BY MICHELE MILLER
What’s What New Port Richey
Cherokee purple tomatoes. Fork Hill and Ruby Swiss Chard. Watermelon radishes. Eggplant.
These are the starts of the cool-weather crops – tender seedings that are already underway in flats on my back patio, nurtured with sun, soil and water and an optimistic and perhaps foolish notion that those eager to get their hands back in the dirt can understand.
It’s been a long, hot summer. And while the volunteer sweet potatoes are nearly ready for pulling it’s been slim pickings for backyard gardeners like me who aren’t all that fond of summer stalwarts such as okra or black-eyed peas.
Now comes the time for renewal, rejuvenation, and anticipation. Soon to start are more things we like to eat – kale, turnip, bok choy, carrots, peas – crops of the northerner’s spring garden that are similarly sowed here in the fall with seeds more suitable for the tropics.
Procuring proven seeds from local growers and/or heirloom organics is just one of the lessons I’ve learned since moving here over 30 years ago when my first effort entailed the planting of tomato seedlings I purchased from a big box store in the month of May which happens to be the offseason in Florida.
I am still working on getting the hang of it. Forever learning is a good yet sometimes frustrating practice for those not versed in the importance of soil amending. Whence we came from almost every dig procured a shovelful of wriggly worms and “black gold” nutrient-rich loam. The Florida sand is an altogether different and unwelcoming base for a lot of edibles and needs more care than some of us are used to giving.
Local gardeners and would-be gardeners can get a leg up on things like composting, soil amending, companion planting, seed starting, and more courtesy of Pasco County’s Master Gardeners as well as urban growers, some who belong to grassroots organizations such as New Port Richey FarmNet or the city’s Environmental Committee.
And, you might even find a community garden to lay claim to – or maybe even a spot that could make for a good community garden. For more on that check out my feature stories on Grand Gardens in New Port Richey as well as the Pasco County Community Gardens Program.
A special note to readers about a couple of events that I will be writing more about in the coming weeks.
First is a Celebration of Life Concert for beloved local musician and band Leader, J.R. Farley to be held at the Jewish Community Center in Port Richey where he held concerts with the group he founded, the Anclote Winds. This is the first of three concerts to be held in his honor and to help raise funds for a music scholarship and The Anclote Winds. Another big band concert will be held in December at the Music Gallery in New Port Richey.
Information on the J.R. Farley Celebration of Life Concert and more local events can be found on the Stepping Out On the Town Calendar here.
Another date to mark on your calendar is the New Port Richey Main Street 1920s’ Wine Stroll to be held on Sept. 21. What’s What New Port Richey will be there donning 1920s garb and handing out bottled water at a “Hydration Station” at the Hacienda Hotel on Main Street. If you’re around, do stop by and say “Hello.”
Till then, stay safe and keep keeping it local.
Peace <3
Michele
Related
- Roots and wings: It’s okay that our kids have both, Michele Miller, Tampa Bay Times, Feb. 18, 2019.
- ‘I like gardening’: Pasco youngsters become mini farmers and chefs at summer camp, Michele Miller, Tampa Bay Times, June 12, 2019
To read more stories By Michele Miller written during her tenure with the St. Petersburg Times/Tampa Bay Times, check out her author page at www.tampabay.com/author/michele-miller/
