A Great Season comes to an End

Our growing season has come to and end.  Thank you every one for all your help and support  !

Students from Temple Beth Am Return to Deering Bay

On Tuesday, April 23rd, Ms. Koller's 4th grade science class returned to Deering Bay Yacht and Country Club for a special harvest meal featuring produce planted back in December. The students got a chance to sample various items grown in the garden including Parsnip, Radishes, Escarole, Orange and Yellow Cherry Tomatoes, Arugula, Mint, Carrots, Sorrel, Edible Flowers, Cucumbers, Pineapple and much more.  The kids also voted on their favorite veggies and favorite dip. We discussed how long it takes for food to get from farms that are far away versus growing produce right in your backyard.  We also discussed health and nutrition.  At the end of the meal, the students took a trip to the garden to harvest the remaining items and got to bring home their harvest.  A special thank you goes out to all the students and teachers from Beth Am and a special thanks goes out to the various Staff and Members who were involved in the event.  Believe it or not, we had just as much fun as the kids did!

healthy tomato plant

 Our season is nearly over, but we have an extraordinarily healthy tomato plant in the garden, The plant is over 7 ft tall and has 10 lbs of  yellow pear tomatoes on it . The tomato vines have grown up in to the tree behind the plant and has  no signs of slowing down.

Diana Bermudez  (an 8 year employee) helps me pick tomatoes for the salad bar 

Everyone loves vine ripen tomatoes

 This Season our Garden is producing 4 types of tomatoes, Sun Gold , Black Cherry, Gold Nugget and Yellow Pear.  . However  After 3 years the Peacocks know where to find them as well and  its a challenge to keep them from  eating them all . When it comes to finding food birds are very resourceful and clever.  Last week I put Christmas Tree Tinsel on the plants and it seems to be working for now. Organic Gardening catalogs sell all types products with all types of claims., But for me the Dollar store Tinsel is working great . The Idea is anything reflective  scares the birds .

Peak of the season

Right now  and for the next 3 weeks our Garden is at it's peak ! We are producing 4 types of tomatoes, multi-colored carrots , lettuce , arugula, cabbage, bok-choy, golden beets, edible flowers, 3 types of radish, 4 types of herbs and enough mint for desserts and Mojitos . Check out the salad bar or  Make a dinner reservation today !

Our carrots are looking great 

Gold nugget, Black cherry, Sun gold and yellow pear  varieties of tomatoes 

Savoy cabbage 

Our new menu includes a garden fresh salad 

Bella Raoli is  learning about Butterflies and their remarkable life cycle 

Bella  has also volunteered to work in the garden this season 

Bella's duties include , weeding , harvesting , mulching and planting 

Great Salads

This was a great week in the garden , we started harvesting tomatoes , radishes and multi- colored carrots . These  fresh veggies make for a colorful and tasty salad !

What Is That Balloon Doing In The Garden?

I noticed Peacocks were eating the green tomatoes , so I tried a high tech "scarecrow". So far it seems to be working .

 I bought this product online at  Johnnys seeds .com, its called "terror eyes balloon's" it claims to scare birds away from fruit tree's http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5440-terror-eyes-balloons-3-pack.aspx 

Temple Beth Am 4th Graders Visit the Garden for Planting Day

For the third consecutive year, we were honored to host the Temple Beth Am 4th Graders for a day of planting in the garden.  We divided the children into three small groups where they got hands-on experience planting seeds, learning about South Florida’s unique weather from WSVN Chief Meteorologist Phil Ferro, learning about butterfly gardening, and even started a plant propagation project to continue at home.  The students will also experience the great taste of fresh food when they return during the harvest season for a special meal featuring produce they have studied and helped grow.  On the walk from the Clubhouse to the Garden, the students were fortunate enough to see a rare American Crocodile (from a far distance), a Wood Stork, an Anhinga, a bunch of Peacocks and quite a few Turkey Vultures.  Phil did a wonderful job engaging the kids and assisting with the planting of the garden.  Enjoy these photos from the event!

First Harvest

Today was our first harvest of the new season. Diana Bermudez and I picked Freckled Romaine Lettuce, Bok Choy and assorted flowers.  This season, look for four types of tomatoes, four types of radishes, arugula, fennel, dill, nappa cabbage, savoy cabbage, golden beets and much more.  Stay tuned as we're having our planting event with the Beth Am 4th graders on December 17th!

progress report