March 29, 2019
VISTA MATTERS:
March - Out Like A Lamb
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"When the bee comes to your house, let her have beer; you may want to visit the bee's house some day." - Proverb from the Congo
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Leaf Miner Convention
This spring has brought an unwanted convention to the garden - the dreaded leaf miner.
What is a leaf miner?
Insects (wasps, moths, beetles, flies, etc.) lay eggs on underside of leaves. Eggs become pupa, which turn into larva that eat, or mine, their way through thin layers of leaves creating small white paths.
Get off my plants!
- Remove damaged leaves and completely destroy them. Do not compost. You also can cut out sections of damaged leaves, leaving the remainder of the leaf to be treated. Again, do not compost.
- Into 8 oz water, mix 1 tsp vegetable oil and ½ tsp. Dr. Bonner’s Pure-Castile Soap
- Pour into spray bottle, which can be kept up to 3 months if in a dry, cool place.
- Shake the bottle well as you spray the mixture on your vegetables.
The spray creates a barrier that suffocates the insect. Insects won’t build up a resistance, as they do to chemical insecticides. Don’t spray heavily, especially on delicate leaves, and avoid spraying in heat of day. Just spray a thin, even coat on both sides of the leaves and the situation should resolve itself.
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Roots Urban Market of Carrollwood
Urban Roots Garden Supply
Saturday, March 30
5:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Details in flyer below
UT Volunteer Visit
Saturday, April 6
10:00 a.m.
Details in article below
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AT A GLANCE
Compost Update
Thank you to everyone who shared their support after the recent compost update. Due to the large volume removed from the system, compost production has fallen behind.
You may have noticed locked bins in the compost areas. The bins are locked because the compost in the bins is not ready for use. Compost needs time to cure, which allows the 'good stuff' to get stronger and anything harmful to break down and rendered ineffective.
Tai Chi in Action
Check out the Tai Chi class held earlier this month at VISTA. There was a great turnout and attendees shared that they found it to be a very beneficial experience.
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Give Garden Gloves a Second Go
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Gloves are an essential element of any good gardeners toolbox. However, what should you do with them once they have developed the inevitable hole and it's time for replacement?
Bring them to VISTA! We have an increasing number of volunteers who can use these gloves during the limited time they are on site. Please wash the gloves before you bring them, and place them in the glove box in the shed.
Once gloves are no longer useful to VISTA, Laura S. has offered to then take them to the First Ladies Farm and Sanctuary in Riverview and donate them to help care for the sanctuary chickens.
One last request... when it's time for you to purchase new gloves, please consider buying a second pair to donate to the VISTA. This also will help keep our glove box well supplied and we do need a good number of gloves for our larger volunteer groups. Simply add your donation to the glove box in the shed and let us know if you would like a receipt. Thank you for thinking of VISTA while you shop!
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University of Tampa Returning to VISTA
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The students at the University of Tampa had such a good time during their volunteer visit with Kennesaw State that they have asked to come back!
We are expecting to have ten student volunteers join us the morning of Saturday, April 6. They will be working with Karen R. in the demonstration garden, Ellen W. with herb containers and Roberta and Marty with infrastructure projects.
VISTA member, Tiffani D. has reached out to Jet's Pizza and secured a donation for our volunteers and guides to have a pizza party to celebrate their accomplishments once the session is completed.
In addition to this project, we also are planning another group from UT to join us on April 13. Cheryl W. is currently working with UT to coordinate and details will be provided in an upcoming newsletter.
VISTA is a great place to volunteer... and the support of our membership is vital in keeping this program going. Please feel free to show up and lend a hand, it's a lot of fun and the work helps maintain VISTA and keep our membership fees low.
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Apollo Beach Garden Club
On a rainy morning earlier this month, the garden was visited by members of the Apollo Beach Garden Club. They are just starting work on a community garden and reached out to VISTA to request a tour to learn more about how our garden runs.
Marty, Jenn, Alicia and Corinna gave them a tour of the grounds and shared knowledge about bed preparation and planting, compost, irrigation, membership and other key aspects of making a volunteer organization successfully grow.
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Our very own VISTA resident, Harry the Hawk, has become somewhat of a social butterfly recently and cooperative in posing for photos.
Steve Lohn, who recently visited the garden with the Apollo Beach Garden Club, captured this beautiful image of Harry.
If you see Harry and want to take a picture, please ensure you do it from a distance. Harry is a wild bird and will react accordingly if he feels threatened. Be sure to thank him for the excellent work he does keeping our rodent population to basically zero!
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Carrollwood Village Community Events
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