First off, our sincere apologies in the lack of communication. Once June hit, everything became a blur! There was so many great things that came out of the back half of 2023, but honestly, it consumed our lives! As any good gardener will admit, sometimes you neglect your garden and this season we did just that. It’s difficult to accept, but this year we had a genuine reason! We started Veranda View because we wanted to share our journey of landscaping our new home. Well, our new home has taken 2.5 years to build, much longer than anticipated! So we piecemealed together a few garden beds and made it work for 2021 & 2022, but we thought we would be in our home for 2023 so we just didn’t garden this year. We assumed we would be building our new garden, but with roofers and painters on the property, we thought best to just wait. Long story short, we are now finally TWO months away from moving in and cannot WAIT to share with you all the landscaping tips and tricks throughout our journey.
The Exciting Things to Come
So behind the scenes, what have we been working on? Well the most EXCITING OF ALL is we are bringing back the Elwood Park Farm & Garden Festival! 2023’s festival we had 38 vendors, 2 food trucks, and 2 classes throughout the festival. This year we are hoping to continue to grow! We already have 12 confirmed vendors and 2 classes in the works. The best of all is that the MIXON SWIRL food truck will be in attendance. Ya’ll, that orange swirl ice cream and Cuban sandwich are two of my favorite foods! If you don’t know who the Mixons are, they started Mixon Fruit Farm 85 years ago in Bradenton, Florida. What started as a side of the road fruit stand, turned into one of Bradenton’s greatest treasures. Their facility offered fresh fruit, tram rides & tours, bounce houses, delicious cafe, and wonderful gifts for all. It truly was a family staple. Sadly, they had to close down due to numerous reasons from COVID to NAFTA trade issues, Citrus Greening, and more. Although the shop is now closed, the legend of the Mixon Swirl ice cream and cafe now live on through their amazing food truck! Check out their website here for more information on their history and the great food you’ll be able to enjoy on March 16th! If you’re interested in being a vendor, check out the registration here!
Another project we’ve been up to behind the scenes is the Elwood Park Community Garden! We had a vision December of 2023 of utilizing county owned property into a community garden. We reached out to our Commissioner and pitched the idea with some community members. She loved it and worked with staff to present it to the Board of County Commissioners, and our community showed up in force to vouch for the desire and need, and it passed! A year later and the project is almost completed and will be opening to the public on January 13th, 2024! A community garden truly brings tremendous value to the community and we are grateful to have helped inspire the second public community garden in Manatee County. If you’re interested in joining the garden, reach out to Mack Lessig from UF/IFAS Manatee County Extension for more information about getting a plot! There’s over 30 beds, including 2 handicap accessible ones, community fruit trees, and communal herb garden. Mack helps gardeners learn gardening seasons, IPM, harvesting, and more! Even an experienced gardener can learn from Mack, and we are excited to do so!
There’s so much more coming that we want to focus on and cannot wait to get back to sharing and communicating with all of you! In 2024 we want to focus on Florida Agriculture Issues, landscaping with Florida Friendly plants, landscape design, cut. flower gardening, vegetable production, and more! Don’t forget to make your calendar for the 2nd annual Elwood Park Farm and Garden Festival on March 16th! Here’s to soaking in the holidays and starting 2024 off!
-Written by Janyel Taylor
The Veranda View 