Feature Article -  for release:  October 11, 2009  

Angela Sachson - Extension Program Assistant

 

A Wall of Vegetables   

Not many people recall seeing vegetables planted in a wall of hanging baskets.  But the fourth-grade students at North Elementary created just such a wall a couple of weeks ago, and this week kids at Seminole did the same.

The great thing about this way of gardening is that it takes up very little room; you don’t have to dig up your yard or worry about those Nasty Nematodes that lurk in Sunshine State soil.  If bad weather such as a freeze or (perish the thought) a hurricane is threatening, you can take your plants inside for a while.  Even if you move to another location this garden is portable.  Just take off the pots, dig up the posts, and put it back together at your new home.

The kids learned about taking care of plants and just what plants need to thrive.  The gardens all get a minimum of six hours of sun each day.  Students will be watering and fertilizing their gardens and checking each plant carefully for pests every day.  If they find pests they tell an adult so the pests can be handled with environmentally-friendly products like insecticidal soap.  Some brave kids said they would be willing to pick off caterpillars.  Others said “yuck.”

 Each garden has its own rain barrel so that watering is done with rain water.  This is an important way to conserve water and also to save money.  Rain water is free!  We talked in class about the growing world population who need to share a very small amount of drinkable water.

The children planted a variety of plants—and lots of tomatoes and peppers.  We may have a salsa party at harvest time!  Seminole students planted a soup garden.

 

A Community Pay-off

An important aspect of this project in addition to teaching kids about growing is that we hope some of their parents and also other families will be interest in gardening this way too.  We have a limited number of free garden kits which we can provide to families who call us.  (Our Extension Office number is 863-763-6469.)

Garden kits include posts, a top rail, a rain barrel, pots and hangers and excellent potting soil, as well as fertilizer and vegetable seeds and plants.  Thanks to the South Florida Water Management District we also have kits for each family to conserve water indoors and out.

Other thanks for these great garden kits go to a grant from Treasure Coast Resource Conservation and Development Council, generous donations from Home Depot, compost from Butler Dairy, plants from Bonnie Plants and additional contributions from the Okeechobee County Commission.

Families interested in starting one of these gardens can call us if they want one of this Wall of Vegetables Kit.  We will help you build it and get you started.  Remember that the garden will require special attention from you every day.  Water evaporates quickly from hanging pots and you will need to replace it daily.

If you can do this you should have some nice fresh vegetables with no cost to you.   If you need additional information on vegetable gardening please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu  or call us at 863-763-6469.  Okeechobee residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners on Tuesday afternoons. Go Gators! 

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