First Major Planting

On Saturday morning, we did our first major planting in the field.
We are trying to incorporate successive planting with our beans and greens so that we can have multiple harvests and get the best results by sewing in progressively cooler conditions.
We planted the carrots first because they take the longest to mature. However, because the heat may keep them from doing well, we did not plant them all. We had to direct seed them so their roots won't get damaged. We planted in rows perpendicular to the bed. These rows were 6 inches apart to give the carrots plenty of space below ground for strong, straight roots, and above ground for a healthy canopy. We planted them 1/4 inch deep, and about 30 seeds per cultivar.
Next, we planted bush beans. They do well in warm weather and should give us multiple harvests, even if we start early. We direct seeded them in rows in the center of the bed, and four inches apart. We planted them near the carrots so hopefully they will help give nitrogen to the other vegetables. We planted the beans about 1 and 1/2 inches deep.

We planted a few Asian greens in the smallest available seed flat. This is so we made the most use of space and the transplants will be small and easy to handle. They reach maturity quickly and do not do well in heat so we planted only a few of each cultivar in the green house.
 Then, we watered everything in so that nothing would wash away when the sprinklers came on  and to begin imbibition. Soon , we'll need to start weeding.

On September 13th  six raised beds of good ol' sandy Florida soil welcomed the Green Thumb Gator's to their assigned 25 ft. by 25 ft. plot in the Teaching Gardens. Although the chosen cultivars for the project were not planted that day, tomato, eggplant, and pepper transplants were. 9 tomato plants, 1 eggplant, and 1 pepper plant assumed their position in the Green Thumb Gator's territory. Spacing and watering were among the determining factors of how the plants were planted. Approximately 18 inches between each other the greenery was placed in the farthest bed, assuming there would be a decent watering pattern. Unfortunately, the Green Thumb Gators are not given control of watering nor were they informed of the exact wetting pattern at the time of transplanting. These "siblings" one could call them, for they are all Solanaceae, share condition preferences as well as pests. Each of the indeterminate tomatoes was encased by a comfortable metal trellis which will be very helpful in these herbaceous plant's futures. Thoughts of the future pertaining to upcoming residents of the garden were of the last thoughts sown on this day.

The Team

Christa Mizrahi is a senior studying agricultural education
 and communications. She is from Kissimmee, Florida.

Charis Wiegand is a junior studying horticultural
with a concentration in horticultural therapy. She is
from Fort Walton Beach, FL.

Mary Daliberti is a junior studying Horticultural
Sciences with specialization in Plant Molecular
 and Cellular Biology. She is from Jacksonville, FL.

Michael Gonzalez is a junior studying organic and
sustainable crop production. He is from Miami, FL.

Selected Vegetables for the CSA Project and their Nutritional Values

Vegetable: Carrot
Cultivars:  -Hercules (F1)

                -White Satin (F1)
                -Purple Haze
Nutritional information: Serving size: about one cup, or two carrots. 40-50 calories including 2 grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugar, 1 gram of protein, and 0 grams of fat. 
Orange carrots such as the Hercules cultivar that we chose are very high in Vitamin A giving you up to 110% your daily value in a single serving, but are also a good source of Vitamin C, iron, potassium and calcium.
They are full of antioxidants that have many health promoting and disease preventing benefits. Other cultivars have very similar nutritional values. However, the White Satin cultivar has the fewest antioxidants due to it's lack of pigmentation, but it is a great vegetable for people with carotene allergies. On the other hand, the Purple Haze is very high in antioxidants and has additional phytochemicals including anthocyanins due to the blue pigment. These chemicals promote good eyesight, metabolism boosters and heart, skin and colon healthiness.

2.       Vegetable: Filet Beans

Cultivars: -Maxibel  

               -Velour 

               -Concador 
Nutritional information: Serving size: about one cup. 40-50 calories including about 2.5 grams of protein, .5 grams of fat, and 2 grams of fiber.
Green beans are low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals and are also a rich source of dietary fiber which helps protect against colon cancer. They contain an antioxidant known as lutein which promotes good vision and healthy skin. Green beans are packed with vitamin A and Zea-xanthin, a carotenoid that may help prevent age related macular disease. They are also a good source of folates, an essential component of DNA synthesis and cell division. The yellow varieties, such as our Concador cultivar, are high in vitamin C, carotenoids and bioflavanoids. Together, bioflavanoids and vitamin C improve immune function. Our purple cultivar, Velour, is rich in flavanoids, which can reduce memory loss.

3.       Vegetable: Asian Greens

Cultivars: -Vitamin Green
               -Hon Tsai Tai 

               -Red Rain (F1) 

Nutritional information: Serving size: about one cup.15-35 calories with varying levels of fiber, sugars, fats, and proteins.
All of the Asian greens are high in Vitamin A and Vitamin C, but are also excellent sources of Vitamin B-6, Calcium, Iron and Magnesium. They also contain many healthy phenolic compounds.
Vitamin Green is particularly high in protein and fiber among these other cultivars, while Red Rain is relatively low. Red Rain has the added benefit, however of red and blue pigments giving it extra antioxidants.  Hon Tsai Tai has an intermediate nutrional value, but has edible flowers making it unique. These nutrients and vitamins are health promoting antioxidants that assist in healthy a metabolism and memory. They are also anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting agents which helps promote general wellness in the body.  

Vegetables and Vegetables Industry

Vegetables and the Vegetable Industry

1. Write down the top 10 of your favorite vegetables:
eggplant, sweet corn, kale, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, cucumber, romaine lettuce, sugar snap peas, onions

2. List the top 10 vegetables based on per capita consumption in 2011 (compare it to your top 10 list):
a. Total consumption:
potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, melons, sweet corn, onions, peppers, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli
b. Fresh vegetable consumption:
potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, melon, onions, peppers, sweet corn, carrots, cabbage, celery
c. Processing vegetable consumption:
potatoes, tomatoes, sweet corn, snap/green beans, cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, green peas, onions, cabbage

3. List the top 10 vegetables based on harvested acreage in 2011:
sweet corn, onions, watermelon, head lettuce, broccoli, snap/green beans, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, carrots, cantaloupe

4. List the top 10 vegetables based on total value in 2011:
head lettuce, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, sweet corn, onions, carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, watermelon, leaf lettuce

5. List the top 5 states in fresh market vegetable production:
California, Florida, Idaho, Arizona, Georgia

6. List the top 5 states in processing vegetable production:
California, Washington, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Idaho

7. List the top 5 leading countries in world vegetable production in 2011:
China, India, United States of America, Spain, Nigeria

8. List the top 5 vegetables in world production in 2011:
watermelon, cucumbers/gherkins, eggplant, peppers, cantaloupe

9. Did the production acreage increase in the past 30-40 (since 1980) years in the U.S.? Did the total
amount (cwt) of vegetables increase in the past 30-40 years in the U.S? Did the value of production of
vegetables increase in the past 30-40 years in the U.S.? What do you think may be some of the
important factors affecting the changes if any?
   The general trend is shrinking production acreage over the last 30-40 years. However the amount of vegetables (cwt) and the value of production of those vegetables in the same time period has increased. Shrinking acreage is probably due to increased urban development. The cwt of vegetables in a given year has been increasing because of improvements in technology, cultivars, and cropping methods. The value has increased because of specialty vegetable, "super foods", higher quality and higher variety help keep the price, and thus the value higher.

Florida Vegetable Production

1. List the top 5 vegetables based on harvested acreage in the 2010-2011 season:
sweet Corn, snap beans, potatoes, tomatoes, watermelons

2. List the top 5 vegetables based on total value in the 2010-2011 season:
tomatoes, strawberries, bell peppers, sweet corn, snap beans

3. What is the role of Florida in the U.S. vegetable production? What are the major challenges facing
the Florida vegetable industry today?
Florida is a leading producer of oranges, grapefruit, fresh market snap beans, cucumbers, bell peppers, squash, sweet corn, tomatoes and watermelons. Disease caused by viral and fungal infections are a problem here because the humidity allows for growth of molds and fungi.