MANHATTAN COMMUNITY GARDENS
Riley and Collins Lane Gardens
Can you eat sweet potato leaves? You betcha!!
Sweet potato leaves are about to become the next big health-food craze!
Summer Issue
June 2013
Inside this issue:
Can you eat sweet pota- 1
to leaves? You betcha!!
Kansas Community
Garden Conference
In fact, the leaves of the sweet potato are one of the world’s richest sources of disease-fighting antioxidants, according to the University of Arkansas. Besides being
packed with vitamins and minerals, they also contain 15 different types of healthy
compounds that help fight heart disease, diabetes, bacterial infections, and some
types of cancer. Even the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization advocates increased consumption of sweet potato leaves because of the huge potential health benefits.
2
Volunteer Assignments 2
Pollinators
3
Protecting Bees
4
Bee safety
5
Organic Gardening
7
Plot maintenance
6
Long-Range Planning
for Collins Lane
6
Bees choose hexagonsAlways hexagons
7
Okay, so it’s clear that sweet potato leaves pack a big nutritional wallop, but how
do they taste? Young sweet potato leaves are tender, sweet, and mild tasting, without the bitterness of some other greens. They can be eaten raw or cooked in any
way you would use spinach, kale, chard, collards, or any other green. Since sweet
potato leaves are relished in Central and South America, India, Africa, and China, recipes using sweet potato leaves are easy to find on the internet. I, however,
just like to toss a handful of raw leaves into my salads or smoothies, or add
chopped leaves to just about any dish I happen to be making: soups, stews, chili,
rice, casseroles, spaghetti sauce, omelets, stir fry, etc.
To harvest, pull off the youngest leaves. (The thin stems that attach the leaves to
the vine will pull off with the leaf and they are also tender enough to eat.) Don’t
worry about affecting the quality or quantity of your fall sweet potato harvest. Up
to 10% of the leaves can be picked without negatively affecting the plant.
If you’d like to try sweet potato leaves this year, it’s not too late to plant. Sweet
potato starts (called “slips”) are very inexpensive and available now at many garden
stores. (3/$1 at Eastside/Westside Markets) Sweet
potato plants do take up a lot of space, but last year
I solved this problem by weaving the vines through
a tomato cage as they grew, and kept the footprint
of each plant to about 3 foot by 3 foot.
Summer Issue
Page 2
If you don’t have space for them this year, sweet
potato leaves are for sale at the farmers’ market
for about $3/bunch or you could also ask your
gardening neighbor if you can try some leaves
from their plants. I encourage you to try growing
your own, however. Not only will you reap the
benefits of the leaves during the summer, imagine how it will feel to share a holiday meal next
winter that includes your very own moist, nutritious and delicious sweet potatoes!
By Cybil Perkins
Percentage of daily needs of an adult woman filled by 1 cup of cooked sweet
potato leaves and tips. United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
Kansas Community Garden Conference
The conference will be in July 8-9 in Manhattan and will focus on establishing and maintaining a community
garden. The conference is intended for those in leadership positions in community gardens around the state to
share and learn but any and all gardeners are welcome to attend and participate.
For more details and to register:
http://www.kansascommunitygardens.org/2013-conference.html
Volunteer Assignments
A reminder about your volunteer signup: when you register for your plots you also
signed up for a volunteer work. Either for workdays, socials, mowing, or committees
(equipment, tiling). Please remember that this assignment needs to be fulfilled by November if you plan to register for a plot for next year’s (2014) gardening.
Your assignments is the time that you take care of the common areas of the gardens and the equipment we use
daily. It is extremely important.
The gardens cannot function without your good work!!
If you have missed your assignment you can reschedule or you can just show up on a workday or provide refreshments for the social event. We do not turn away people willing to help!!
Summer Issue
Page 3
Pollinators
“Many different insects and animals are pollinators – for example, ants, birds, bats, and of
course bees. And many plants – fruits and vegetables, but also grains, grasses and even trees
– depend on them for pollination. Although it is easy to forget the importance of pollinators, it’s critical that we help protect them from environmental risks.’
EPA – Pollinator Protection
The Environmental Protection Agency’s effort to promote programs that protect pollinators was sparked by a report from the National Research Council on the “Status of
Pollinators in North America” and the advent of Colony Collapse Disorder (a serious
threat to beets).
The declining health of bees and other pollinators is related to inadequate food sources,
diseases, habitat loss, management practices, and pesticides. The evidence of decline is most compelling for the
honeybees.
Pollinators are nearly as important as sunlight, soil and water to the
reproductive success of over 75% of the world’s flowering plants. They
are crucial to the production of most fruits, nuts and berries. Over
150 food groups in the United States depend on pollinators.
Animals visit flowers in search of food and sometimes even mates,
shelter and nest-building materials. Some animals, such as many bees,
intentionally collect pollen, while others, such as many butterflies and birds, move pollen incidentally because the pollen sticks on their body while they are collecting nectar
from flowers. All of these animals are considered pollinators.
Pollination occurs when pollen grains from a flower’s male parts (anters) are moved to
the female part (stigma) of the same species, fertilizing it. This results in the production
of fruits and seeds. Most plants depend on pollinators to move the pollen from one flower to the next, while others rely on wind or water to move pollen.
Some examples: sweet corn is wind pollinated. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, beans and
peas are self-pollinated.
The vine crops – squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, muskmelons, watermelons and gourds are pollinated by bees. If bees
fail to pollenize these flowers, the fruit will start to develop
but shrivel and fall off. If bees pollenize the flowers only
sparingly, the fruit may develop but be misshapen or poorly
filled.
Worldwide there are
more than 100,000
different animals
species that pollinate
plants. Insects are the
most common, but
as many as 1,500
species of vertebrates
also help pollinate
plants.
Page 4
MANHATTAN COMMUNITY GARDENS
Protecting Bees
Understanding how bees forage helps to realize how susceptible to pesticides they are. Bees range 2–5 miles from a colony and seek out nectar and
pollen in a systematic way. Once a food source is found, bees tend to collect
only from that single source until it is used up before switching plants.
Most major bee poisoning occurs when plants are in bloom. Bees that establish flight patterns in an area before a pesticide is applied usually are
most affected. Bees that come to an area after pesticide applications are less
affected since it takes time to scout and find food sources.
To eliminate damage to honeybees, pesticide applicators should keep the
following suggestions in mind:
Use only when needed. Factor in the value of beneficial insects (pollinators
and predators) for crop yields when deciding whether or not to spray for
pests.
Do not spray while crops are in bloom. Apply during bud stage or after
petal drop.
Identify other blooms. Look for weeds or other plants that might be
blooming and attractive to bees, even if the crop being sprayed is not in
bloom.
What bees like:
Bee balm
Borage
Catnip
Cilantro
Fennel
Lavender
Mints
Rosemary
Sage thyme
Blueberry
Sunflowers
Clover
Asters
Summer Issue
Page 5
Apply when bees are not active. Bees fly from roughly 8 AM to 5 PM
when temperatures are above 55ºF–60ºF. Early evening is the best time
for pesticide application.
What you can do!!
Do not contaminate water. Bees use water to cool the hive and feed
brood.
Use less toxic compounds. Products hazardous to honeybees must say so
on the label.
Use less toxic formulations. Microcapsules, dusts, wettable powders, and
ULVs are more hazardous than liquids and emulsifiable concentrates.
Plant native flowering
plants with a variety of
colors and shapes.
Choose plants that
flower at different
times providing nectar
and pollen sources
throughout the growing
season.
Source: M. Sanford, Protecting Honey Bees from Pesticides(CIR534), Entomology and Nematology Department . University of Florida.
Visit the website for more information on what you can do to protect pollinators
http://www.fws.gov/Pollinators/PollinatorPages/YourHelp.html#garden
Bee safety
Stay safe!
It’s no fun being stung by bees or wasps. Here are some ways to stay safe:
• Stay away from bee nests, which might be found in woodpiles, old tires, sheds, garages,
decks, cans, or boxes.
• Listen for buzzing. If you hear it, slowly walk away.
• If you find yourself near bees, move slowly. Don’t wave your arms and
leap around. The bees may think you are an enemy and try to sting.
• If a bee lands on you, stand still and let it fly away on its own. Don’t
try to swat it away.
• Don’t bother single bees. They are usually out flying from flower to
flower and won’t sting if you leave them alone.
• Avoid a swarm of bees. Bees swarm in large numbers to make nests,
not to attack people. Just walk slowly away if you see a swarm.
• Remember: bees won’t sting you if you leave them alone!
Source: San Diego Zoo
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MANHATTAN COMMUNITY GARDENS
Plot maintenance
This is the time of the year that growth in your plot is most active. It is
not just your carefully planted plants that are growing, but also weeds
and grass.
We ask that you try your best to keep your plot well maintained—if you
have having problems or need assistance please let us know by contacting the board members or by email to communitygarden@tryufm.org.
Keep all plant debris within your plot area, not on the pathways or
driveways. The area immediately adjacent to your plot should also be
cleared from grass and weeds. The mowers try to avoid coming too close
to plots to avoid destroying plants!!
We appreciate your collaboration!!
Long Range Committee Planning Update
In response to the addition of Collins Lane to the Manhattan Community Gardens, a Long
Range Planning Committee was established by the Community Gardens Board. The committee is charged with the development of ideas related to garden development. The kick off meeting of the committee was on May 13, 2013. It will be meeting once a month and hopes to have
a report ready by the end of the fall 2013. The committee will break into two groups.
One group will work on the development of ideas and processes for additions to Collins Lane.
This will include a schedule for the addition of new plots, adding of garden activities (e.g., bee
hives, playgrounds, orchards, etc.), and needed “structures” as the garden grows (e.g., tool
sheds, parking, additional wells, etc.).
The second group will work on the development of needed changes to the management and
structure of the gardens. This will include: needed changes in fee structures; need to hire help
to maintain the gardens; and any changes to the board’s structure.
The next meeting of the Committee is June 3, 2013.
Ron Downey
Summer Issue
Page 7
Organic Gardening
Dr. Rhonda Janke, Extension Specialist K-State Horticulture, Forestry and
Recreation Resources, will be at the gardens to check on our organic
plots. We will do some insect identification and discuss control methods.
We will meet at the Riley Lane gardens at 9am, Saturday July 13th.
Bees choose hexagons— Always Hexagons!!
Why is every cell in a honeycomb a hexagon?
A honeycomb is a mass of hexagonal wax cells that stores honey. The method of
constructing a honeycomb involves thousands of bee hours and flights to collect
nectar from flowers. All bees work collectively and constantly on the honeycomb,
all cells fit tightly with other cells and are exactly the same shape and size.
All shapes that would leave a gap between the units would require extra wax and
therefore extra work for the honey bees. There are only three geometrical shapes
with equal sides that can fit together without leaving gaps: equilateral triangles,
squares and hexagons.
The first record of the “honeycomb conjecture” which tries to explain the bee’s
preference to the hexagon was given by a Roman scholar and writer, Marcus Terentius Varro around 36 B.C. In his book on agriculture, Varro proposed the conjecture, which states that the hexagonal grid or honeycomb is the best way to divide a surface into regions of equal area with the least total perimeter.
In 1999, Thomas C. Hales – a mathematician proved Varro was correct. In his
article the “The honeycomb conjecture”, Hales shows a series of mathematical
equations and theorems that “gives proof of the classical honeycomb conjecture”.
A honeycomb made of hexagons is more compact. And compactness does matter
- less wax is needed for construction. As for as bees are concerned, wax is expensive. A bee needs to consume about 8oz of honey to produce 1oz of wax!!
Sources
http://www.npr.org—Robert Krulwicht
Hales, T. C. "The Hexagonal Honeycomb Conjec-
[The honeycomb is]
absolutely perfect in
economizing labor
and wax.
Charles Darwin.
J UNE 2013
Manhattan Community Gardens
c/o UFM
1221 Thurston
Street
WWW. TRYUFM. ORG/
COMMUNITY_ GARDEN. HTM
News from the Gardens
The gardens are almost full!!
Our records show we have a total of 183 gardeners!! Taking full advantage of about 280 plots.
We also have a few organizations that are either continuing their membership or have just started with the
gardens:

Big Lakes Developmental Center

Boy’s & Girls Club

First United Methodist Church

Men’s Garden Club

Cultural Enrichment Academy-Preschool
We have also started a new ‘Raised Bed Project’ to provide gardening experience to those with physical disabilities. Ron Downey and J David Mattox are coordinating this project, with Jeanne Lake and Anita Carroll.
In addition, a number of gardeners donate their crop to the Flint Hills Breadbasket, helping minimized
hunger in our community.