RHS Tn Ecology Club

07/13/2023

A quick garden update:
The tomatoes🍅, cucumbers🥒 and green beans🫘 are all doing great! The squash, peppers and melons are struggling after the prolonged dry weather following by lots of rain. Enjoy the pictures, including our first harvest, picked today!

Olivia Morgan Henderson will be soon taking over the Ecology Club and Victory Garden so look for a new page link soon. 🤟

07/13/2023

Victory Garden Spotlight: CUCUMBER!
Cucumbers are members of the gourd family and are botanically considered to be fruits! Cucumbers have a low nutritional value but are widely used to prevent dehydration (due to their high water content), in research for cancer, heart and diabetes treatments, to reduce inflammation (cucumber slices on your eyes reduce puffiness) and on a number of skin care products.

Cucumbers originated in India where they have been grown for over 3000 years. The cucumbers growing in our garden are known as pickling cucumbers as they have fewer seeds and do not grow as long. Cucumbers will cross pollinate with others in the gourd family like melons so they need to be planted away from each other!

06/23/2023

Victory Garden Spotlight:
Green Bean 🫘

Green beans are actually the immature fruit if the Phaseolus family. Beans were originally grown and prized for their seeds (think pinto beans) not their fruits. China is currently the largest producer of grean beans, contributing 77% of the total amount grown in the world. The USA isn't even in the top 10!

There are two major types of beans, climbing and bush. Their fruits are basically the same for each one, it's just their growing habit that is different.

Green beans when eaten raw contain 90% water, 7% carbohydrates and 2% protein. They are low in calories (only 31 calories in a 3.5oz serving) and a good source of many different vitamins and minerals. For example, green beans contain vitamins c, k, a, all the b's and calcium, iron, potassium as well as 4 other minerals. It's only when we add ham, bacon or bacon fat and salt that they are not so healthy any more (but what would Thanksgiving be without Green Bean casserole?) 🤔

Our Green beans are climbers and doing well!

06/23/2023

A garden update: the plants are LOVING this rain. The last few weeks of dry weather have taken their toll on the peppers and melons. Even with weekly watering we lost a few plants. Here is what the garden looks like now~
(Tomatoes, watermelon and cucumbers are pictured)

06/10/2023

Join us this Saturday as we kick off our summertime waterfall cleanup series with a clean up inside Fall Creek Falls State Park. We will meet at Eli Field campsite number #4 at 9 AM CST.

afterwords, we will be enjoying some free ice cream at the snack shack located in the village inside the park. This is courtesy of Fall Creek Falls State Park.

And don’t forget this is our free campout weekend inside the park. You can find the details on our website at www.responsiblestewardship.org or in the link in our bio.

06/10/2023

Way to go Dryston! 🚧

Welcome to Roane County Government Dryston Turner! Here are some fun facts about Mr. Turner:

What kind of music do you like? - any music 🎧
What is your favorite candy bar? - Twix 🍫
What is your favorite spot in Roane County? Lakeshore Park
What is your favorite movie? Home Alone
Are you a coffee or tea person? tea
What is your favorite animal? dog 🐶
How would your friends describe you? as funny

Welcome to the team! 🥳️

06/08/2023

Thought of the Day

06/07/2023

It's that time of the year! We hope to see you at Roane County Park on June 29th for our Annual Community Picnic. We will be serving a FREE lunch until we run out.

06/07/2023

Look 👀 it's a baby 👶 cucumber! 🥒

06/07/2023

Victory Garden Spotlight:
Tomato

Tomatoes 🍅 are a member of the Solanaceae family or nightshade family. There are over 2000 varieties in this family including tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and even the poison, belladonna! Both tomatoes and peppers are actually the fruits of this plant and not a vegetable at all.

Tomatoes are LOW in carbohydrates but HIGH in fiber and contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene. Lycopene has been shown to reduce inflammation and help lower the risk of heart disease. Yes, ketchup actually has a health benefit, lol! 😁

Our tomatoes are flourishing as they don't require as much water as some of the other plants and like the warm weather.

Stay tuned for more updates!

06/01/2023

What is known as "The World's Longest Cave"?

Mammoth Cave in Tennessee contains the world’s most lengthy cave system, with over 400 miles of caves explored!

05/31/2023

Victory Garden Spotlight:
Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is a relative of the squash family we are familiar with (like yellow and zucchini) but is actually closer related to pumpkins (family Cucurbitaceae) and is classed as a winter squash. Most plants yield 4-5 fruits (squash) per season. Spaghetti squash is grown as a low carb, low calories alternative to pasta. Spaghetti squash is also high in fiber and vitamins like beta carotene (found also in carrots) and vitamin c. Stay tuned for more updates and recipes as our plants reach maturity (approximately 8-10 weeks after planting).