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Topic: TBA

Raleigh's presentation To Be Announced in the Pavilion located in our mango grove.

10:30 am to 11:30 am 

Raleigh Barnes is a lifelong gardener who’s been planting with his father, mother and sister since he was 6 years old. With over three decades of gardening in Texas, Hawaii, Costa Rica and mostly subtropical Florida, Raleigh is a dynamic gardener whose organic principles stretch far beyond industry standards. Deeply rooted in permaculture, organic gardening, native gardening, agroforestry and epiphytic plants, he consistently is learning by doing.

His active approach in community involvement has allowed him to serve as the Director of Committees and the Community Forest Garden for the Apollo Beach Garden Club, Vice President of the Tampa Orchid club, member of the Sarasota Bromeliad Society, Riverview Garden Club, the Manatee Rare Fruit Council, International Society of Arboriculture, Sierra Club and one of the Directors of the Permaculture Institute. He has studied at Tropical Research Center at University of Florida and with two prominent organic agricultural educators in Costa Rica. In 2017 Raleigh created the Apollo Beach Garden Club, a 501c3 non-profit located in the South Shore area of Tampa Bay, as a space for residents to experience the joy of gardening. With help from community members, Raleigh envisioned and created a community forest garden at the Apollo Beach Recreation Center where residents can lease raised beds to grow their own produce and share the surplus from the fruiting plants in the forest garden and community beds.

Raleigh also created his successful business, Third Insight Design and Nursery, focusing on growing and propagating subtropical edible or otherwise useful plants as well as saving heritage fruit tree genetics. Raleigh offers consultation services, design, maintenance and installation.

In the future Raleigh plans to enrich his interest in bioconstruction and head back to Costa Rica, Ecuador and other countries in Latin America to learn more about natural building, timber framing and bamboo construction. He also plans to create a larger scale community project to help bridge organic farmers, native plant restoration efforts and regenerative agriculture. 

Topic:  History of Mango Growing on Pine Island

Steve's presentation will be in the Pavilion located in our

mango grove.

11:45 am to 12:30 pm

Steve Cucura, together with Jesse Avalos, has created a Tropical Fruit Paradise with Fruitscapes. With their dedication and knowledge of tropical fruit trees as well as their trusted, informed and well managed staff every tree is cared for from sprout to ripeness.

As a customer you can look forward to all the varieties of trees you have grown to love as well some new ones. A member of the Rare Fruit Council, Fruitscapes Nursery embraces diversity, manifested by dozens of varieties of mangoes, avocados and a collection of rare tropical fruits not found anywhere else.

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Topic: Soil Health and Management Practice

Matthew's presentation on soil health will take place in the Pavilion in our mango grove.

3:00 pm to 4:00 pm 

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Matthew Scott currently lives and works at Gladheart Farm in Asheville, NC growing market vegetables in a low till regenerative fashion. Matthew has been practicing organic and regenerative farming for the past 15 years in northern Virginia as well as Asheville, NC. At Gladheart Farm they have a 2 acre market garden with permanant 30 inch beds worked by hand and with a walk behind tractor. Mathew and the crew there provide for their intentional community of about 35 people as well as an "On Farm" farmer's market and offsite farmer's market and some wholesale accounts. Matthew will be discussing how he is  implementing soil building practices such as cover cropping, no till / low till methods, and appropriate tools in the market garden. He will also touch on small scale rotational grazing with their goat, cow, laying hens, and broiler chickens.

Topic: Selecting Mango Budwood for Grafting

Matt's presentation will begin in the Pavilion and then move to the mango grove for a hands on demonstration.

11:00 am to 12:15 pm 

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Matthew Reese is the owner of Peace River Organics LLC and has been a permaculture practitioner for more than a decade and has designed and developed many agroforestry sites in the state of Florida. He currently manages his own family farm in Punta Gorda specializing in mangoes, bananas, pineapples, and many other fruit crops. His background as a civil/coastal engineer and surveyor have given him a unique vision and skill set to help others develop working systems for themselves.