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Workshops Rooted In Gardening

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By HAROLD VALENTINE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 24, 2007

NORTHDALE - Two workshops geared toward greening thumbs in Northdale already have 146 attendees signed up, but space is still available for those interested.

The free classes - a 9 a.m. micro-irrigation course and one for homemade compost beginning at 10:30 a.m. - are set for Saturday. They will be at the Hillsborough County Resource Services office, 15610 Premier Drive.

The classes offer free materials, a micro-irrigation kit for the first class and a compost barrel for the second.

Lynn Barber, a master gardener for the Hillsborough County Cooperative Extension who has instructed both workshops, said each offer beneficial and related tips.

'Micro-irrigation is really cool because it's regulated but it's not restricted,' Barber said. 'What that means is if my watering day is Wednesday, and we haven't had any rain for several weeks, I can run my micro-irrigation system on Tuesday.'

Barber said the micro-irrigation kit makes the difference between gallons per hour vs. gallons per minute. She said the kit uses so little water that residents may use it on restricted days.

The kit comes with five spray sticks offering a variety of diameter turns, from 90 degrees to 360 degree. It also comes with 50 feet of half-inch tubing, which gets water to plants at their roots, preventing evaporation.

Barber said the kit costs $35 dollars at big-box stores such as Lowe's Home Improvement or The Home Depot.

Barber will teach the home compost class Saturday,, which deals with what you can put in and how to brew batches.

She said the right mixture of green and brown plant material is important, and batches need proper amounts of air, water and material.

'I tell people I'm a lazy compost maker,' she said, 'but I still end up with finished compost because things decompose regardless.'

Anything that was a plant can be used in composts. Eggs shells are included, but she said meat shouldn't be used because it has bacteria in it.

Barber said compost bins attract bugs, which she said is good because they process material faster than without them. Bins with lids, however, keeps out snakes and raccoons.

She said manure may also be used, as long as it comes from herbivores and not carnivores, also because of bacteria. She said a bin's moisture content should be that of a well-wrung sponge. The class will discuss cool and warm methods for creating compost.

To register for the workshop, call (813) 744-5519, ext. 146, or go online to hillsborough_fyn.ifas.ufl.edu.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Hillsborough County Cooperative Extension's irrigation and compost workshops

WHEN: Saturday, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. for irrigation; 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 for compost, both

WHERE: Hillsborough County Resource Services office, 15610 Premiere Drive

REGISTRATION: call (813) 744-5519 or online at hillsborough_fyn.ifas.ufl.edu

Reporter Harold Valentine can be reached at (813) 865-1526 or hvalentine@tampatrib.com.

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