By LOIS KINDLE
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, the Apollo Beach Garden Club has exciting upcoming events this month, which are sure to inspire and inform.
Anyone interested in gardening is invited hear guest speaker Alyssa Vinson, Hillsborough County urban forestry agent at the UF/IFAS Extension, discuss all things fungi at the club’s monthly meeting June 17. Her topic will be growing mushrooms at home. She’ll be returning this fall to discuss the best trees to grow in this area and why.
The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Activities Building at the Apollo Beach Recreation Center, 664 Golf and Sea Blvd. Pre-registration isn’t required, and admission is free. Bring water and sunscreen and wear sturdy shoes and a hat.
On Saturday mornings – June 14, 21 and 28 – the club will host small workshops at the Apollo Beach Community Forest Garden (on the recreation center property) from 8:45 to 10 a.m. There will be a different topic each week, including Plant Propagation from Cuttings, How to Air Layer and Seed Starting 101, respectively.
Members will bring native plants they’ve grown – either vegetables or flowers – to sell at a reasonable cost. All proceeds will be used to rebuild raised beds lost to flooding during last year’s hurricanes. The new ones will be about three-feet high; the old ones were six inches.
“We had a four-and-a-half-foot storm surge for 12 hours during Hurricane Helene,” said board member Teresa Hall. What didn’t drown and die in salt water got blown away two weeks later (during Milton). The amount of debris removal was obscene.”
A variety of plants will be featured at each workshop, among them, possibly, summer tolerant veggies, unique varieties of beans, perennial herbs, evening primrose, black-eyed Susan, different pollinators and fruit-producing trees.
“We want to engage more with the community by educating and helping them find plants that will grow and thrive throughout the summer,” said Paula Oleson, club president.
Join the Apollo Beach Garden Club & Community Forest Garden Group Facebook page for an up-to-date schedule of free workshops and events. All gatherings are free and open to the public.
About the club
The Apollo Beach Garden Club meets at 6:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of every month, September through June, at the Apollo Beach Recreation Center Activities Room. Each meeting includes a speaker on gardening, horticulture or ecology whose goal is to provide interesting, educational information to club members and the public.
LOIS KINDLE FILE PHOTO
The Apollo Beach Community Forest Garden is at 664 Golf and Sea Blvd., on the same property as the Apollo Beach Recreation Center. The garden welcomes visitors from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and Saturdays, with guided tours available during these hours. Gardeners who lease plots can tend them daily with use of a gate code.
The Community Forest Garden offers 24 raised beds and six ADA-compliant table beds for lease. Gardeners can tend their plots daily from dawn to dusk and receive a gate code for entry. They’re welcome to grow fruits, vegetables or flowers, provided they adhere to organic gardening principles. Heirloom and native plants are encouraged, while GMO seeds are not allowed.
Situated on land leased from Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation, the garden welcomes visitors from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and Saturdays, with guided tours available during these hours. Additional tours can be scheduled by appointment via email at apollobeachgardenclub@gmail.com. The mailbox is regularly monitored.
To become a member, visit www.apollobeachgardenclub.com/.