April's Yields - A Veggie Update Part 3

Lots of growth and more produce from the Springtime garden.

clockwise: Broccoli, Purple Carnival Pepper, Tomato, Hot Banana Pepper, Cauliflower, Spinach, Radish, Blue Lake Pole Beans.

See my previous blog:

March's Yields - A Veggie Update Part 2

What's done in my garden: Spinach, Lettuces, Arugula, Cauliflower, "Early Girl" "Solar Fire" and so-called "Heatwave" Tomatoes....really..I won't bother with either of those 3 varieties again.

What's ongoing and thriving:

Onion slips planted in November are filling out.

Back in November, when the daytime temperatures were between 75 to 79 F, I planted slips of onions and cauliflower transplants. In January I planted cabbages which are still maturing.

March Onions

Onions take "forever" to form mature bulbs, I'll probably harvest them in May...or maybe even June the rate they're growing! Onions like lots of water, so I have had to water them a lot as rainfall has been light this winter....doesn't look like much progress at the moment, does it? But all of a sudden they will form bulbs..although nothing as spectacular as a Vidalia.

April Onions

Cauliflowers are done. It has been such a warm "winter." If I had planted more (as transplants in December and January) I might still be harvesting them to (maybe) the end of April. I tied off the Cauliflowers with their own leaves - "blanching" - to keep the heads white, Cauliflowers have very shallow roots, so they don't need a deep space to thrive in....but like the onions they also need a lot of water, so they share the same veggie bed as the onions. I can't recommend growing this enough. Home grown Cauli is just awesome! You can break off the florets and eat them raw with a ranch dip - or blue cheese - very healthy!

March and April Cauliflower "White Cloud"

Cabbages:

March Cabbages

April Cabbages

As you can see the Cabbages have spread out and bare compost-earth is no longer visible. I hope they don't all bolt before I can harvest them. Cabbage, Broccoli, and Cauliflower seedlings prefer temperatures below 75 degrees Fahrenheit. In Zone 10 we are already in the mid 80's.

Broccoli:

Packman: After we harvested the main heads, we have been able to harvest broccoli shoots every day for over 2 months now and allow me to give you a word of advice. When the little broccoli shoots get smaller and smaller, give the plant a really good haircut - maybe a 1/4 off the whole plant. It will spring right back- really it will! I let a few buds mature into flowers because the hummers and those cute-little-green-bees can't get enough of the yellow flowers.

Give that Broccoli a Haircut.....please!

I have a second planting in place (Waltham) and they are maturing nicely, so we will enjoy home grown Broccoli into late May.

Carrots:

Danvers

Danvers carrots are a teeny bit crowded, but our Cockateil loves to eat the nutritious shoots, so when I thin them out "Sunday" gets a treat.

Tomatoes:

April 11th 2013

For years I have vacillated between growing tomatoes in the ground, and growing tomatoes in large pots. This is the pot that has a small, sunken pot in the middle in which I put the hose to water both the tomato and the nasturtiums.

Same potted Tomato: March 29th 2013

The potted tomato is three times larger than a transplant planted at the same time in one of the vegetable beds in the garden.

Pineapple:

The pineapple is coming along. Homegrown pineapple is so much juicier than those bought in the store.

March's Yields - A Veggie Update Part 2

As a follow up to my previous blog:
March's Yields - A Veggie Update Part 1

After much consideration this is what I eventually planted in the empty raised veggie border- top left.

Back in November, when the daytime temperatures were between 75 to 79 F, I planted slips of onions and cauliflower transplants. In January I planted cabbages which are still maturing. Now it's beginning to warm up again the cauliflowers are almost done.

From the Far End, Cauliflowers, Cabbages and Onions, along with a lone Tomato.

Onions

Onions take "forever" to mature-form bulbs, I'll probably harvest them in May, I just have to be patient.......tick tock.....

Cauliflower "White Cloud"

I tied off the Cauliflowers with their own leaves - "blanching" - to keep the heads white, otherwise they discolor and seem visually unappetizing to eat. Cauliflowers have very shallow roots, they don't need a big space to thrive in....but they do like lots of water.

If you want to try Blanching......as soon as the head starts to show through the leaves, gather the outer leaves to cover the head and secure with string, twine or an elastic band.

Zone 10 you are probably too late to put Cauliflowers in even as transplants they prefer temperatures under 75 degrees F. Ditto for Cabbages.

A Blanched Cauliflower..but not quite perfect

Compare Unblanched on left with Blanched on Right

Cabbages:

Cabbages

I don't recall the type of cabbage I planted, and I'm hoping they don't all bolt at once now the weather is warming up rapidly.

Northern Florida: You might still have time regarding Cauliflower, and Cabbages.

A stray tomato seed took root in among the onions, and I didn't have the heart to pull it out. I had read that you are not supposed to plant tomatoes with onions, but so far both onions and tomato plant are thriving. Truth is the "tomato - not - supposed - to - be - growing - with - the onions" is actually doing better than the other tomatoes. When the cabbages are done, I might put Squash in this planter box.

Elsewhere in the garden I am trying to grow some strawberries. I never seem to get to them before the birds and squirrels. Currently I am nursing one litl' flower and check on it every day!

One Little Strawberry Flower

Next up: Zone 10 You Still Have Time To Get These Veggies in!