At present, I’m proud to announce the Plant of the Month Partnership, a collaborative effort between Alachua County, the College of Florida’s Institute of Meals and Agricultural Sciences, the Grasp Gardeners of Alachua County and Working Meals.
Our objectives are the next:
• Nice tasting, contemporary, cheap, nutrient-packed greens, fruits and herbs.
• This can spur sustainable change, produce much less meals waste, have much less environmental influence, create more healthy soils, and eradicate the packaging and transport of the meals merchandise we develop.
• After this yr of COVID, we want stress aid, we want sunshine, we want the pleasure and happiness that comes with producing our personal meals.
• Rising, harvesting, cooking and consuming meals grown at dwelling saves cash and helps us be extra resilient within the face of any future disaster.
• Lastly, meals is a necessity all of us share. Politics apart, we will all discuss with a neighbor about tomatoes, blueberry bushes or zucchini. This could carry our group collectively, assist us know our neighbors, and assist us alternate information, experiences and successes collectively.
Like lots of you, when COVID first hit, I needed to develop one thing, do one thing elementary and important, and really feel safer and safer. My brother and I planted a backyard: We planted fruit bushes, greens and blueberry bushes.
Some issues we planted thrived. Some didn’t.
I solely produced a few mottled tomatoes and sickly squash, and my blueberry bushes all died. However my fruit bushes have grown tall and wholesome, and candy potatoes took over my complete facet yard!
Relatively than chalk it as much as destiny, inexperience or different errors, I used to be actually inquisitive about why some issues had been a lot extra profitable than others. However I used to be overwhelmed attempting to be taught all the things directly.
I discovered others that shared this expertise. We had been excited to proceed gardening however needed to dig in and actually find out about every factor we grew. This program grew out of that want.
So many people develop collard greens in September and strawberries in October, and onions in November. We have now meals with cultural heritages like Seminole pumpkins, tomatillos and roselle, together with pantry staples like potatoes, tomatoes and onions.
Each month will supply an opportunity to discover new meals and broaden your palate. As we go ahead, we wish to broaden and embody recipes for cooking and strategies for preservation. We wish to additionally broaden to fruit bushes and bushes, herbs and perennials. It’s an thrilling program — please develop with us!
First, take a look at the web site at https://tinyurl.com/Plant-of-the-Month. Then, have interaction and join on social media and share your successes and your challenges.
Look ahead to these hyperlinks to be posted. Then, run proper over to a neighborhood dwelling enchancment, {hardware}, farm or seed retailer and choose up a bundle of collard inexperienced seeds. Or you’ll be able to cease by and go to our companions and Working Meals and choose up a bundle there.
Let’s get rising!
Mary Alford is an Alachua County commissioner.
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