Columbus was garden importer-exporter
Columbus Day is Monday, a special opportunity in elementary schools to discuss the travels of Christopher Columbus to the New World. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared Columbus Day a federal holiday in the United States, and in 1971, President Richard Nixon declared every second Monday in October as Columbus Day.
Remember the rhyme, "In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue"? That was the year Columbus made his first of four voyages in an effort to find a western route to Asia from Europe. Portugal and Spain both desired spices and silk from Asia but couldn’t travel eastward to Asia because Muslim nations had the land route blocked. Traveling around the tip of Africa to reach Asia was long and treacherous,
finding a western route was a top priority.
Columbus, born in Genoa, Italy, spent his youth learning map-making and sailing on commercial vessels. Upon hearing the need for a new route to Asia, Columbus went to the ruler of Portugal and asked for money to fund an exploratory trip to find a western route. Portugal denied him financial help, so he traveled to Spain and met with Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. He described his wish to find a new route to Asia and was again denied funding.
Being a persistent fellow, he continued discussing this venture with the queen and king for seven years. Finally, he was given funds to purchase three sailing ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. As part of the bargain, he was named Admiral of the Ocean Sea.
With his fancy title and three ships, Admiral Columbus headed west. They landed first in the Canary Islands before heading into uncharted waters. On Oct. 12, 1492, his crew sighted an island, which he named San Salvador. The natives living on the island were named "Indians” because Columbus thought he was in the Indies. Actually, he had landed in the Bahamas.
He sailed on and landed in Hispaniola, still believing he was in Asia. While in Hispaniola, the Santa Maria ran aground and sank. This meant some of his crew had to stay on the island while the rest sailed back to Spain on the two remaining ships.
He made two more voyages, funded by Spain, to the New World hoping to find gold and riches. However, this never happened.
Columbus made his fourth and final voyage in 1502, with four ships. This voyage was unproductive and ended with Columbus and his damaged ships being stranded on Jamaica for two years. In 1504, he finally returned to Spain.
The remainder of his life was spent trying to convince the rulers of Spain to compensate him for his efforts. He never was reimbursed and died in 1506, still believing he had reached Asia.
What Columbus was unaware of was the enormous contribution his voyages would have in exchanging plants and animals between the Old World of Europe and the New World of the Americas. This exchange has been termed the "Columbian Exchange.”
The "Indians” on San Salvador exchanged gold, parrots, cotton thread, pumpkins, corn and pineapples for red caps and strings of beads. A few more of the plants brought back from the New World to Europe were tomatoes, chili peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, kidney beans, squash, tapioca, cocoa, avocados and cotton.
An important plant brought back from the New World was the tobacco plant. Smoking quickly became a favorite pastime of Spaniards, and Spain exported tobacco to all parts of Europe, having a monopoly on its production until 1619. Allspice and pepper were also brought back. The lack of refrigeration made pepper valuable as a preservative for meat, as well as a great flavoring spice.
In return, as ships arrived from the Old World, the New World was introduced to wheat, rye, barley, millet, and oats. Lemons and oranges also found new homes in the Americas. Columbus even introduced sugar cane during his second voyage. Other plants introduced from Europe were bananas, cantaloupes, cherries, peaches, onions, peas, leeks, radishes, coffee, rice, turnips, lettuce, cabbages, lilacs, pears, carnations, olives, and tulips.
Thus, on Columbus Day, we can celebrate not only the discovering of the Americas but also the discovering of a variety of plants which have become important crops integral to our food supply. Happy Columbus Day, Oct. 12!
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Now that Yuma’s gardening season has arrived and cooler weather inspires everyone to be outdoors enjoying our beautiful fall weather, it’s time to join a garden club. What a great way to meet new and interesting people, learn more about gardening and flower arranging, contribute community service to Yuma, and just have fun. Yuma has four garden clubs, and if you have the time and energy, you can be a member of all four!
Yuma Garden Club is the oldest at 70 years. Check it out at gardencentral.org/azgardenclub/yuma.
Pecan Grove Garden Club is next at 60 years old. Look at gardencentral.org/azgardenclub/pecangrove.
Yuma Orchid Society focuses on learning about and growing orchids. Visit gardencentral.org/azgardenclub yumaorchidsociety.
MGM Garden Club was created to maintain the Robert J. Moody Demonstration Garden, across from the Cooperative Extension Office. Go to gardencentral.org/azgardenclub/mgmgc.
Each club’s Web site gives a calendar of events for the coming year, names of officers, activities the club participates in, and news items concerning the club and its members. They are all interesting sites and well worth viewing. Visitors are always welcome to the meetings.
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Here is an update on the Pecan Grove youth essay and poetry contests. The high school essay contest, "Respect the World Around Us," is open to ninth through 12th grade. The essay should be between 500 to 600 words, and the deadline for submission is Nov. 7.
The youth poetry contest, "Our Beautiful World," is open to kindergarten through ninth grade. The entry deadline is Oct. 26. Winners of the Yuma contests will be forwarded on to the state level.
For additional information, call Val Colvin at 783-3683, or Marlena Parrott at 726-5935.
Pecan Grove Garden Club now meets at the new Main Library, 2951 S. 21st Drive, 6:30 p.m. for refreshments and 7 p.m. for the program on the third Tuesday of each month; Yuma Garden Club meets at Sun Leisure Estates Club House, 14125 Mark Drive., 1 p.m. on the second Monday of each month, except in September when they meet the third Monday; MGM Garden Club meets at the University of Arizona cooperative extension office, 2200 W. 28th St., 10 a.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month; Orchid Society meets at Fortuna de Oro, North Frontage Road, 10 a.m. on the second Monday of each month.
A newly formed Organic Garden Club meets the first Tuesday at 1 p.m. and at 7 p.m. The 1 p.m. club is filled, but there are openings for the 7 p.m. club. For more information, call Jean Hobson at 305-9112.
Now is the time to enjoy gardening in the Southwest!
