The Travelling Toe: Westmont Garden Club May Meeting

The Westmont Garden club held its monthly meeting at the home of the Program Director on Saturday, May 27, 2017.

One of the Garden Members presented the program on growing vegetable gardens in container beds. She had recently attended a seminar on the subject lead by Master Gardener, Harold Annis. The Club Member distributed handouts to the club members of the material covered in the seminar.

Tarrant Master Gardner

The program began with how to go about setting up a vegetable garden which included several essential elements that should ensure success. They are:

Site

light (6 hours sun needed)

Garden Orientation

Soil

Access

Drainage

Proximity to Trees and Shrubs

Water

Access

near the house – easy to get to for harvesting plants

accessibility for weeding, cultivating, staking plants

One solution for instant backyard gardens is using boxed beds. Some can be purchased online for easy assembly.

The handouts pointed out to use transplants (seedlings) as often as possible.

Better soil makes for better crops. The soil should consist of:

1/3 blended compost

1/3 peat moss

1/3 coarse vermiculite

Green sand was also discussed by the members as a way to amend soil.

Various vegetables require different light requirements. It is important to know the correct light requirements for the vegetables being planted to ensure they will thrive and produce a successful harvest.

Additionally some plants have quick maturity rates and others are moderate or slower growers. Quick growers are about 30-60 days, moderate 60-80 days and slow growers are 80 days or more.

Trap crops were also discussed. They are used to attract the various bugs or beetles away from the vegetable plants.

The end of growing season brings with it several other gardening activities that need to take place:

clean garden equipment

compost, till or dispose of all plant material

add animal manure to soil

test soil every 2-3 years

It is important for gardeners to decide what vegetables to grow - such as ones that will be consumed or is unavailable or poor quality in stores. Grow vegetables that fit into the available space and select vegetable that will adapt to the particular climate or environmental conditions of the garden.

There was much discussion about the information in the handouts and many of the members provided additional personal information about their own gardening adventures.

The Club Member was presented a token of appreciation for her presentation by the Program Director.

After the program, members walked outside to the Program Director’s new raised bed and seeds were sown.

Club members then drove a few blocks to tour a community garden on land provided by UNTHSC. The community garden consisted of raised beds made of railroad ties. The plants were thriving with many already producing tomatoes, though green, were very enticing. We also saw black-eyed peas (a Texas favorite), green peppers, string beans and even a few strawberry plants. There was even a beautiful passion flower plant in full bloom. The garden also featured a robust compost pile.