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Here is the information about the Garden Club I hope to start. First meeting will be Thurs. June 5 at 2pm at Island Perk.

A little about me and my motivations to start the club. It came about after the town wide clean up effort this past fall. There was a general lack of planning for town beatification during this clean up. I saw a need to bring people together who share a love of plants, or just want to learn more, so we could spearhead efforts in plantings in town. I also saw a need for the local population to be able to grow so of their own fruits and vegetables after the storages of Hurricane Dean on the island. I want to be able to sponsor school yard gardens and teach the children the love of plants, the environment and how to grown fresh produce at their schools and homes.

My gardening background comes from studying Horticulture and Landscape Design. I believe in sustainable gardening using organic methods and integrated pest management ideals. I was a long time volunteer to CREEC (Carquinez Regional Environmental Education Center) where we did restoration of parklands in the San Francisco Bay Area for Monarch Butterflies. We managed our own native plant greenhouse and nursery for these projects, while employing local youths to work on the projects and at the nursery. Plus I also designed our landscape in our previous house that was a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.

Let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to seeing you then.

Best regards,
Coleen

This is such a great idea. I'll be there. I didn't know we had been neighbors in Northern Cal - long time Martinez resident.

I would love to join but am in Caye Caulker, and can't attend as I have a small baby. Perhaps I could be an 'over the water' member? I would love to ask advice if you don't mind from time to time? My first two questions (if you or anyone else has time to answer them, I'd be really grateful. I was going to put a general post on here when I saw yours):
1) I'm trying to grow a green prickly fence, and have had some success with bougainvillea and razor grass/screw pine (not sure of the correct term) in some areas of the lot. But I have one fenceline that keeps getting the floods (when we get them), right by the road, very little organic matter and is very compacted, one end is in the sun all day, most of it half the day, and the other end is shadowed by the neighbours coconut trees all day, nothing I've tried has grown well there except the varigated Agave(I think!) plants. Mexican Flame grew very well along most of it until Dean killed it all (a well established Olleander bush too), those bushes with little white and green leaves that have a pink tinge and grow everywhere are doing OK, even through the recent floods. Any ideas what else I can plant there, some things that I could get hold of easily?
2) Do you know if it's OK to bring in commercial seed packets? A friend is coming down from the US soon, and I'd like to try some veggies etc.
Thanks for any advice and good luck with the club!

Nadine,
Thanks for the interest in the garden club now called Verde. We are setting up a yahoo group that you will be able to join and learn as we do. I will post more details later.
On your questions
1) I still am learning about the plants that will grow on the cayes. I too an interested in a green fence for security. It's sounds like a tough spot to grow in. I will have to get back to you on this.
2) Importing seeds. Yes you can bring in seeds for personal use without duty. They have to be in a sealed commercial package, seeds packages from the store. They can not be GMO (geneticly modified organism). Restricted items are plants and the soil on them. I am still checking with Customs just to make sure. More later...
I would reccomend getting seeds that are not hybrids, as these will not come back the same variety from seed next year. So you would have to have new seeds every year. Look for varities that are considered "heirloom" or "open polinated". These are the varities that you will be able to save seeds from year to year and always get the same plant or vegitable. Some good sources are Seed Savers exchange http://www.seedsavers.org/, or commercial seed producers such as Renee's Garden http://www.reneesgarden.com/ ( I personally LOVE her seeds).
I hope this helps to start.
Our next meeting will be Thurs. June 12 2pm Island Perk. We will be discussing a quick beatuifaction project we can do and my favorite subject COMPOST!!
Thanks for the interest.
Coleen

Here's the link to our group - all are welcome.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ACVerde/

I have been growing vegetables and herbs for a couple of years and will be back in August. The best seeds for habaneros come from over ripe peppers. There is a great tomatoe that is a hybrid for very hot climates that grows well. I also surround my gardens areas with rosemary which crabs and iguana hate. Let me know if anyone wants seeds that I can carry with me when I come back. Compost is a huge issue but a few people are doing it successfully.I know that it should be cut with fresh water cleaned seaweed for good fertilizing effects. I personally need to learn more. Great idea for a group, though.

Hi Nadine!!!

I missed the meeting but was a very avid gardener in the US and have learned, over the last five years, how to grow most things in the tropics.....would love to grow more....

You can count on me to be at the next meeting!

PAM - This may sound dumb but can we grow Rosemary from seeds? I always did cuttings.

I started mine from cuttings that I bought at the Greenhouse. Just take the herb that she sells and stick a sprig in water for 2 or 3 days and then put in a cup of dirt. You can transplant as it gets bigger. Rosemary grows really fast once it starts.