By Nanette Wiser
SEEDS OF CHANGE Melissa DeSa is the seed program director of Working Food, a Florida based organization cultivating and facilitating the growth of local food systems through “collaboration, economic opportunity, education and seed stewardship.” Working Food uses three main areas of programming: seed, youth and kitchen. The staff collects seeds and creates a seed bank for agricultural use and education, including a youth education program in their garden where kids learn pollination, ecology, and environmental protection. Their local kitchen is host to small businesses who rent space in the walk-in fridge and use kitchen equipment. www.workingfood.org
TOOTHY TROUBLES Indian Shores banned shark fishing on their beaches and hopes that other governmental bodies in Pinellas County enact ordinances of their own. Data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shows dead shark sightings are more common in the county’s more populated cities. But it’s Pinellas’ smaller beach towns that are leading the charge for complete bans on land-based shark fishing. Redington is also calling for similar measures.
GROW ZONES The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness zone map finally has been updated. The 2023 new map shows nearly half the country warmed into a different climate zone and this is the standard by which gardeners and growers determine which perennial plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The map is based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature, displayed as 10-degree-F zones and 5-degree-F half zones. According to the 2023 map, most of Florida went up half a climate zone. Check your zone by zip here: www.planthardiness.ars.usda.gov
DROUGHT DISH Conserve water now by following local watering restrictions and only water when needed and allowed. By skipping an irrigation cycle when it rains or has rained, you can save between 1,500 and 2,500 gallons of water. A broken sprinkler can waste 25,000 gallons of water in six months, so be sure to check all. Fix household leaks: the average family can save 180 gallons per week, or 9,400 gallons of water per year, by fixing household leaks as well as leaky flappers. And when you’re brushing your teeth, turn off the tap; you can save 8 gallons of water a day. You can earn rebates for being water smart www.tampabaywaterwise.org.