Feed The Need Garden

08/22/2026

08/15/2026

This morning’s replant at the Ocala Wellness Community Garden was great!

Gardeners refilled their boxes with another round of warm season veggies like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, beans and more. 🌿

If you would like to become part of this garden please see the link for more info.

https://www.ocalafl.gov/government/city-departments-i-z/recreation-parks/recreation/wellness-community-garden

08/15/2026

Last Saturday, we had a wonderful time at the Mary Ann Cafaro Community Garden in Belleview!

Gardeners filled their new boxes with tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, beans and okra.

If you would like to join this community garden please see the link for more info.

https://www.belleviewfl.org/302/Community-Garden

07/20/2026

06/13/2026

We had a beautiful morning at the Mary Ann Cafaro Community Garden in Belleview! 🌿

Garden boxes are busting at the seems with tomatoes, peppers, melons, sweet potatoes and more. 🫑

Some gardeners planted things like cowpeas, pinkeye purple hull peas and okra and others chose to clean out their boxes and solarize their plots over the summer. ☀️

For more info visit https://www.belleviewfl.org/302/Community-Garden

05/26/2026

Did you know that you can grow bush type squash vertically? If you’ve ever grown something like zucchini, yellow squash or scallop (pattypan) squash, then you know the bushes can get very large and out of control sometimes.

The solution…grow it vertically once the bush starts to stretch out a bit. Find a stake or piece of bamboo that’s sturdy enough to tie your squash vine to with jute or cotton twin. Pieces of pantyhose or old cotton shirt strips also work and stretch as the plant grows.

Trim off excess leaves between the base of the plant and just below where the blooms and squash begin. This helps provide better airflow and reduce wasted space.

Growing squash vertically not only helps decrease space required to grow but also reduces the chance of squash getting damaged by being too wet on the ground and decreases the chance of things like snails and slugs eating it. 🐌

05/21/2026

But the fog stayed here. Right over our windrows. Right over the exact ground where we've been building soil for years. We hadn't had rain in weeks. The moisture hung thick and heavy in the air like the land was breathing—because it was. The microbial life beneath the surface holds water the way b...

05/21/2026

Squash blooms are easy to tell which ones are male and which ones are female.

The male bloom has one single stamen in the middle that produces pollen for fertilization and the female has a pistil and the o***y that contains the seeds for the next generation.

Excess Male flowers can be harvested to eat because once they do their job they die and fall off. 🌼

05/13/2026

Another great Work & Learn session at the SCC Agriculture Farm in Belleview.

If you need service hours or would like to learn what it takes to grow, harvest and maintain food throughout each season in Florida you can join us at one of the upcoming dates this month.

May 2026 Work & Learn Schedule

5/15 Friday, 9am-10am
5/18, Monday, 6pm-7pm
5/27, Wednesday 9am-10am

This is a hands-on experience so please bring your own water, gloves, kneeling pad, hat, etc.

Please RSVP the day before so we can plan accordingly and we’ll send you the address. Text 352-572-7843

04/29/2026

What a wonderful morning breaking ground on the “Tropical Garden” at the SCC Agriculture Farm’s Work & Learn class 🌿

What we’re growing:

Bananas
Sugarcane
Cassava (green & red) (aka Yuca/Tapioca)
Chaya (tropical tree spinach)
Pigeon Peas (Gandules)
Roselle (Florida Cranberry)
Yard Long Beans
Ginger
Turmeric
Lemongrass
Sweet Potatoes
Seminole Pumpkins

And a couple more things we plan to add are: Malabar Spinach and Longevity Spinach 🥬

All of these plants are duel purpose food for humans and animals. Some fix nitrogen, some are used for chop and drop, many are medicinal and a great source of calories, healthy carbs, nutrients and protein. 🍲

Stay tuned for upcoming classes plus cuttings and seeds available for a donation back to our “Farm Funds” so you can go home with a blueprint and what you need to plant to duplicate what we’ve done. Scalable to any size garden. 🪴

Come grow with us! 💚