Alien-like veggie

White/green Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is a cool weather vegetable and a member of the cabbage family. It is supposed to taste like a cross between turnips and cabbage. 

Although kohlrabi can be directly seeded, I grew mine indoors from seed in early March and then transplanted the seedlings in garden at the end of April.

I have to say, Kohlrabi is probably the oddest-looking vegetable that I have grown in my garden. It forms a swollen bulb-like base that sits just above the surface of the soil. The bulb is either white/green or purple (depending on the variety) and has several leafy stems that protrude randomly from it, giving kohlrabi an alien-like appearance.

It is best to harvest kohlrabi when it is about the size of a baseball (any larger and the bulbs will be woody and have an unpleasant taste). After weeks of watching the bulbs grow, today was the day to harvest one of the eight plants I grew.

I ventured out to the garden, knife in hand, eager to make my first kohlrabi harvest - ever. I sawed at the thick stem to no avail. In the end, I had to rock the plant back and forth to help break up the roots, then I pulled the entire plant straight out of the ground, roots and all. Now I know why kohlrabi is not a common vegetable to grow for the mass markets...it takes more effort to harvest than most vegetables!

I found a recipe for kohlrabi and apple salad on Epicurious.com that I am looking forward to trying this weekend. For now, I wrapped the entire plant in plastic wrap to help secure the leaves and to take up less room in the refrigerator. 

But now I am curious...what does purple kohlrabi taste like?

Peas, Peas, and Peas

Sugar Ann Snap Peas

There are three different types of peas: garden peas, snap peas, and snow peas. The garden pea is the typical vegetable that most people think of when you say "peas". Snap peas have plump pods with full-sized peas. They are often confused with snow peas which have flat and nearly empty pods. Unlike garden peas which require shelling, snap and snow peas can be eaten whole - pods and all.

Peas can be planted as soon as the ground can be worked in early spring (4-6 weeks before the expected last frost). Pea seeds should be directly planted in the ground to avoid damaging their delicate and shallow root system, if transplanted. In early April, I planted two 5 foot rows of Sugar Ann Snap Peas. I spaced the seeds 2 inches apart, and about 1.5 inches deep. 

Sugar Ann is a dwarf variety of snap peas that grows on vines that are a maximum of 2 feet long. Unlike other varieties, these snap peas do not require a trellis for support. However, to make it easier to harvest, I grew mine with a simple trellis made using twine that I had strung horizontally between two stakes. I spaced the twine approximately 5 inches apart vertically for a total of 4 horizontal lines of twine. 

It has been fun to watch these vining plants grow, sending their tendrils up into the air and wrapping around each other and the trellis. 

About a week ago, the snap pea plants had begun to flower. Yesterday, I noticed there was a single snap pea pod that was ready to be picked. One pod? Do I wait for more to grow or pick this one now and eat it without sharing my harvest with others? 

Since snap peas can be picked anytime after the pods form, I decided to wait one more day before picking the first fruits of my labor. 

Today I had my first harvest of snap peas! Although just three pods, it was the perfect amount. I had one for now, one for later, and one to share. Too bad they tasted so good that I ate two myself and only shared one.  

Ping-pong turnips

Hakurei turnips with white flesh

Turnips are a cool-weather crop that is surprisingly cold-hardy. Fall crops are often sweeter and provide for a longer period than spring plantings. This is because the increasing light and heat of the spring and summer triggers turnip plants to produce flowers and seeds instead of new leaves. However, it is possible to harvest sweet turnips in the spring, provided that they are planted early and harvested young (about 2-3 inches in diameter). Older turnips can get tough, pithy, and bitter. 

About 2-3 weeks before my region's last frost, I planted Hakurei turnips directly in the garden by broadcast seeding them between the Walla Walla onions I overwintered last year. This was a great success! Since turnips are fast growing, their dense foliage helped to shade out weeds that would have sprouted up between the onions.

Today I harvested the first batch of spring sown Hakurei turnips. These turnips resemble ping-pong balls. How fun!

Since both the root and leaves are edible, I am on a search for a new tasty recipe to make with the roots and leaves that does not involve bacon grease!

Black gold

I have been busy the last few weeks. I have looking for materials to make "black gold". Black gold is simply compost. Gardeners refer to compost as black gold because it is the best nutrient-rich organic soil amendment one could add to the garden. Plus, it is inexpensive. Compost is made from materials that would have normally been discarded. 

Compost helps to improve plant growth by amending the structure of soil. It helps to break up heavy clay soils and adds water holding capacity to sandy soils. It truly is the secret ingredient to successful gardening!

A combination of "green" and "brown" materials, moisture, and air is used by microorganisms and worms to create compost. 

• Greens = nitrogen rich materials that provide nutrients and moisture for the compost; nitrogen is used by organisms for protein production. Greens are often referred to as the "wet" component of compost.

• Examples: fruit and vegetable scraps, grass clippings, spent coffee grounds, eggshells, young weeds

• Browns = carbon rich materials absorb excess moisture, facilitate air-flow and prevent compaction of the compost; carbon is used by organisms for energy production. Browns are often referred to as the "dry" component of compost.

• Examples: brown leaves, sawdust, wood chips, paper, cardboard, newspaper, hair, nail clippings, drier lint

Compost bin with fresh materials
for the microbes and worms

To make a compost pile, it is best use a combination of materials that are shredded or chopped up. This makes it easier for microorganisms and worms to feed on the materials, which in turn breaks these materials down faster.

However, just because it was once living or came from a living being, does not mean it should go into a compost pile. Avoid raw and cooked meats, fats, oils, milk, cheese, manures, weeds with flowers/seeds, pesticide treated plants and grasses or you risk inviting creatures to dinner, a foul rotten smell, and killing off the good organism responsible for making compost.

All organic (living) matter is made up of a substantial amount of carbon and a small amount of nitrogen. To make compost, the system has to have the right balance of browns (carbon) and greens (nitrogen). Ideally, a 30:1 ratio of carbon to nitrogen results in a fertile, sweet smelling compost. For the home gardener, trying to figure out how to get to this ratio is more complicated that it needs to be.

Chance of frost

It is mid-May and well past the time for the last chance of frost for my area. But, this morning I woke up to hear the bad news on the radio: "frost advisory for tonight...temperatures in the low 30's". ARGH! Not the weather I want to hear, especially after just giving away all my extra plants. 

Nonetheless, there is a lesson to be learned here...

In the spring and fall, it pays to keep any eye on the nighttime temperature forecast. By monitoring temperatures at the beginning and end of the gardening season, you will have a chance to protect temperature sensitive plants and vegetables from frost.

Plants are classified according to the minimum temperature they can tolerate:

• Hardy - plants that can withstand a hard frost
• Examples: broccoli, cabbage, garlic, peas, radish, turnips 

• Semi-hardy - plants that can withstand a light frost
• Examples: beets, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, parsley, potatoes

• Tender - plants that can be killed or injured by a light frost
• Examples: beans, corn, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes

• Very tender - plants that cannot tolerate cold weather or soil
• Examples: eggplant, peppers, watermelon

A light frost occurs at temperatures between 28-32oF. A hard frost occurs at temperatures below 28oF. 

Luckily the temperatures for tonight are not expected to dip below 32oF, so a "light frost" is probably the worst that can happen. 

Tomato plants all warm and cozy (hopefully)

I have taken a couple of measures to help prevent frost damage. This evening, I watered the soil thoroughly to help insulate the hardy and semi-hardy vegetables from frost. Wet soil holds heat better than dry soil, thereby protecting roots and warming air near the soil. 

For the tender vegetables, I covered the plants with a lightweight garden fabric. The idea is to create a tunnel to trap heat that is radiating from the ground. It is important to remember to remove the covers the next day to allow the sun to warm the soil and to prevent the temperatures under the "blanket" from getting too hot.

Luckily I haven't planted the very tender vegetables in the garden yet. I would have covered very tender plants with a double layer of a lightweight garden fabric (or a single layer of medium-weight fabric) or used plastic sheeting to create a mini-greenhouse.  

Alas, we are at the mercy of the mother nature. Whatever happens, happens.

Tonight I will also cover up to keep warm and cross my fingers and toes that the weatherman got the weather all wrong...again.  

Cut and come again lettuce

Lettuce is a cool weather vegetable that thrives when the average daily temperature is between 55-75oF. Since lettuce will "bolt" at high temperatures, it is best to plant lettuce in the spring and fall planting in the mid-atlantic region. 

In my garden, I only grow leaf lettuce. Not only is leaf lettuce is easier to grow than head-lettuce, I find the taste, texture, and variety of colors to be superior for making salads. 

Since leaf lettuce grows as individual leaves from the crown, leaf lettuce is said to be "cut and come again" lettuce. Although leaf lettuce can be harvest at any time, I tend to wait until a large mound of leaves have formed before making my first harvest. 

Lettuce interplanted between garlic

When it is time, I harvest the whole plant by cutting the leaves 1-2 inches above the crown. Harvesting in this manner encourages a flush of new growth. I can usually get two harvests from each lettuce plant before the heat of summer arrives. It is sort of like a buy one, get one free sale. I love the bonus! 

I select every other plant for harvest to give the remaining plants more space for growth.  

I started leaf lettuce (Black Seeded Simpson, Lolla Rossa, and Arugula) from seeds in early March and transplanted the seedlings outdoors in mid-April. I planted the lettuce seedlings in between the garlic that I planted in the fall. This worked out well to help shade out the weeds and conserve precious garden real-estate.

In my garden, lettuce is ready (shhhh, don't tell the rabbits)! Today, I harvested enough lettuce to use for the next 3 days for lunch and dinner. I then spent the afternoon (slight exaggeration) washing, rewashing, and washing again the lettuce. This is by far the worst part about growing lettuce in a home garden. Thank goodness for salad spinners!

Having to wash the lettuce 5-6 times to remove all the dirt, sand, and "extra" protein (slugs and bugs) from the crinkly leaves is the small price to pay for fresh produce.

Addicted to gardening

Cherry Belle radishes
1st harvest of 2013 gardening season

It was a gorgeous weekend. Temperatures were in the upper 60's, there was a light breeze, and SUNSHINE! I am loving it. 

To celebrate, I just about spent the entire weekend gardening (6 hours on Saturday and 8 hours on Sunday). I bounced from vegetable gardening to flower gardening throughout the weekend. Ryan thinks I am addicted to gardening....maybe I am. 

I do enjoy gardening, especially when the weather is nice. I am trying to get the gardens in shape before it gets too hot outside and the weeds take over. We made lots of progress in the garden this weekend. Here is what I did in the vegetable beds:  

I transplanted the remaining tomato plants, including four varieties of cherry tomatoes (Sun Gold, Sweet 100, Yellow Pear, and White Cherry). Learning from last year, I reduced the number of plants in each bed (two per variety) and centered each tomato in a support cage at the time of transplanting. No more lost fruits from struggling to place the cages around a large plant. By reducing the number of tomato plants I am growing this year, I am able to give away a number of "extra" plants to friends, neighbors, and co-workers. This makes me happy to share what I have, but it is sad to let them go. Call me selfish if you will, but I did pick the "best" of the bunch.  ;)

This year, I am trying a different transplanting technique on the tomatoes - trenching. 

 

Trenched tomato plant

The majority of the tomatoes I am growing this year are indeterminate. Meaning they will continue to grow and produce fruits until they are killed by frost in the fall. These plants will get HUGE! While the plants are staked and caged to help contain the monstrosity they will become, a few strong gusts of wind can pull the entire plant (roots and all) out of the ground. 

To help prevent that from happening, this year, I decided to try planting the tomatoes sideways instead of upright. To do this, I snapped off all but the upper leaves of the tomato plant. I then made a trench in the soil and added a handful of medium-to-fine crushed eggshells prior to laying the tomato plant in the trench on its side. I gently bent the plant stem up and then buried the roots and the majority of the stem with soil. Just the upper leaves remained above the soil. Roots will form all along the stems of the tomato plant, thereby developing a stronger root system (and hopefully preventing the wind from pull the plants out of the ground). Let's see if this works. 

Now that the tomato plants are off the deck, I have room for the pepper plants. Today I started the hardening off process for the pepper plants. First, I potted up the pepper plants into larger containers, added some fresh potting soil, and then gave them a good watering. I set the pepper plants in the sun for 20 minutes before moving them to the shade. It is still too cold at night for the pepper plants, so I will bring them in at night and set them back out in the morning. When I am at work, I will keep the peppers in the shade to get filtered sunlight and in the evening, I will place the plants in the sun for about an hour before bringing them back in the house for the night. I will probably transplant the peppers into the garden in 2-3 weeks, when the nighttime temperatures are in mid-50's.

This is going to be a good year for gardening.  

:)