Posts Tagged with garden

Every School Should Have A Garden

Posted on

Grow Food Not Lawns - Every School Should Have a Garden

Love this graphic from Grow Food Not Lawns and it reminded me of a Miami Herald article I read earlier this year about Leewood K-8 Center public school in Miami.

Seventh-grade science teacher, Angela Holbrook, started the project with her class August 2012. They planted an organic food garden near their classroom, and students from all grade levels help with the tending and harvesting.

Holbrook taught her students how to irrigate plants by collecting rainwater in barrels and keep pests under control by bringing in ladybugs.

Fenced in using colorful wooden frames, twelve rectangular soil beds house the vegetables and fruits of the class’s labor – tomatoes, strawberries, cabbages, broccoli and several other leafy greens.

Produce from the garden is used in the school’s cafeteria or donated to the local food banks.

So if you agree that every school should have a garden similar to Miami’s Leewood K-8 Center, check out Grow Food Not Lawn’s Facebook page, and “like” the idea.

And if you know of another school in Miami-Dade that has its own food garden, send me an email or comment below. I would love to feature them in future blog posts.

Green Walls at Edmonton International Airport in Alberta Canada

Posted on

What are “green walls”? Sometimes called “living walls” or “vertical gardens”, they aren’t your classic ivy covered wall. In short, it is any type of verticle container that attaches to a wall, allowing plants to grow without having their roots in the ground. Green walls can be used inside or outside the building. They can help reduce temperatures in the buildings, as well as improve air quality. And for the urban gardener, it is a great use of space!

Glenn Myers brings us another great guest post with photos of the green walls at the Edmonton International Airport in Alberta Canada.



Looking Closely at Green Walls in Alberta (via Green Building Elements)

Matt Mirandi has sent us some information on green walls featured on ecomagination and created by Green Over Grey. He introduces the subject with convincing written parlance: “Green walls are awesome.  They’re art; they help promote relaxation and healing, reduce indoor pollution (and noise…

Continue Reading

Pinecrest Gardens Needs Your Coffee Grounds

Posted on

I don’t drink coffee. I know… how weird, right? Both of my parents were coffee drinkers, but I’ve never developed the taste for it. So, about once a month, I have to take a cup of coffee and a container of coffee grounds home from my office. The brewed coffee is mixed with henna for my hair, and the coffee grounds go into the soil in my garden. My gardenias especially love a bit of coffee every spring and summer.

Craig Morell, the horticulure expert at Pinecrest Gardens, also uses coffee for his garden – not his hair. And now he is looking for restaurants to donate their coffee grounds to Pinecrest Gardens, too.  According to their website:

A few months ago, he had a flash of inspiration: “Why not expand my home-garden usage of coffee grounds as an organic soil supplement to a larger scale, say…Pinecrest Gardens?” Gardeners have used coffee and tea grounds for decades on the soil of “special” plants like gardenias and roses, so why not use the artwork of a local barrista to our best purposes?… and so “Coffee for You in the Morning, For Your Garden in the Evening: Grounds for your Grounds” was born.

The local Starbucks have been donating their coffee grounds for the pilot program and Morell has seen “noticeable” benefits already. So if you own or manage a South Florida restaurant and would like to participate, contact Craig Morell by email at gardens@pinecrest-fl.gov

 

Miami-Dade County Helps Turn Your Backyard Green – Rain Barrel Workshop

Posted on

Did you know that Florida receives an average of 56 inches of rainfall per year? And just a quarter- inch of rainfall over a 1000 square foot area (like your roof) can yield around 150 gallons of water. By placing rain barrels at your gutter downspouts, you can quickly fill a 50 gallon barrel with naturally pure water free of chlorine, fluoride, and other chemicals to keep your flower beds, garden and houseplants well watered.


The Miami-Dade County Cooperative Extension Service, in cooperation with the University of Florida, is offering a series of Rain Barrel Workshops this year. The workshops are FREE to residents of Miami-Dade County; providing information about important water conservation issues plus instructions on how to construct and install a rain barrel yourself. And for those attending the workshop, you will also be able to purchase a 50 gallon rain barrel for just $40.


All rain barrel workshops also include a showerhead and light bulb exchange courtesy of Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department.

Plan to attend a workshop this Saturday, May 7th, from 10:00 – 11:00 at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139. For more information, contact Lize Luna at 305-248-3311 ext. 242 or Barbara McAdam  at ext. 245 or email Barbara at bmcadam@ufl.edu.

And for more information about real estate and environmental issues in Miami-Dade, visit my web page at http://www.melaniesellsmiami.com/

Five Reasons to Compost in Miami-Dade

Posted on
How_Compost_Happens

1. Composting is easy! As easy as throwing away your garbage, in fact. Simply separate compostable garbage into a separate bin.

2. Composting is saves money! Compost doesn’t require any fancy equipment, but it will save you money by reducing what you spend for fertilizers and potting soils.

3. Composting is good for your garden! Gardens that are composted produce more fruits, vegetables and flowers; and compost contains no petroleum products the way most commercial fertilizers do.

4. Composting is good for the planet! The EPA estimates that about 25% of your household waste is yard trimmings, vegetable scraps and other compostable items. Composting helps reduce our local landfills and emissions from the incinerator plants.

5. Composting is FREE! Compost workshops are being offered by Miami-Dade County, in cooperation with the University of Florida, and taught by a Master Gardener.

Learn how to start and maintain a compost pile to turn your yard waste and food scraps into rich soil this Saturday, February 5th, from 12:00 – 12:30 p.m. at the Coral Gables Farmers Market located at 405 Biltmore Way, Coral Gables, Florida 33134. For more information, contact Lize Luna at 305-248-3311 ext. 242 or Barbara McAdam at ext. 245 or email Barbara at bmcadam@ufl.edu.
A rain barrel workshop immediately follows from 1:00 – 2:00. The rain barrel workshop is free, plus Miami-Dade residents will have an opportunity to purchase a rain barrel for $40. The event also includes a showerhead and light bulb exchange courtesy of Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department. For more information, contact Lize Luna at 305-248-3311 ext. 242 or Barbara McAdam at ext. 245 or email Barbara at bmcadam@ufl.edu.

And for more information about real estate and environmental issues in Miami-Dade, visit my web page at https://www.melanieinmiami.com/

Copyright © 2023 Melanie Dawn Molina Wood. All rights reserved.