Spring/summer gardening yields vegetables, flowers for residents
The weather has been great lately, with plenty of sunshine and just enough rain to keep newly planted gardens growing and producing beautiful flowers and vegetables.
Plus, with the stay-at-home orders, more people than before are in their yards or gardens, with their hands in the dirt and waiting to fill their baskets from their labors.
“With the need to self-quarantine continuing for more than a month our beautiful backyard garden areas have become more popular than ever. Instead of staying cooped up all day, our residents have lots of room to spread their wings and enjoy the great outdoors. They find there is a lot to do outdoors, especially gardening. The weather has been beautiful, and the fresh air does everybody good. No reason to be lonely — the party’s outside.” said Michelle Watkins, director of marketing at Brazos Towers at Bayou Manor, a senior living community.
At Holly Hall, a Christian retirement community, one resident, Jean McRae, is known to have a green thumb.
Moreover, after she moved to Holly Hall, they organized a garden club that includes members from all three living areas, independent living, assisted living and health care. After all, gardening is one of those items listed that supports good mental health.
“In February, the garden club had a mass planting of seeds and transplanting seedlings getting ready for the kids who come for the Easter egg hunt, which, due to the pandemic, of course, was not held. So as the weeks have gone by, the raised beds have become full of radishes, carrots, beets, spinach, scallions, parsley, oregano and rosemary, and no little children to pick and taste,” McRae said.
So, they began making big bags and baskets of the produce to give to the nurses, therapists, staff and residents who still enjoy cooking. Residents who enjoy just walking around the raised beds pick kumquats, strawberries, blueberries and tomatoes, parsley, basil, dill, etc. just for the tasting.
“Our chef picks pans full of lettuce, radishes, oregano, cilantro, sage, rosemary and parsley for use in our meals or garnish. It’s a wonderful peaceful place for many of the residents just to walk or roll, touch, see, smell and taste, and it is a marvelous outdoor fun place for others of us to remember you’re never too old to play in the dirt,” McRae said.
McRae also offers a couple of tips for other gardeners.
“In addition to planting seeds, this year we put in several store-bought potted plants, such as strawberries, eggplants and Texas bluebonnets. I find I have pretty good success avoiding transplanting shock and wilting if I dig the hole and fill it with water before taking the plant out of the pot and putting it in the hole. That reduces the time air is exposed to the tender root hairs, it helps spread the roots apart improving their nutrition and stability and washes the dirt around the roots eliminating air pockets that dry out the roots,” McRae said.
If the plant has been root-bound, however, you may have to gently loosen the roots with your fingers and spread them out as you put them in the hole.
“If you pinch the top out of plants like basil and zinnias, etc. they will branch out instead of growing tall and spindly, and it will help reduce initial wilting,” McRae said.
Also, at Holly Hall, they have tours of the gardens throughout campus, talks about topics from residents and relatives about the gardens, gardening, and native Texas plants, and a Green Room where some members tend plants making a mini indoor greenhouse including gorgeous displays of what is currently in bloom.