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Good Food Project Garden Newsletter
July 2016 Sprout
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| PESTS can give a gardener the summertime blues! |
Top left - Tomato hornworm - Top right - Tomato hornworm droppings
Bottom left - Cucumber beetle - Bottom right - damage caused by this beetle
The bane of many summer gardeners are PESTS! For those who practice organic gardening; that is especially so. There are many pests that can give you those summertime blues; here are examples of two, one not so difficult to control, and one that is :
- Tomato Hornworms - are probably one of the easiest of the summertime pests to manage because they are easily seen. Scout your tomato plants for their tell-tale barrel-shaped droppings and you will probably find the culprit. Handpicking them off your tomatoes or peppers is the safest way to get rid of them. If you are too squeamish to squish this cartoon-like critter, then you can let nature take its course with her parasitic braconid wasps that lay their eggs on the hornworm. Look for white, rice-like cocoons all along the back of the hornworm. The larva suck the hornworm dry! If those two things don't work, then try Bt, or Bacillus thuringiensis. It is a naturally-occurring bacteria that makes pests sick when they eat it. Bt is great in controlling leaf-eating caterpillars like cabbage worms. When they ingest the Bt, their guts rupture and then they die. Some of the insects it helps control are armyworms, diamondback moths, melon worms, green cloverworms, tomato hornworms, and many more. Apply Bt later in the day, as sunlight degrades it.
- Cucumber beetles - are one of the more serious of the summer pests! They transmit deadly bacterial wilt to cucumbers and melons. A good way to help prevent them is to maintain a clean garden by removing all plant debris. Handpicking insects is used by many organic gardeners as a first defense, along with using row covers and Neem oil. Row covers, sometimes called floating row covers, are made of garden fabric that can be used in several ways in a garden. For pest management, it blocks insects and prevents the spread of diseases. Row covers protect plants from the cold and wind in winter and helps keep the soil and plants from overheating in the summer. Neem is a vegetable oil pressed from fruits and seeds of the Neem (Azadirachta indica), an evergreen tree of South Asia that has been used for centuries as an insecticide added to waxes and soaps. It is virtually non-toxic to birds, fish , bees or wildlife when used appropriately. Neem works as a systemic within a plant that causes insects to reduce or stop feeding or it may coat the insect's breathing hole which causes it to die.
Another tried and true method for pest management is the use of poultry in a garden. Portable chicken "trucks" can be stationed around a problematic area or allowing a couple of ducks to roam free can help drastically reduce problem pests.
To learn more about organic pest management, please contact Good Food Project or stop by for free information!
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| Watermelon Lemonade
Did you know?
- Lemonade helps you stay calm and cool
- Lemons are acidic to the taste, but are alkaline-forming in the body and are packed with a slew of vitamins and nutrients
- Watermelon is 92% water
- Watermelon is packed with tons of Vitamin A, B6 and C, lycopene, antioxidants and amino acids
Ingredients: (This recipe is a healthier way to prepare the lemonade - you may choose to substitute 3/4 cup of pure cane sugar) 1 1/2 Lbs. sliced seedless watermelon Zest of 1 lemon 3/4 Cup fresh squeezed lemon juice 1/2 Cup honey 1 1/2 Cups cold water Lemon slices Mint sprigs (as garnish) Directions: 1. Puree the watermelon in a food processor until smooth 2. Place a mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the pureed watermelon through it 3. Stir the pulp to push as much liquid as possible through it into bowl (throw away pulp) 4. Pour watermelon juice into a large pitcher and add the lemon zest 5. Whisk together the lemon juice and honey until the honey dissolves 6. Stir this into watermelon juice, then stir in water 7. Cover and refrigerate until cold 8. Serve over ice and garnish with lemon slices and mint sprigs if desired |
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| In July plant:
- Broccoli (Seed)
- Brussels sprouts (seeds)
- Cabbage
- Cantaloupes
- Cauliflower
- Chinese Cabbage
- Collards
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant (Seed)
- Okra
- Peanuts
- Peas, Southern
- Pepper, Hot (Plants)
- Pepper, Bell (Plants)
- Potatoes, Sweet
- Pumpkin
- Summer Squash
- Tomatoes (Plants)
- Watermelons
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In August plant:
- Beans (Snap, Bush, Pole, Lima)
- Beets
- Broccoli (Seed)
- Brussels sprouts (seeds)
- Cabbage
- Cantaloupes
- Cauliflower
- Chard, Swiss
- Chinese Cabbage
- Collards
- Cucumbers
- Kohlrabi
- Lettuce
- Mustard Greens
- Okra
- Peas, Southern
- Pepper, Hot (Plants)
- Pepper, Bell (Plants)
- Potatoes, Irish
- Pumpkin
- Rutabagas
- Shallots
- Summer Squash
- Tomatoes (Plants)
- Turnips
- Watermelons
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 Pineville Youth Center participants shelling purple hull peas with GFP Director, Frances Boudreaux, and Diane Tracy of Amerihealth Caritas |
| Our Cenla garden partners are doing a great job! Check out these bountiful summer gardens at top left - Canterbury House, bottom left - Pineville Farmers Market, extreme right - Christian Love Baptist Church summer youth program 
Our visit and tour of Edible Schoolyard Gardens - New Orleans was inspiring! We thank them for their hospitality and expertise. It was great to connect with a like-minded program that encourages young people to learn about and to experience sustainable gardening practices. Great things are happening in Louisiana! 
For more information about how your organization can partner with Good Food Project with a sustainable garden, contact us at
[email protected] or call 318-445-2773
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| Gardening is a great way to give back to the community. If you cannot come to the demonstration garden for Workday Wednesdays, you might want to consider helping at one of the community gardens with whom Good Food Project partners. GFP has established sites across the eleven parishes served by the Food Bank of Central Louisiana at schools, youth programs, senior centers and churches. If you or your organization has an interest in learning more about sustainable gardening methods and want to help your community, please give us call to set things up!
Everyone is also welcome each Wednesday at the demonstration garden at 3223 Baldwin Avenue from 7:30-11:30 AM.Adults and children are invited to come out for a fun day of learning and giving back to the community. Let's grow together!
If Wednesdays aren't good for you, call us to set up another volunteer day! 318-445-2773
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| Community partners volunteering at Good Food Project garden sites: Top: Kevin Boudreaux, Youth Challenge Program Counselor, helping at Alma Redwine Elementary and Bottom: Community partners at Pineville Youth Center Garden: Diane Tracy of Amerihealth Caritas, Kitty Wynn of Central Louisiana Human Services District, Frances Boudreaux, Director - Good Food Project and Donna Swisher of Cenla Wellness. |
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Garden Tip:
Summer Garden tip: When watering your garden, water thoroughly and deep a couple of times a week instead of a little bit every day. Deep watering helps roots get stronger as they grow further down to find water.
GFP summer crops of purple hull peas, Scotch Bonnet peppers and Louisiana velvet okra.
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| Volunteer of the Month Jason Lowentritt of Cenla Helicopters
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| An aerial shot of Good Food Project taken by Jason Lowentritt of Cenla Helicopters |
Many thanks to Jason Lowentritt, owner of Cenla Helicopters for donating his time and talent to provide Good Food Project of the Food Bank of Central Louisiana with a current aerial photo of the demonstration garden at 3223 Baldwin Avenue. Cenla Helicopters is an FAA authorized tour and sightseeing company located in Central Louisiana. Jason is a serious gardener who understands what kind of work is involved in starting and maintaining a garden. This creative entrepreneur specializes in real estate photography, progressive construction site photography, wildlife management surveys, air tours and sightseeing, as well as flight training and discovery flights. We deeply appreciate his generous gift! Volunteering for the Good Food Project can take many forms! If you have a talent or skill that might enhance our sustainable gardening program, we would love to hear from you!
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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