The Vine Franklin County Master Gardeners

University of Missouri Extension in Franklin County 116 W Main, Union MO 63084 636-583-5141

Vol. 15 Issue 2, July 2017

June: Pea Pickin’ Time Excerpted and abridged from David Trinklein, University of Missouri (June 2017)

Few things can match the culinary delight of fresh peas from the family garden. Similar to sweet corn, peas are tastiest immediately after being picked but do require a bit of work be-fore they can be enjoyed. But the end result is well worth the hulling. In addition to their delectability, peas provide valuable vitamins and minerals and are low in calories. The word "pea" was derived from the Latin word pi-sum which was introduced into the English language as pease. The nursery rhyme "pease porridge hot" references what we today call garden pea. Although the term pea is somewhat ge-neric, present day usage refers to the species Pisum sativum . Snap pea and snow (sugar) pea represent biotypes of the spe-cies. The garden pea is be-lieved to have originated in Middle Asia, from northwest India through Afghanistan. Cultivation of peas dates back 5000 years to the Bronze Age. It probably was first used as a pulse crop, dried seeds of the legume family. Pulses are very high in protein and fiber, low in fat and considered nitrogen fixing crops. Greeks and Ro-mans grew peas before the Christian era. The first mention in the literature of "green peas" (eaten immature) came after the Norman Conquest of England. By the 12th century, peas were listed among the food crops stored in a convent near London. In the 16th century, King Henry II of France married Catherine de Medici of Italy who brought many of her favorite foods from Italy to France, including small peas which the French called petit pois. These were quite different from the dried peas the French associated with peasant fare. By the end of the 17th century peas were a rare delica-cy among the elite of France and handsome prices were report-edly paid for them. The obsession people of that era had for peas is reflected in the writing of Madame de Maintenon (second wife of King Louis XIV) who noted, "Some ladies, even after having supped at the Royal Table, and well supped too, return-ing to their own homes, at the risk of suffering from indigestion, will again eat peas before going to bed. It is both a fashion and a madness". During this time, new varieties of peas were developed in England giving rise to "English pea" as another synonym for garden pea. It is reported that Thomas Jefferson grew over 30 varieties of peas at Monticello and, soon thereafter, peas became a staple in the diet of many Americans. Garden pea is a cool-season crop that tolerates light

frosts and has the ability to germinate in relatively cool soil tem-peratures. Since warm summer temperatures (≥ 80 degrees F.) adversely affect both yield and quality, planting should be done early in the spring as soon as the soil can be worked. Peas prefer a well-drained garden loam with a pH of between 6.0 and 6.5. Sow seeds about one inch deep and two inches apart in rows spaced between 18 and 24 inches apart. Taller varieties will need three feet between rows and trellising or support. Fertilization should be based on soil tests and applied pre-plating. Consistent with other legumes, peas (with the aid of symbiotic bacteria) have the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen.

However, if plants ap-pear chlorotic after pods begin to set, a side dressing of nitrogen may be necessary. Peas pre-fer soil that is kept uni-formly moist but not wet. Although peas are relatively pest free, aphids, leafhoppers, and seed corn maggots can be problematic. Diseases that can be problematic include fusarium wilt, powdery mildew as well as root and seed rot. The latter can be especially

troublesome in poorly drained soil or during wet springs. Rotat-ing planting location in the garden from year-to-year is helpful in the management of diseases of peas. Peas must be kept well weeded. Hand weeding and cultivation probably are the most logical way to control weeds in home garden plantings. For those who want to use herbicides, trifluralin (Treflan®) and pendimethalin (Prowl®) are labeled for weed control in peas. Depending on cultivar, planting date and seasonal tem-peratures, peas usually are ready for harvest about the middle of June. Harvest normally lasts for about two weeks. Timing the harvest of peas is critical for top eating quality. Pick the pods as soon as they have swollen (appear round). Peas allowed to ma-ture on the plant too long tend to convert sugars to starch, thus reducing their sweetness. There are several cultivars of garden pea that do well in our area. Popular choices include Spring (57 days; 22 inches tall), Sparkle (60 days; 18 inches tall), Little Marvel (63 days; 18 inches tall), Lincoln (67 days; 30 inches tall), Green Arrow (68 days; 28 inches tall), Bolero (69 days; 28 inches tall), and Wando (70 days; 30 inches tall). Taller cultivars require trellis-ing of some sort, while shorter one (18 inches tall) can be grown without. (continued on page 2)

2

An Early Spring Surprise Joyce Oberle, Franklin County Master Gardener

For those of us who are monarch enthusiasts and deep-ly concerned about the decrease in their numbers, the spring of 2017 has many of us totally baffled. The monarch count from Mexico was 2.91 hectares, which was a decrease of about 27 percent due mainly to the violent storms which occurred in early March of 2016. One of the most devastated sanctuaries was El Rosario, the first sanctuary that my friend Lil Collins and I visited in January of 2016. Pic-tures that arrived from Mexico showing millions of frozen mon-archs still clinging to fallen oya-mel trees was heart rending. Dr. Chip Taylor, re-nowned entomologist and mon-arch authority at the University of Kansas states that the move-ment and behavior of monarchs returning from Mexico is un-precedented. He further states that more returning monarchs have been reported this spring than for any previous over win-tering populations including many that were much larger in past years. Scientists who diligent-ly study monarch populations have determined that by the year 2020, the eastern population size for overwintering monarchs needs to be at least six hectares. By sustaining this number, the risk of extinction will be re-duced. Although female mon-archs can lay hundreds of eggs, seven hundred is a figure that has been mentioned frequently, many factors affect their egg to butterfly potential. Just these past few weeks since the butter-flies arrived, some of the diseases that my friends and I have encountered in the caterpillars include infestation with Tachinid Flies, and Nuclear Polyhydrosis Virus. Still another challenge this spring has been the lack of milkweed. As females began dumping eggs on milkweed only

two or three inches above ground, many of these small plants had three or four eggs deposited on them. Temperatures and precipitation have also been important factors.

Recent information indicates that monarchs are now beginning to enter some of the northern states where they will continue to mate and reproduce. Over the next several months until the mon-archs once again return through our area, it is up to all of us to continue to plant na-tive milkweed and pollinator nectar producing plants. Both are important. During recent year, the impetus has been on planting milkweed for caterpil-lars, and that is a good thing. Nevertheless, we must have nectar plants for the butter-flies. A recent article indicat-ed that some monarchs en route to Mexico simply could-n’t make the journey because of a lack of nectar plants to provide energy for them to sustain their trip. With the advent of the Missourians for Monarchs program beginning about the beginning of January 2015, tremendous efforts have been and are being made to assist these gentle creatures. Many people are willing to get in-volved, but many more need to do so. It is so simple but so necessary. It is just making the effort to plant milkweed and native pollinator plants. Just this, in some small man-

ner, will allow the monarchs to increase in numbers and flourish for the benefit of all.

Pea Picken’. . . . . (continued from page 1)

As previously mentioned, peas are a good source of certain vitamins and minerals as well as insoluble dietary fiber. The latter has been shown to reduce cholesterol. One-half cup of cooked peas contains the following nutrients: 67 calories, 2.4 grams dietary fiber, 4.3 grams protein, 12.5 grams carbohy-drates, 478 IU vitamin A, 11.4 mg. vitamin C, 50.7 micrograms folic acid, 1.2 mg iron, 217 mg potassium and 31 mg magnesi-um. Peas from the garden freeze exceptionally well but

must be blanched in order to keep enzymes and bacteria from destroying nutrients and changing color, flavor and texture. Blanching is accomplished by immersing peas in boiling water for about two minutes followed by cooling them in ice water. Fresh or frozen, peas may be prepared in a number of different ways or combined with a variety of dishes. Simply put, (lightly) buttered peas fresh from the garden is one of life's unique pleasures.

3

In early May I took a trip to the Mid-Atlantic States and Washington, DC. It was an historical tour covering our story from the settlement of Jamestown in 1607 through the current era. One of the high lights for me was the visit to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. Actually it was my second visit there; my first was in the early 1980’s. People who know me well will attest that my admiration for Thomas Jefferson is almost limitless. Among his many interests and pursuits--he was truly an American renaissance person--were gardening and horti-culture. What makes his interest and experiments in these areas so valuable and a treasure trove to historians and agron-omists are the copious notes and journals he kept. His origi-nal account, Thomas Jefferson Garden Book 1766-1824, is now in the collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Reproductions can be purchased from www.monticelloshop.org/10033.html. The volume contains information about the varieties of vegetables, fruits, flowers and trees he planted, sowing lo-cations, harvesting dates, and notations about weather con-ditions. There are some gaps in the journal. After all Jefferson devoted 40 years of his life in service to his coun-try and away from the home he de-signed, built and loved. The later rec-ords following his two terms as presi-dent and his retire-ment to Monticello were more detailed. On my first visit to Monticello, the Jefferson gardens were only a dream of the conservators of the property. Today the 1000 foot long terraced vegetable garden is completed. Originally 600,000 cubic feet of Piedmont red clay was moved by cart and mule to create the "hanging garden”. The variable climate of Vir-ginia was a horticultural challenge with tropical heat and hu-midity in summers and mild temperate winters. Again the genius of Jefferson was evident. The terraced garden faces the south taking full advantage of summer sun and mitigating the winter’s cold. This enabled Thomas Jefferson to grow tropical plants such as sweet potatoes, peanuts and lima beans, in the same garden as cool-weather crops, cauliflower, endive and celery without hot beds, a fete probably not at-tempted before. He grew 330 varieties of eighty-nine species of vegetables and herbs, representing every western culture of his day. Among the vegetables he planted was the English

pea, known to be his favorite. He grew fifteen types and based on the numerous references in his journal he paid par-ticular attention to this crop. By staggering their planting, Jefferson was able to bring fresh peas to the table from mid-May to mid-July. A six-acre fruit garden containing 170 varieties of fruits known in that period is located below the vegetable garden. Thomas Jefferson liked to eat vegetables which, he wrote, "constitute my principal diet," and his role in linking the garden with the kitchen into a cuisine defined as "half French, half Virginian" was a pioneering concept in the his-tory of American food. His garden experiments may have introduced: French fries, peanuts, Johnny-cakes, gumbo, mashed potatoes, sweet potato pudding, sesame seed oil and fried eggplant to our cuisine. The western traditions of gar-dening, English, French, Spanish and Mediterranean, were blended into a Monticello cooking style through the influence

of emerging colonial European, native American, slave, Cre-ole and southwestern vegetables. Culinary his-torian Karen Hess, describes Jefferson as "our most illustrious epicure, in fact, our only epicurean Presi-dent," and his devotion to fresh produce, whether in the Presi-dent's House at a state dinner, or at Monticel-lo for the large num-bers of people who often visited and dined at Monticello are a major legacy of Jeffer-son's gardening expe-rience. Jefferson also promoted commercial market gardening.

While president he compiled a calendar noting the first and last appearance of thirty-seven vegetables in the Washington DC farmer's market, one of the most important documents in the history of food in America. In 1792 while serving as Secretary of State in George Washington’s first term. Jefferson, received a letter from his daughter, Martha, lamenting an insect infestation in the Monticello vegetable garden. His response could be con-sidered as a precursor of the organic gardening movement. "We will try this winter to cover our garden with a heavy coating of manure. When is rich it bids defiance to droughts, yields in abundance, and of the best quality. I suspect that the insect which have harassed you have been encouraged by the feebleness of your plants; and that has been produced by the lean state of the soil."

Thomas Jefferson, Gardener in Chief Rosalie M. Laune, Franklin County Master Gardener

(continued on page 4)

4

Alas he encountered one horticultural failure: the cultivation of wine grapes. During his tenure as Envoy to France, he learned to enjoy fine French wines. He imported vines from Europe hoping to raise the grapes that would pro-duce the European wines he enjoyed. However it was not known then that the humid climate in the southeast harbored the phylloxera root louse. At that time only native grapes, muscadines and scuppernongs were immune to the disease. Since Jefferson viewed the gardening process as an experimental lab and a means to influence social change, his interest in horticulture extended beyond his gardens. This may have been the reason he directed Lewis and Clark on the Voyage of Discovery to pay attention to "the soil & face of the country, It's growth & vegetable productions, especially those not of the U.S." He believed their expedition would add to the world’s food supply and plants beneficial to hu-man kind. The explorers discovered about 80 species new to science, including gaillardia, a native Missouri plant, and snow on the mountain also grown in Missouri. Their collec-tions formed the basis for the first major scientific publica-tion that described and illustrated the plants west of the Mis-sissippi River. Jefferson wrote that, "the greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its cul-ture," and Jefferson ranked the importance of the introduction of the olive tree and upland rice into the United States with his authorship of the Declaration of Independence.

.

Take the Extra Step For the Monarch’s Survival: Raise and Release Karen Leslie, Franklin County Master Gardener

Jefferson. . . . . (continued from page 3)

Make sure you have the milkweed and nectar plants to support the larvae and butterflies. This is very important for their success rate. Rearing and releasing Monarchs can increase their survival rate by 85% to 90% versus their suc-cess rate in nature, which is between 3-5%. Bring in larvae that are at least a week old. It is best to handle them as little as possible until they are about an inch long. You can also just bring in the entire leaf that the larvae are eating on. Place one larva in a sterilized (I run mine through the dish washer) wide mouth pint mason jar. The lid should have at least 15 holes punched from the inside of the lid. I use a small nail. Make sure the rough edges of the punch is on TOP of the lid, so that the inside of the lid is smooth for the chrysalis attachment. DO NOT SET JARS IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT. Jars should be emptied of frass (larvae waste) daily and fresh milkweed leaves are placed in the jars twice a day, if needed. When I pick my milkweed, I make sure they are rinsed off with water, pat dried, and placed in moist paper towels in a zip lock bag. They will usually last a couple of days. Larvae of any size should not be handled when they are molting. They are getting ready to molt when they remain very still, often on the side or top of their container, and when you can see their black head capsule about to come off. Just after they have molted, their tentacles will look droopy, and you may see the old skin behind the larva.

When the larvae are ready to pupate, they will crawl to the top of the lid and attach themselves with silk thread and get into their prepupal stage (“J” position). They will stay in their prepupal stage anywhere from 2-3 days, before shedding their skin for the last time. They will then form their pupa (chrysalis). Once the chrysalis has hardened (takes about 2-3 hours), you can gently remove the lid, and empty out the frauss and remaining milkweed leaves. I usually hold the lid (with the chrysalis hanging) in one hand, and empty the jar with the other hand. Reattach the lid and within 10-14 days, a beautiful Monarch butterfly will emerge. Most monarch caterpillars will emerge in the morn-ing hours or early afternoon. They will hang from their chrysalis skin until their wings are dry (usually takes 3-4 hours). If they fall to the bottom, I usually turn my jar side-ways, so they have room to expand their wings or I may put the butterflies in a larger container with a net on top, until their wings are dry. I may also put in some nectar flowers, if I am not able to release for 24 hours. They should only be released on warm (above 60 degrees) sunny days. If they emerge in the morning, I release late afternoon. If they emerge in the afternoon, I release from the larger container the next morning, weather permitting. THIS IS SUCH A REWARDING EXPERIENCE TO SEE YOUR MONARCHS TAKE OFF IN FLIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME. ENJOY!

Editor’s note: Thomas Jefferson designed the orig-inal capitol of the state of Virginia in Richmond. In the ro-tunda a statue of Jefferson stands on a pedestal made of EW Gold, a dolomitic limestone quarried in Missouri. The state of MO donated the pedestal to VA in commemoration of our bond to Thomas Jefferson through the Louisiana Pur-chase.

5

The Franklin County Master Gardeners 2017 Garden Tour was held on Saturday, June 10 between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.. This tour provided many opportunities to observe and learn new landscaping and gardening ideas. Proceeds from the event will provide community educational programs in horticulture. Eighty tickets were sold for this event.

Thanks so much to the committee for their efforts in coor-dinating this beautiful event this year. Your hard work and determination doesn't go unnoticed. A big thank you to eve-ryone who worked so hard preparing their gardens and land-scapes for this tour. They are: Elaine Blackmur, Washington MO Karen Parham, Washington MO Evelyn Lucas—Hunter Ridge Farms, Washington MO Karen Leslie, New Haven, MO Larry and Mary Paubel, Union MO.

Garden Tour Photos Franklin County Master Garderners

Fertilizing Tomatoes for Delicious Fruits Manjula Nathan, Division of Plant Sciences,University of Missouri (June 2017)

We all prefer to have delicious toma-toes from our garden. In ad-dition to taste, commercial growers try to produce quality tomatoes to market their crop. To attain these goals, it is important for

you to focus on fertilizing your tomatoes to get delicious and quality fruits. An article on "Fertilizing for Delicious Tomatoes" written by Dr. Rob Mikkelsen in Plant Nutri-tion Today did a nice job of summarizing this topic. Be-low are some key points from his article that will be of use to our avid gardeners. Tomato flavor preferences may differ depending on individuals. The intensity of flavor properties of tomato fruits is determined by the amount of sugar, organic acid content (citric, malic and total acidity) and the volatile compound composition. Normally people find the best flavor to be associated with high soluble solids, high sug-ar, and high acid content. Light has the most profound

effects on fruit sugar concentration. This results in winter grown greenhouse tomatoes, having less sugar than field grown tomatoes produced in summer. Soil testing is the first step for growing quality tomatoes.Effects of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and po-tassium (K) on tomato quality: Research studies examin-ing the effect of plant nutrients in tomatoes revealed toma-toes receiving enhanced NPK nutrition (150%) had fruits with better quality, color and market acceptability than the ones receiving standard NPK nutrition (100%). Many studies have shown P and K nutrition has positive effects on fruit sugar and acid content. High P application was shown to produce higher sugar content in tomatoes when compared to low P conditions. Supply of K had been found to increase acid content of tomatoes. Many studies have reported moderate N supply will improve tomato flavor, but excess N can harm the fruit favor. Heavy N and K fertilization can also have detrimental effects on fruit favor. Research has shown when adequate K is supplied, tomatoes respond by producing more of the health pro-moting carotenoids and red lycopene which results in red color in tomatoes. Tomato variety selection, degree of ripeness, growing conditions and providing adequate plant nutrition are all important in producing tasty tomatoes with better flavor and appearance.

6

Garden Tour Photos . . . . (continued from page 5)

7

Garden Tour Photos. . . . . (continued from page 6)