Tampa Heights Community Garden

Home - WELCOME TO TAMPA HEIGHTS COMMUNITY GARDEN

Yoga in the garden:

Beginnng Sunday, Jan. 22nd, there will be yoga at 9:30 Sunday morning (if above 55 degrees). Bring a mat or beach towel and water. Donations accepted. The next class will be Sunday, Feb. 5th at 9:30.

Preseving your veggies: http://nchfp.uga.edu/

You want to get the most out of the veggies you have harvested. One way to preserve flavor and nutrition is to blanch and freeze. Go the University of Georgia website to find out the manner and length of time to boil or steam each vegetable. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/blanching.html

Blanching time is crucial and varies with the vegetable and size. Underblanching stimulates the activity of enzymes and is worse than no blanching. Overblanching causes loss of flavor, color, vitamins and minerals. See the website above for specific instructions.

PICTURES:

For more pictures of our garden, type "picture" in the search box above. Then click on "picture" on the page that is pulled up.

We have added nineteen more garden plots since this picture. Most of the fall garden crops have been harvested.

Our veggies are growing!!

Flowers from our garden- Beautiful! We made a basket for a friend. Our collard greens - yum!

Updates : Now, in February, we have 50 individual gardens and 3 communal gardens for a total of over 85 gardeners. Our two youth group gardeners total over 40 more gardeners.

We have two planter boxes on legs to provide gardening options for our gardeners with physical limitations.
Our butterfly garden is home to loads and loads of butterflies.
Our irrigation system runs water into each garden. Each gardener adds their own micro irrigation equipment.
Our community compost system is really rockin'. In addition to contributions from the community, Cafe' Hey contributes compost several times weekly.
Artwork provided by the summer youth group at the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association "Make a Difference" center.
We now have a fence on all sides of the garden. The gates are locked; gardeners know the combination.

Such fun to be a part of this wonderful community garden! Join us on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tampa-Heights-Community-Garden/135601533209330 and http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.226742834027578.50989.118289901539539&type=3. We alsohave a closed group just for our gardeners, see Diana D Phillips - message her on fb.

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We are a group of people…

Collaborators include: Tampa Heights Civic Association, Tampa Heights Stewardship Team, Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association, The Tampa Garden Club, and Metropolitan Ministries, Inc. We have had special support from Home Depot, the University of Tampa President's Leadership Fellows, 100 Black Men, and Sweetbay Supermarket.

that cultivates growth and improvement...

Community gardens provide fresh fruits and vegetables as well as a sense of community, exercise, and neighborhood improvement. They can be as diverse as its gardeners. The community garden of Tampa Heights is intended for the growth of produce, flowers, and the community.

and turns a vacant lot into a beautiful garden.

Flowers grow in flower gardens and vegetables grow in vegetable gardens... and communities grow in community gardens.

Tampa Heights Community Garden is located at 605 East Frances Avenue, 3 blocks south of Columbus Drive, 2 blocks east of Central Ave. Annual memberships for an individual 4 x 8 plot is $35.00. An annual membership to garden in a communal plot, gardening as part of a group is $25.00. There will be identified areas for children as well as an intergenerational gardening area. Members are expected to follow the rules of the garden contributing 20 hours annually, and serve on one of the garden committees. There is a butterfly garden, social events, and educational opportunities for all members. There is a video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KUmsDu0pxM which features some of the garden leaders. Here is a link to Channel 8's visit to our garden: http://video.tbo.com/v/47220348/the-garden-today-neighborhood-garden.htm?q=garden.

How do I become a member of the Garden? By entering TH Community Garden Rules in the search box above, you can read the garden rules. If you agree to follow these rules you can copy the application, complete it and email it to the garden coordinator, kittwal@tampaheightscommunitygarden.org. The donation can be made by sending a check to Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association, P.O. Box 76093, Tampa Fl 33675. Or by going to the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association's Pay Pal link: https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=8lWx_hBhoPWn_J35aQZZxrzl06fI0RrKo1T6zCLfaIbTp_bMFsBSizu9QdK&dispatch=

5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8db2b24f7b84f1819343fd6c338b1d9d60 Feel free to contact the garden coordinator to set up a tour of the garden. We will add more garden plots in January. If you want to be on the wait list for the next round of plots, email the garden coordinator so she can put you in line in order of your request.

I have never gardened before. This is the perfect time to start. There will be information available through our newsletter and on site. To find out what to plant this month go this link

http://hillsborough.ifas.ufl.edu/HomeGardening/Garden-Almanac.html#FEBRUARY. Another website that is full of information on organic gardening is http://growingagreenerworld.com/. Here is a wonderful video of pollinators at work. It is stunnngly beautiful: http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/xHkq1edcbk4?rel=0 By placing PLANTING AND HARVESTING in the search box at the top of this page you will get information on PLANNING YOUR GARDEN and tips on planting and harvesting various vegetables.

Community Compost All are welcome to bring their compost and add it to our compost system. There is a sign telling you what can be added and how to do it. Remember: small pieces and cover with an equal dose of leaves. We currently are very lucky to have Cafe' Hey saving their kitchen scraps for us. Our schedule for pick up is:

Monday - Heather / Jon, Tuesday - Jim, Wednesday - Susan, Thursday - Diana, Friday - Roger, Saturday - Kitty. Thanks all for helping out. We are making wonderful compost which will add nutrients to our soil and feed our plants. YAY!

Come on down to the garden. You will see: