Here we are again, on the doorstep of our Fall Plant Sale. Thankfully, mother nature has been much more kind to us the last two hurricane seasons than it was in 2024. We have at least a thousand or more amazing ORGANIC veggie starts that our members have created and tended to, just so everyone else can experience the same success that we do in growing their own organic food. Our prime focus this month is on our Fall Plant Sale and the install of our final 8 Vego beds to complete the transformation of our community garden area into 32″ tall beds.
Key dates for the Plant Sale are Saturday the 7th, Tuesday the 10th and Friday the 13th from 8:30-11:30 am. On those days we will be accepting donated plants for the sale, organizing our inventory, cleaning up the garden to make it SHOW READY and creating the sale space. On the sale day of November 14th, volunteers and vendors will be arriving at 6 am to set up. You can register to volunteer for the sale by call or text to (813) 310 – 3204.
We are continuing to see an influx of eager new volunteers, new members, new bed renters and fun new opportunities to engage with the garden. As of this writing all new Vego beds are rented, and there will be 6 left available before we encounter a wait list. All the more reason to encourage interested parties to get their hours done and get their bed.
I would like to welcome and introduce one of our new members, Susan. She is a yoga instructor who also teaches mindfulness in the form of meditation. We can experience mindfulness in the garden is so many different ways. One that I see frequently is the hush of silence that envelopes the group when they are all focused on transplanting baby seedlings or planting new seed trays where each person has a task that they are intently focused on. There is something communally magic that happens in those moments that I can only explain as being enveloped in mindfulness; being one with the moment, yourself and what you are doing.
As a new member, Susan has been an incredible asset on our work days and is simply a fun and delightful energy to be around. I personally asked her if she might be willing to share some of her wisdom with our garden and she agreed to do just that on Nov 21 at 8 am. She suggested doing an Introduction to Meditation in the Garden before we open at 8:30 and has volunteered her time and expertise to do so. What a beautiful way to start the day together. All you need is the right open mind that you show up on time for and a chair to sit in that you bring yourself. This is a non-advertised event for members and their guests. For a quiet moment, this is a quiet invitation, and we would very much like those interested to RSVP via call or text to 813 310 3204.
Mark your calendars for our Holiday Party in the Garden on Dec 19th at 5 pm. This is a very fun Pot Luck Extravaganza. The club provides the main courses and members pot luck sides to share.
We also do a notorious “Green Elephant” Gift Exchange that is always super fun. All the more reason for folks to consider those “Green Elephant” gifts now, wink wink. From experience I can say it’s really fun to see people keep stealing the gifts back and forth. If folks want to steal it, you brought the right gift.
We’ve really been on a roll this year thanks to all of us and it’s only going to get better because everyone really participates and joins in.
If there is something that we can be grateful for coming into this Thanksgiving season, it’s each other.
