MAX FACTS
growing tips, news and trivia
The California Strawberry Commission has released its first-ever
statewide economic report detailing the $3.4 billion in economic
contributions that strawberry farming makes to the state. With
the best climate in the world for sustainably growing strawberries,
California continues to lead the United States and the world in
strawberry production. California strawberry farmers are responsible
for growing nearly 90% of US strawberries. The state’s 400 family-owned
strawberry farms generate an estimated 70,000 farm jobs while growing
strawberries on less than 40,000 acres—less than 1% of all California farmland.
(Source: californiastrawberries.com)
Gardens of Monticello
The Gardens of Monticello were gardens first designed by Thomas Jefferson for his plantation Monticello near
Charlottesville, Virginia. Jefferson first toured English gardens in 1786 and grew especially fond of the naturalistic
gardens he observed, compared to the more formal Parisian gardens. These English gardens influenced Jefferson’s
design of his own garden. Jefferson’s detailed historical accounts of his 5,000 acres provide much information
about the ever-changing contents of the gardens. The areas included a flower garden, a fruit orchard and a
vegetable garden. Jefferson, a connoisseur of trees, flowers and gardening techniques, was highly interested
in experimental planting and directed the design of the gardens, which contained many exotic seeds and
plants from his travels abroad. The gardens declined after Jefferson’s death in 1826, when his estate was
encu mbered with debt. Since 1938, when the Thomas Jefferson Foundation invited its participation, the
Garden Club of Virginia has worked to restore and maintain the gardens with historical accuracy.
(Source: en.wikipedia.org)
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Maximum Yield USA | May 2014
Credit: Spirit of America
shutterstock.com
Sustainable California Strawberries