VEGGIE BYTES. Painting Pumpkins! Inside this Issue

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1 VEGGIE BYTES Fall /Winter Edition Nov 2016-Jan 2017 Volume 7, Issue 4 Inside this Issue Tensas Parish Pumpkin Patch 2 Pumpkin (cont) 2 What s Growing 2 Painting Pumpkins! The LSU AgCenter conducted a pumpkin variety trial at the Northeast Research Center in Tensas parish. Data was collected on pumpkin yield, size, color and shape, all important characteristics to vegetable producers. The trial not only yielded great data but many pumpkins as well. Tensas 4H agent, Betsy Crigler and several 4H students decorated the pumpkins and delivered them to local parish offices such as the Tensas Parish Assessor and Mayors Office. Story continued on page 2 Garden Games 3 Recipe 4 Book Review 4 Holiday Gardening 5 Tater-licious 6

2 Page 2 Veggie Bytes 7.4 What s Growing! November Directly Place Seed into the Garden Beets, carrots, collards, mustard greens, radish, turnips,spinach, shallots, and garlic Plant Seedlings into the garden Strawberries December Directly Place Seed into the Garden Beets, collards, mustard greens, radish, spinach, and turnips Plant Seedlings into the Garden Onion (sets) January Start seeds (indoors) and in Mid January February plant the seedlings into the garden Cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, lettuce Sow seed into the garden after mid January Mustard greens, lettuce, turnips, beets, radish, and potatoes Tensas Pumpkin Patch Continued Want to grow pumpkins for your own school garden celebration? Plant the seeds in well tilled soil no later than the 4th of July and no earlier than mid June. Sow 3-4 seeds per hole and place holes at least 4-5 feet apart from each other. Try not to plant seeds deeper than 1 inch below the soil surface. Keep the soil well watered until the seeds emerge (generally 7-10 days after sowing). After the seeds emerge, water once a week at the base of the plant. Pumpkins do not tolerate wet leaves. Watch out for insects especially worms, snails and slugs. Have the students observe the flowers. Male flowers will bloom first followed by additional males and many female flowers. The female flowers will have a swollen ovary at the base of the petals. See the image on right. Add additional fertilizer to the sides of the plants (about 6-8 inches away) as you start to see blooms but before the pumpkins begin to send out running vines. Pumpkin varieties that perform well in Louisiana include Darling, Autumn Touch, Sunlight, Cinderella, Silver Moon and Orange Smoothie.

3 Page 3 Veggie Bytes 7.4 Garden Games

4 Page 4 Veggie Bytes 7.4 Baked Spinach Chip Recipe Spinach seeds can be sow in the garden September through November and again mid- January. Pending ideal environmental conditions, cool temperatures, adequate moisture and low insect pressure, you and your students will harvest spinach a month and a half to 2 months after sowing. Try this delicious and healthy snack! Ingredients 2 cups baby spinach 1 tbsp. olive oil ¼ tsp. garlic powder or use 1/2 to 1 tsp of garlic salt and add pepper to taste Salt and pepper to taste Directions Preheat oven to 325 degrees Combine spinach and olive oil in a bowl until the leaves are completely coated then transfer leaves to a baking sheet with parchment paper. Harvest spinach 1/2 inch above the Lay the spinach leaves in a single row not overlapping leaves. soil line to allow it to re-sprout. Season leaves with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake leaves at 325 degrees in the oven for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes turn off the oven but leave the leaves to dry in the oven for 5 minutes to crisp. Book Review (A great read for the Art Teacher) How to draw characters in the garden step by step. If you are looking for a drawing book that will teach students how to draw garden characters - this is the best book for you! In this book you will learn how to draw animals, cartoon characters and comics figures to give a face to the school garden, its tools and crops. This is a practical guide for all ages who love drawing and illustrating. The author and illustrator Amit Offir easily describes a step by step process to succeed in a short time even if the students are beginning artists! ISBN

5 Page 5 Veggie Bytes 7.4 Holiday Gardening This Veggie Bytes issue spans many holidays. It s a great time of the year to be thankful for what we have and to share with others. Lots of veggies are ready for harvest. Collect vegetables from the school garden and make care packages for families, the principal, teachers and school faculty members. Students can decorate homemade cards indicating that the fresh produce was grown by them! To: The Shovel Family From: Mrs. Beans 4th Grade Class Garden Encourage students to save wrapping paper scraps too! Form new seed starting sleeves from old wrapping paper. 1. Simply lay a soda can or canned vegetable jar on the wrapping paper. 2. Roll the wrapping paper 2-3 times around the jar. 3. Crush the bottom of the wrapping paper around the base of the jar and tape shut. 4. Fill with soil and plant a few seeds (lettuce, radish, broccoli, cabbage) 5. Give to a favorite friend or family member to plant in their garden.

6 Page 6 Veggie Bytes 7.4 LSU AgCenter Growing Gardens! Kathryn Kiki Fontenot, PhD 163 JC Miller Hall Baton Rouge, LA William B. Richardson, LSU Vice President for Agriculture Louisiana State University Agricultural Center Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service LSU College of Agriculture The LSU AgCenter is a statewide campus of the LSU System and provides equal opportunities in programs and employment. Visit Us on the Webwww.lsuagcenter.com 1. A favorite vegetable crop in the school garden is the potato! Potatoes are really easy for students of all ages to plant. Potatoes (Irish not sweet) should be planted between mid-january throughout February. 1. Simply work the soil so it is loose and free of weeds. 2. Add fertilizer or compost. Tater-licious 3. Purchase potatoes from the local hardware store or plant nursery. Potatoes that are smaller than 3 inches in diameter should be cut in half. Larger than 3 inches in diameter, cut into quarters. Allow potatoes pieces to heal or simply wait 2-3 days after cutting to plant them. 4. Dig a trench 4-6 inches deep. Place potato pieces 9-12 inches apart from one another in the trench. 5. Cover and water. Water potatoes daily until they emerge. After emerging, water once per week. 6. As the potatoes grow, they will form short shrub like plants. When you start to notice blooms, the tubers are beginning to form. Add a little extra fertilizer now. 7. If you see potato tubers pushing up from the soil, simply cover them with additional soil. 8. Harvest potatoes when the foliage begins to turn yellow, about days after planting!