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Good Food Project Garden Newsletter
April 2016 Sprout
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Get Ready for that Great Summer Garden!
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Warm season vegetables require long days, warm temperatures, and longer periods of sunlight to grow well. Warm weather vegetables don't tolerate cold soil or a frost. By mid April, the central Louisiana area has usually seen its last frost date when warm weather vegetables can finally be planted. Soil needs to be warm enough for seeds to germinate and for the roots of transplants or seedlings to grow well. Here in Louisiana, we usually have a long growing season; seed packets and plant containers will list maturity dates for those great summer plants. Here's a list of some of the vegetables you might want to consider growing this season:
- Bush Beans - Easily grown from seed, direct sow after soil reaches 60 degrees - sow every 3 weeks for a continuous harvest
- Corn - Has to have a lot of space to grow and pollination is an important factor to consider
- Cucumbers - Need full sun and at least an inch of water a week, rich soil and pollinating insects
- Eggplant - Lots and lots of sunshine and well-drained soil
- Okra - Loves hot weather, full sun and rich soil
- Peppers - Consistent watering, full sun and well-drained soil
- Summer Squash and Zucchini - Does best by direct sowing the seeds - likes nutrient-rich, well-drained soil
- Tomatoes - Best started indoors by seed 5-6 weeks before last spring frost. After last frost, transplants/seedlings are best. Plant when nights are above 50 degrees. Plant deep to give them a good, strong root system.
- Winter squash - Thicker skinned than summer squash - acorn, butternut, and pumpkins. Need plenty of space to grow, full sun and well-drained soil
For more gardening help, please contact Good Food Project or your local Ag office.
Good growing to you!
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| Zucchini Brownies
Did you know?
- Zucchini is an outstanding source of manganese and Vitamin C
- Zucchini is the best source of dietary fiber
- Zucchini also contains Vitamin A, magnesium, folate, potassium, copper, and phosphorus
Ingredients: 2 large eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 cup whole wheat or all purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 cups grated zucchini (Optional ingredient - 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips) Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees - spray 8"X8" pan with cooking spray 2. Mix eggs, vanilla, sugar, and applesauce in a large bowl, allow to sit to dissolve 3. In a medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. 4. Add dry mix to wet, stir gently until combined. Don't over mix. 5. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips. 6. Spread batter evenly in the pan. 7. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (or not gooey) |
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| In April plant:
- Beans, Snap, Bush, Pole
- Cantaloupes
- Chard, Swiss
- Collards
- Corn, Sweet
- Cucumber
- Eggplant (Seed)
- Eggplant (Plants)
- Okra
- Peanuts
- Peas, Southern
- Pepper, Hot (Seed)
- Pepper, Hot (Plants)
- Pepper, Bell (Plants)
- Potatoes, Sweet
- Pumpkin
- Summer Squash
- Tomatoes (Seed)
- Tomatoes (Plant)
- Watermelons
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In May plant:
- Beans, Snap, Bush, Lima, Pole,
- Cantaloupes
- Chard, Swiss
- Collards
- Corn, Sweet
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant (Seed)
- Eggplant (Plants)
- Okra
- Peanuts
- Peas, Southern
- Pepper, Hot (Seed)
- Pepper, Hot (Plants)
- Pepper, Bell (Plants)
- Potatoes, Sweet
- Pumpkin
- Summer Squash
- Tomatoes (Plant)
- Watermelons
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 Fairview High School Ag Students Helping to Install the School Garden |
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We got to witness this unique sighting in the demonstration garden this month - a swarm of bees, an awesome ball of bees! We believe it to be the most common type - a reproductive swarm. This happens when a colony of bees outgrows its nest or hive. A new queen will be hatched, then the old queen and about two-thirds of the worker bees will fly off together. The bees will ball up together for a time. It is common to see them hanging from a tree limb or other kind of structure. This one happened to form on some sugar snap peas we were about to plow under. The peas had to wait, our bee friends visited for about four days before the scout bees found a new place for them to call home. We wish them well!
For more information about how you can make a tax deductible donation to Good Food Project, contact us at
[email protected] or call 318-445-2773
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| Want to learn about chickens, worms, fruit, or vegetables? Come join us on Workday Wednesdays in the garden! The demonstration garden is a great place to learn about sustainable gardening methods. A hands-on approach can make you more confident with your own garden. We have fun meeting new folks and helping our community. You, or your group are invited on any Wednesday.
Each Wednesday from 7:30-11:30 AM all adults and children are invited to come out for a fun day of learning and giving back to the community. Let's grow together! Learn more.
If Wednesdays aren't good for you, call us to set up another volunteer day! 318-445-2773
 Spring at the demonstration garden. Blackberries blooming, new chickens striking out on their own, blueberries waiting to ripen, emerging artichokes, and Irish potatoes blooming - so much to see and do! |
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Garden Tip:
Pine Grove Apartments residents with their new spring garden.
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| Children as Volunteers
Children volunteers at Good Food Project Demonstration Garden and at Pineville Youth Center Parents who want their children to be involved in making a difference in their community often can't find places that are able to accommodate small children, or whose volunteer hours don't fit the schedules of their school-age children. Good Food Project has seen an increase in the number of children who are volunteering on Wednesday mornings at the demonstration garden next to the Food Bank of Central Louisiana or at partner programs like the Pineville Youth Center on Wednesday afternoons. Children accompanied by their parent, family member or guardians, ranging in age from toddlers to teenagers have been a welcome addition to the committed volunteers who serve GFP. We have seen first-hand the many benefits there are for children who volunteer.
- Families get to spend some quality time together while having fun
- Children get to experience doing something meaningful, which in turn helps them to feel grateful for what they have
- Volunteering is a perfect way for parents to teach kids about social responsibility
- Kids who volunteer learn how to work with others, accept responsibility, listen to instruction, and cooperate
- Kids have a natural tendency to feel empathy and compassion, volunteering enhances those feelings
Kids are welcome to volunteer with their parents or chaperones each Wednesday morning in the demonstration garden or to assist at one of the after-school programs with whom Good Food Project partners, as well as during holiday and summer vacations. Please call Good Food Project to learn more about your how your children can help or to schedule a group of youth for a day of service. GFP welcomes individual and organizational volunteers at our community gardens and at the Good Food Project on Wednesday mornings in the demonstration garden, 3223 Baldwin Avenue - Food Bank of Central Louisiana 71301 - 318-445-2773 |
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