Moxie Gardener

Last year's kale survived overwintering and is struggling to grow this spring.

Just a quick update on the kale I covered up to overwinter. I wrote about it here and again here. Then I finally conceded defeat in this post.

Was out expanding the garden today (more about that later). I happened to smell cole crops. I investigated a little further, then determined that while the kale plant I took pictures of earlier (see links, above) was indeed dead, there was another, smaller one that most definitely was not. The stems were still purple, and it looked like some new leaves were trying to unfold.

I got out my camera and took the picture above. At first I could really smell the cabbage, but then it became overcome with an onion smell, after I smashed the chives trying to get a close up of the kale.

I just may get an early spring mini-crop of kale from the lone survivor.

About the garden expansion: my son and friend today moved some of the monolithic stones that outlined my vegetable garden plot, thereby increasing its size by about one third.

(Note to all: the garden was pre-formed and outlined with monoliths when I inherited it a couple of summers ago. It hasn’t exactly been an award-winning producer, but I plan to change that this summer, providing I don’t break my arm again. But I digress.)

The garden is larger. Instead of three sides bordered with monolithic stones, there are now only two. One side borders a fence, and the other is wide open to the yard.

One of three kale plants I covered up to overwinter managed to survive into mid April.

The spinach seeds I planted a couple weeks ago in an old twelve gallon crock are germinating.

Lettuce seeds I planted last fall to overwinter came up and survived a late season snowstorm without my covering them.

I poked around the tarragon and found at least one bud at ground level trying to reach through the leaves toward the sunlight. I’ll leave the mulch of dried leaves on it until the nights reliably stay above freezing. I’d hate to have it survive winter, only to die from a late spring freeze.

I imagine the rest of my fall-sown greens will begin to germinate after we get some much needed rain.

Baby spinach leaves.

Spinach comes in three basic varieties: smooth leaves, curly leaves, or semi-curly leaves. Almost all “baby” spinach sold pre-washed and packaged in the United States is the smooth-leaved spinach. It’s not necessarily “baby” spinach; many are varieties that don’t grow any larger.

Spinach originated in the Middle East and was spread throughout the ancient world by Arab conquerors. To this day, it is still referred to as “Persian greens” in China. It became more popular in Europe after Catherine de Medici brought it with her when she married the King of France. Ever since, dishes containing spinach are known as “Florentine,” referring to her home in Florence, Italy.

Known botanically as Spinacia oleracea, spinach is a cool-weather vegetable that is fairly hardy, considering its origins near the deserts of the Middle East.

Plant spinach seeds in early spring as soon as the ground can be worked. For a continuous harvest, plant every two weeks until late spring. When hot weather arrives, spinach will bolt, sending up a seed stalk and becoming bitter. Plant again in late summer for fall harvests. For summer sowing, chill seeds in refrigerator for a week or so; you’ll get better germination rates.

Sow seeds about an inch apart in rows 12 inches apart; for intensive gardens, space seeds 2 to 3 inches apart in all directions. Thin plants so they are about four inches apart for either method. Don’t waste any spinach plants; the ones you thin out are sweet and succulent. Many mesclun mixes include spinach seeds to be harvested when immature, along with the rest of the mix.

Spinach needs a lot of moisture and a fertile, well-drained soil. They shouldn’t need any additional fertilizer unless growth is slow or if plants are a light green. In this case, side-dress with high-nitrogen fertilizer.

Spinach is also a good crop to seed in late fall for overwintering. Even if the seeds germinate before freezing weather sets in, they’ll most likely survive if you mulch them well with straw or leaves and remove as soon as weather begins to warm up in spring.

I planted spinach last fall to overwinter, and also planted seeds in an old crock earlier this spring. Due to our continued freezing temperatures, snow, and downright lack of warm spring weather, neither patch has germinated yet. I’ll let you know when they do.

As a gardener, of course, I remain ever hopeful.

Pure white parsnips are the sweetest.

Spring dug parsnips are so sweet and delicious it really is like finding buried treasure in your garden. Parsnips left in the ground over winter and dug as soon as the ground thaws in early spring are much sweeter than fall dug parsnips.

Found growing wild throughout southern Europe, they are thought to be a native of the Mediterranean region. Parsnips have been cultivated since Roman times. During the Middle Ages, German gardeners began to develop the parsnip, increasing both the size of the roots and their sugar content. At that time, parsnip puree was added to cakes, jams, and other confections as a sweetener before sugar cane arrived from the Americas.

Parsnips are a member of the Umbelliferae family, the same family as carrots and parsley. Pastinaca sativa is their Latin name. Parsnips are a hardy biennial that is grown as an annual.

Plant parsnips in rich, slightly heavy soil, although all well drained soils will produce a good crop. Amend or improve the soil the previous fall. Soil that is too rich can cause the roots to fork. Remove any stones or rocks as they can also cause forking. If your soil is on the acid side, add lime to increase its alkalinity.

Parsnips prefer full sun, but will also produce fairly well in light shade.

Plant parsnip seeds in mid to late spring. Because they generally have low to medium germination rates, plant at least three seeds per inch in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. Firm the soil over the seeds. Parsnips take about three weeks to germinate, so plant radish seeds right on top of your parsnip seeds. They will mark the row and by the time the parsnips germinate, the quick growing radishes will be almost ready to pick.

Once the parsnips are two inches high, thin to about 6 to 8 inches apart. Keep the seedlings well watered and remove weeds promptly. If cultivating with a hoe, use care near the plants so you don’t damage the developing roots. Mulch well to keep weeds from growing and to retain soil moisture.

Freezing temperatures cause the starch in parsnips to turn to sugar. You can begin to harvest parsnips in fall after a couple of weeks of near freezing temperatures. Leave the rest in the ground and mulch well before consistent freezing weather sets in. Mark their location with a stick or garden stake. When spring thaws come along, move the mulch aside and carefully dig them up.

Dig parsnips in spring before the tops start to grow or they will become bitter and woody. Leave a few growing to produce seeds. Plant seeds as soon as they mature, and by autumn you’ll have a crop of small to medium parsnips the perfect size for wintering over. Parsnips that have grown too large tend to turn woody and bitter.

Parsnip seeds are notorious for failing to germinate after only one year. If you save your home grown parsnip seeds to plant the following spring, plant about a dozen seeds for every inch of row. From that, enough should germinate to fill in the row at a final spacing of about six inches.

The best way to eat parsnips is roasted, with or without other root vegetables. Simply peel and cut all the vegetables in chunks of approximately the same size. Brush with good quality olive oil and sprinkle with kosher or sea salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven for a half an hour or until tender.

These are a hit even with people (children!) who don’t like vegetables.

Potatoes might be the oldest domesticated crop.

Potatoes are one of the oldest of all cultivated crops. It is believed that the potato originated in Chile and has been cultivated for at least 10,000 years.

It took about three decades for the potato to spread throughout Europe after the Spanish brought it back from the New World. At that time it was cultivated primarily as a curiosity by amateur botanists. This was perhaps due to its relationship to poisonous plants. It wasn’t until two hundred years later that the potato gained wide acceptance as a food crop throughout Europe and North America.

Normally you plant pieces of a potato, each with one or two eyes. Throughout the growing season you weed, fertilize, water, and harvest when the tops die down.

Digging potatoes is a fall ritual in gardens everywhere. There is another method, though, one in which you don’t plant the seed potatoes in garden soil.

Have you ever heard of growing potatoes in a trash can?

I read about this method of growing potatoes many years ago. More recently it has been the subject of speculation in at least one gardening forum.

First you cut the bottom out of a new plastic trash can. Set it on the ground and add two to three inches of compost in the bottom. Lay your seed potatoes on the compost and cover with a three inch layer of straw.

As the potatoes grow, you cover their stems with more straw. Be sure to leave the top three sets of leaves uncovered so they continue to grow. When the plants reach the top of the trash can you stop adding straw; just water and fertilize as usual.

Because a large portion of the plant is buried under several feet of straw, many potatoes are formed along the buried stems.

Harvest is easy; you simply remove the trash can and the potatoes are easily reached from the sides of the resulting cylinder of decomposed straw. Because the potatoes are not grown in soil or dug with a shovel, they have fewer cuts and bruises.

A positive side effect of this method is that the straw in the trash can breaks down and turns into rich loam during the course of the growing season. If you have an area with poor to modest soil that you want to improve, grow a trash can or two of potatoes on it. After you remove the trash cans and harvest the potatoes, rake the residual soil smooth. Then turn it under to decompose completely and enrich your new garden bed.

I’ve often wondered if you could translate this to square foot gardening and use a five gallon bucket set in a single square foot. Because of their small size, they could probably be planted with only one or two seed potatoes.

Has anyone ever tried using five gallon buckets to grow potatoes in this way?

Radishes mature faster than any garden vegetable.

Radishes are a favorite at my house. We have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner all throughout the year, but especially during gardening season.

Radishes are thought to have originated in China and moved across Asia along the spice routes. Egyptians and Greeks cultivated several varieties. By Roman times, many more varieties were cultivated that were much larger than the radishes we grow and eat today. Small radishes first appeared in written records in the 1500’s.

Known botanically as Raphanus sativus, radishes are a member of the Cruciferae family. The name Raphanus is derived from the old Sanskrit word rudhira, which means blood, obviously referring to their color.

We usually think of eating radishes raw but they are excellent cooked or stir-fried until crisp-tender. They make a good substitute for water chestnuts.

The French eat raw radishes along with olives and a glass of wine at the cocktail hour. Radishes clear your palate and make wine taste better.

Radishes grow best in cool weather during spring and fall. They mature in as little as three weeks. Plant radish seeds 1/2 inch deep and about an inch apart. Thin to about 2 inches apart. Radishes need to be watered every two or three days for best results. If radish seedlings are allowed to dry out, they will not form radish bulbs.

Because they germinate in only a day or two and mature so quickly, radishes have long been used by gardeners to “mark the row” when planting seeds that take several weeks to germinate. Plant radish seeds right along with your carrot, parsnip or parsley seeds. By the time these slow-germinating seeds come up, the radishes will be ready to harvest and have completed their job of marking where the carrots, parsnips, or parsley were planted.

It’s easy to tuck a few radish seeds here and there in your garden as space allows. It’s something I’ve done for years. During the heat of summer I tuck radish seeds in the shade of larger garden plants. I keep them well-watered and harvest promptly when they mature so they don’t get hot, bitter, and pithy.

I slice them thin and put them on buttered bread with salt and pepper for breakfast.

I eat them alongside a sandwich for lunch.

I put them in a salad or stir-fry (or both) for dinner.

I munch on them in the evening for snacks.

I grow radish sprouts in the winter and put them in salads or on sandwiches.

Can’t get enough radishes.

Pak choi at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market last fall---loves cool weather.

The only Asian vegetable I’ve ever grown is pak choi.  Love it!  It’s relatively hardy so it grows well in early spring here in Minnesota.

Pak choi loves cool weather and performs best planted in early to mid-spring for spring and early summer harvests.  Plant again in late summer for fall harvests.

Cultivated for over 6,000 years in China, pak choi is often called snow cabbage or Chinese mustard.  It is also referred to as bak choi, although several variations of spelling and scientific classification add to the confusion.  Botanically, it’s classified as Brassica rapa and divided into two groups: B. Pekinensis and B. Chinensis.

B. Pekinensis is popular in northern China.  It has broad green leaves with white stems and forms a tightly wrapped cylinder-shaped head.

More well-known in the United States, B. Chinensis is the pak choi typically found in markets here.  This variety does not form heads; smooth, dark green leaves form a cluster similar to celery or mustard greens.  B. Chinensis is also more hardy than B. Pekinensis.

Plant pak choi in relatively rich soil when it’s safe to plant spinach in your location.  Sow seeds directly in the garden where the plants are to grow.  (In my experience, pak choi does not transplant well.)  Space seeds about two inches apart in rows 18-24 inches apart.  When plants are two inches high, radically thin them out so the remaining plants stand about 14-18 inches apart.  The thinned plants are delicious added to stir-fries.

Pak choi matures in about 49 days and bolts when hot weather arrives.  This is not necessarily a bad thing.  Every year I leave a few plants to go to seed for next year’s crop.  They produce seed well—the first package I bought was the last one I bought.  I’ve produced my own seeds for over ten years from that one package.

Can’t wait to get my hands dirty!