Hooray!! The Somervell County Master Gardeners will have a plant sale on Saturday, April 21st! It will be located in the parking lot at the Methodist Church Family Center. The hours are still to be determined. Look for an email update on the hours of the sale.
Next CHES meeting is April 9th
A Favorite Plant
THE ARTICHOKE
By Shirley D. Smith Somervell County Master Gardener
A few years back, I discovered a fascinating plant growing in one of my friends garden – a beautiful but unusual plant. It had spines on its leaves and boasted a neon purple but fuzzy good-sized flower. It turned out to be a globe artichoke! I decided then and there I had to have one. I have been growing this plant ever since.
The globe artichoke (Cynara cardunuculus var. scolymus) is a member of the thistle family and shows off this lineage by its spiny grayish leaves. At full maturity, the plant can grow to a width of about 6 feet and a height of 3-4 feet. It would look as good in your flower bed as well as the veggie garden. My plants are in full sun and seem to like it that way. I babied them thru the winter by heavily mulching and covering them with a 5-gallon bucket when it got really cold. I did, however, lose one plant.
Don’t let the name thistle scare you off because the fruit of this plant is wonderful! It falls into the vegetable family and is good to eat. You might be interested to know that the artichoke is actually the bud (immature part) of this plant. The bud contains the heart – the delightful, meaty core of the artichoke and is topped by a fuzzy center (or choke), which is surrounded by rows of petals that protect the artichoke heart. With their tiny thorns, the artichoke’s petals reveal their thistle heritage! If handled carefully, the thorns aren’t a problem. There are artichokes out there that are touted as “thornless.” Beware! These have smaller hearts, less meat and their flavor is not as robust. I have grown artichokes for several years now and eagerly look forward to the time when I can harvest my “crop”.
I planted my artichokes in the fall because they will produce their buds in the spring. From my research, it seems best if you start with transplants rather than seeds as seeds may not breed true and tend to be variable and spiny.
Artichokes are not too fussy about soil, as long as it’s reasonably fertile and well drained. Keep your plants weed free, mulch with well-rotted manure or similar in spring when the soil is moist and warm. Feed with a general fertilizer in the spring to increase yields. To keep your plants young and vigorous (wish I could use this!), divide them every 2-3 years. Slugs and snails can be a problem for young seedlings. Older plants don’t have much of a problem with these critters. Do keep eye out for aphids. These can be knocked off the plants with a stream of water or mashed between your fingers. They like a pH between 6.5 and 8.0. and like to be fed on a regular basis. Watering can be an issue here in our unforgiving summers. They prefer (and note prefer is the key word) deep, fertile, well-drained soils high in organic matter. Well, that eliminates most of Somervell County. However, mine are growing in a raised, soil-amended bed and do well.
This can be a fun and interesting addition to your vegetable garden but don’t be afraid to put it in your flower beds also!
Happy gardening!
Nutritious Beans
By Mary Ann Steele, Somervell County Master Gardener
String beans, snap beans, bush beans or green beans, Phaseolus vulgaris. No matter what they are called, beans deserve a place in every garden. They are a summertime treat and their fresh-from-the-garden flavor is hard to beat.
Given the right growing conditions, green beans are an excellent warm season crop, as long as one as one remembers they like warm but not blazing Texas heat.
Soil temperature in spring is very important to success. Plant too early and the seeds will just sit there. Plant too late and they will sprout and grow, only to fry in the summer heat. Ideally, about two weeks after the last freeze is good for planting. The soil temperature should be between 60 and 65 degrees, warmer is better.
Beans do not require much soil preparation nor require heavy fertilization. If you are not sure how fertile your soil is, you can add a low nitrogen organic fertilizer like 6-2-2 or 9-4-2 at the rate of
1/2 to 1 pound per 25 feet of row. Beans just need a little to get started and then they will take care of the rest.
Plant your seeds in moist soil about 1” deep and 2-4” apart. Be sure to keep the soil moist. If the soil dries out, a crust may form and the seeds will not break through or may be injured as they emerge. A week or so after the beans are up, thin to 4” apart.
Bean seeds are not expensive, so try something new along with one or two of the tried and true varieties. If space permits, consider making two or three successive plantings about a week apart. This will extend the harvest time over a longer period of time.
Green beans are a good source of calcium and potassium and a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A and vitamin C. Just one cup of beans will give you about 3 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein.
Green Beans and New Potatoes
First CHES meeting for 2018 is scheduled.
Our first CHES meeting for the new year is scheduled for Monday, February 26th at 6:30pm. The location for the meeting this time will be at the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service office located at 1405 Texas Drive here in Glen Rose. Zachary Davis, Extension Agent for Somervell County will present a program titled “Tree Care and Maintenance”.
Victory Gardens
By Christine Morgan, ND, President, Somervell County Master Gardeners.
What is a Victory Garden?
As part of the war effort during World War II, the government rationed foods like sugar, butter, milk, cheese, eggs, coffee, meat and canned goods. Labor and transportation shortages made it hard to harvest and move fruits and vegetables to market. So, the government turned to its citizens and encouraged them to plant “Victory Gardens.” They wanted individuals to provide their own fruits and vegetables.
Nearly 20 million Americans answered the call. They planted gardens in backyards, empty lots and even city rooftops. Neighbors pooled their resources, planted different kinds of foods and formed cooperatives, all in the name of patriotism. For the average American in World War II, the Victory Garden was a practical way to contribute to the war effort. Some 20 million Victory Gardens were planted (US population in 1940 was 132 million), and by 1943, these little plots produced 40 percent of all vegetables consumed in the US. It’s estimated that 9-10 million tons of vegetables were grown.
Victory Gardens sprang up on farms, in backyards, and on city rooftops. Even some window boxes were converted from flowers to vegetables. Communal gardens were planted in parks and vacant lots and baseball fields.
The average small-town or city-dweller knew little about gardening. Pamphlets provided sample planting schedules and garden plans to show the newcomer how to grow enough to feed his family for a year without wasting seed or food. These pamphlets described how to choose the garden site, prepare the soil, fertilize, plant properly, weed, and harvest.
Families were encouraged to can their own vegetables to save commercial canned goods for the troops. In 1943, families bought 315,000 pressure cookers (used in the process of canning), compared to 66,000 in 1942. The government and businesses urged people to make gardening a family and community effort.
The result of victory gardening? The US Department of Agriculture estimates that more than 20 million victory gardens were planted. Fruit and vegetables harvested in these home and community plots was estimated to be 9-10 million tons, an amount equal to all commercial production of fresh vegetables. So, the program made a difference!!
VICTORY GARDENS FOR HEALTH
The idea of planting Victory Gardens goes back to World War I and II, and was advertised as a way for patriots to make a difference on the home front. Planting these gardens helped the citizens combat food shortages by supplying themselves and their neighbors with fresh produce.
We want to bring back the idea of personal food responsibility. We encourage every family to produce some food! Victory Gardens for Health!!!
✓ The way to escalate your health and become more responsible for your own food…
✓ Teach yourself, your children or grandchildren about REAL FOOD and how to make it…
✓ Reap the results of organic, non-GMO food for you and your family…
✓ Take advantage of the many benefits of contact with the earth…
Commit to a 3X3 space or 6 large pots to grow food in all year long! We need your pledge and support for this massive community project!
Planting your own Victory Garden can go a long way toward healthier eating, and in the long run, it can provide incentive for industry-wide change, and a return to a diet of real food, for everyone, everywhere.
Another great way to grow food is by sprouting seeds. They may be small, but sprouts are packed with nutrition and best of all, they’re easy and inexpensive to grow. Also is the possibility of growing microgreens. Sprouts that have been allowed to grow to between 4-6 inches tall. They are jam-packed with bio-available nutrition also! Growing food is possible…no matter your age or where you live!
VICTORY GARDEN PLEDGE
Name:
I pledge to grow FOOD in at least a minimum 3×3 space, or 6 large pots at least one season a year…but hopefully will be encouraged to grow more! Check one or more!
o Spring (January thru April)
o Summer (May thru August)
o Fall/Winter (September thru December)
Master Gardeners are here and available to help you plan and answer questions. Remember…one tomato or squash plant, 4 okra plants, scattered greens or lettuce seeds is all it takes! Thank you so much for joining our movement to grow food in Somervell County! Please contact me with questions concerning your Victory Garden. Open to any age resident of Somervell County!
You will be updated in future newsletters has to how many people have committed! LET’S DO THIS!
Sincerely and with Gratitude,
President of Somervell County Master Gardeners Dr. Christine Morgan ND, PSc.D.
Date: ____________________
Signature: _____________________________
Gardening “To-Do” list for late February
By Elaine Wilshusen, Somervell County Master Gardener
If there are any fellow procrastinators like myself out there, now is the time for us all to get busy. The extended cold weather has hopefully given us a couple of extra weeks to get things in order before spring arrives.
1. Get your plum and peach trees pruned. Shape to an open center and encourage horizontal branching as vertical branches tend to be weak. Keep your fruit trees at a height easy for you to to harvest without using a ladder.
2. Get your seed potatoes, onion sets, and carrot seeds in the ground.
3. If you haven’t already done so, relocate perennials and shrubs to a more desirable location in the landscape. Be sure to keep their root balls intact as much as possible.
Simple Strawberries Romanoff
Produce departments will be brimming with strawberries this month to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Here is a super simple recipe for Strawberries Romanoff that is so quick and delicious, (and almost guilt-free), you may find yourself indulging often!
1 pint strawberries
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp brown sugar
Splash of brandy or 1/8 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Mix sour cream, brown sugar and optional flavorings in a small bowl. Place in refrigerator and allow flavors to blend while preparing strawberries.
Wash, hull, and pat strawberries dry. You may slice them or leave them whole. Divide into 4 small serving bowls.
Top with sour cream mixture and enjoy!