weather warms, replace these with basil, beans, peanuts, peppers and soybeans. If you are looking for a groundcover, she suggests arugula or pumpkin. I would include Malabar spinach for a fast growing, heat tolerant, green to purple leaved, vining groundcover. It is both beautiful and nutritious.

As a specimen plant, imagine a 12-foot upright, evergreen Barbados cherry bush or a border of these bushes with their pink to lavender flowers that bloom from May to November. The sweet to tart fruit, although not a real cherry, is small, red and apple-shaped. It is considered a power fruit as it contains high amounts of vitamin C. One study notes that one cup of these tiny cherries is equivalent to the vitamin C in 16 oranges. Be advised, you will be competing with the birds for this flavorful fruit at harvest time.

Planting herbs and vegetables in the winter is counterintuitive to many of us from the north. However, January in Florida provides the cooler weather needed for growing such herbs as tarragon, thyme, dill, fennel and mint. January is also the last month gardeners should plant potatoes, beets, broccoli, kale and turnips, to name a few. The South Florida Gardening Calendar, on the University of Florida/I FAS website, provides a month-by-month planting guide to assist you in planting the right plant in the right place at the right time.

Edibles add color and beauty to our yards, while rewarding us with fresh, healthy food for our table. Foodscaping empowers us, provides us with exercise, purpose and a sustainable food source. Not a bad resolution to start the new year!

Happy gardening and Happy New Year!

Deborah Haggett is a Lee County Master Gardener Volunteer and a member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral. Visit us at Garden Club of Cape Coral

Arthur, B. (2017). The foodscape revolution: Finding a better way to make space for food and beauty in your garden. Pittsburgh, PA: St. Lynn’s Press

Brown, S.H. & Cooprider K. (2016, March). Barbados cherry (Malpighia glabra): Identification, Uses, and Maintenance. (No longer in print).

Edible Landscaping

South Florida Gardening Calendar

Malpighia glabra Fact Sheet

Acerola Cherry Superfruit

Water efficiently – Janetta Fox

Posted on by Lillian Peterson

Water efficiently

September 3, 2020
By Janetta Fox - Garden Club of Cape Coral (Special to The Breeze) , Cape Coral Breeze
Click Here for full article in the Cape Coral Breeze

“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” — Loren Eiseley

Our fresh water is a precious, limited resource and, by seeing to it that our landscapes receive only the amount of water needed, we can have a positive impact on both the environment and our wallets. This is the focus of the second of nine principles of Florida Friendly Landscaping, water efficiently. With only .006% of the world’s water supply potable, making efficient use of that supply is critical.

Many homeowners tend to overwater their turf and landscape plants, with statistics indicating that over half of a residential water bill can be attributed to irrigation systems. Overwatering not only depletes the water supply, but also stresses landscape plants and turf, making them vulnerable to pests, disease and weeds. Additionally, over-watering adds to stormwater runoff and water pollution. Proper watering not only reduces water bills, but pest problems and plant maintenance needs as well.

So, what can we do as homeowners? Watering your garden is a good thing but, since many fungal diseases need water as much as plants/turf do, how you go about it makes a big difference and timing is an important factor. If you water by hand or have an in-ground system, irrigate in the early morning. This will permit root systems to get sufficient moisture before evaporation occurs.

When hand watering landscape plants, apply directly to the root system, rather than from above which results in leaves receiving unnecessary moisture, serving as an invitation to disease. For in-ground systems, always follow local ordinances and make certain to properly check, calibrate and maintain the systems. Perform a zone check periodically to ensure sprinkler heads are operating correctly. Sprinklers tend to go on the blink occasionally and catching problems early on can save considerable water and money.

Calibrating your sprinkler system means figuring out how long you need to run the system to apply the correct amount of water. For most Southwest Florida soils, the correct amount is 1/2 to 3/4 inches per application. Our mostly sandy soil cannot retain more than that and any more will result in runoff. What cannot be absorbed by turf and landscape plants will leach into the aquifers and run off to the nearest body of water, taking soil nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous along with the flow. Based on calibration results, adjust the sprinkler heads/irrigation system/timer to deliver only the amount required.

Rather than applying short bursts of water multiple times a week, which result in shallower root systems, water fewer times for a longer period, up to the 1/2 to 3/4-inch limit. And water only as needed, remembering that rain is free irrigation. Just because a sprinkler system is scheduled to run at a given time during the week doesn’t mean the system has to run if it has rained within 24 hours or is expected to rain within 48 hours. Additionally, because most turf grass and some landscape plants go dormant in winter, water less frequently during that time.

Timing of water application, amount used and irrigation methods are just part of the overall picture. Proper landscape maintenance is also important. For example, mow turf grass correctly.

Provided above is a brief introduction to the second principle of Florida Friendly Landscaping. For additional information regarding irrigation methods/systems and the calibration process, beginning with the placement of empty tuna or similar cans in each irrigation zone, visit Water Efficiently Handbook.

Happy gardening!

Janetta Fox is a Master Gardener volunteer and member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral.

Selecting a tree for your landscape – Cathy Dunn

Posted on by Lillian Peterson

Selecting a tree for your landscape

November 12, 2020
By Cathy Dunn - Garden Club of Cape Coral (Special to The Breeze) , Cape Coral Breeze
Click Here for full article in the Cape Coral Breeze

Trees are vital to our environment. As the largest plants on earth, they provide us with oxygen, store carbon, stabilize soil, conserve energy through shade and shelter wildlife. Trees are also a fundamental part of every community; our streets, parks and backyards are filled with trees that create a peaceful and welcoming environment. And trees are an integral part of creating a “sense of place;” what says Southwest Florida more eloquently than a beautiful royal palm tree?

Adding trees to your yard can not only enhance your existing landscape, but also help establish a theme or foundation for your home’s environment. While palm trees may be one of the first varieties to spring to mind, there are many other tropical and native trees that you can incorporate into your landscape. No matter what variety of tree you decide to plant, there are some important considerations to use in choosing the most appropriate tree for your situation.

My personal mantra for gardening is “The Right Plant in The Right Place.” This is particularly important when choosing a big-ticket landscape investment such as a tree. Trees thrive when they are matched to site conditions, and there are a few easy ways to aid you in evaluating your site. First, you can drive around your neighborhood to identify tree species that are growing well in similar sites in your area. You can also visit local public gardens and nurseries to discover different types of trees that are recommended for your area. Finally, there are vast resources in libraries and on the internet that can provide specific information about selecting and planting trees in your area.

The University of Florida has identified five components critical to choosing trees for a site: 1) Site attributes both above and below the ground 2) potential site modifications 3) tree maintenance capabilities. Once these components are explored and noted you can 4) choose desirable tree attributes and 5) select appropriate trees for the site.

Critical site attributes include factors such as the hardiness zone of the planting site; average annual rainfall; light exposure; soil pH; water drainage and available irrigation; soil texture and density. Site features such as swimming pools, buildings, driveways, curbs and sidewalks and overhead wires and lights will also influence your tree selection. Finally, you need to take into account the necessity and frequency of pruning and other maintenance.

Once you have determined the characteristics of your site, you can look for appropriate trees that will perform best in your setting. There are literally hundreds of tree varieties that will thrive in Southwest Florida. The University of Florida website provides data sheets with information on the growth habits, soil requirements and flowering/fruiting characteristics for 680 species of trees! The site also provides a tree selector tool that you can use to identify trees that meet your requirements.

Trees that are identified by the University of Florida as “standout selections” include familiar Southern standards such as the “D.D. Blanchard” magnolia and the “Cathedral” live oak. The “Natchez” crape myrtle is a beautiful summer blooming tree with spires of white flowers. There are also many native trees to consider including Florida elms, maples and pines, flowering dogwood, fringetrees, holly, gumbo-limbo, and redbuds.

Because planting trees in your landscape can be both challenging and expensive, you should minimize the risk of failure by making informed decisions on the optimal species for your garden. Fortunately, we can rely on the vast resources of the University of Florida website to assist us in making these decisions and identify the perfect tree for our site. You can find all the information you will need for your tree selection process at Landscape Plants

Trees are an essential aspect of our environment that provide beauty to our landscape, clean air, shade, fruit, and habitats for wildlife and birds. When carefully selected, planted and maintained, trees can provide many years of enjoyment and enhancement in our landscape. While the selection process can seem daunting, we have an excellent online resource through the University of Florida to assist us in our decision-making. So, take the plunge and begin your tree selection process — I am confident that you will be rewarded for your efforts!

Cathy Dunn is a Lee County Master Gardener Volunteer and Garden Club of Cape Coral member.