Thursday afternoon brought talks of compost and pollinators at “Full Circle: Gardening for Beginners.”
The workshop included an open forum and presentation, encouraging novice gardeners to adopt sustainable agricultural approaches.
Organized by University of Florida and the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences of Alachua County, the event exposed North Central Floridians to the expertise of volunteer speaker and master gardener Lisa Athearn.
“I'm really delighted that we have so much renewed interest in gardening in a way that is mindful of the resources we are using and creating,” Athearn said.
The public event, held at the Alachua County Ag Auditorium on West Newberry Road, aimed to highlight the importance of a “full circle” approach.
“Full-circle gardening is all about being mindful of the inputs and outputs you have in your yard,” Athearn said. “Understanding the interaction between the different systems in your garden, recognizing that you are taking from the environment and that you're responsible for giving back.”
Athearn came to Gainesville for her PhD in 2001. She returned to the state with her family in 2015 and has been gardening in the humid Florida heat ever since. Athearn said one of her goals through the full-circle approach is to integrate sustainability when gardening, effectively developing a renewable mindset, she said.
Organizers fostered a space for ecological education and socialization, actively connecting community members through their shared interests in horticulture. One attendee, 69-year-old Carol Rosenau, said she attended the presentation to expand her knowledge of agronomy.
“I've been gardening in this area for about a year, and I'm trying to really learn the flow of the seasons,” Rosenau said. “I want to be more self-sufficient. I have all of the pieces, but I want to get in that closed loop, growing enough food for myself and my family.”
Harboring a drive toward self-sustainability, Rosenau is no newcomer to gardening. She moved to Florida from a up North several years ago and has had a long time to adjust to the Southern climate. Rosenau said she now seeks to acclimate to Gainesville’s more temperate weather, having tackled the hostile heat of Miami.
When it comes to gardening, worm tea, a natural liquid fertilizer made from steeping worm castings in water, is her specialty, she said.
“I have worm bins,” Rosenau said. “They produce fertilizer that you can put in your plants. Then the runoff makes a good tea. We like the nutritional benefits as opposed to buying commercial fertilizer,” she said.
The presentation emphasized the benefits of full-circle agricultural practices, including conserving resources and supporting a healthy, wildlife-friendly landscape.
Rosenau’s worms are only part of the equation. The presentation gave her hope and encouraged her efforts, she said. Sharing and exchanging ideas with other gardening enthusiasts in the community made Rosenau feel like the vision she has for her agriculture goals are totally doable, she said.
“I feel like we can really be in harmony and balance with nature,” Rosenau adds. “We just sometimes don't take the time and energy to learn about how to do that.”
More than 50 people filled the Ag Auditorium, congregating at wooden tables and blue-checked plastic chairs. Among them was 58-year-old Joseph Andes, a Newberry resident who drove just five short minutes to attend. For him, gardening started as “just something to do,” Andes said.
“I grew up outside in New York City,” he said. “I went to a school that did not have grass on the playground.”
After moving to Florida, Andes said he was able to turn to gardening in earnest. He has been living in Newberry for more than 20 years and said he aims to incorporate lessons from the presentation in his own gardening practices.
Linda Casey, 72, shares a similar sentiment. Casey has lived in Gainesville for four years. Originally from Virginia, Casey said she lived and worked on a farm during her formative years and credits her grandmother for introducing her to gardening.
“I thought it was a great presentation,” Casey said. “Even though I do a lot of gardening, I also learned some new things.”
As the event came to an end and community members meditated on their newly acquired garden knowledge, event coordinators beamed with pride at the outcome. Susan Nugent, master gardener and climate activist, was among the satisfied organizers.
“We're looking at things like gardening to see what we can do as individuals to change what's happening in our backyards,” Nugent said.
She explains how the strength of these workshops lie in their ability to unite communities while combating personal apathy and climate alienation.
“We're right at the point where many of us are beginning to burn out,” Nugent admits. “The overall theory is that, if we are active and we do something, we can feel better about it, like we're taking a step in the right direction. We're not just sitting down and doing nothing, we're not just giving up, but we're trying to promote getting involved,” she said.
Athearn reflected on the presentation’s success and her goals for the future.
“I certainly hope that people coming to these events engage in that paradigm shift,” Athearn said. “Connections are how we learn. You know, this isn't a hippie dippie way of thinking. It's the way things were done for millennia,” she said.