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FREE PURPLE SHAMROCKS AT THE GARLAND COMMNITY GARDEN

Liz Berry — Sun, 09 Jun 2024 14:57:08 Z

FREE PURPLE SHAMROCKS AT THE GARLAND COMMUNITY GARDEN
We thank our donors.

When I came down to the garden at about noon to water some new transplants, I saw that someone had donated about 125 little pots of purple shamrocks.

The purple shamrock, also known as Oxalis triangularis, is called the "love plant" because its heart-shaped leaves are said to symbolize love and fertility. This makes it a popular gift between romantic partners--somewhat odd considering that all parts of the plant are toxic to humans and animals.

Many of the plants are blooming--pink blossoms

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WARNING: THIS PLANT IS NOT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN OR PETS.

Purple Shamrocks, or Oxalis triangularis, contain oxalic acid, a compound that can impact human health. When ingested, oxalic acid binds with calcium in the body, potentially leading to a drop in calcium levels and the formation of kidney stones.

Skin contact with Purple Shamrocks might result in irritation or allergic reactions. Symptoms can include itching, redness, and swelling. It's a real bummer, but wearing gloves can help avoid this itchy predicament.

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More about the Plant

Purple shamrocks are grown from bulbs, rather than seeds. The best time to plant is in the spring. Plant the bulbs with the narrower end facing up roughly 1 to 2 inches down in the soil. Space multiple bulbs approximately 3 to 4 inches apart.

It prefers sun to partial shade and needs four hours of sunlight

Purple Shamrock Plant is a rhizomatous herbaceous ornamental garden or houseplant in the wood sorrel family that is native to South America. The trifoliate leaves resemble a shamrock and can be green to variegated to deep maroon in color. The leaves close up at night or when disturbed. The white to pink 5-petaled flowers bloom in clusters in spring to summer on stems held above the plant and also close at night.

We don't know who our donors are but we think they are perhaps a scout troop as many of the pots have painted shells with google eyes.

Greater Dallas Organic Garden Club Toured the Garland Community Garden.

Liz Berry — Mon, 20 May 2024 18:13:52 Z

SPECIAL GUESTS IN THE GARDEN

Loving Garland Green, stewards of the Garland Community Garden, hosted a tour of their garden for the Greater Dallas Organic Garden Club [GDOGC] on Saturday May 18, 2024.

Its always fun and educational to get together with other gardeners and share gardening experiences. The members of Loving Garland Green agree with GDOGC, Im certain, on almost everything having to do with gardens--from organic is the way to go to youll learn something new every time you visit a garden, even your own garden.

Their mission: The purpose of the Greater Dallas Organic Garden Club is to promote organic gardening and related subjects through education and community outreach.

Loving Garland Green has a similar mission: We too are organic gardeners and our mission is to encourage the people of Garland to grow some of the food they eat. We hope to accomplish our mission by example through our stewardship of the Garland Community Garden, established in April of 2014.

Don't discard expired packets of seeds! Plant them instead and see what happens. Gardening is nothing if not a grand adventure.

This year for our special theme we are encouraging people to not throw away their expired seed packets as seeds remain viable long after the expiration date on the seed package. There are two beds in the garden devoted to this purpose: One in the front of the garden features several sections that currently have the following: beans, okra [most of which has now been given away], watermelon, and mammoth dill--all grown from seeds that were at least three years old.

Then, there is a second bed featuring a tribute to old seeds near the back of the garden. This bed has a trellis and features German lima beans. This is our second year to feature this bed. Last year [2023] it was planted with beans that had been saved since 1996. The seeds were 27 years old. They were viable with a 100% germination rate. The seeds from the vines today were from seeds from last years crop and they too had a 100% germination rate. Jane Stroud, whose mother saved these seeds shared her personal story about them with the GDOGC members. The signage on the trellis features a photo of Janes mother and the story. You can visit the garden any time and read all about it if you like.

Have some fun this Sunday May 27! Attend a meeting of the Greater Dallas Organic Garden Club!

Both Davene Morgan, GDOGC President and Karen Wright, Volunteer Coordinator, emphasized that the public is welcome to join their group. The Greater Dallas Organic Garden Club meets the fourth Sunday of the month January through October at North Haven Gardens 7700 Northhaven Road, Dallas 75230 at 2:30 to 3 PM for refreshments and social time and 3 PM for the start of the meeting. Since 1993, the GDOGC has been promoting organic and sustainable gardening methods. Come be a part of a fun and informative club. Visit their website at GDOGC.org.

Earth Day Tour At Garland Community Garden

Liz Berry — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 09:10:24 Z

EARTH DAY IS HERE AGAIN IN GARLAND TEXAS AND THE WORLD.

WHAT ARE THE FOUR MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN THE WORLD?

YOU, PEACE, LOVE AND GARDENS.

The first Earth Day was held April 22, 1970 -- 54 years ago! We owe this reminder to be kind to our environment to Senator Gaylord Nelson. The junior senator from Wisconsin, had long been concerned about the deteriorating environment in the United States. Then in January 1969, he and many others witnessed the ravages of a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the student anti-war movement, Senator Nelson wanted to infuse the energy of student anti-war protests with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution. Senator Nelson announced the idea for a teach-in on college campuses to the national media, and persuaded Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican Congressman, to serve as his co-chair.

Recognizing its potential to inspire all Americans, Hayes built a national staff of 85 to promote events across the land and the effort soon broadened to include a wide range of organizations, faith groups, and others. They changed the name to Earth Day, which immediately sparked national media attention, and caught on across the country. Earth Day inspired 20 million Americans at the time, 10% of the total population of the United States to take to the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate against the impacts of 150 years of industrial development which had left a growing legacy of serious human health impacts.

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Earth Day Tour at Garland Community Garden

On Monday, April 22 at 1 PM we are hosting a tour for the Sachse Garden Club. The public is also invited to join us for a great opportunity to get together with a bunch of gardeners. This is part of our week-long celebration for the 10th anniversary of Loving Garland Green's installation of the first raised bed. By the way, this blog is a chronicle of the development of our garden from the inception of our nonprofit (Loving Garland Green) in 2013 up through today. Our mission is to encourage the people in our community to grow some of the food they eat.

In reviewing our files I came across a photo of our very first bed. It was a square foot raised bed. Initially designed by a Mel Bartholomew in 1996, square foot gardens are all over the world. They even have a foundation supporting them. You can read about them on the Internet. As the years have passed, these beds have becometoo much work for me: you have to divide them into one foot sections, then. you have to create a special soil mix, and of course it is all in a four sided wooden frame.

As for the overall design of a bed, there are only three strict rules for me: no wider than four feet but can be as long as space allows; accessible from all four sides; soil amended with organic matter such as dry leaves or expanded shale. No more wooden enclosures around the bed for me. After five years the wood rots and you have to replace it. Furthermore you have to trim the grass and weeds that grow up to the wood--much easier with your lawnmower. I haven't yet reached the Ruth Stout point where I just toss my seeds out on the compost pile, but I'm fast approaching that stage of life.

Do you believe that when we installed the first bed at the Garland Community Garden we did not even have water on the site? It's true. We did not. But we had an inventive member named Gene Rodgers who designed a water system for us using ollas. We planted several ollas filled with water in the bed. Ollas are unglazed clay pots filled with water. You can find details about how many per bed at the Sprouted Gardens website. With Genes system the Ollas were connected with small tubing to a larger reservoir which was a 5-gallon bucket that you could buy for $1.98 in 2014 and cost $5.00 today.

Garland Community Garden 4022 Naaman School RD 75040

LEMON BALM PLANTS FREE WHILE THEY LAST

Liz Berry — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 09:44:50 Z

LEMON BALM ON THE WAY TO THE GARLAND COMMUNITY GARDEN

In about half an hour (10 am Dallas time) I'll be at the Garland Community Garden. I'm taking down 9 Lemon Balm Plants that I'll put on one of our picnic tables. They are free to take. (One per household please). There are in 2.32 qt pots. There will also be a laminated information sheet that you can take a photo of with your mobile Phone.

Lemon Balm was used as far back as the Middle Ages to reduce stress and anxiety, promote sleep and ease pain and discomfort. Even before the Middle Ages, lemon balm was steeped in wine to life the spirits and help heal wounds and treat venomous insect bites. Native to Europe the plant grows all over the world.

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis),

also called hearts delight, lemon mint, balm mint, blue balm, garden balm, or sweet balm, is a useful perennial herb for the garden. Lemon balm has heart-shaped or slightly rounded leaves, square stems, and has a strong lemon aroma and flavor. Plant 18 inches apart in the early spring in an enriched soil. Water regularly, but fertilize sparingly, throughout the year. Regular harvest will help contain its growth. Use lemon balm fresh, or dry for storage.

Planting and Spacing

Lemon balm grows from 2 to 3 feet high and should be spaced 18 to 24 inches apart. Lemon balm prefers full sunlight but will tolerate light shade. Plants grown with some shade tend to produce larger and more succulent leaves.

Water

Lemon balm is a hardy perennial herb that grows best when it is not water stressed. Keep the soil moist, but not wet, or the plants will get root rot. Supply water through drip or overhead irrigation and mulch around the plants to conserve soil water.

Care of the Plant

Lemon balm, like mint, spreads rapidly and can take over an herb bed. Growing plants in containers helps control this problem. If planted in the soil, harvest the leaves regularly, remove the flowers before they set seed, and dig around the plant edges in the soil to reduce root spreading.

How to Harvest and Cure Lemon Balm

Frequent harvest will keep lemon balm bushy and compact. Harvest about one-third of the foliage at monthly intervals to encourage healthy growth. Harvest before the plant starts to bloom, being careful not to bruise the leaves. After harvesting, tie the stems in a bundle and hang them indoors out of direct sunlight or in a shady place to dry. Dried leaves retain their green color, but are not as fragrant as when used fresh. Carefully strip the dried leaves from the stems and store in airtight containers. Note: Harvest lemon balm when the plant is just starting to produce flower buds. This is when the plant has the highest concentration of oils.

SATURDAY MARCH 2 COMMUNITY GET TOGETHER AT GARLAND COMMUNITY GARDEN!

Liz Berry — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 21:45:49 Z

COMMUNITY GET TOGETHER AT THE GARLAND COMMUNITY GARDEN!

SATURDAY MARCH 2

9AM TO NOON

Bring your rake, hoe, hammer, nails, wire and other garden tools and help us tidy up the garden. If you have plants or seeds or pots or other garden related items to share, bring them too. Ill be bringing lots of seeds. Among my seeds will be some very special German butter beans. Why are they special? The mother of one of our members saved them in her refrigerator since 1996. I planted them last year (2023) down at the garden. They germinated and being a seed saver, I have several packets of Lauras German Lima bean seeds to share. By the way. If you have seeds left over from prior years, dont throw them away. Most of them will likely be viable for many years.

This is also a good time for those who may want to have a plot at the Garland Community Garden. We will be assigning plots to those who want to garden. Also, there are plenty of greens for those who would like to take some home. For those who dont know how to cook greens, we will have some recipes that you can copy with your phone. Greens are healthy and its a good idea to develop a taste for them.

The garden is always beautiful and wonderful. I was down there yesterday and all the daffodils were in bloom. However, by Saturday, they will mostly be spent. Thats the thing about gardens: they are like the rivers that Heraclitus, an ancient philosopher, once observed. You can never step into the same river twice. Nor can you step into the same garden twice as, like the river, the garden changes from minute to minute.

Fennel is making a comeback at the Garland Community Garden this year. By the way, if you need mulch for your garden at home, I think we have enough mulch for all the gardens in Garland--and it's free!

TIME TO START THOSE SEEDS!

Liz Berry — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 09:26:18 Z

SPRING FEVER HAS HIT ME

How do I know? A few days ago, I bought a seed starting tray. I know it was not a sustainable action on my part--consumerism at its worst--purchasing plastic. I just wanted to try them and I promise Ill keep the tray for as long as I live. And it is supposedly recyclable plastic so if/when Im done with it Ill chop it up into tiny pieces and use it to aerate soil in my garden. Also, I have saved those awful Styrofoam containers that eggs come in that Charlie bought without thinking. Ill use them also for the rest of my life to start seeds in. Why the rest of my life? Let's talk about the half-life of those egg cartons. Basically, this is the time required for half of a reactant to be depleted or to decompose and decay. The half-life of those Styrofoam egg cartons is 500 years. Scary fact: almost 30 percent of landfills are Styrofoam and polystyrene. What a horrible legacy we are leaving our children.

Say what you will about the Internet and social media. I love it. No. I dont love the censorship of the corporate owners but I love the community. Social media brings the whole world right into our homes. It enables us to establish relationships with people halfway around the world. We can learn what ordinary people just like us think about things and best of all, we are exposed to new ideas and new ways of thinking that we would not have otherwise known about. Of course, I dont agree with all that I read and thats OK. Its good to abide by the old adage of take what you need and can use an disregard the rest.

Well look at me! I got off my beaten path and onto my soapbox--an easy thing for me to do considering what is happening in the world today. For now, Ill get back to the topic for this post which is seed starting. A few weeks ago, I saw a video where someone cut up a strawberry and planted pieces of it which in turn sprouted into strawberry plants. Ive never started strawberry plants from seed so I decided to give it a go. We have a large strawberry tower at the Garland Community Garden. I think it holds about 35 plants. Last year strawberry plants cost $5.98 each. You can see how expensive that gets. This year they will probably cost $8 each. Ill keep you posted if they sprout.

Ill tell you something else I do: I cant stand to plant seeds in the ground and then there are bare spots where some dont germinate so. . . I always start seeds in a wet paper towel in a baggy. Then, the ones that germinate I plant either in a little pot to transplant or right into the ground. Dont pay attention to the dates on the seed packages as seeds are more often than not viable many years beyond that date. Start some from last years seed packets and youll see what I mean. And youll also have a great lesson in learning to not believe everything you read.

Another seed lesson: Your best seeds will most often be those that come from successful plants that you have grown in your garden. They are tried and true for your particular environment.

One last note before I post all the related photos: If you live in Garland Texas and need mulch for your urban garden, we have plenty to share down at the Garland Community Garden. There was a misunderstanding between me and a generous fellow from Encore Electric. He asked if we need some mulch. I said yes but only two loads full. To date it looks like we have about five loads down there. Please wait until it stops raining and dries up a bit before driving down there as we dont want deep ruts. But you can come and take what you need for your garden.