I have to pick my lettuce and spinach today. I don't want to, but if I don't do it soon I'm afraid they will bolt. I'm a little disappointed because typically we should still have several weeks left for growing cool weather fall and spring crops - vegetables such as broccoli, lettuces, cabbage, beets, spinach, cauliflower and snow peas, to name just a few of my favorites. Unfortunately we're having an unusually hot spring. Temperatures are as much as 20 degrees warmer than average for this time of the year, which will cause my cool weather crops to throw up flowers prematurely and bolt. Bolting produces such a bitter taste that the plant is no longer pleasingly edible. It's quite disheartening to know that my broccoli will not grow to fruition (I was late planting anyway and we did have two nights of temps in the teens that hit them hard) - I had hopes that I might manage to have some curds to eat. (Yes, that's what they're called - the edible broccoli head - I looked it up )
I'll leave the cabbage and broccoli in the ground for now and see what happens. I'm an optimist after all.
Yes Marcy - I had to pick ours too. . . not nearly as good when picked in hot weather. . . some was a little bitter. But all is not lost. . . I now have all kinds of peppers in their places!
ReplyDeleteAm so enjoying your blog!
I am, too... and I'm wondering how it's working with all the old seeds you decided to plant. Are they producing anything? I have a bunch of old seeds I would like to plant, too, but I'm waiting to see if it works at all for you. :)
ReplyDeleteHa! Ha! Well... remember the day I was so rudely interrupted by the sounds of new baby cries? I haven't been able to get back to the planting table since. And the packages of peppers I did plant may be questionable. You see, when I got back from baby goat and new mama duties, the chickens had taken an interest in my planting experiment too
ReplyDeleteand had upset quite a few of the cups. Whether they ate the seeds or not may be a mystery - unless, of course, they germinate. Thus it is in the HOMESTEAD LIFE.
(But I will let you know if they germinate and if I get back to planting - I may have to break down and buy some transplants ;)... As with many things, "I'm running a little late."
Marcy, :) I just got some boards put in so now I have some
ReplyDelete"raised beds" which are full of weeds at the moment (and a few rose bushes). I need some of that "future compost" your horses are producing and some good garden soil, and then I will try planting my seeds, too. :) I hope your chickens made some delicious eggs out of the pepper seeds. :)
Instead of tilling up the soil in your raised bed, cut a piece of landscape fabric a bit larger than your square and lay it inside your frame. then dump your compost right on top. Instant garden!
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