Why should I lease a community garden plot from the city as opposed to gardening in my own yard?
Those people who live in urban areas often do not have the land to integrate a garden into their property, or homeowner association restrictions prevent them. Another reason is families with children and/or pets in the yard often have a hard time keeping the garden cordoned off from foot traffic. Also, urban homeowner yards tend to be treated with yard chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, etc.), which may leave residues in the soil, runoff from neighbors yards, or cause issues with pollination as pesticides are non-discriminating and will kill off beneficial pollinators. The Leesburg Community Garden is an area that has not been treated chemically and participants in the garden are prohibited from using any chemicals that are not rated for organic gardening.
Why should I grow my own fruits/vegetables instead of buying them at the store?
Most gardeners who participate in community gardens prefer to eat their own fruits and vegetables as they can be assured that everything is all natural, free of chemicals, preservatives, waxes, etc. Furthermore, fruits and vegetables harvested fresh from the garden are more flavorful and imminently more satisfying.
I don’t know what to plant, or when to plant it, how can I find out more about gardening in Florida?
This website will be updated with Gardening Tips for Central Florida, please see the Gardening Tips section. Also the University of Florida, IFAS has two excellent websites for gardening; the Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide can be found at www.edis.ifas.ufl.edu/VH021, and for more information on organic gardening check out www.edis.ifas.ufl.edu/VH019. There are also numerous websites that feature forums where gardeners ask questions and share their knowledge, two of which are //forums.gardenweb.com/forums/flgard/ and www.centralfloridagarden.blogspot.com/ .