changing the world one urb garden at a time

“I think every vegetable garden is eco-friendly,” says Philip Ramsey, one of the founders of the Springfield Community Garden Group.
Anytime you can grow your own food, and fuel isn’t wasted by transporting it, it’s a small victory for the environment.
But Ramsey and the Springfield Community Garden Group have taken their garden to the next level of eco-friendly by growing it all-organic. The shared space gives Jacksonville residents who live in apartments or houses without suitable yards a place to grow organic vegetables. The community garden came out of the Jacksonville Carbon Neutral Initiative, as a way for Jacksonville urbanites to reduce their carbon footprint.
The garden is pretty young and still in the construction phase, so plots are available. Presently between 10 and 15 people garden on the 1/3 acre lot. Anyone can sign up to claim an area, but they mostly work to serve those living in the urban core. The best way to sign up is to come by the garden (located between 1st and 2nd Street off of Main next to The Pearl) on Saturday about noon or Sundays after 2 pm. 
“It’s intended for people to grow their food; something that’s important for sustainable development…All of the materials used in the construction of the garden are salvaged materials…Right now the compost is donated by the Jacksonville Zoo,” says Ramsey.
Currently they’re growing carrots, lettuce, arugula, tomatoes, peas, parsley, some blueberries and even blue potatoes.
If you don’t live in the Springfield/Downtown area, there are several community gardens in Jacksonville where you can grow your own veggies. Some are run by private organizations and groups of citizens, but most in the area are run by the Duval County Extension.  While they don’t keep people from using non-organic methods, individual gardeners can choose to go organic with their plots.
“Any resident of Duval County can use the garden space, as long as they follow the good-faith garden agreement,” says Mary Puckett, the Urban Gardening Program Assistant for the Duval County Extension.
The agreement asks that plot holders maintain their plots, and Puckett says that they make sure gardeners “don’t use the produce for sale or profit, but as a way to supplement their family’s diet and to give away to neighbors.”
While there are five such gardens in Jacksonville, the Urban Gardening program is always looking for suitable land and a way to pay for the water used on that land. Three more gardens are in the planning phases. Of the three, they “hope to make two organic, but it needs to go through city council.”
There is a waiting list for garden space, but the Extension Service offers other resources for eco-tastic gardening. Along with plenty of water saving tips for your garden, they have literature and a demo on how to construct a rain barrel for your own rainwater capture. Even if you can’t get into the garden space right away, their classes, workshops and resources offer a connecting point to join the local community of earth-conscious gardeners.
You can also visit the demonstration garden for the latest methods in herb, vegetable, edible flower and hydroponics gardening.
If you’d like to donate to the Urban Gardening Program or if you would like to be a part of it, call Mary Puckett at (904) 387-8850. If she’s off-site, ask for Jeanie Crosby, or just leave a voicemail.
Other networks of people such as Urbfarmers United, began by Victoria Freeman, have sprung up to support Jacksonville’s burgeoning population of private organic gardeners. She also runs a bed & breakfast (The House on Cherry Street) serving her guests food enhanced by goodies from her organic garden. EU had the chance to ask her about her methods and all-natural garden in the Riverside Avondale neighborhood.

EU: What are the challenges of going organic?
Victoria Freeman: The major challenge of going organic is perfection. The lettuce may have holes. The apples (yes I grow Israeli Annas) have blemishes. The blueberries are small.

EU: What method do you use to compost?
VF: I compost using four methods: hot, cold, trench, and Vermiculture (which is a fancy way of saying worms. They live in a condo called Vermalot)

EU: Where do you get your fertilizer?
VF: You can buy organic fertilizer at any large garden store. I primarily use compost and compost tea. On occasion, a dear friend of mine gives me chicken manure.

EU: What kind of ground cover do you use for your lawn?
VF: My lawn is growing smaller by the month. For my major areas I use the old Pensacola Bahia grass. It is a landscapers’ nightmare because of its unruly stalks but requires no fertilizer or pesticides. I knock the offending V off of it using a sling blade. It is great exercise for my upper arms.

EU: What about pest control? How do you handle that?
VF: I use several methods: blasts of water to knock off offenders, interplanting items bugs love with plants they hate, and hiring six-year old boys to gather giant grasshopper heads (5 heads for a nickel). Because I grow organically, my bird population is huge and the birds take care of many pests. Mallory, the wonder cat, catches an occasional mouse. There are organic pesticides, but I don’t use them.

EU: What are the benefits of going organic?
VF: The benefits of going organic are several. First, my granddaughter Ryn can follow me into the garden and nibble on almost anything she can put her tiny hands on. There are no pesticides, fungicides, mildewcides for me to worry about. Bees, birds and butterflies are safe. My guests bring in herbs for omelets and I don’t worry about residue. The food has a higher nutritional value than transported or traditionally grown food. I am improving this soil for this place. In organics, you feed the soil and the soil feeds the plants. Because I live on the river, I am keenly aware of pollution. No fertilizer or pesticide goes into the St. Johns from my property. 

EU: I’d heard that you share your garden with others, that you’re kind of a neighborhood garden for folks that don’t really have a yard...Can you tell me a little about your community experiences?
VF: I have five neighbors who garden organically on my yard. They have no sun or no available yard themselves. I have also started a group of urban farmers who meet together periodically to share food that we have grown. The group is called Urbfarmers United. Not all of them are completely organic, but all of them grow food in the city. Local food is crucial. We swap ideas and occasionally swap produce. If it is organic fine, but really growing food period is the key message. We only care ABOUT that which we care FOR. Gardeners know that Mother Earth sustains all of us. Pot, patch or plot; it all adds up. Each tomato we pick from the trellis on the condo patio is one less transported item and that means a bit smaller carbon footprint for us all. 

Call Vicki Freeman at (904) 384-1999 for more info on getting involved with Urbfarmers.

Keeping your Lawn Green and River Friendly

We’ve all seen it. Automated sprinkler systems that only water concrete instead of actual plant life. Sprinklers going off during a driving rain.
These abuses are a waste of water and cause runoff that actually hurts the St. Johns River. It isn’t just commercial interests that cause the problem; private homes also have some of the same water waste issues.
“If you have an irrigation system, never just set it and forget it. A study was recently completed by researchers at UF that found that homeowners can reduce the water that they use by a 1/3 if they consistently re-adjust the system throughout the year to coincide with normal rainfall patterns and soil moisture levels. Those savings increase to 50% if systems are replaced with drip irrigation.” says Jimmy Orth, Executive Director of the St. Johns Riverkeeper.
Orth is a water conservationist with the river’s best interests at heart, but he also knows that watering too much can result in a thirstier, weaker lawn. He recommends that you “look for signs of stress before watering (i.e. the grass blades are closing up and you leave footprints in the grass when you walk on it).”
Make sure you water at night or early morning rather than the heat of the day (it’s actually illegal to water between 10 am and 4 pm) and water the ground rather than the leaves. Twice a week at about ¾ of an inch, when it hasn’t rained, is best for most lawns.
“If you don’t have an irrigation system, only water when necessary. Pay close attention to the rainfall patterns and the signs that indicate when your lawn and plants need watering. Often, we receive enough rain and don’t need to provide additional irrigation during those times.”
Adding too much fertilizer to your lawn will just create the sort of runoff that made our river sickly green a few years ago. The same things that feed your lawn (such as nitrogen) also feed the algae blooms that smother fish and other aquatic wildlife. An abundance of fertilizer isn’t necessarily better for your lawn either, since your lawn can only absorb so much nitrogen at a time.
“Many people think that more is better, and this is not true. Over fertilizing your grass can actually weaken your lawn and make it more susceptible to insects, weeds and disease,” says Orth.
Designed to release over time, instead of giving your lawn an immediate jolt of fertilizers, slow release organic fertilizers will ultimately strengthen your lawn and are the best choice for the health of the river. Look for slow release instead of the common non-organic, quick release formulas, which will get you speedy results, but can also lead to shallow root systems. That means that your lawn will continually need more water, more fertilizer to maintain it, and will be more susceptible to disease and pests. When the over fertilization causes other problems in your lawn, it can lead to even more chemicals eventually finding their way into the river, in an endless cycle.
According to the Riverkeeper website stjohnsriverkeeper.org, the magic number for slow release nitrogen is 30% or more. Many fertilizers that claim to have slow release often only have a smaller percentage than 30%. In order to calculate the percentage of slow release, you’ll need to divide the “slowly available nitrogen” by the total amount of nitrogen in the fertilizer (for example, if the slowly available nitrogen in the mix is 25% and the total nitrogen is 50%, you would divide 25 by 50, which comes to .50, or 50 % slow release).
Most of Florida has an abundant quantity of phosphorus, so you generally don’t need to add any more to your soil. That means you should choose local fertilizer or fertilizer without (or low) in phosphorus. You’ll find three numbers on the label, the nitrogen content first, followed by a dash, then the Phosphorus and lastly the Potassium or Potash. Each area of the country (or even of Jacksonville) has its own unique soil conditions (you can have your pH and soil tested by the Duval County Extension). Florida is mostly sand, with a limited amount of organic matter (such as decayed plant life, animals and animal waste) in the soil. Using an organic fertilizer increases the amount of organics in the soil and this helps to retain nutrients and water.
At Ace Hardware, you can buy Green Edge, a product made with JEA biosolids. Not only is it a local product (which means that very little gasoline was used to transport it); it’s also organic and recycles Jacksonville waste. The Hall’s Ace on Blanding, the Hagan’s Ace on San Jose in Mandarin and the Arlington Road Ace all regularly carry Green Edge. Make sure you call ahead to ask if they have any in stock. If you can’t get Green Edge, try Milorganite. See the Riverkeeper’s page on their website stjohnsriverkeeper.org/greenMonster_Fertilizer.asp for a list of river friendly fertilizers.
When you fertilize is as important as what you fertilize with, as far as the health of the river and the health of your lawn is concerned. As with watering, check the forecast before you fertilize. A hard rain can wash away your efforts, polluting and keeping your lawn from absorbing the fertilizer. Orth recommends spreading fertilizer in the early spring “to give a lawn an extra boost during the growing season.” Summer showers, which are frequent here in Florida, mean that it’s a bad season to feed your lawn. In some counties it’s actually illegal to fertilize during the rainiest months.
This “less is more” treatment of your lawn not only helps save the environment, it can help save your dollars. Less watering means a lower water bill. The stronger root system encouraged by not applying copious amounts of fertilizer and water means that less of your grass will die and you won’t have to re-sod, which also takes money out the door. A tough lawn also means that you won’t be spending as much cash on pest treatments.
How you cut your lawn is also an important element. A mulching mower will turn your grass clippings into natural fertilizer, so you won’t have to add as much of the bagged stuff. Keep the grass longer instead of shorter: the Riverkeeper recommends that you “never cut off more than 1/3 of the leaf blade at each cutting.” Higher grass is another way to promote a deeper root system and hardier grass. You’ll want your mower blades razor sharp; the cleaner cut will result in less of a loss of moisture. Speaking of moisture, you’ll want to mow when it is dry. A soggy lawn means that the mower has to work harder, resulting in rips in the grass instead of cuts. Rips in the grass weakens it, making it dry in appearance and susceptible to death and disease. It also means that you’ll have to work harder, as anyone who has ever tried to mow a wet lawn can tell you.
As far as pest control is concerned, one of the things that eco and river-friendly gardeners have in common is that they either let nature take care of itself or they spot treat rather than blanketing the whole lawn with a general pesticide. They target specific pests with specific remedies that often don’t involve any pesticides at all, (such as using a soap and water solution to keep aphids off leaves).
Planting organically means that more birds will come to help rid your lawn of bugs. If you’re planting something that’s prone to a certain kind of pest, there’s often other greenery you can plant in between the plants the bugs desire. Garlic and chives can repel aphids, a type of plant lice that infests lettuce and peas. Some people also interplant hot peppers to keep the bugs at bay. Marigolds are also a popular choice to keep many bugs and even rabbits from taking over your garden.
If you don’t know how to handle the bugs yourself, there are some environmentally responsible pest control companies in the area that have the knowledge to take care of everything from mosquitoes and ants to termites.
“We use a combination of natural mineral dusts, powders and enzymes.” says Gina Miller, co-owner of Nature’s Way Pest Control and Lawn Care. “We also compost tea to allow your lawn to balance, which can take care of a number of bug and fungus problems.”
Spot treatment is also the rule for weed control. If you must use an herbicide, spot treat instead of going over your entire lawn. Hand weeding is the best method. Since most people hate the drudgery of weeding, it’s lucky that many area lawn services in the offer weekly hand weeding.
“Hand weeding is what we do most,” says Seth Barr of Holistic Gardens “You can’t always get them before they seed. Some weeds are from trees or don’t spread by seed, but if you keep on them they don’t get out of control.”
Check out stjohnsriverkeeper.org/greenMonster.asp and click on the various articles on the right side bar for more technical details on hardy or native plants, lawn alternatives, fertilizers, watering tips, weeds and pest control. There’s also a list of local resources that can help educate you about your greenery, from sites on waterfront yards and organic gardening to county offices and the Florida native Plant Society.
If every person with a lawn took the time to look for greener alternatives, they’d save their money, lawn and maybe even their river. That little bit of time and care pays off, because after your initial investment, you’ll find that a river-friendly lawn is easier to care for.

the incredible shrinking lawn
secrets of a river-friendly yard

One of the ways to use the smallest amount of water and fertilizers is to create alternative landscaping, other than the typical, boring expanse of St. Augustine grass.
Eliminate as much of your lawn as possible by creating beds. The less lawn you have, the more efficient it is. This can make for a very eye-catching array of greenery. You can put useful and decorative plants in your beds. Anything from herbs and veggies to native and hardy plants can beautify your lawn. 
There are a number of local gardeners who have put this into practice. 
Barbra Jackson, a member of the Native Plant Society and owner of a certified Florida Friendly Yard, has eliminated all the conventional grass in her yard in favor of beds filled with hardy or eco-friendly plants. 
“So many people in Florida have St. Augustine grass in their brains as ground cover,” she says of the common tendency for people not to explore their alternatives. 
Among her drought tolerant Florida friendlies, she also plants butterfly-friendly plants such as milkweed and penta to add extra color to her yard.
Jake Ingram, a retired landscape architect and former employee of the St. Joe Company, has planted nearly his entire front yard in native Florida plants (with only two non-natives).
He advocates the use of natives because “they’re already adapted to Florida.” Even when choosing non-natives, he believes in choosing plants that “adapt well to the soil we have.” Using mostly pine straw and pine bark for mulch, he stays away from cypress, as do most conservationists and eco-conscious gardeners.
“They harvest young cypress from the wetlands because they chip more easily…cypress is important because it takes the excess water up…when it floods.”
Cypress is important to the cycle of the wetlands and grows more slowly than pine, which naturally sheds its needles. Pine needles and bark are abundant and can be found in park pathways and neighbor’s yards all over Florida. Pine is also farmed rather than taken from wetlands.
Both Ingram and Jackson have a vegetable garden in their yard, but area resident and Riverkeeper board member Jim Draper actually uses vegetables as landscaping for his front lawn, proving once again that functional can be pretty.
Draper meets the challenges of water conservation in his sloped yard by creating catch points for the water. His brick pathways have earth between the bricks instead of mortar so that the water has the opportunity to soak into the ground rather than running off into the street. These pathways are lower than the rest of yard to further pool the water. Mulching also keeps water waste at bay, as another method of trapping moisture and stopping runoff. Draper even kept things earth-friendly when building the beds and water catch points by using found materials. He landscapes this way instead of keeping a standard grass lawn which he says would “let the water run down in sheets.” A standard grass lawn wouldn’t catch the water as efficiently, resulting in more runoff waste that would end up in the river. 
These gardeners save money on their water bills and they have fresh edibles to bring in from the yard whenever a dish needs perking up. To be able to walk out into your garden and get a freshly cut herb or to collect spring greens for a fantastic organic salad is a quality of life worth imitating. 
Turning a regular lawn into an eco-sustainable paradise is a task that takes time and care. And that’s really the point. Everything that’s bad for the earth and supposedly good for your lawn involves immediate results to make it as pretty as possible as soon as possible, with the least amount of effort. Establishing an eco-friendly lawn and garden takes more time and exertion to begin with, but it doesn’t result in an endless cycle of quick fixes that are ultimately more work. We might live in a disposable, convenience-based society, but going green with your lawn (and I don’t just mean the color) makes a difference. It might not save the entire planet, but you’ll know that at the very least, there’s one patch of earth that isn’t contributing to its demise.