oldmobie's Doings

[philagardener]

Did it rain after you planted those carrot seeds? Maybe that washed them to the edge if the pot wasn't level?

I'm wondering if any of mine are left in my raised bed after 5 inches of rain the other day!

[oldmobie]

May 2, 2014 18:32:50 GMT -5 philagardener said:

Did it rain after you planted those carrot seeds? Maybe that washed them to the edge if the pot wasn't level?

I'm wondering if any of mine are left in my raised bed after 5 inches of rain the other day!

Watered 'em in. Mystery solved, I guess.

[Joseph Lofthouse]

May 2, 2014 17:55:03 GMT -5 oldmobie said:

I get that it's bolting. We had a week or so of pretty warm weather. But it's WinterSown! It was out there through frost!

Wintersowing is not appropriate for crops which are triggered into flowering by cold temperatures... I don't know all the crops and cultivars that fit into that category, but if I plant carrots too early they germinate and then go immediately to seed. I gotta wait to plant them until things are slightly warmer. I've also had early bolting happen with beets. Perhaps this Chinese cabbage has a similar response to cold.

Thanks for photos.

[oldmobie]

May 2, 2014 20:10:21 GMT -5 Joseph Lofthouse said:

Wintersowing is not appropriate for crops which are triggered into flowering by cold temperatures... I don't know all the crops and cultivars that fit into that category, but if I plant carrots too early they germinate and then go immediately to seed. I gotta wait to plant them until things are slightly warmer. I've also had early bolting happen with beets. Perhaps this Chinese cabbage has a similar response to cold.

So I'll see if I have any more seed. If I do, maybe I'll try again, now that I expect the nights will stay warmer.

Edit / update:  I did a google search and found that this cabbage can be triggered to bolt if it has prolonged exposure to temps below 50°F. Or warm temps. Or if you transplant it. (I did.) Or if you let it's growth slow by only giving it moderate water. I'm kind of amazed it's ever formed a head for anyone. Maybe by saving my own seed I can adapt it. Or let it breed to something slower bolting.

[oldmobie]

First radish harvest today!



Second cutting of lettuce. First of spinach and collards.

[philagardener]

Looks like you have a great salad tonight! Enjoy!

[Joseph Lofthouse]

oldmobie: I am so jealous of those radishes!! It's uncommon for me to harvest a decent crop of radishes.

[steev]

I mostly have lousy luck with radishes; they mostly go to flower, due to heat. At least they aren't pestered by maggots, on the farm, as they tend to be in Oakland.

I've been intending to go to Fall radishes, but the drought has discouraged that, so far.

"Next year/Fall"!

[oldmobie]

"Second harvest" of radishes today. (I don't know how others do it, my wife harvests the ones she thinks are big enough, then checks again in a few days. Second harvest is from the same planting as the first. Estimate 25% remain planted.) I was going to leave several for seed production, but realized today I'd be selecting for slower growth. New plan: a second planting, this time either mark several of the first to mature and leave them in place, or transplant some of first harvest to a seed production bed.

We had one 4'X 4' square foot bed going to waste, with just 2 squares of onions and the rest in weeds. So we put out more greens, and a few side by side trials.

North row: peas. Two squares of mixed store-bought on the east, two of Joseph's Landrace Shelling Peas on west.
Next row south: West square: Spinach Mustard. Other 3 squares: mixed collards.
Next row south: Still empty. Ran out of light. Probably will plant lettuce, chard, mustard, or some combination.
South row: 2 west squares: already planted in onions. Next square east: Joseph's Landrace Spinach. Last (se) square: mixed store-bought spinach.

[Joseph Lofthouse]

I prefer when making radish seed to mark the fastest/best plants and leave them in the bed, and then harvest the rest of the bed. Sure takes up a lot of room that way. I feel nervous about transplanting radish roots. Don't know why since I transplant beets, carrots, parsnips, turnips, chard, and etc when making seed.

[oldmobie]

I'm really dragging my feet on planting warm season stuff. Trouble is, my current garden is very compact. Not much room for corn or long vines. So I've claimed a large strip of pasture behind the garage. Difficulty #1: water. I could run hose that far, but the pressure would suck. Plus, I'd always be out of hose for anything else. My intended solution: a water tower! Bought an IBC tote cheap. (275 gallons) Had to devise a way to deliver the water from it to the plants. I thought the outlet was pipe thread, but it isn't. So I improvised.











Next I need to move it to it's permanent location. (I put it near the house to watch for leaks.) Then I'll either cut the plastic from the top, so it can catch rain, or build an "inverted roof" (BIG funnel) to route water into the top opening. The second plan should retain more portability and minimize evaporation.

[oldmobie]

Started re-seeding radishes today. Did the squares marked in red, then stopped because of the storm coming in.





First potatoes just starting to peak out. I think they weren't coming up because they were too dry. I was hand watering until I noticed they were dry every time I checked. So I sprinkled once and here they come, 5 days later.



One rhubarb coming up. Don't know yet if the other is alive.



Prepping for Mrs oldmobie's butterfly garden. Woodchips over old carpet to kill the grass. One climbing rose planted in the far corner so far. The old swing set will host a porch swing, a climbing rose, a mandavilla, and some window box style plantings.

[steev]

Obviously a home-built swing-set; good for you! That's parental involvement; I'm sure the kids who used it benefited greatly.

[oldmobie]

Sowed the last 4 squares of the NW bed today. Mixed lettuce, swiss chard, and mustard, mixed together. Also finished re-seeding radishes in NE bed.



Noticed what I think are seed pods on my Michihili Cabbage. May be in time to try again right away. I'll have to google how to know when they're ready, and whether they have to be stratified.

Put sweet peppers in an old WinterSown jug that only produced crabgrass. (I pulled it out.) Don't know what they'll make, they're from a store bought pepper that looked like a jalapeño, but tasted like a bell pepper without the bitterness.

[steev]

There are "heat-less" jalapenos, these days; I suppose it's only a matter of time until somebody develops a venom-less rattlesnake, though I don't quite see the point of either.

I don't think your seeds need stratification, though they may want to be dried after maturing; patience, a bit.