and demonstrations. This demonstration/discussion focused on green smoothies. Taste testing was part of the demonstration, which was admittedly a highlight!!
There were plants for sale incuding my favorites which were this HUGE kalanchoe,
Thai variety of Crown of Thorns,
peppers,
and ornamental peppers;
locally grown veggies (they were so pretty and fresh!);
organic fertilizer;
YUMMY food, and other products including rain barrels.
There was something for everyone including chalk art for the little ones.
Finally, I couldn't resist snapping some photos of the gorgeous blooms on display!
I learned a lot, collected an abundance of reading and resource material, and even ordered a rain barrel! I'm one step closer to reducing my carbon footprint, saving money, and supporting Florida's native environment!!
11 comments:
At some point, you need to explain to us idiots the purpose of rain barrel (except that I guess it captures rain?). Do you use the captured rain for watering? I'm curious.
Kimberly,
Looks like a great place to get info on more sustainable lifestyle. I thought about getting a rainbarrel but it would require installing roof gutters. I saw these gutters being ripped off of homes and flying across the yards during Hurricane Wilma. I decided to stick with setting out 5 gallon buckets before a storm at drip points of my roof. This works well and I can carry the buckets to different areas of my garden and dip out the water with a large plastic cup to the plants. It is sustainable and somewhat more survivable during a hurricane for me.
What a fun day you must have had. I can't wait until Greenfest in March at the University of Tampa and the USF Botanical Gardens Spring Festival in April. They are similar events to the one you attended and I enjoy walking around seeing all the plants and talking with the knowledgeable vendors as much as getting home with all my new plants. You will love your rainbarrel. I have one and get a full barrel out of only a 1/2" rainfall. It's really nice during the dry months to be able to water on any day of the week. I used to have a 2nd barrel but because I did not level it properly, it split at a seam. So, learn from my mistake and be sure yours is level before it gets full of water.
Sandy, first, you are by far not an idiot! You also make a great point that I failed to explain the purpose of a rainbarrel. Yes, it's to water your landscape or any other creative usage you might come up with (flush toilets after a hurricane, etc.). Many people with sulfur issues prefer the rain water over well to minimize rust damage and odor. It's eco friendly since we're reusing what nature gives us, and using no other source of energy to obtain the water. It also saves our ground water reserves, not to mention the valuable nutrients in rainwater vs. city water. I'm new at the rain barrel thing, so I'm sure there's more, but that's the basic stuff.
NanaK, your info is well worth noting...so glad you shared! The leveling part IS extremely important.
Sanddune, VERY creative! And thanks for informing me about the gutters and hurricanes. We could never figure out why so many homes down here don't have gutters...it makes sense...I've not had to deal with this issue, and hope I won't have to.
What a wonderful show, Kimberly! Something for everyone for sure. Way to go with the rainbarrel. We love ours and probably need a hundred more to save all the rain we have been getting, but one is good too. HA Seeing fresh produce is like a miracle to me. And that giant Kalanchoe is fabulous! I love those large leaf ones the best. :-)
Frances
Oh Kimberly, I have never seen such a large Kalanchoe. Just look at the leaves! I am so excited to see the flowers and foliage pictures on your sideboard. They look so similar to ours here :)
Dear Kimberly, I have so enjoyed this tour of the show made possible through your lively commentary and excellent photographs. I do wish you well with your garden.
Kimberly I hope you'll take part in the blog post fest that Jan at Thanks For Today is doing! I can't leave a URL here because I'll make a mess, but if you pop over to my blog there's a link to her site in my Sunday post. If you haven't been there before...
It looks like you learned a lot there. I've always wanted to have a rain barrel. I hope when yours arrives you'll share how you set it up, etc.
I love my rain barrel. It is a food-grade 55-gallon plastic model from Turkey. It arrived smelling like sweet peppers, which is what it was once used for.
You can daisy chain them to have more than 100 gallons on hand. Plants love the rain water most as it contains nitrogen and does not have chlorine.
We're attending a Green Day locally later this month and can't wait.
Lovely pix as always!
Kimberly...Glad to hear you had a great time. And, by the look of your photos, there was alot to see and do. I will create a post with a link to your post for people who may want to see what they missed. Thanks.
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