Feed The Need 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! 💚

04/01/2026

If you’d like to join us at this compost class just rsvp in the comments by telling us how many people in your group would attend. $5/person or $10/family

03/27/2026

03/25/2026

We’ve been enjoying the fresh air and good weather out at the Second Chance Church Agriculture Farm in Belleview over the past few Wednesday’s. Spring replants are well under way. 🌿

Thank you to all the volunteers that have come out and invested a little sweat equity in helping grow food to bless others in our community! We appreciate you! 💚

Stay tuned for more Work & Learn opportunities to come get your hands in the dirt and learn to grow some good stuff too! 🌿

03/25/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18BSsa9tu9/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Over 100 seed companies have now signed the Global Safe Seed Pledge!
We’re thrilled to share the latest list of companies committed to protecting the genetic integrity of our seed supply by never selling GMO/genetically engineered seeds or plants. Visit https://www.safeseedpledge.org/search-for-non-gmo-seeds to see who’s on the list — and if your favorite seed company isn’t there yet, encourage them to take the pledge! The Safe Seed Pledge is now open to seed companies worldwide. 🌍🌎🌏

Genetically engineered seeds are no longer limited to commercial farms — they’re making their way into home gardens without any safety testing. The GMO “Purple Empress” tomato and “Firefly” glow-in-the-dark petunia are just the beginning. Neither of these GMOs has been safety or metabolomically tested. What happens when pollinators feed on a petunia modified with a fungus gene? We simply don’t know. Every GMO plant should undergo independent, thorough testing before entering our gardens, food supply, and environment.

Choose seeds from companies that have taken the Safe Seed Pledge — and help protect our shared seed heritage. To all the seed companies that have signed: we’re forever grateful for you. ❤️🪴🌸🍌🍓🫐🍅🍆🍍🥒🫑🌽🥕❤️

03/21/2026

We had perfect weather today at the Ocala Wellness Community Garden! 🪏

Gardener’s topped off their garden boxes with some fresh organic compost from Fant Farm Organics and planted an assortment of tomato and pepper plants as well as numerous seeds for squash, cucumbers, beans and herbs. 🌿

If you would like to participate in this community garden please visit https://www.ocalafl.gov/government/city-departments-i-z/recreation-parks/recreation/wellness-community-garden
for more info. 🐝