How big do my brasicas need to be in order to be transplated into the beds? I have several bs, kale, brocolli, caul babies that are getting leggy, and I'm wondering if they can be planted outside yet. They are about 2-3" tall, with several leaves, and while I'd like to send them on their way, I'd prefer to NOT send them to seedling heaven!
Brasicaa plant out...
Advice for my area is May 1st when 4-5 inches tall.
So, I would think you are pretty clear to do it anytime if your snow has been gone a while.
Our snow just left and my beds are frozen about 5 inches down. But I did plant out lettuce. ;)
hank you for your response. My lettuce and peas are out - the beans are beginning to pop up everywhere! Radishes and onions are going gang-busters, turnip seeds are in the ground. I've NEVER had any luck with the cole crops, tho, and would really like to get it right - at leat once!
Well, I would say if your beans can come up then you can put out the coles! Maybe you could go for a fall crop and start seeds now for that.
I think this would be way early for a fall crop. (Besides,unlike our neighbors to the south, I am usually well done with the work of the garden by October and looking forward to a break. It takes until around February before about all of the work involved and remember only the end prodyct! THAT gets me to start foaming at the bit again.)
Sequee,
I grew cole crops (in the SOUTH) for the first time this past fall, with GREAT success, although I did plant almost 1-1/2 months behind everyone else here in Houston (my timing was off, too!). I planted seedlings (purchased) the week of Thanksgiving break. Everyone else started planting out by the 1st week of October, so I was still waiting on teenage fruit in Jan-Feb when they were harvesting full-grown mature fruit. But, I did A-OK!
Here's what I learned, that may help you. The greens (collards, mustards, turnips and beets) absolutely LOVE the cold weather. However, the mustards and cauliflower can't dip as low below 40 degrees as all the others can, without some suffering. My collards, cabbages (two), mustards, and broccoli didn't even flinch at 40 degrees. In fact, that was a breeze for them. We had only a couple or three nights that dipped to around 35, and they still did fine, although these weren't sustained temps. Just a few hours late into the night. The cauliflower can tolerate the 40's, but because of all the greenery (for almost the full 55 days before it made a crown), it didn't like such low temps as 35, so protect the mustards and cauliflower leaves below 35 degrees.
You can harvest mustards & collards just about every 5-6 weeks. We ate them for Christmas Dinner (cut down to a few leaves the evening before); We ate them again for New Year's Dinner (cut down that morning); We ate them again 5 weeks later. And I had one more harvest before my mustards bolted and gave out (it got too hot). The collards are STILL going, and will continue until it gets too hot.
THIN, THIN, THIN, THOSE BEETS AND TURNIPS OR THEY WON'T DEVELOP PROPERLY! ('nuff said?)
Use a SALT BRINE to clean your greens in 10 minutes! Farmerdill taught me this one, and it is priceless! I used two sterilite tubs (18 gallons?) Filled one completely (the rinse water) and the other only half filled. In the half container, dissolve enough boxes of table salt to float an egg (or at least make it bob up and down). As you cut the leaves mash 'em to the bottom of the salt brine container. Note: mustards are more tender than your collards and shouldn't be left soaking in the salt brine. it will actually begin to "cook" them! Collards are tough, and can be left for 5 minutes or so. So, do all your collards together and then do your mustards. Swish the leaves in the brine then turn them onto your grass (um, you're doing this outside), and hit the back spine with your water hose to knock off any aphid or buggies. Then mash the leaves down to the bottom of your rinse water container (fresh water). Voila!
I cleaned a whole batch in about 20 minutes.
LMK.
Lots of info, thanks!
I waited too long one year and all I got were buttons. Farmerdill explained it somewhere on DG. I think if they get rootbound in the pot then they are transplanted you will get a nice plant but only button heads of broccoli.
Someone can correct me if I don't have that explanation exactly right.
How is your thyme plant doing?
Cole crops are tough. I have had broccoli and cabbage out in zone 4 since March 17. The wall of waters have had ice in them but the plants are fine. Next week they come off and go on something more tender.
I set mine out today - broccoli and cabbage.
DOA!
DOA? You mean they croaked? Bummer.
I'm responding to Kim's question.
NO! say it isn't so! It froze? Girl, you weren't meant to have thyme:)
LOL - no, they didn't freeze - someone forgot to water them! I did use them dried for yesterday's stuffing, though. (Hmmm - 3 dollars for 1 batch of stuffing for a 6 pound turkey breast! That might just be slightly higher that the store bought!)
Yes, I am definitely a thyme loser!
Kale is extremely hardy. It was the traditional green winter vegetable in the Scottish Highlands, where winter temperatures can be many degrees below zero. It doesn't like warm conditions. There are many varieties of cabbage and of cauliflower, of differing degrees of hardiness. Brussels sprouts and savoy cabbages are also very hardy. In England (where I spent the first seventy years of my life) sprouting broccoli stands through the winter to produce its flowering spears in April. It's difficult to generalise about brassicas; because within each species are varieties with different characteristics.
patgeorge,
How do you fix your kale? I am always interested in new dishes.
Anyone else for that matter, if you have found a different way to fix any of this group of veggies, I would like to know. I seem to have them coming out of my garden at the same time and would like some new ways to eat them before I put them in the freezer.
Something different. Not for everyone. I have had young tender kale leaves spritzed with a tamari/soy sauce and baked in an oven until crisp. They were presented to me as better than potato chips! Well, that would be a personal observation, but they were tasty, unusual and certainly healthier than potato chips. This was quite a few years ago and I have no information about the actual "recipe" or prep directions. I would make them again if I had any kale, just for an experiment.
Sequee,
Tangental to the discussion at hand....
Have you tried thyme from seed? I've killed my share of thyme plants. I bought seed last year, planted mid-summer (which should not have worked) and got a little stand that has now over-wintered and is flourishing in what has been a very cool, damp spring for us. I have 3 or 4 small cells starting under the seedling lights, too, and they are doing well. I might actually get some thyme established, finally! If I had all the money back from all the plants I've bought and killed, I could buy a feed sack full of thyme seed. lol.
Oh, Jeff - I've tried it all. I think i must have some kind of mental block with it! (And, of course, it's my favorite herb.) I guess I will try from seed again - alot less expensive no matter you slice and dice it!
Hi there,
I live quite close to you and I planted brocolli and collards for the first time this year. I started them under lights back in February and transplanted them mid March. They seem to be unaffected by the few frosts we've had since then though they haven't grown that much.
Spring this year has been decidely un Spring like so I'm hoping for a better year than last year for the vegetables. My peas and brocolli rabe have just sprouted and my asparagus is now close to providing my first meal. I can't wait.
Ken
Yep - we're prctically neighbors!
I have onions and radishes and peas coming up gangbusters, but my lettuce just will not take off - even after a second planting. I will plant another bed tomorrow when I put out the cole crops. It is supposed to be gorgeous out for the next 2 days, so I am going to enjoy doing as much outside as possible. I'm even going to harden off a couple of tomato plants. If I can enjoy the great outdoors, so can they!!!
Rabbits into the brassicas.
I had 6 broccoli that hadn't made the garden yet along the front of the house eaten to the ground last night. Haven't seen a hare around here in years since we have a beagle and DS brought me out a rifle, but woodchucks!!!
THAT'S JUST NOT ACCEPTABLE!!!