Beets!

Beets

Beet Facts

Beets are from the Chenopodiaceae Family and are called Beta vulgaris subsp. Esculenta in Latin.

Beets, like carrots and some other root veggies, prefer soil that has not been recently manured or composted. Forked roots can result.

Beets are compound seeds: if you look closely at a beet seed you will see a number of seedlets fastened together into one “seed.” (Chard is the same.) This means you will often get more than one beet from a seed.

How to Grow Beets

1. I like to soak the seed in hot water (bath temperature) for about an hour before planting.

2. Choose a site in full sun and sow when the soil has warmed a little. Space seeds a little farther apart than you’d think—2 inches is fine—because you will usually get two to four (or even more) “seedlings” from each seed. They should be planted in rows that are spaced thirty to forty-six centimeters apart

3. Cover with about 1 centimetre (0.5") of soil, then tamp down very lightly with your palm.

4. Seeds will germinate in 5-12 days depending on soil temperature (sun and warmth).

5. When beets are about 1.5 inches high, carefully thin them out. This is best done in the morning or in the early evening, when the sun is not shining brightly. Thinned beets can still be eaten for the greens!

6. Beet seeds can be planted as soon as the soil is able to be worked at the start of the growing season. Planting them every two or three weeks would provide a continuous harvest into the fall.

7. The ideal pH is between 6.5 and 7

8. Once the seeds are planted, it is suggested to cover the soil with a little mulch to protect it during rains and dry periods.

Arooooogula

I've been doing a bit of research on arugula. The first thing you should know about this leafy green is that it's considered an aphrodisiac. Who knew, right?
Plant seeds 1 inch apart, ¼ inch deep in rows, or broadcast alone or mixed with other greens. Gradually thin to 6-inch spacings using thinnings for salads.
Prefers rich humusy soil with pH of 6 to 6.8, but will tolerate wide variety of conditions. Evenly moist soil will help slow bolting. Growth is low and compact until heat causes plant to bolt.
Forms a rosette of deeply lobed leaves. Plants become erect when heat induces bolting.
The white flowers that grow when it's mature are indeed edible, and have a creamy taste.
Arugula reseeds often itself - but it's self sterile and needs insects to help it procreate. It can be harvested multiple times throughout the season. (I reseeded arugula myself last summer after harvesting it for the first time in early July.)
You're supposed to avoid planting arugula after other cabbage family crops. (I'm not sure what "after" constitutes here, I'm guessing "in soil previously used for cabbage family crops" ...but if someone's got a better idea, please feel free to share it.)

I got a lot of this info here.

Ok, here is a recipe that I tried last year (with parsley and arugula from my garden) and lost my mind because it was so good.

Arugula-Parsley Pesto

1 cup arugula
1 cup parsley
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup toasted nuts (I used walnuts, but I bet pine nuts would be even better; the original recipe calls for almonds)
2 squirts of lemon juice
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional, definitely not necessary)

Blend the arugula and parsley (probably best in batches) with the olive oil and lemon juice, adding the garlic and then the nuts in small batches until a paste is formed.

Use the pesto in pasta, on pizza, as a body rub, etc...

Enjoy!

Robyn

Fennel Datasheet

Ideal soil & weather conditions:
- sun to partial shade
- average water needs; prefers well-drained soil

Growing guidelines:
- start fennel as early in the spring as possible; it is better for the bulb to develop in cooler temperatures than in summer heat
- best to plant directly from seeds; sow after last frost, 1/4 inch deep
- fork 2 to 3 inches of compost into the soil before planting; in heavy clay soils, plant fennel in a raised bed.
- once plants come up, thin to 18-24 inches apart
- plant seeds into rich soil & keep bed moist for two weeks, or until first leaves appear, then give it average water
- too much or too little water can cause the plant to "bolt", i.e., go to flower too early and become tough
- when bulb is the size of an egg, pile up soil around it so it continues to grow away from the light; this blanches the bulb and makes it more tender
- feed every two weeks with diluted fish emulsion
- fennel plants are believed to release a chemical that impairs the growth of other plants and should not be grown close to beans, tomatoes or members of the cabbage family (yikes!)

Pests:
- competes poorly with weeds; hill soil and add mulch to prevent such competition
- aphids can cause some damage, otherwise no pest problems

Harvesting:
- you can snip fennel leaves throughout the growing season
- you can harvest any time by cutting through the root, just below the bulb

Research on Broccoli and Potatoes

Information condensed (and copied) from: “The Garden Primer: 100% Organic”, by Barbara Damrosch (2008)

Broccoli Datasheet

Ideal soil and weather conditions:
- Soil site: good drainage and air circulation
- Ideal pH 6.7-7.2
- Needs plenty of nitrogen
- Calcium is important (add lime to achieve this)
- Add well rotted organic matter around plants
- Keep soil cool and moist using a thick mulch; Tolerates cool weather


Growing Guidelines:
- Space plants 30-60cm apart
- Early crops can be inter-planted with something smaller (like baby lettuce and spinach)
- Good mulch helps retain moisture, but in drought be sure to give a good, long soak

Pests and Diseases:
- If cut worms threaten the young plants, use collars made of paper (copper can zap slugs)
- check for sleeping worms in the morning in the ground near the plant
- Cabbage worms are another pest (do little damage, but can spread to other more vulnerable plants). They are camouflaged green with the plant, look closely and pick off. Floating row covers can be placed on top of plants in spring before the white butterflies lay their eggs on them.
- Spray aphids off with a hose
- Root maggots can be a problem in some gardens; you can use small tar paper mats placed on the soil around spring transplants
- Most bugs won’t bother later crops

Harvest:
- Cut first big head off with a sharp knife above any new forming buds
- Keep picking to keep buds from going to flower (after which the plant will stop producing edible stalks)
- Sprouts continue well after head is cut (if not too hot)
- Days to harvest: 70-95 days


Potatoes Datasheet

Ideal soil and weather conditions:
- Prefer a more acid soil than most vegetables (between pH 5.0 and 6.8 is tolerable range)
- Heavy clay soils make it hard for full size tubers to develop, they drain poorly and cause tubers to rot
- Alkaline soils more conducive to disease called Scab; scab produces rough spots on the tubers but rarely ruins the crop
- Well rotted compost is best along with some phosphorous if needed. Avoid wood ashes as they are alkaline
- Soil needs to be very well drained and aerated and should not be extremely rich

Growing Guidelines:
- Plant them in a shallow trench filled partway with soil; then as plants grow mound up soil to add underground space in which the tubers will grow hidden from light (light makes them green and this is poisonous as are the white sprouts from the eyes)
- Make trench 6 inches deep and place potato pieces 1 foot apart; plant potato root end down…but they will grow upside down too; then cover with 3-4 inches of soil and rake in soil from the sides as plant grows
- When plant is 6-8 inches tall, burry all but the topmost leaves (repeat if/when you can)
- An alternative method is to pile up thick mulch – potatoes require consistent soil moisture for good growth so mulching helps anyway
- Don’t plant in fresh manure; encourages scab

Pests and Diseases:
- Watch out for Colorado potato beetles!!! Can wipe out a whole crop (see picture).
- Rub off reddish egg masses under the leaves, hand pick off beetles and place in soapy water
- Aphids and other insects can spread disease and should be picked off
- Floating row covers at planting time are very effective
- Late blight is the worst disease (the same one from the Irish potato famine)
- If foliage becomes blackened, then moldy, then it has…the BLIGHT!!! Remove it, burn it, and wait a few weeks to dig any potatoes under the soil. Best way to combat blight is with clean seed, crop rotation and hope you don’t run into long spells of the cool damp weather that seems to foster it


Harvest:
- Leaves grow first; then, tubers form before approaching cooler weather
- When white or purple flowers blossom it is a sign that potatoes lie beneath (earliest); when foliage dries out and dies potatoes are fully mature (can take 4 months)
- For good storage potatoes, leave them in the ground for at least a few weeks after the foliage withers and browns (this thickens up their skins)
- Dig out potatoes on a dry day (dry soil)
- Days to harvest: 55-80 days (for baby potatoes), 120 days (for biggest)