Not much growing in the garden right now, except for maybe the kale. This week is the first time in months that the nightly low hasn't reached below 31 degrees in our area. Some of my early transplants suffered major frost damage when it got down to 25 degrees last week but I think they'll recover. I guess I'll start some more now just to be on the safe side.
Some random tidbits - Inside, the peppers and tomatoes have sprouted and the artichokes are ready for cold treatment (they'll be kept outside unless it gets below 35 degrees). I've just done a second sowing of Poblano peppers - something we didn't grow nearly enough last summer. Also, I'll have to fit in some time during the next couple of days to sow some shell and snow peas. (Finally.) I feel like they were already up and growing this time last year.
Anyway, I was able to harvest some Red Russian kale this past weekend. Something tells me these plants won't last very long as they were the first to bolt last spring.
Are you doing the artichoke cold-treatment to make it bloom this year? I actually started leaving mine out for about a month already- and I'm in NYC. They seem healthy so far. Keeping my fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteI started following your blog when I came upon it while researching how to make artichoke bloom the first year- this was a few months ago, so I figured this was a proper time to say hello. :)
I actually bought kale at the store yesterday! I wanted to make sure we like it first before planting - I feel dumb since it's a huge cash crop here and I don't plant it LOL, I'm climbing on the bandwagon I think! I think your chokes will do great! Mine were planted in the ground about 2 weeks ago, they went through a 3 day stretch of night lows in the 20's where I put a hot hat over them but I left it off when it climbed to the high 30's at night and they are looking good. That Red Russian kale is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteshl - Yes, although imperial artichokes are bred to bloom the first year, they still recommend some cold treatment. I had one that I started myself last year and 4 that I purchased from the nursery. Mine ended up produce far better then the others because of it I think.
ReplyDeleteThe kale looks wonderful. I'm putting in transplants today. I've got a lot of brassicas. Not all of them though as some will wait for another few days until they can be hardened off. I'm hoping I can have them all in by Monday.
ReplyDeleteTry adding diced butternut squash to your bread -- it’s surprisingly good. Go with one cup of diced squash (a bit less than a half pound) for a standard 3-cup loaf. Incorporate it into the dough before the first rise. Before doing this, I like to mix the diced squash with a little salt and let it sit for a while. This seasons the squash and allows it to lose excess moisture and become somewhat raisin-like.
ReplyDeleteoops, this was meant for the bread article... your kale rox too :) Did the kale grow much during the winter or just kind of stay alive?
ReplyDeleteMy White Russian kale was a great overwintered green this year. The Tuscan kale, which is my favorite, froze out. Bummer! http://www.mysuburbanhomestead.com/tale-kales/
ReplyDeleteI love overwintered kale - it is the reliable producer of early spring greens before anything else is really ready to give up a harvest. Yes they do bolt as they are older plants by definition - but they are so worth having! I harvest from the overwintered plants February - April and get the young plants going in that time frame so that they pick up right where the older plants leave off.
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