Sturdy Celtuce and beetroot seedlings ready for transplanting were started in the greenhouse and set into the cold frame for a couple of weeks to become strong enough to handle harsh spring winds, late snow and bright sunshine.

With some time on my hand after being laid off, I can take the proper amount of time to prep soil, plant and plant so many crops which in the past I had to squeeze in on a weekend. I may have over-estimated my free time however, for it’s not as if I haven’t been busy. This week we hosted the folks from Barnhaven Primroses in France and the American Primrose Society which I write about soon for a cocktail party one night and then a banquet sit down dinner on Saturday night, and then there are the garden chores. A friend of mine said something to me last week which resonated -“have you reached that point where you say to yourself – How did I ever find time for work?”. Yeah, I’ve reached that point.

Seed potatoes cannot wait – even if a party is planned for the weekend, so I had to make time to cut, air-dry and plant 6 varieties of potatoes for a project I am working on. Look at those colors! Heirloom purple, , Russian Fingerlings and new red varieties to test – I almost can’t wait until September!

A few rows of French Fingerlings should be enough for a bushel of waxy, red-skinned potatoes which can be harvested in early autumn. The soil looks cold, but warms up quickly in the spring sunshine. Since the seed potatoes are sprouting already, I cannot wait any longer to get them into the ground. Trenches are dug 10 inches deep, filled with compost and potatoes are covered with 3 inches of soil – the rest will be hoed up in hills as the shoots emerge and grow.

I’ve planted four long rows of English peas – peas for eating (yes bro, I do grow some peas for eating). This varieties are shorter growing, but shelling peas can grow quite tall if one plants older varieties. I have avoided planting snap peas however and studies have shown that most commercial strains have lost vigor and quality, so I am waiting for sugar snap and ‘sugar Ann to stabilize again – something I know Johnny’s Selected Seeds is working on/ The perfect excuse to revisit shelling peas, but one must grow long rows to be able to get enough to eat and freeze.

Cut Flower Sweet Peas are set out in well limed soil. Plants have been pinched, which is essential for branching and thick stems. If you have never pinched your sweet peas, I urge you to buck up and do it. You will end up with leaves 6 inches wide, and long stems, especially if you only allow a couple of stems to mature, removing all of the rest. I never allow the leader to grow on, only the side shoots which are much more vigorous.

Cut Flower Spencer varieties of sweet peas ready for planting. All raised in deep trays called ‘root trainers’ except the two back trays which are 2 inches deep, and one can see the difference when the plants are taken out of the pots.

Here is a better shot of the strong roots which root training or deep pots allow.  The deeper the pot, the healthier the seedling. Notice how this sweet pea is pinched back to the first pair of leaves, and the two side shoots emerging.

Root training pots or cells which are very deep are useful for cut flower sweet peas, as one can see here. Deep roots will ensure strong plants once set into the soil.

I have a few places where I grow, but I also like raised beds (no bending over!). These are handy for crops that provide fast harvests for the kitchen or crops sensitive to flea beetles, root larvae and ground insects – so radishes remain clean without insecticide, and mesclun and arugula can’t get peed on by the dogs. Really, it’s a thing! These elevated beds are available from Gardener’s Supply Company, and I really love them (this isn’t a paid post, either but I have offered to write about them in the past, as you might know.). They are made of cedar and the one on the left has a cover and works well as a cold frame. I find them very useful and well made.

Cut flower sweet peas will always be on my planting plans, and this year, I am going overboard – raising almost every variety of Spencer Sweet Peas that I could find. These are the ones with long stems which are so fragrant, and old fashioned. I think this is the 30th year I have raised sweet peas. which is scary to think about, but I first joined the Sweet Pea Society in England when I was 25, and first exhibited sweet peas at out local horticultural society a year after that.  This time I am raising 60 varieties (now, that’s crazy, right?). I’ve grouped them into color groups such as ‘all mauve’ in one row, ‘all violet’ in another, and so on. I am also growing some older varieties which I have not grown for 20 years or so including flakes and stripes. All of my seed came from England this year.

Some sweet peas are being planted on traditional bamboo tee pees as well. On these, I am planting the flaked or striped forms, as well as a row of bicolored types.

Baby beets ready for transplanting out into long beds in our ‘back 40’. I am raising five varieties this year including Golden Beets, ‘Chioggia or Bassano‘ beets, and ‘Cylindra’ or Formanova‘ types.

Here iss a new vegetable for me that I am growing – ‘Stem Lettuce’ or ‘Celtuce’. After eating it at a new local Chinese restaurant (an authentic one where I am often the only non-Chinese student eating!). I’ve known about Celtuce as a kid, often seeing pictures of it in old seed catalogs, but never believed that it existed as I never saw it sold in markets or in restaurants – I mean, what would one do with it? That is until I ate some of the crispy, jade-like discs of sliced stem in a garlic sauce. I am hooked, and can’t wait to see how this lettuce – grown for it’s tall stem, will grow for me.

I’ve bedded the Celtuce out in raised beds, 12 inches apart. The seedlings so far have performed very well, being more vigorous than almost any other seedling I have growing, even other lettuce varieties. Now, if I can keep the dogs out! Already, the chickens got loose and scratched around the soil after I turned in manure and compost, but they seemed to only be searching for worms and grubs.

Purple Kohlrabi seedlings raised in plugs are also being set out near the deluxe, along with two varieties of white kohlrabi.

Since it is still cool, the warm weather crops are still under glass. Twelve varieties of egg plant are being trialed -as well as countless varieties of chili peppers and peppers. Who knows where I will raise everything, but I might use nice large 14 inch clay pots for a collection of potted peppers and felt 5 gallon pots for eggplant, for the soil-less mix will ensure healthier plants reducing pathogens in the soil. If it doesn’t work, who cares – we don’t really like eggplant all that much, not hot peppers! Kooky gardeners.

After seeing our friend Amy Goldman’s amazing farm and garden last summer, and her pepper collections both under glass and in the fields, I was inspired to try a few myself. I could never achieve the magic she was able to produce, but maybe on a smaller scale, I can at least grow a few of these beautiful fruits.

Also under glass are some pots of Reseda – the French Mignonette which many of you know, I’ve been trying to master as a potted plant and garden plant for some time now. I am hopeful that this year I may have some – stay tuned.

Soil is prepared for planting parsnip seed and seedlings. I am experimenting with a couple of methods inspired by growers of exhibition parsnips in England. Some growers there raised parsnips of amazing size, often in raised bed or tall boxes and even pipes, but I only need decent sized roots – which, like carrots must be raised from seed directly sown into prepared, rock free soils so that the tender, young roots can reach down naturally to produce strong, perfectly strait roots.

This year, I have tried a few pre-started in root trainers however, a method some professional exhibitors of vegetables use. I would never suggest that the home gardener ever use pots for starting either carrots or parsnips for it is risky, as one can easily disturb the soil and thus, damage the straight tap root but if carefully set into a prepared hole, success might be had.

I fill the holes which are about 24 inches deep and 6 inches wide with commercial potting mix, but I could have used sifted soil but I could not find my soil sifter I them tamp down the hole of soil, and plunge in a handle from a how as an improvised dibble, maybe 6 inches deep – just keep enough for the seedling to set in with it’s root ball undisturbed.

The parsnip seedling is set in and tamped down, well watered with a balanced fertilizer to set things off quickly and to avoid shock. I added 1/2 cup of Phosphorus in a trench underneath the bed to aid in root development on top of an application of Superphosphate a month ago in the same bed which was turned in with lots of compost.

After planting parsnips I moved onto the leeks. I started my seeds a but late this year, in February so they aren’t as large as I would like, and the smaller cells I used seemed to keep root development to a minimum, but I am hopeful that they will catch up. I use a similar soil treatment as I did for the parsnips without the potting soil. A deep trench similar to the potato bed was dug, and the dibble stick method allowed me to set the leek seedlings in deep and I will fill in the trench as the leeks grow on, to help produce a long, white base. Additional nitrogen was added along of course with the pre-treatment of chicken manure in the winter, which is now well rotted. This is a high nitrogen crop, a heavy feeder and will require monthly applications throughout the season to maintain healthy growth with additional nitrogen.

I also planted parsnips between the rows of broad beans, which are coming along nicely, appreciating the cooler than average spring. The metal tomato cages are my terrier guards – but sometimes I think they just attract terriers who are always curious when I turn over the soil. The broad beans will be done by the time the parsnips begin to grow into mature plants.

Going along with this rather British theme then, here are some red currant blossoms. Maybe this year I will get a few, as these are still young shrubs, set out last year along with gooseberries and black currants.

The asparagus roots I set out into a new asparagus bed three weeks ago are emerging already – and while this looks like a pickable stalk, it is pencil thin, and rising from a 1 year old crown. Asparagus beds can last a century or more, and since I lost our family bed when we built the greenhouse in 2001, we are long overdue for a new bed. 50 crowns were set out and I have high hopes that next year we might be able to start harvesting our own asparagus once again.

Rhubarb is on the menu again, and I picked many stalks for our American Primrose Society party so that I could make tarts. The smell of sour rhubarb always reminds me of my childhood next door neighbor John Putis, as we would sit in his grandmothers garden and dip stems into cups of sugar – making funny faces because even with the added sweetness, the stems where almost inedibly sour.

Like asparagus, rhubarb is a long lived plant. These are over 100 years older and were planted by my grandparents. Now, we don’t live on a farm, but in a rather ordinary city neighborhood (or, more like ‘the hood’, really), but we can still have a back yard full of interesting crops and plants. Don’t let your location keep you from gardening. Even if you have a deck or balcony, some  vegetables do very well in container (not rhubarb, however). But I’ve seen spectacular rhubarb plants along driveways and even near dumpsters. It’s very vigorous and durable.

The narcissus this year are enjoying the cool weather. Here are a few to brighten up this long post.

The post It’s Spring! Planting and Sowing, Planning and Growing appeared first on Growing With Plants.

Step-by-step guide on how-to raise and force your own Belgian Endive from seed in your home garden.

If you’ve never thought about raising Belgian endive, why not consider it this year? A few rows near the edge of the garden will require little care aside from digging up in the autumn to re-pot for forcing, and given that it is one of the costliest vegetables to buy, it’s like growing a luxury item – and one which will be superior in quality to anything bought.

With Belgian Endive, success is really all about how well one can raise thick roots. Poor soil, or soil which has low nitrogen or organic matter is helpful. A dry summer if often beneficial as well, to cause roots to drive deeper in search of water. Our soil is rich, but consistently moist which perhaps is ideal rather than dryness, then watering followed by drought again, with can cause splitting. Additional magnesium and low nitrogen was key here.

Sow Belgian Endive seeds thinly, an inch or two apart in late spring to early summer in USDA Zone 5b.

Belgian Endive will grow all summer long, looking like their relative, the dandelion. Keep weeds clear and nitrogen levels low for the deepest and thickest roots.

Belgian Endive roots, when properly grown are thick and solid not unlike carrots or parsnips. If some produce multiple roots, trim them down to a single, thick root. Discard those that have many small roots. One needs a thick crown (about an inch in diameter) to be able to produce nice chicons (sprouts). These were sown in mid April, but a later sowing is recommended for better root thickness, I will be sowing mine in June this year.

3. In late autumn carefully dig the roots

You may read on-line that Belgian Endive is grown hydroponically, but this is incorrect. Commercial growers field raise their stock, harvest the tap roots carefully (like carrots) and then ether store them dark and dry, or they set them into crates or special containers where they then are hydroponically forced.

At home, this is unnecessary. All one needs to do is to carefully dig roots just before a hard frost (around here, this is near Halloween but could be as late as mid November). Roots must be repotted unless one has a proper root cellar in which to store them until they are ready to force, but who has a root cellar? For the average home grower,  the roots only need a bit of pre-treatment to prepare them for forcing. The thin tips of the roots can be trimmed, but only to allow them to fit into the forcing container – one wants the tops to sit at the same height.

Well grow roots should be thick as small parsnips or bog carrots, with little to no branching.

The forcing container can be any deep container, a deep 5 gallon nursery pot, a bakery bucket, an orange Home Depot bucket, or a deep clay long-tom. If your roots are branched, trim them down to a single root (a double one is OK). Trim the foliage off of the top (a ‘hair cut’ to about an inch away from the crown), and then set the roots shoulder-to-shoulder tight together in your container. The medium can be sharp sand (something that drains well), vermiculite or potting soil – I use sterile Pro-Mix commercial potting soil.

The roots should extend about an inch above the surface, perhaps a bit more. Don’t worry, they won’t look very promising at this stage, but believe me, magic will happen soon. Water slightly, one only wants damp medium, as the roots won’t require much water as you will need to keep them cold, and one will want to avoid decay.

Roots are trimmed a bit, and set side-by-side in a deep pot, and stored cold until ready to force.

4. Vernalize roots for one month in cold temps

I store my potted roots in the greenhouse under the bench where it is cold (near 45 degrees) but you may find that a cold, dark place in the garage or cellar will work better. If you cannot find a cold place, you should wash the roots off and keep them in the crisper drawer wrapped in newspaper until ready to force. A few weeks of cold will help vernalize them, which is necessary for proper chicon production. Chicons are what the French call the golden white buds we all know as Belgian Endive.

Some people store their unwashed roots in a cold shed or garage under burlap bags or in a wooden box with soil in it. Much like forcing Dutch bulbs, the roots need a bit of cold to believe that they have survived a winter and that it is time to grow again.

After two weeks in a warm, dark closet indoors, chicons one these Belgian Endive roots are ready to harvest. I cut them off carefully, and store them in the refrigerator (or use them in salads), and then force a second crop, again in complete darkness, which will produce a crop of looser leaves, but still useful in the kitchen.

The post How to Grow and Force Perfect Belgian Endive appeared first on Growing With Plants.

Tomatoes seem to know when they should ripen – and it’s never at a convenient time. I’ve been traveling for the past three weeks ( a couple trips to both New Mexico and California for work and pleasure) but I’ve been home every weekend for a day or two to do laundry, re-pack and to ‘put-up tomatoes, which this year, have decided to not only ripen when I am at my most busy, they have also decided to become a bit of a bumper crop (which I have no idea why, as we have had a very cold and wet summer). Really though, I am not complaining – as come this winter, we will have lots of heirloom tomatoes canned whole, crushed, sauce, salsa and stewed. Since again this weekend I am just catching up on posts, emails and yes…..tomato canning, here are some pictures from last weekend’s bounty.
Click for more:

Most of the tomatoes will be canned whole, a family favorite since I was a young. Any extra tomatoes are being processed into tomato sauce. My sauce is nothing fancy, (unless you consider 14 different kinds of heirloom tomatoes fancy! Well, OK….I guess a little fancy.) Most importantly, everything in my sauce comes from our garden -except the olive oil.

I have no idea why some many of the tomatoes in our garden this year are perfect, but again – not complaining! I try to organize tomatoes by size, reserving the most uniform ones for whole tomatoes, and others for sauce.

FRESH BAY LEAVES FROM ONE OF OUR FOUR LARGE BAT LAUREL TOPIARY TREES

I start by processing the whole tomato – skin and all, even the seeds in a Vitamix blender – Julia may frown, but it’s just a lot easier, and we don’t mind a few seeds). I use lots of garlic, basil, bay leaf and parsley from the garden, with a touch of celery leaf for flavor. A few red peppers perhaps, and one or two hot chili’s.

Every herb in my sauce comes from the garden.

The sauce is them reduced down for a couple of hours until thick, and then added to clean canning jars.

When canning sauce, citric acid or lemon juice needs to be added to each jar to keep the acidity level high. I use 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid rather than bottled lemon juice, as I prefer the flavor to lemon juice in tomato product. Citric Acid had no flavor.

Tomatoes intended for canning whole, or in quarters are first skinned by placing into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, and then into an ice bath. I cut an X in the bottom of each tomato before placing in the hot water bath. It makes the skin easier to peel off. I don’t peel the skin on the tomatoes that go into the sauce, as the Vitamix blender takes care of that for me.

Once removed from the hot water bath, the jars cool on a dry kitchen towel on a wood board, away from drafts, and the cold granite counter. As you can see, I tried to keep some yellow and orange heirloom tomatoes separate because they are so beautiful canned in separate colors. Others are just mixed up varieties. Come January when the snow is falling, and any idea of the summer garden remains months away from reality, we really won’t care what color they are, when we pour their cool, salty contents into bowls to accompany hearty winter dinners. Sunshine in a jar.

The post Preserving Summer – Heirloom Tomatoes appeared first on Growing With Plants.

My tomato seedlings are strong and have good root growth, thanks to my new fertilizer which is lower in nitrogen, and rich with micro nutrients. The roots are at the perfect stage for planting out, just reaching the edge of the 5 inch pots, and the leaves are just reaching their second pair stage. No flowers,  and no hormones or growth regulators used, and in those found at most garden centers.  These will catch up with any tomato planted a month ago, and out perform.

Oh Mom, really? 801 quarts? Of course I was born 12 years later, but this gives you an idea of what I was born into – child labor – garden labor at an early age.

Tomatoes are best planted in new locations each year, and this year, I am growing a few in some raised beds which I allowed to rest over the past two years ( I grew cut flower sweet peas in these last year). Turned over by hand with a pitch fork, the beds were covered with straw from the duck coops all winter, and ground limestone was added.

Grounds horticultural limestone is added at a rate of 5 lbs per 8 x 10 foot bed makes my hands look like I am an Olympic gymnast. Oh, OK, I know my body looks like one too – shut up!, But that still doesn’t make my tomatoes grow any better – with our acid soil, I need lime to neutralize the soil, which allows the plants to access more nutrients ( that’s why you apply lime). The proper pH for tomatoes fits within 6.0 to 6.5.

Tomatoes are heavy feeders, but like us, they should not eat junk food all the time. A fertilizer with the analysis of 10-10-10 might make a great kick-off meal, but a diet with this ratio provides far too much nitrogen, and you will have healthy looking plants, but they will have mostly leaves with few fruit. Look for a formula where the first number is the lowest.

Although a good balanced granular 10-10-10 fertilizer is dug into each hole at planting, along with a half bushel of compost and rotted manure, for the rest of the year, I use my special tomato liquid blend that I mix myself ( more on that later, and no….I never use manure tea or compost tea, another legend many we laugh about over beers when I get together with horticulture professors).

I grow most of my tomatoes in containers with fresh, sterile soil which I buy each year ( never, ever save it, for it carries disease and virus’). In the garden, most diseases begin in the soil, so good old black plastic landscape mulch works fine. Sure, there is little else one can do ( leading botanists have even proven that copper fungicide rarely works well), and most diseases arrive through the air, so eventually, every plant will succumb to something icky, but the goal is the discourage any breakout for as long as possible, and to pray for hot, sunny weather!

Check out my Marigolds…this year I was fed up with commercial nursery annuals, as they are all drenched in growth regulators ( just try to find a marigold in a 4 pack that is taller than 5 inches and that does not have a flower on it!). This variety, a tall growing classic Burpee yellow will reach 4 or 5 feet tall, and I am planting these along the back side of the tomato bed – no, not to discourage insects ( so funny, right:? But you’d be surprised at how many gardeners still believe in this legend), but I plant them because I love them.

Pole beans were planted today also, this time where I had tomatoes growing last year. With two days of warm rain coming, and warm soil, it was a rush to get many of these warm-weather loving plants sown including cucumbers, squash and sunflowers. Let the rains begin.

The post How to grow the healthiest tomatoes appeared first on Growing With Plants.

Home grown celery that will be comparable to commercial farm-raised celery is not an easy task for anyone, but with some weekly care ( mostly fertilizer and water), healthy, yet thinner-than store bought, crispy flavor-intense celery can be had throughout a long growing season. Think of home grown celery more as an herb, a seasoning rather than something you would stuff with peanut butter. The greener it is, the more bitter it will be.

Celery and Artichokes are two crops often over-looked by home gardeners, and for a good reason, they are long-growing crops, not particularly easy, and they are not space savers ( although, as you can see in the photo above, I sneak in my celery seedlings into my onion bed!). Both Celery and Artichokes need deep, rich soil and lots of moisture, as commercialy, these are both cool-growing and irrigated crops. So plan on plenty of hose runs, and tri-weekly watering. Still, growing your own is better than supporting commercial growers who are doing God-knows-what to their crops, and then flying them to you. Growing these in your back yard makes far more sense, and, naturally, the results are healthier.

OK, I know – just mention celery to most home gardeners, and they respond “It’s just something I don’t grow since all I get is bitter, dark green leaves.”. It’s true that celery as a crop requires lots of fertilizer, rich soil and sunlight, and a copious ( i.e. crazy) amount of constant moisture, to even come near the thick, crispy stemmed type one finds at the market, but don’t assume that you cannot grow it at home, it just takes a little planning, and care.
I grow celery because its one of the top 5 toxic vegetables ( commercially, it requires more chemicals than most any other vegetable) but at home, that is unnecessary, aside from a little liquid fertilizer ( or, a lot!), I feel that at least, my home grown celery offers a healthy alternative for a few months to the large, foreign-looking monsters one finds at the market. Here how I do it.

Celery seedlings are set out into the garden after growing from seed, these seedlings are 4 months old, started under lights in January, transplanted into individual pots in the greenhouse, and fertilized weekly to keep them strong. What makes these different than store-bought plants or store bought veggies? I use no growth retardants, no chemical insecticide, and I know exactly what fertilizer I am providing ( 15-16-17 with micro nutrients, and limestone).

Celery takes a long time to grow well, seed must be started early, generally in late January or early February indoors. carefully transplanted, the seedlings are grown on in individual pots ( I use 3 inch plastic pots that I wash out each year, but choose something where roots can spread out and grow while young, for celery has roots like trees, and one wants a good root spread at a young age to avoid tangles and unnecessary disturbance when planting out. I set plants out into the garden in mid-May, and provide them a drink of fertilizer rich in phosphorus and potassium.  Water-in well with a good drink of vitamins, and provide plenty of water every week, and before long, you too can be harvesting celery that actually has flavor. On that note, if you want to skip fertilizer all together, grow celery for the leaves alone, which are essential ingredients in home made stocks ( irreplaceable in chicken or vegetable stock) and a flavorful addition to tuna salad. One can pick leaves right through frost.

Fertilizer is essential when growing celery, as this is a crop that demand plenty of nutrition and constant moisture. Blanching is rarely needed with new varieties, but one can still place boards or even better, tar paper cones wrapped around the plant in late August if you want whiter stems (I like the stronger celery flavor, but after harvesting, I place plants in vases of cool water for a day which tempers the bitterness). Remember…bitter means healthy vitamin-rich antioxidants !

PLANTING-OUT ARTICHOKES

An update here on my artichoke project ( in case you are following along). Now planted out into the garden, my plants are positioned 2 feet apart ( a little close, but plant no closer – 36 inches is best). Like celery, artichokes need a consistent and adequate supply of both water and fertilizer. If you are stingy with either, then you just are not following good horticultural practice, and you will end up with few flowers, and small plants. I eat healthy, take vitamins, eat nutritionally-dense food, and, so do my plants. Just be sure to provide the “right” nutrients, and not unnecessary ones ( like crazy home-made Epsom-salt blends!).

It’s might be helpful here to share how weather affects artichokes, for these are plants that prefer frequent fogs, cool temperatures and when combined with deep, rich soil and moisture, you will achieve the maximum yield. Be sure to plant enough plants ( I am only growing 6 due to room) but if I had the space, I would plant a long row with a couple of dozen plants 26 inches apart, for one wants a bowl full of artichokes to work with in the kitchen. Plan on flower buds being about a quarter of the size of the fancy California chokes, but they will have far more flavor and a remarkable texture.  Each plant will produce one to four primary stems with a large bud, and then each stem, after initial harvest, should produce side buds which will be smaller.

Artichoke seedlings require at least 10 days of cool temperatures outdoors ( under 50º)  if they are being grown to produce buds as an annual crop. Thankfully, my plants have been planted out for three weeks now, and each night temperatures have dropped well below 40º F. Called vernalization, this tricks the plant to believe that it lived through a winter, which will stimulate it to produce flower buds ( which, are artichokes!).

The artichoke seedlings, which have been growing on – first in the greenhouse, and then for the past few weeks,- have been set out into the garden where they have been recieving 3 weeks of temperatures below 40º which is needed for proper vernalization. These are being grown as annual plants, as artichokes are not hardy here in New England. Even though I know that these will provide smaller buds than the giants grown on the coastal plains of northern California, they will be fresh and crispy, and – home grown, and nothing beats that. Plus, I can enjoy fresh artichokes in mid to late summer, when they are out-of-season in California.

Another heavy feeder, artichoke seedlings are fed weekly with a balanced liquid feed  and they are planted in a rich, compost created with our own duck manure. The leaves are really huge!

The post Planting Celery and Artichokes appeared first on Growing With Plants.

I found cardoons at my local market – a relative of the Artichoke, the stems are cooked and eaten and they have the same flavor as artichoke hearts. After trimming off the fuzz and thorns, the stems are cooked and then added to any number of traditional winter dishes.

I came across some Cardoons for sale at our local market Wegmans last week, and it reminded me about a post which I never wrote last year. Cardoons are are a vegetable which more likely is grown by some of you as an ornamental plant – a striking thistle-like vase shaped plant with grayish prickly leaves, a magnificent vase shape and by late summer, a huge, architectural statement plant for large gardens. But this relative of the Artichoke ( Cynara cardunculus) occasionally shows up at the market at a winter vegetable, and one, which I feel deserves more attention. I thought that I might share both how I grow it, and how one can cook it.

My own cardoon stems from last October as I harvested them. The leaf stalks and the midribs have a flavor similar to artichokes, and the best part? With cardoons, you get your moneys worth, as anyone who has eaten a globe artichoke knows, there is far more waste than edible parts.

 The Cardoon has a long history in American horticulture, as it was  common colonial vegetable and one grown at Monticello in long rows. Today, few bother to grow the plant for food, opting for imported artichokes or those flown in from California, but the cardoon offers a more sustainable option to air-shipped artichokes, especially for those who garden in the north, and as an ornamental and a vegetable, it can be planted in the border rather than the vegetable garden.

Young cardoon transplants ready for setting out into the garden in late April. The variety I chose last year was ‘Porto Spineless’ from Johnnys Selected Seeds, but be warned, it still will have some thistle-like spines along the edges of each stalk and leaf.

 Cardoon seeds must be sown early, in late January or early February, much like artichokes. Seedlings will not need to be vernalized, or chilled for two or three weeks as artichoke seedlings require, they can simply be set out into the garden and allowed to grow all summer long. They cab behave like biennials in some climates ( I had a couple survive for two years in the garden) but generally, it is grown as an annual, with harvest planned for late October when one cuts the entire plant at soil level.

A crop of cardoon requires space, as they are really large thistle plants, but even if you don’t want large, perfect specimen plants, they can be added to the perennial border as ornamental plants, just don’t crowd them too much, if you want stems large enough to eat.

Provide lots of space, for a well grown cardoon can reach 5 feet tall, and nearly as wide. I included mine in a perennial bed and then planted some in a small raised bed, so they did not grow as large as they could have, but I was still able to harvest a decent amount of cardoon stalks for Christmas Eve dinner ( it’s a traditional Italian dish at the Holiday’s) and stored some in the root cellar for later in the winter, when I use it in traditional French gratineés. Peeled, poached and sliced, the tender stems are best in light gratin dishes with béchamel with a bit of nutmeg and alpine cheese, or served with buttered pasta. And what could ever be wrong with that!

By late October, Cardoon plants can reach nearly 4 or 5 feet tall, and able to handle light frosts. Traditionally, in Italy, it is a winter vegetable, often served at Christmas.

One must harvest the entire Cardoon plant before hard frost

Cardoons are easy, and even thought I did not fuss over mine, they still produced plants large enough for a harvest that has lasted 5 winter months.

Peeled and cleaned cardoon stems must be cooked in acidulated water (lemon juice) until tender, about 30 minutes, not unlike artichokes.

After boiling cardoon stalks, they are cut into small slices, and then they can be prepared in any number of ways, but almost always ( and traditionally) prepared as a gratin, layered with Gruyere cheese, light cream and Parmesan.

As with artichokes, there is still a lot of waste. Nothing that the chickens and turkeys won’t eat.

The post HOW TO GROW AND COOK CARDOON appeared first on Growing With Plants.

Artichoke seed must be sown early, and mid to late January sowings result in plants large enough to endure the neccessary cold ‘vernalization’ temperatures required for 2 weeks in April, which is a trick that  ensures a good crop in the home garden.

Raising Artichokes from Seed

The lure of home grown artichokes drives many to try growing their own. The truth is, artichokes are not an easy crop,  they take up alot of room and the results are usually poor in most parts of the world. Those large, commercially grown green globe artichokes that many of us are familar are primarily grown in a coastal microclimate, the cool, Monterey coast of California for instance, just south of San Francisco, where most of our commercial artichokes come from.

You’ve undoubtedly seen artichoke seed for sale in seed catalogs, and I think many are curious about possibly growing a few, especially since they start with the letter ‘A’, I think I get more mail about How To Grow Artichokes than any other vegetable. Home grown plants can be rewarding, but one must follow directions strictly, as temperature is key throughout their life. There are times when artichokes want to be warm, and there are times when they want to be cold, and if you mess those periods up, you will just end up with nice, prickly thistle plants and never see a flower bud. Using some of the newer seed-raised varieties that have come into the market in the past decade or two. Don’t be discouraged, you can grow them -just follow these directions precisely, and as late January and early February (right now – go order them!) is the time to start, here I share how I grow mine.

RootTrainer pots are great for tap-rooted plants like artichokes

Choosing the right variety

Artichokes are true perennials, even the ones sold as ‘New Annual Forms’ are, but the difference between named varieties is important if you live in most of the northern US. Forget about growing the so-called heirloom varieties (the violet ones such as Purple of Romania, Violetta Precoce or the green variety Green Globe) as they are all warm weather varieties, and they will not perform well in northern gardens. You will need to seek out varieties that can be raised from early sown seed, and that will form buds within the same year. I suggest seeking out IMPERIAL STAR ( available from Johnny’s Selected Seeds and from Seeds of Change) as well as the purple variety OPERA ( also from Johnny’s). NOTE: If you want to grow Cardoons, this is also the time to sow your seedlings, following the same methods.

RootTrainer pots can be tricky – since they do not lock, the pots fold up and retain their shape only if the entire flat is filled with pots.  One must fit the entire set of pots into the tray before filling with soil. They unfold when you are ready to plant easily, which reduces root disturbance.

ARTICHOKES AND TEMPERATURES

In the past 15 years, new annual varieties of seed-raised Artichokes have been introduced for the home gardener ( primarily for those who live in the north), but before undertaking such a crop, there are a few things to note. First, artichokes require some homework on your part for there are specific needs which must be met – and most of these needs are based around temperature and timing. Seed must germinate at a certain temperature ( outlined at the end of this post), and something called ‘Vernalization’ ( a short, fake winter that you must expose young plants too in March or April), is essential, as it tricks the plants into thinking that it has passed through two springs, and that this year is the time to form flower buds.
( I am simplifing, but you get the idea – think ‘forcing bulbs’).

Artichoke seeds are large, which makes them easy to sow. I presoak them for 24 -36 hours

ARTICHOKE ARE TAP-ROOTED, WHICH MEANS….

Even though Artichokes are challenging, they can be rewarding (as the best challenging tasks usually are). There are some helpful facts to know about, especially with the physiology of the plant. Artichokes are tap-rooted plants, meaning that they form very deep roots, even as seedlings. As most tap-rooted plants dislike any root disturbance, it makes sense to start seeds in very deep pots to reduce and twisting and turning in the pot.

A root that has turned and twisted in a seedling pot or flat can only spell disaster when you transplant it into the garden. These young plants will sulk and ultimately remain sickly in comparison to their well-rooted kin, who had their long, graceful roots carefully tucked into deep, rich soil with a minimum of distress. You must not try to touch or even straighten out roots, or you will stunt the growth for a few weeks. My solution for tap rooted plants is simple  –  use a seedling pot called RootTrainers – a 6-8 inch deep system that allows tap rooted seedlings extra room where roots can run deeper than typical seedling trays or pots. Do a Google search for them, Toilet paper rolls will not work well, as the long growing season will result in decay well before seedlings can be planted out, but you may want to try saving your plastic water bottles, and cut the tops off.

Seed must be sown into warm soil, and seed germinates best at 75º. I place my pots under lights, with a heating mat where they will stay for 3 weeks before being moved to the greenhouse, which will be warmer by mid February. Artichokes are warm weather growers, but they are not fans of hot weather. Temps in the 70’s are preferred, but the most important cultural note to follow is that seedlings will need a few weeks where they experience cold temps, called vernalization.

VERNALIZATION

When late March arrives, your artichoke seedlings will require some fancy temperature- related attention.  If one starts seed in January, the transplants will be ready to be planted out by the end of April, but they must be vernalized first – a fancy term for exposing plants to considerably cold temperatures for a few weeks – recent tests by Oregon State suggest that the idea vernalization could be exposing plants ( seedlings) to temperatures at about 40º F for 2-4 weeks to achieve proper vernalization ( other studies suggest that seeds can be vernalized if moistend, for 4 weeks and 35-40º F, but exposing seedlings is easier).

MATT’S ARTICHOKE 101

Growing Artichokes from Seed is easy, just be sure to do the right thing at the right time

Here is my method:

• I first pre-soaked for 24 hours to soften the seedcoat
• Seed is sown 1/4 -1/2 inch deep in RootTrainer pots in mid-January
• Seed tray is placed under lights with bottom heat at 74º F. until seedlings emerge ( 10-14 days)
• Seedlings are transferred to a heating mat in the cold greenhouse after a month indoors, were temps near the roots are kept at 75º F but air is maintained at 50º.
• Seedlings are fertilized bi-weekly to encourage strong growth
• Plants are brought outdoors on cool days starting in mid-march, and only brought in if temperatures drop below 32º at night ( to a porch – one must not bring them back into the warm greenhouse once vernalization has begun, for plants must believe that it is winter in northern California for at least two weeks – keep temps below 40º – it’s not as hard as you may think, use a cold porch).
• Plants are set out into the garden in rows that are 3-4 feet apart on May 1.

OTHER JANUARY SOWN VEGETABLES

January also means that other seeds are being sown. Celery, onion, leek and shallot seed is being sown this weekend. Pelleted onion seed makes for easy sowing. I place 2 -3 seeds per cell, and then place the onion flat under lights on a heat mat as onions ( and leeks) germinate best at 75º F. Once germinated, they will be relocated to the greenhouse where they will grow on at 55º. Under light is best, as when lights are turned off at night, the drop in temperature is also helpful. STARTING HOME ONION, LEEK and CELERY SEED Onions, leeks and celery are the first seeds that I sow in the new year, best sown in late January. These are crops that require more than 8o days to reach maturity, and in my New England garden they really need 90 or more days. If you want large – I mean super large – onions, then forget about growing them from onion sets, which frankly, is a 1960’s way of growing onions. Seed grown onions are easy, and the finest way to achieve success. Leeks  and onions both must be sown early, and gown cool to warm once they have germinated with strong light, ( under lights or in a greenhouse) to get pencil thick seedlings that can be transplanted into the garden in late April. Celery seed ( pelleted) is also sown early. These seeds are sown in a community pot, as they can handle transplanting easily. In a couple of months, they will be transplanted to cell packs where they will grow on until late April, when they are planted out into the raised bed.

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CHINESE CABBAGE AND NAPA CABBAGE STILL BEING PICKED ON THIS SNOWY, FRIST WEEK OF DECEMBER IN OUR RAISED BEDS WITH NOTHIN MORE THAN A FLOATING ROW COVER.

Even without a hoophouse, we are able to harvest fresh vegetables through most of December directly from our raised beds. Napa Cabbage, lettuce and other greens such as arugula and Swiss Chard are still being harvested with plenty left. This surprises visitor since we have had a couple of weeks of very cold weather, where temperatures reached far below 32º F, and as low as 22º F on Friday night. With little protection, these late crops show no damage, aside from some squirrel damage, since now the critters have discovered how crispy and sweet this Napa Cabbage is. Sown in late August, the plants grew quickly into small heads of crispy Chinese Cabbage which we have been using in Chinese Winter Sesame salad ( with a dressing made with mayonnaise, toasted sesame seed oil, rice wine vinegar, siracha tossed and then served with cilantro, cucumber, lime and a sprinkle of brilliantly red pomegranate seeds.).

UNDER CLOCHES, LETTUCE MATURES EVEN WITH TEMPERATURES DIPPING AT NIGHT DOWN TO 22º F.

 Fancy French lettuce varieties are so crispy and freeze resistant when grown outdoors, that I am amazed at how low they can go, where if grown in the spring or summer, they would die if exposed to freezing temperatures. These Lollo forms are choice in fancy markets, and hard to find around here since the closest Whole Foods is an hour away. They are so curly that they look like curly parsley which is why they are popular in European markets and garden centers. This varieties make perfectly perfect salads especially when paired with our homemade dressing which is made with garden fresh heirloom Russian violet garlic, home made cider vinegar and our own honey.

EARLY DECEMBER IN THE GREENHOUSE – IT SURVIVED THE FURNACE RUNING OUT OF GAS YESTERDAY

In the greenhouse, it’s still a mess, as plants from the autumn where quickly dragged in, and still not sorted out. It takes some fancy stepping to naviagate around the paths without breaking ones neck. early Camellia and Cyrtanthus are in still providing most of the color, and a few Nerine sarniensis are blooming. In a couple of weeks I will have two weeks off for the Holidays, which traditionally is my time to putter in the greenhouse, and organize things. Until then, I don’t even want to show pictures to anyone for there are species gladiolus next to tropaeolum, and narcissus species next to nerine. Cyclamen species are scattered about everywhere, and massive tubs of “clipped” agapanthus look as out of plance as a shaved dog in the springtime. They are waiting to be moved under the benches. Other plants I have left outside to freeze, including many agapanthus which are just too heavy to move this time.

MANY LACHENALIA ALOIDES SPECIES AND SELECTIONS ARE COMING ALONG NICELY, SOME MAY BE IN BLOOM BY EARLY JANUARY. THE SOUTH AMERICAN BULBS ALSO KNOWN AS CAPE COWSLIPS, WERE ONCE COMMON IN 18th CENTURY GREENHOUSES IN NEW ENGLAND, BUT TODAY, ARE RATHER UNCOMMON ANYWHERE. JUST FINDING FORMS  TO COLLECT IS CHALLENGING.

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Organic Chinese Cabbage ‘Minuet’ (F1) is a fast growing mini variety which is best grown as a fall crop in the north.

Napa Cabbage, or Chinese Cabbage is a fast crop. ‘Minuet’ (F1) is a smaller growing variety which matures in only 48 days when sown in late August.  These heads will make many sweet, crispy salads.

‘Livigna’, a green Lolo Lettuce is often pricey in high-end markets. Known as a European mini head or a garnish lettuce, many prefer it’s crispy, green curled leaves better than any other lettuce variety. Pansy seedlings can be seen on the left.

 Lettuce is another plant that often grows better in the autumn. I like the fancier European mini heads of lettuce such as the Lolla series. We can often harvest lettuce right up to Christmas, especially if we cover it with remay fabric. The longer nights and cold weather makes the lettuce grow denser, less lush yet more in-character to well-grown fancy lettuce found in gourmet markets and restaurants. Sometimes seed can be costly for these fancy varieties ( $8 per packet) but when a head costs $6.00 at Whole Foods, one doesn’t seem to mind so much!

‘Red Cash’ is a new variety of Red Romaine bred for the commercial restaurant trade. This organic seed-raised variety forms beautifully dense, tiny heads for the specialty market, or, for ones home kitchen.

Hurricane Sandy is blasting at the coast here in Massachusetts, but so far, we are only getting wind gusts to 65 MPH. We still have electricity, but I am not confident that we will have it for long.

Green Chrysanthemums (Kermit) and some Japanese mini bonsai-style mums bloom along with the Nerine bulbs as the hurricane blows outside. Maybe we are getting used to these late October fierce storms, as we seem to have taken fewer precautions with this one. At least it isn’t snow. Still, with a glass greenhouse which sits next to tall spruce trees, it’s a little disconcerting.

Sad news – we lost the two small males last night, but clearly they had problems anyway. We felt now that we did all that we could. The one small female is finally feeding by herself, which means not only is she getting the nutrition that she needs, it also means that we now can get some sleep!

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MASSIVE FLOWER TRUSSES ON A GRAFTED SWEET 100 TOMATO PLANT – 7 FEET TALL, AND NO SIGN OF FALL BLIGHT – ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.

I have been so impressed with grafted tomatoes, that I wonder why I still grow conventional plants. I guarantee that in 5 years, all of you will be raising grafted tomatoes, and not seed-raised home grown plants. Grafted tomatoes are not new, since grafting peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers is a common p practice for greenhouse crop growers, and the method has been used for years in Japan and Europe. The concept is simple, graft a tasty, or heirloom variety onto a rootstalk that has been selected for vigor and root making. The result? Bigger plants, bigger yields and bigger tomatoes. Grafted plants can handle stress better and they are far more resistant to blights, which if anything, is the main reason why I would choose grafted plants over traditional un-grafted plants.

I tried grafting my own plants two years ago, but I struggled with timing the scion and the rootstalk plants. I will try again next spring, as I have all of the materials, but as grafted plants becoming easier to find, you may just find that buying them will be an easier option. Rootstalk seed is expensive, almost prohibitively so ($30-$80 for a packet of healthy rootstalk seed), but when one only needs a few plants, buying them is an option.

 Full disclosure – I cheated this year -, my plants came courtesy of the Home Depot who asked if I wouldn’t mind trying some varieties that they will be carrying next year in most of their stores. Since I had little luck starting my own grafts, I agreed. I also planted them along side the same seed-raised varieties that I had started – in a side-by-side comparison test. The truth? Most of the others are now dead, but the grafted plants are still growing strong. They have a hint of fungus, but not nearly the amount that my traditional plants have. It seems that now the the Home Depot will be carrying plants, you should not have a problem finding them next spring ( at least in North America). For lovers of heirloom plants, this is a Godsend, since heirloom tomatoes are some of the most susceptible to soil borne virus’.

LOOK AT THE FLOWER TRUSSES AT THE TOP OF THE GRAFTED TOMATO ON THE LEFT. THE PLANTS ON THE RIGHT ARE SEED RAISED IN MY GREENHOUSE.

MY SEED RAISED TOMATOES ARE SUFFERING WITH LATE BLIGHT, WHICH STARTED A FEW WEEKS AGO. SO SAD, BUT, THE GREEN TOMATOES WILL MAKE GREAT PICKLES.

THIS YELLOW GRAPE TOMATO HAS BEEN THE HIT OF THE SEASON.  ‘GOLDEN SWEET F1’ IS A VARIETY THAT I WILL GROW AGAIN. THE BEST PART? THIS SAME VARIETY SELLS FOR $5.99 A PINT AT OUR LOCAL FARM STAND! IT HAS BEEN PROLIFIC, AND, THE FLAVOR IS EXTRAORDINARILY SWEET.

THE TOMATO CROP THIS YEAR IS JUST STARTING, ANY ALTHOUGH NOT THE BEST YEAR FOR TOMATOES, IT IS ALSO NOT THE WORST YEAR.

ON THE LEFT, PICKLED CAULIFLOWER (REFRIGERATOR FRESH PICKLES) – ON THE RIGHT, GINGER, GARLIC AND CURRY PICKLED CAULIFLOWER (TO BE FERMENTED). I USED BlACK PEARL CHILI’S SINCE I DID NOT HAVE ANY OTHER CHILI PEPPERS THAT WERE RED YET. THEY’LL WORK FINE.

JALAPENO’S!

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