Becky Griffin

Becky Griffin helps school and community gardeners succeed! This includes organizing school garden teacher training with county agents, assisting schools with STE(A)M goals, and creating resources on starting and sustaining successful gardens. Becky is a Georgia Certified Beekeeper and works with community and school gardeners to increase beneficial insect habitat. She is the coordinator of the Great Georgia Pollinator Census, happening this year on August 19th and 20th, 2022. She is also part of UGA's Native Plants and Beneficial Insect Working Group.

Fayette County is Famous for this Garden

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There is a garden in Fayette County that is considered the model for gardens donating vegetables to local food banks, Plant A Row Garden for the Hungry sponsored by Fayette County Master Gardener Association and Fayette County Master Gardener Extension Volunteers.  In 2016, their garden yield was 22,194 pounds of produce.  That is alot of food! Potatoes, okra, peppers, corn, peas, watermelon, are all grown on the one acre garden plot.

How do they consistently get such a high yield?

I sat down with three of the gardeners, Lester Bray, Vauna Bellury, and Ginger Vawter  to ask that question.  This garden is run by volunteers with many people working several hours a week.  It is a labor of love as they know that what they grow will be on the plates of people who really need the food.  Meeting this need is a driving force for all of the gardeners.

Fayette County is Famous for this Garden
Lester Bray

Their horticultural secret is plasticulture.

The garden uses plasticulture to keep down weed, insect, and disease pressure.  Recently they acquired the machine that punches holes in the plastic.  Until then, all of those planting holes were punched by hand.  They have had so much success with this method that Mr. Bray has written a book on the subject.  He says he wants to get the word out that this is the way to grow food in Georgia.

The information is posted on plasticulturefarming.com.  Mr. Bray allows anyone to download the information free of charge.

The gardeners use the garden to grow food all year long.  Many gardeners enjoy a break in the cool-season but many cool-season crops (broccoli, spinach, onions, peas, lettuce) grow well in Georgia.

Fayette County is Famous for this Garden
Peas!

This garden is known throughout the region.  Others who want to start a Plant a Row visits with Mr. Bray and his crew to get tips.   A peach grower reached out to the group to help him distribute extra peaches.  It has snowballed into an incredible operation.

Fayette County Extension Agent Kim Toal says, “Our volunteers dedicated to this project and to the individuals it serves embodies the true spirit of a volunteer and giving back to our community.   Not only do our volunteers do an outstanding job every year to provide nutritious food to those in need, they willingly share their knowledge at garden workdays and to other organizations interested in starting a similar garden.”

To those of us who garden in the Georgia soil their garden is an inspiration.  For those in Fayette County that have fresh vegetables and fruit on their plates the garden is a true blessing.

Be inspired!

Earth Day 2017

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Happy Earth Day week.  How will you celebrate?  Here, we are celebrating the bees – honey bees and native bees.

Photo by Joe Thompson

The decline in managed honey bee colonies in the United States is well documented.  The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports a decline from 6 million colonies in the 1940s to approximately 2.3 million in 2008.  In 2015, beekeepers reported hive loses of 40%.   This is a global problem with countries worldwide trying to understand bee loses.   There are even calls for a coordinated multi-country initiative.   Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is a term used to describe a certain type of mysterious honey bee deaths.  No one can pinpoint the cause of CCD but scientists have proposed that many factors combine for a synergistic tragedy.  The factors considered include habitat loss, poor honey bee nutrition, varroa mites, and pesticide issues.  Several of the issues affecting honey bees also affect native bees.

Honey bees. Photo by Joe Thompson.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is looking at a more proactive approach to protecting bees, especially honey bees.  In 2013 the agency proposed specific pollinator protection language for products containing imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, or dinotefuran – all neonicotinoid insecticides.  The agency has expanded this policy with the January 12, 2017, updated “U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Policy to Mitigate the Acute Risk to Bees from Pesticide Products”.  The 2017 document is the result of an earlier proposal that was amended following public comment.   This policy is designed to help managed honey bee colonies.  The thought is that the measures taken to protect honey bees will inadvertently protect native bees as well.   What can we as Georgia citizens and gardeners do to protect our bees?

Read the Georgia Pollinator Protection Plan

This plan, created by a collaboration of experts and stakeholders across Georgia.  There is a role for every Georgia citizen.

Limit insecticide use.

  1. Make sure you know for sure what insect pest you are battling. Confirm any pest identification with your UGA Extension Agent.  Have your agent help you devise a suitable integrated pest management plan for this pest.
  2. Spray only when other measures have failed.
  3. Thoroughly and carefully read the pesticide label and follow instructions.   Remember, the label is the law!
  4. Spray only when other measures have failed.
  5. Do NOT spray blooming plants.
  6. If you have weeds in your lawn that have blooming flowers, mow them down.  This eliminates the flowers that the bees would visit.
Solitary bee home in the ground.

Create bee habitat

In Cherokee County, Georgia, construction of new homes and apartments has exploded over the last twelve months.  This means that natural bee forage is being destroyed at about the same rate.  Cherokee County is a snapshot of what is going on all across the United States as we lose our wild spaces.

Add pollinator habitat to your garden.  You will find this helps bees and other beneficial insects as well.  Choose plants suitable to your climate and have include things that bloom throughout the year.   Visit the pollinator spaces webpage to get ideas.

Pollinator Garden at the Healthy Life Community Garden in Griffin, Georgia.

Support Your Local Beekeepers

Get to know your local beekeepers.  Their bees provide pollination to your food crops!  Do they sell their honey?

Learn what insect are in your garden

I ask each of you to spend some time this week in the garden just observing the insects that visit your space.  Take a chair out with some sweet tea and just watch!  Allow yourself to be fascinated by insect biology – what they look like, how they move, what flowers they visit, how they interact.  Send photos of what you find to me at beckygri@uga.edu.  I will repost photos on our UGA Community and School Gardens Facebook Page so we can all see what is flying in our gardens.

Happy Earth Day 2017 – Celebration of the Bees!

 

Vegetable Varieties to Try in Your Community or School Garden

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I was asked to rerun this popular post on vegetable varieities from 2015.  So by popular demand….

One major step towards success in a community or school garden is to start with varieties that are proven in Georgia.  As you may have experienced, some varieties of vegetables that work well in a large farm setting don’t always do well in a school or community garden setting.

Tomatoes growing at the Reconnecting Our Roots Garden in Cobb County
Tomatoes growing at the Reconnecting Our Roots Garden in Cobb County

Happily we have recommendations from Robert Westerfield and UGA’s Research and Education Garden specifically for smaller, intensive gardens.  These varieties should be easy to find in big box retailers as well as feed and seed stores:

Tomatoes – Salad or Cherry:  Juliet, Maskotka, Cherry Falls, Tumbling Tom

Tomatoes – Determinate:  Celebrity, Rutgers Select, Amelia, Bush Beefsteak, Super Bush Hybrid, Roma

Tomatoes – Indeterminate:  Beefmaster Hybrid, Delicious, Princess Hybrid, Big Beef

Peppers:  Big Bertha, Cubanelle, Giant Marconi, Banana Sweet,

Jalapeno

Eggplant:  Patio Baby Hybrid, Black Beauty, Ichiban

Squash:  Easy Summer Crookneck, Easy Pick Gold Zucchini, Sunburst (Pattypan type), Raven Hybrid (Zucchini type), Commander Hybrid (Zucchini)

Squash plant from Reconnecting Our Roots Garden
Squash plant from Reconnecting Our Roots Garden

Cucumber:  Bush Cucumber, Burpless Hybrid, Straight 8, Lemon

Beans:  Roma II, Blue Lake, Tender Crop

Asparagus:  Jersey Supreme Hybrid, Jersey Knight Hybrid, Purple Passion

Thinking ahead towards fall planting try –

Cabbage:  Kaboko Hybrid, Minute, Rubicon

Broccoli:  Packman Hybrid, Green Magic

If you have any questions about vegetable varieties contact your local UGA Extension agent, he/she has experience with lots of vegetables.

Whatever plants you choose, Happy Gardening!

 

 

Blueberry Pollination in Your Community or School Garden

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With the recent cold damage to the commercial blueberry crop in South Georgia, the blueberries in our community, school, or home gardens are all the more precious this year.   As a result, it seems like gardeners are paying more attention to their blueberry flowers.  I have gotten several emails asking about slits appearing in the sides of blueberry flowers.  This is not unusual and it probably happens every year, gardeners just don’t notice it.

The slits are made by carpenter bees who are “robbing” the flower.  They chew slits in the sides of the flowers and get the nectar without having to go into the flower.  A result of robbing is that the bees don’t leave or pick up any pollen.   Pretty sly bees, right?  Research shows that this action still results in some pollination, it is just not ideal.   Other bees may use these slits as well to retrieve whatever nectar is left.

Blueberry Pollen is Heavy

Blueberry pollen is heavy and sticky.  It does not move around easily and isn’t wind blown.  The blueberry flower shape does not lend itself to adequate self-pollination so pollinators are needed even with the self-pollinating types of blueberry plants.

Blueberry Pollination in Your Community or School Garden
Southeastern Blueberry Bee. Photo by Hannah Barrack of NC State.

Bee Pollination

Several native bee species pollinate blueberries including the Southeastern blueberry bee.  This bee also pollinates several flower types that bloom at the same time.  The male Southeastern blueberry bee has a yellow face.

The smaller native bees are shown to be superior pollinators in these plants.  You will also see bumble bees in the blueberry patch.  They vibrate their flight muscles inside the flower aiding in pollen exchange, flower sonication.  Also, honey bees are often brought into blueberries fields to aid in pollination.  To learn more about bees in the blueberry patch visit North Carolina State’s Blueberry Pollinators .

Blueberry Pollination in Your Community or School Garden
Honey bees on the fly! Photo by Joe Thompson.

I enjoy pulling up a chair near my blueberry plants to watch the pollinators at work.  Try it and you will be amazed at the different insects you see.

If you don’t have blueberries in your community or school garden, why not?  They are a fantastic addition to the garden.  Being perennial shrubs they add a nice permanent shape to the space.  School gardeners should look at later season varieties.

Happy Gardening and I wish you all a very large blueberry harvest this year!

Warm-Season Vegetable Planting Chores for Georgia

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Warm-season vegetable planting time is almost here for most of Georgia.  Here is your “to-do” list from UGA’s Vegetable Garden Calendar for this time of year:

Warm-Season Vegetable Planting Chores for Georgia
Belvedere Community Garden
  • Get rows ready for “warm-season” vegetables to be planted during the last week of March or first week or two of April as weather permits.  Check your soil temperatures at georgiaweather.net.
  • You might want to risk planting out a few of the more tender crops and keeping them covered during bad weather.
  • Watch out for insects, especially cutworms, plant lice (aphids) and red spider mites.
  • Put down mulch between rows to control weeds.
  • Plant your choices of the following “warm-season” or “frost-tender” crops: beans (snap, pole and lima), cantaloupe, corn (sweet), cucumbers, eggplant, okra, field peas, peppers, squash, tomatoes and watermelon.
  • Plant tall-growing crops such as okra, pole beans and corn on the north side of other vegetables to avoid shading. Plant two or more rows of corn for better pollination.
  • Make a second planting within two to three weeks of the first planting of snap beans, corn and squash.
  • Within three to four weeks of the first planting, plant more lima beans and corn. Remember: for better pollination, plant at least two or more rows.
  • Be sure to plant enough vegetables for canning and freezing.
  • Cultivate to control weeds and grass, to break crusty soil and to provide aeration.
  • For the crops planted earlier, side-dress as described above.
  • Plant tender herbs.
  • Remember: Do not work in your garden when the foliage is wet to avoid spreading diseases from one plant to another.

Contact your local UGA Extension office if you need any help choosing varieties!

Happy Gardening!

 

Georgia Ag Awareness Week

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This is Georgia Ag Awareness Week, a week that has been set aside to celebrate Georgia’s agricultural industry.  There are events planned across the state to connect farmers with schools, to support local food banks, and to celebrate eating local.

As community and school gardeners we are all well aware of how hard it is sometimes to grow our own food.  It can seem like disease, pests, and weather are all against us.  But, we know that if we fail we can rely on the grocery store to fill our dinner plates.   And, we all want to eat as local as we possibly can.  Thank you Georgia farmers!

We are all a small part of Georgia Ag by raising our own food, growing food for Farmers Markets, and/or supplying food for your local food banks.  Take a moment to celebrate what you do!  It is important.

If you want to really get involved in the celebration this week, take a look at recipes featuring Georgia products.  Several of the crops won’t be in season yet, but you should be able to find something delicious for your dinner table.  What are you growing in your garden that you are harvesting now?  The warm winter means I have delicious greens at my house and I will be hosting a Georgia Grown dinner during the week.

Goods and services related to Georgia’s agriculture and natural resources affect each of the state’s communities every day. Agriculture is Georgia’s largest industry, with $74.9 billion of direct and indirect economic impact annually. More than 411,000 Georgia jobs are involved directly in commodity or food- and fiber-related industries.

UGA Extension faculty and staff play a key role in the success of this industry by sharing university-based research for Georgians to use on the farm and at home. Recommendations in areas including soil fertility, pest management, plant and crop varieties, water quality, and herd health and management focus on maximizing production and profits while minimizing environmental impacts.  Make sure you are connected with your local UGA Cooperative Extension office!

Happy Georgia Ag Awareness Week!  #GAAgWeek  #agdawg

 

Growing the Underappreciated Radish

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If you haven’t grown radishes in your garden, you should.  They are the underappreciated cool-season vegetable and perfect for raised beds in the community or school garden.  What radishes have going for them:

  • They mature quickly, sometimes as short as 28 days!
  • They are nutritious – full of vitamin C, vitamin K and B6
  • They are easy to grow

Radishes also come in many shapes and sizes.   The variety “Watermelon” is large, think soft ball size, but the traditional “Cherry Bell” is smaller.  “Icicle” is long and white, almost like a small carrot.  Visit your local feed-and-seed stores to see what varieties they have available or order from one the seed catalog companies.

Planting

The seeds are small but easy to plant in a prepared bed with plenty of drainage:

After the seeds are spread, cover with 1/4 -1/2 inch of soil and tamp down the soil using a light touch.  This ensures good seed to soil contact.

Finally, cover with mulch to keep the soil temperature and moisture levels even.  Water in and keep the soil slightly moist until the seeds germinate.  Thin using scissors, not pulling up seedlings.

Start looking at your radish recipes because your crop will come in quickly!

Happy Gardening!

Finding Grant Money for Your Garden

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One of the most frequent questions I hear is “how do I get grant money for my garden?”  The answer is not simple.  But, here are a few hints to help you be ready when the perfect grant application comes your way:

Keep Records

Does your garden donate produce to a food bank?  If so, do you keep records of how much food is donated?

Do you  host community events?  What about story time for students in the summer?  How many students attend?

These events could matter with certain grants.  So, keep records of dates and numbers of attendees.   This task be a great job for a garden manager or designated volunteer.

Take Photos

Many grant applications open in the winter months when your garden is probably not looking its best. Take photos of your garden during the spring and summer months.  Many grantors want to see your space and pictures may be required for the grant application.

Finding Grant Money for Your Garden
This photo of story time in the Healthy Life Community Garden in Griffin is a great example of a photo to keep in your garden archives.

Think Local

When looking for grant monies, think local first.  Your local hardware or landscape store may be willing to donate materials without a grant application.  Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are often looking for projects for their Eagle Scout and Gold Awards.  Boy Scouts especially enjoy building projects like benches and garden beds.

Also, your local high school’s National Honor Society and Beta Club may require their members to do community service.  They may be able to assist with a few of your garden chores.

Find Out About Large Company Grants

Large companies like Walmart and Home Depot have grant programs.  Walmart’s Community Grant Program is an annual program.  Home Depot’s Community Impact Grant application process is open now.

Keep In Touch with Your Local UGA Extension Office

UGA Extension agents would be contacted if there was a garden grant specifically for your county.  By keeping in touch with your Extension office, you would be informed about any of these opportunites.

Happy Gardening!

Gardening in this Crazy Georgia Weather

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The calendar says the beginning of March.  Usually this means Georgia is just coming out of cold temperatures but we are still cool.   We have had snow in years past the first of March.  Not this year; this year it seems we haven’t really had a winter.  Tree pollen counts in Atlanta are already registering in the “high” range.  The birds are chirping and the insects are flying.  How does a gardener plant in this weather?

Soil Temperature is the Key

Remember that soil temperature is the key for seed germination and root growth.  Checking www.georgiaweather.net this week the soil temperatures at a 4 inch depth across the state are:

Blue Ridge 45.6 F
Alpharetta 43.8 F
Pine Mountain 52.1 F
Valdosta 60.4 F

Cool-Season Vegetable Planting Time is NOW

Alabama Cooperative Extension has created a very useful chart listing the soil temperature conditions for vegetable seed germination.   Consulting this chart we see that it is time, and it has been for awhile, to put in your cool-season plants in most of Georgia:  lettuce, spinach, carrots, cabbage, radish.  Even though you might be able to plant these seeds wearing your shorts and a tank top, it is still cool-season planting time.  Don’t wait any longer.

Gardening in this Crazy Georgia Weather
Carrots at the Gwinnett Tech Food Garden

There have been reports of lettuce and spinach already bolting because of our warm afternoons.  Don’t let that tempt you to purchase the tomatoes already for sale.  It is not time yet!

Gardening in this Crazy Georgia Weather
Lettuce in the Trustees Garden, Savannah

Hold off on your peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, and other warm-season crops until later.  It is too cold to plant tomato plants in central to north Georgia!  If tomatoes are planted in ground that is too cool for growth, the plants may not die but they will not grow just waiting until things underground warm up.

Good Gardening News!

The good news is Georgia has had a nice amount of rain over the last couple of months so the soil should be in great shape for planting.  The long-term weather outlook seems just about perfect for cool-season vegetables.  For those of you (myself included) who did not plant this past fall because of drought conditions, you can plant with confidence now.

Being a gardener is never, ever dull.  Each year brings its own challenges.  I wish you all a wonderful Spring harvest!

Happy Gardening!

A Refresher on Indoor Seed Starting in the Georgia Garden-A Guest Post by Amy Whitney

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I have been asked to re-run this wonderful post from seed starting expert, Amy Whitney, of Cobb Extension.  It is time to start your indoor seeds.  Amy gives us all the details….

What you’ll need:

  1. Seeds
  2. Planting medium
  3. A container with a clear lid
  4. Light source
  5. Time

Which seeds can I start now?

Seeds that are good to start ahead of the usual spring planting typically are those that have a long time-to-maturity, like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Other seeds to start indoors include many kinds of greens.

Will any potting mix work?

Seed tray with pellets made of peat moss. The pellets expand with the addition of water. - photo by Amy Whitney
Seed tray the pellets made of peat moss. The pellets expand with the addition of water. – photo by Amy Whitney

Regular potting mix is not the best choice; instead, choose a seedling starter mix. Such a mix will be finely textured, so that small seeds don’t wash too deep down into the mix. Also, it should be sterile (or nearly sterile), so the damping-off fungus that attacks seedlings is less likely to strike. Seedling starter mix can be purchased in small bags to use in your own containers or as flat pellets of either peat moss or coconut coir that inflate as they absorb water.

Why does the container need a lid?

Jiffy seed tray with lid in place. Labeling your seed trays with the seed type and date of planting is helpful. - photo by Amy Whitney
Jiffy seed tray with lid. Labeling your seed trays with the type of seed planted and date of planting is helpful.- photo by Amy Whitney

Seeds need to be kept evenly moist but not soggy. If seeds are too wet, they tend to rot rather than germinate, and if they are too dry they won’t germinate, either. The lid helps moderate moisture levels in the container. The lid should be clear to let light in for the growing seedlings. As the seedlings grow taller, the lid will need to be removed.

If the seedlings are in a very sunny window, the “greenhouse” lid may allow too much heat to build up inside the container. Check your seedlings to make sure the young plants don’t end up being cooked under the lid!

Trays and flats especially designed for starting seeds can be purchased at most garden supply stores, but “clamshell” type containers that previously may have held salad greens from a grocery store can also work, after a few holes have been made in the bottom half to allow excess water to drain away.

How much light will my plants need?

After germination has occurred and seedlings have pushed their seed leaves up above the soil level, a strong light source will be needed. A very sunny window is good, but more hours of light would be better. A fluorescent light kept a couple of inches above the tops of the plants for 14-16 hours each day can help provide the needed light.

This sounds easy. When can I start?

You can count back the correct number of weeks for your seeds from the last expected frost date in your area. As an example, a seed that should be started 6-8 weeks before the last frost in an area with an average last frost date of April 10 should be started between February 11th and 25th. Most seed packets include the information about when to start seeds indoors.

Your seed-starting flats or containers will also need to be kept at an adequate temperature range for best germination results. The good news is that the same temperatures that work for most humans, 65-75 degrees F, are also good for seed germination and seedling growth!

As the seedlings mature, they will need to be transferred to more-roomy accommodations (new pots!) with fresh potting mix, to encourage further growth and development.

For additional information and expanded explanations of the above steps, check out UGA’s new guide to seed starting, “Starting Plants from Seed for the Home Gardener” by Horticulturists Sheri Dorn and Bodie Pennisi. UGA’s “Home Garden Transplants,” by UGA Horticulturists Wayne McLauren, Darbie M. Granberry, and W.O. Chance, is another great source of helpful information.  Of course, your local UGA Extension Agent is always ready to help!

Amy is a Horticulture Program Assistant for Cobb Extension. She loves seed saving and saves seeds from a heirloom tomato given to her by a guy she met at a seed rack in Home Depot many years ago.  Amy will talk plants with anyone!  Thanks again Amy.  Great information.

Happy planting!

 

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