Special To The Citizen

More than 50 people attended the Lehigh Acres Edible Gardening Exchange September monthly meeting on Sept. 16. Roy Beckford, Lee County’s agriculture Extension agent was the special guest speaker.

The University of Florida provides the residents of Florida with an extensive program of research and education not only to commercial agriculture but to everyone who is interested in growing plants, fruits, and vegetables.

Beckford in a humor filled slide presentation explained a system of planning for success.

There are multiple ways to set up a home garden, he told the group. Local gardeners have used plots, clay pots, and buckets. Because of Southwest Florida’s sandy soil there is need to enrich the growing beds, he said.

By using bricks, cement blocks, wood or other containment barriers the enriched soil can be kept from washing away. This is why some home gardeners have achieved great success with clay pots and buckets, he said.

They allow for controlled watering and adding plant food as needed. Fungus infections are a major cause of problems in South Florida, Beckford said. Thus by watering at ground level with drip irrigation soil fungus is not transmitted to the leaves.

When it rains there usually is enough rinsing of the leaves to reduce the problem. He talked about crop rotation and avoiding the use of pesticides on vegetables used in the kitchen, which he said is a key objective.

It is very important not to use planting guidelines from up north, Beckford said. The University of Florida has developed a well-tested system for local special needs.

Google “Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide” or lee.ifas.ufl.edu.

Beckford said site selection is critical. The amount of sun exposure and the ph. of the soil is the key to successful growing. The main reason that vegetables are not grown in the summer is not too much water, but excessive sunlight, he said.

The Extension service located at 3406 Palm Beach Blvd. provides free soil testing.

The next meeting will focus on “Frost-proof Fruit for Lehigh Acres.” Someone from the Caloosa Rare Fruit Exchange will speak at the meeting. This free meeting will be held at Veterans Park, 55 Homestead Road, on Thursday, October 20.

Set-up begins at 5 p.m. The meeting starts promptly at 5:30 p.m. Mingle, chat, snack with other gardeners from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Clean-up begins at 8:30 p.m.

The October meeting at Veterans Park is free; however, the November meeting will require a once-in-a lifetime membership fee of $10 per person or $25 per family. Contact Veterans Park at 369-1521 and speak with Colleen Via for more information on this membership fee that lasts a lifetime.

Karen L. Harty is the moderator. For more information call her at 239-206-3373 or contact her through email at: karenlharty@gmail.com.