Some of my Kale plants look like this…
And they should really look more like this…
Why? because they’ve bolted (or run to seed). Running to seed is when the plant flowers and produces seed prematurely. The reason most planst run to seed is either increasingly warm weather (Lettuce doesn’t like hot weather) or increased light levels (sometimes Spinach, Cabbage and Kales will bolt in early Spring). A few plants will also run to seed if they are short on water and they become stressed (Rocket, or Arugula as it’s called in the States).
One thing is certain; once a plants starts to bolt there’s no stopping it. Lettuce and the like will become inedible. Anyone who has ever eaten a leaf from a bolting lettuce will tell you - it ain’t nice. While the flavour of Spinach and Kale will remain largely unchanged, so you can strip the plant and then compost it.
What I can’t understand (and help me out here if you know why) is that some of my Kale plants have bolted and others haven’t. I’ve treated them the same way, watered them at the same time and they even came from the same seed packet.
Is it really just pot luck? Still, the flowers are pretty and I think I’ll leave the plant in the ground for now - if only for it’s decorative value.
This is the first real harvest of the year (if you only count seed that was sown this season).
What more can be said - growing, harvesting, and eating, that’s what it’s all about right?
Anyone else harvesting from this year’s sowings yet?.
Last week I posted a list of what I had sown up to now this year. I mentioned in that post that I was ‘giving my Tomatoes the four-star treament’. James then e-mailed me and asked, ‘in reference to your Tomatoes, what is the four star treatment’? So I thought I’d let you know.
Well, I don’t have a green house so the only way I can grow Tomatoes from seed is to germinate them in a heated propagator on my windowsill. Once they have germinated I take them off the heat and put them in a normal propagator (I don’t prick them out, just lift the whole tray out).
Then I grow them on on the windowsill. However, my windows don’t get that much sunlight and so I move the plants outdoors every morning and bring them in every evening in order to give them enough sunlight. I’ll do this until they are ready to go into individual pots. Then I’ll start to harden them off in the coldframe.
Did I say four-star, that should have been five-star! In short, it’s a lot of work. But it’s the only way I know to get some seedlings of the super-duper blight resistant variety, Ferline (apparently Legend and Fantasio are quite good too). I haven’t seen any shops selling the seedlings. Please let me know if you have because I’m in the market to buy!
Okay so here’s a question. Imagine, if you will, that you were only allowed to grow one type of vegetable. I don’t know, say there was some law that forbade it. Which one would you choose? And why?
For me it would have to be Sweetcorn. The difference in taste between shop bought Sweetcorn and home grown Sweetcorn is phenomenal. For that reason alone I would happily plant up the whole of mtp in Sweetcorn and sit on my deck to watch it blowing in the wind. It would be like having my own Maze field. Hmm… maybe next year?
So come one, humour me. What would you grow? These are the things I think about when I’m home all week with a sick child.
I love Spring - everything is so new, green and full of promise. Apart from Christmas it’s my favourite time of year.
The Cabbages that I transplanted a couple of weeks ago are coming on a treat and are ready to be planted out in the garden. I made sure to dig in some lime before I planted them and firmed them in nice and snug - Brassicas like to have their roots tucked in.
I’m a sucker for a neat row and decided to make a little Cabbage patch over near the Peas. At this time of year your plan is starting to take shape and it’s a great time to make those last minute changes to it before your beds start getting filled up. Before you know it you’ll be wondering where on earth you will put that Courgette plant or row of lettuce.
Here at mtp I’ve been busy sowing and planting. Now that the nights are light I find that I can get a lot done in the hour between bath time and when it gets dark. Here’s what’s in already:
- Peas - check
- Potatoes - in, last week
- Radish - sown (two rows)
- Early Carrots - in, one sowing under the cloche, two sowings in the ground
- Parsnip - one outdoor sowing
- Spring Onions - in, but not up yet
- Rocket - in, and up
- Broccoli - sown in coldframe
- Perpetual Spinach - ditto
- Sweet Peas - four varieties sown in coldframe
- Dwarf Sunflowers - sown in coldframe
- Leeks - just pushing up in coldframe
- Lettuce - check, check, check - early sowing in the coldframe, plus outdoor sowings last week
- Broadbeans - 2 inches tall
- Cabbage (summer) - seedlings transplanted
- Onions - check
- Shallots - check
- Garlic - in and growing well
- Tomatoes - Super blight-resistant variety (Ferline) sown, currently getting the 4-star treatment indoors
Currently harvesting:
- Rhubarb
- Kale
- New Zealand Spinach
- Perpetual Spinach
- Herbs
- Tulips
So that’s the view from mtp. Anyone else sowing anything else? I don’t like Beetroot, Sprouts and Celery so that’s why they’re missing from my list, but I’d love to know if anyone is having success with other stuff right now. Always room for one more as they say!
