A Rich Spot on Earth

Transcription

1 A Rich Spot on Earth Thomas Jefferson s Revolutionary Garden at Monticello by Buck Bounds On Father s Day, my daughter and granddaughter gave me a book written by Peter J. Hatch entitled A Rich Spot of Earth Thomas Jefferson s Revolutionary Garden at Monticello. For those of you who might not be familiar with Jefferson s home, Monticello, it is located on a small mountain overlooking Charlottesville, Virginia, on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge mountains. My family and I had visited Monticello when both daughters were small and I have always been fascinated by the innovative ideas of this brilliant man. Jefferson retired from the presidency to his lifelong home in 1811 and wrote to his portrait painter, Charles Willson Peale, the following: I have often thought that if heaven had given me choice of my position and calling, it should have been Inside the Gardener s Scoop 1-2 A Rich Spot on Earth 3 Juneteenth Activities, Hospitality 4-6 Keeping Up Appearances on a rich spot of earth, well watered, and near a good market for the productions of the garden. No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden. According to Hatch, Jefferson s vegetable garden was revolutionary in more ways than one. Many summer vegetable we take for granted today (tomatoes, okra, eggplant, lima beans, peanuts, peppers) were slow to appear in American gardens in the early 1800 s. Most gardeners still relied on the customary products of Europe, i.e., coolseason crops. Jefferson took advantage of Monticello s hot humid summers and mild temperate winters by building a south-facing terrace that created a microclimate that produced summer warmth, 7 Master Gardener Gardens 8-9 Zoobilation 10 Calendar 11 Care & Share, Hours Continued on page 2 Gardener s Scoop July 2017 Page 1

2 tempered winter cold, and captured plenty of sunshine to showcase 330 varieties of 99 species of vegetables and herbs. The garden itself was a true American product: practical, expansive, and wrought from a world of edible immigrants. The terrace took three years to build. It was 1,000 feet long by 80 feet wide with rows running north to south, and divided into over 20 blocks with pathways between. Over 200,000 cubic feet of Piedmont red clay was moved by mules, carts, and hand labor. A retaining wall 12 feet high was created to hold the excavated soil, using 500,000 tons of rock. Below the terrace, he established a fruit orchard of 400 trees with a vineyard on each side of the orchard. Jefferson knew that the clay soil contained plenty of mineral nutrients, but, like clay from our hill land west of the Ouachita, it tended to cake after plowing or a good rain (this is what makes this such a good foundation for construction). He remedied this problem by amending the soil with wagon-loads of animal manure, wood ask (which acts as lime), and sucker leaves from tobacco plants, much like an organic gardener would do today! Peter Hatch was hired as Superintendent of Grounds in December, 1977, and began restoration of the terrace and original vegetable gardens at that time. Previously, the focus of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation had been to restore and preserve the house. The Garden Club of Virginia had restored flower beds and borders around the house in the early 1940 s but the terrace area had not been a priority. Hatch worked with archeologists from the Williamsburg Foundation to restore the garden area as it was after president Jefferson retired. If you ever travel in northern Virginia, it would be well worth the time to visit Charlottesville and Monticello. About 450,000 tourists do so every year. Gardener s Scoop July 2017 Page 2

3 Report on Juneteenth Activities by Joyce Marlette The Master Gardeners and LSU AG's participation in the JUNETEENTH celebrations was much appreciated. We made many new contacts, and had fun; PLUS, the food was great. On Saturday, June 17th, Jenny, Christy, Kerry, and I set up the tent at Johnson Park. Christy helped the children plant seeds in pots to take home. Jenny, Christy, and I gave away the leftover vegetable plants. This was a huge hit and kept the three of us busy explaining how to plant, water, and take care of the plants. One ten-year-old was especially attentive to her plants, like they were her babies. We have a future master gardener for sure!!! Luckily for me, they missed filming me dancing on the floor with the kids. I was too tired to give them a second chance to film, but promised that next year I would dance on the stage with the youngsters; that might make CNN (ha! ha!). While there, we hooked up with some future educational activities for the Rays of Sunshine girls. They have a vegetable garden available for their needs so we volunteered to give some classes on the various aspects of vegetable gardening. And we recommended the LSU AG nutritionist, who said she would love to work with the girls (most of them have children). On Sunday June 18th, during the flag ceremonies, gospel singing, and appreciation meal at the Northeast LA African American Heritage Museum, the Master Gardeners received many accolades for our great "mulch job" and hard work. The U.S. congressman's representative and a former state senator, among others, recognized the Master Gardeners work from the podium. I would like to thank the mulching team: Christy Francis, John Harris, Liam O'Connor, and Phillip Danna for all their hard work. Please enjoy the photos on the MG Facebook site. The fellas laughed, teased, and generally had a blast helping with the project. Christy planted the coleus for me, thank goodness, so they will live... What a "feel good" opportunity this was for those who participated. Thanks to all...joyce Hospitality Notes by Debbie Beauvais Thank you Team 1 for hosting the June meeting. All of the food was delicious. This month s meeting will be hosted by Team 2: Steve Thomas, Rex Griffin, Warren Daniel, Bill Albritton, Steve Walker, Rebekah Fuller, Yvetta Mazzanti, Elaine Smith, and Greg Hudgins. August s meal will be brought to you by Team 3: Dawn Jordan, Elaine Boudreaux, Laura Hardin, Patti Kintzing, Patti Wilder, Amarrilus Deutscher, Elaine Johnson, Buck Bounds, Jerry Hunter, and Mary Sue Tiller. Gardener s Scoop July 2017 Page 3

4 Keeping Up Appearances Article researched, composed and submitted by Rose Lee, NELA Master Gardener July 2017 Summer is definitely not the time to spend extended amounts of time outside. Threats from overexertion, heat strokes, summer pests (wasps, hornets, spiders, snakes, etc.) and other health hazards are reasons enough to keep even the most avid gardener inside. However, although hot and humid temperatures are here with a vengeance, there are still gardening tasks that can be completed in short intervals to maintain the colorful appearance of lawns and gardens. The following tips, offered from the LSU AgCenter as well as from personal experience, have been useful to me in maintaining attractive flower beds and landscapes during the dog days of summer. Since flower beds are highly visible in the landscape, it is important to keep them well groomed and weed free, and to deadhead regularly to encourage continuous flowering. For late-summer colorful beds, Continued on page 5 Gardener s Scoop July 2017 Page 4

5 ! continue to plant heat-tolerant bedding plants such as periwinkle, lantana, salvia, angelonia, purslane and pentas (in sunny areas); or caladium, impatiens, begonia and coleus (in partial shade). To remove old flowers from roses, cut back to the first or second 5-leaflet leaf on the stem below the flower or flower cluster, taking care to avoid the everpresent thorns. Continued on page 6 Gardener s Scoop July 2017 Page 5

6 High temperatures increase the chance of discoloring or damaging grass with weed killers. Hence, for both weed control and repair of bare spots, only spot treat, as needed. Because of the rapid growth of plants during the long-growing summer season, beds may become overgrown. Lightly trim shrubs, bedding plants and tropicals to keep them under control. Also, as temperatures continue to rise, refresh mulch and water plants more frequently to retain moisture, especially caladiums and plants in containers. Apply fertilizer now to encourage continuous growth. Finally, add seasonal or holiday décor and exterior lighting to draw attention to specific landscape features and to enhance the overall appearance. Gardener s Scoop July 2017 Page 6

7 NELA Master Gardener Gardens Sunflowers from the lovely garden of Steve Walker Gardener s Scoop July 2017 Page 7

8 Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo Zoobilation We had some help pruning our Peggy Martin, Hurricane Katrina rose. Continued on page 9 Gardener s Scoop July 2017 Page 8

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10 Upcoming Activities MG Meeting 6:30PM Newsletter article submission deadline 53rd Watermelon Festival Farmerville REMINDERS Remember to record your hours of training and service on the website regularly. Fried Green Tomatoes by Steve Walker 3/4 cup self-rising flour 1/4 cup cornmeal 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 3/4 cup milk 3 to 4 green tomatoes, cut into 1/4 slices Vegetable oil Combine first 5 ingredients & mix until smooth. If necessary, add additional milk to thin until batter resembles pancake batter. Dip tomato slices into batter, allowing excess batter to drip back into bowl. Fry in two inches of hot oil (375 F) in a large, heavy black skillet until browned, turning once with tongs. Fry in a single layer with space between slices. Drain on paper towels or in a colander. Sprinkle with a pinch of cayenne if desired. Gardener s Scoop July 2017 Page 10

11 These pictures are of the community garden at Care & Share in Rayville. The beds are allocated to people in Rayville who don't have places for gardens at home. Can you see the watermelons? Volunteers are coming next week to weed them. President Vice President Secretary Treasurer NELA MG Board Members Lisa Richardson Recorder Linda Tubbs Christy Francis Historian Mary Ann Wooten Virginia Lee Member-at-Large Warren Daniels Steve Thomas Member-at-Large Ken Grant Volunteer Service Hours As of July 7, Volunteer Service Hours 162 Continuing Education Hours This time last year: 592 Volunteer Service Hours 245 Continuing Education Hours Do not forget to record your hours! The next Master Gardener meeting is Tuesday, July 11, 2017 at the LSU AgCenter. An educational program of the LSU AgCenter The Louisiana Master Gardener Program is a service and educational activity offered by the LSU AgCenter. The program is designed to recruit and train volunteers to help meet educational needs of home gardeners while providing an enjoyable and worthwhile service experience for volunteers. Contact: LSU AgCenter 704 Cypress Street, West Monroe, LA (318) Gardener s Scoop July 2017 Page 11