How –

Seed should be sown thinly (12 to 15 seeds per foot) in rows 12-18 inches apart. This will encourage thickly developed plants—closer spacing results in smaller heads, which may be preferable for small families. Because the seed is so small, it can be mixed with sand to avoid excessive thinning once the seed has germinated. It is not recommended to broadcast seed because there will not be sufficient spacing for the plants to develop quality grains.

Amaranth seedlings can easily be blocked from emergence by a thin crust on the soil formed after a rain. Selecting soils that are lower in clay and managing the seedbed to minimize the chance of crusting can help ensure a good harvest.

How Amaranth Grows

Amaranth is very easy to grow. It is fairly maintenance-free, but its slow initial growth leaves it susceptible to competition among weeds until it is established. Amaranth prefers a warm climate, full sun, and well-drained soil. It will grow tall and can top 5 feet high. Flowers are produced on long straight stems, are long-lasting, and will bloom from mid-summer until the first hard frost.

Cultivating Amaranth

Amaranth resembles lamb’s quarters and a red rooted pigweed (especially in the early stages of growth), so it is best to plant in rows to simplify weeding. Growing amaranth varieties that have purple or red leaves also simplifies weeding. Amaranth appears to be fairly slow-growing at first, but it can be very drought tolerant once established. It can successfully be grown in areas with less than 10 inches of yearly rainfall. Once the plants reach about one foot in height, they start growing rapidly and quickly shade out any remaining weeds. Amaranth is a fairly low maintenance crop, but care should be taken early to ensure they stand a good chance of establishing. Removing the amaranth plant’s terminal buds will help encourage branching and develop a larger percentage of tender young shoots for salad greens.

An easy way to gather the grain is to bend the plants over a bucket and rub the seedheads between your hands. This method may take a little longer to do, but there won’t be as much chaff and debris to sort out later. Only the dehydrated seeds will come out this way, so do a second harvest a week or so later to catch any remaining seeds that were not ready the first time. We like to rub the flower heads onto a screen set on a wheelbarrow. The finer chaff can then be blown off the screen. In our experience, cutting and hanging plants indoors does not work very well. The plants become extremely bristly, and it becomes difficult to separate the seed from the chaff.

After harvesting, it is important to dry your crop further to ensure it won’t grow mold in storage. It can be left on trays in the hot sun or placed near an indoor heat source. Stir occasionally until it is as dry as possible—store seeds in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place. Amaranth grain is fairly high in fat and can go rancid eventually. The best way to store it is in the fridge, in a tightly sealed container. The grain should last up to 6 months this way.

Amaranth Pests

• Tarnished plant bug – congregate around the growing seed heads, and by sucking the fluid out, they can stunt the seed production.
• Amaranth weevil- The weevils are a 2-stage threat with the larvae chewing on the roots and the adults going after the leaves.

Amaranth Diseases

Disease is seldom a problem with Amaranth.

The post Amaranth Growing and Harvest Information appeared first on VeggieHarvest.com.

Where to Grow Arugula

Arugula is also known as roquette or rocket and adds a delightful nip to salads. It is generally mixed in with other salad greens that complement its strong flavor. It is rich in vitamin C and potassium. Some describe it’s flavor as peppery, some as tangy or just nutty. Arugula is a member of the cabbage family, so keep it in with other cabbage family plants in your crop rotation. Arugula, like other brassicas, is a cool-season crop hardy to frosts and light freezes.

Recommended Varieties of Arugula

• Astro – Compared to most varieties, Astro is ready to harvest a few days earlier and has a milder flavor.
• Rocket – Another early variety, Rocket bears leaves with a spicy, peppery flavor.
• Sylvetta – Also known as wild arugula, Sylvetta is a smaller, slower growing, and more pungently flavored variety. Its edible flowers are yellow rather than white. Sylvetta is often used in mesclun mixes. The wild arugula varieties tend to have more prominent stems.

Soil for Arugula

Arugula will grow almost anywhere. To provide the best possible growing conditions prepare the soil by working in some finished compost in the top 3 inches of soil.

Planting Arugula

When –

Plant seeds outdoors in spring as soon as the soil can be worked. Make additional plantings every three weeks as long as the cool weather lasts. For winter harvests, sow seeds in mid-fall.

How –

Dig a shallow trench with the tip of your garden spade to mark the row where you would like to plant the arugula. Sprinkle the seeds from the packet into the trench trying to space the seedlings out by somewhere between 1/4″ and 1″. If you want to harvest full-sized leaves, increase the spacing, or thin the plants out once they are established. Plant in rows approximately 6 inches apart. Cover lightly with soil, the arugula seeds need light to germinate. If they are deeply buried, they will not germinate.

How Arugula Grows

Arugula is a hardy plant and does not have any strong preferences with regard to growing conditions. It can be grown in any well-drained fairly fertile spot or container. Arugula prefers cool weather and is frost hardy enough that it will bear right through winter in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse. The arugula plant is grown as a longer leaved open lettuce. It is small, with a compact root system, so it is easy to grow in containers or in a flat on a sunny windowsill. It is also good for intercropping between longer season plants.

Arugula Pests

• Flea Beetles – Will attack young members of the cabbage family, and arugula is no exception. This can be prevented by covering with a floating row cover
• Cabbage worms – Pick cabbage works off as soon as you see them to minimize damage.

Arugula Diseases

• Downy Mildew –A fungal pathogen that infects foliage. Avoid succession plantings of brassica plants in close proximity and proper crop rotation and cleanup of leftover brassica plant matter. The fungus requires brassica host tissue to survive and produce spores.
• Bacterial Leaf Spot – A pathogen that affects foliage. Avoiding succession plantings of brassica plants in close proximity and proper crop rotation will help prevent this disease. The bacterial may persist for several months on undecomposed host debris.

The post Arugula Growing and Harvest Information appeared first on VeggieHarvest.com.

Soil for Asparagus

Since asparagus is a perennial vegetable and can produce for up to 30-50 years, it is very important to prepare the soil properly. The best soil is sandy, well-drained loam, heavily enriched with well-rotted manure and compost. Ground prepared in this way dries out quickly in early spring, to spur the early growth of the spears. The pH should be about 7.5. Average garden soil, however, will support a good asparagus crop, provided it drains well. Rocky New England soil will hamper the development of strait spears. Fertilization application: 4 pounds of 5-10-10 per 100 square feet, or generous quantities of bone meal or ground phosphate rock and wood ash. Asparagus craves phosphorus, which is usually abundant in composted manure and kitchen waste compost. If you can fit it in your gardening schedule, prepare the asparagus bed in the late summer or fall to be ready for planting the following spring. This provides a chance to plant a nitrogen-fixing green manure crop like buckwheat. Asparagus has a pretty good appetite for nitrogen.

Choose a spot that is free of perennial weeds and grasses.

Planting Asparagus

As soon as the ground can be worked. Plan on an average of 10 plants per person. Plant in a sunny spot protected from the wind. It can tolerate some shade but is most productive in full sun. There is not a lot of surface area on asparagus’s delicate fern-like foliage, so it needs all the sun it can get.

How to Grow Asparagus

Slow way

Planting asparagus from seed has some advantages and disadvantages. It is a little bit more work, but typically costs much less also. The biggest disadvantage is you will have to wait an extra year to harvest your first spears. The crowns you would purchase at your local nursery are already 1 year old, so they would start producing that much faster.

Asparagus seeds can be started indoors, or sown directly in the garden. Asparagus seeds started indoors should be started in 4-inch pots approximately 3 months before the last frost. They will germinate best at daytime temperatures at around 75-80 F and a low temperature at night of around 65F. It may take as long as 3 weeks for the asparagus seeds to germinate. To hasten germination, soak the seed for 48 hours in water prior to planting. Sow the seeds approximately 1/2″ to 3/4″ deep in rows approximately 2 feet wide. Seedlings should be transplanted or thinned to a minimum of 3-4 inches between plants. These seedlings should grow for a summer, and the following year the ‘yearlings’ should be transplanted to the permanent asparagus bed. Follow the directions below for transplanting asparagus crowns.

Fast way –

Buy year old plants or ‘crowns’ from the seed store or your local nursery. They will have compact buds with masses of supple dangling roots. Asparagus crowns should be planted in the springtime for cooler regions, about the same time daffodils are in bloom. In very warm regions, asparagus should be planted in the fall or winter. Plants are set out in trenches dug to a depth of 6-8 inches and spaced 2-4 feet apart, in the prepared soil bed. Mound the soil to the side of each trench, as it will be used to back-fill as the asparagus grow. Set the asparagus crowns in the base of the trench with 18 inches between the plants, and cover with about 2 inches of soil. As the asparagus tips grow the trenches will be filled in gradually until they are completely filled by the end of the summer. Asparagus plants have a tendency to rise as they grow mature, hence the need for the trenching method of planting.

How Asparagus Grows

The roots will spread horizontally rather than down, and in years to come will produce a thick mat of roots and underground shoots. The first year after planting the spears will be spindly and thin. As they mature, they develop into tall, ferny branches quite lovely to see. The true asparagus leaves have been reduced to the triangular scales on the spears which are cut off when the asparagus is cut for cooking.

Cultivating Asparagus

Weeds are the biggest problem with asparagus since they offer too much competition for the developing shoots, and in an untidy asparagus patch, they can develop very quickly. Any weeds in the asparagus patch will divert nutrients away from the asparagus and affect its yield and longevity. Companion plants can also be considered weeds since they will also divert nutrients away from the asparagus. Use them sparingly, if at all. Frequent hand weeding early and often is the best way to control weeds, especially in the first two/three years of growth. Frequent cultivation and light mulching with grass clippings, or hay are good preventatives. First cultivation should be in early spring, before the spears appear above ground. At this time, lightly apply fertilizer, preferably well-rotted manure, to each plant, and continue cultivation until the tops have grown too high and thick to manage with a shallow hoe. Also, watering is extremely important any time there is a lack of adequate rainfall during the growing season.

The ferny top growth of asparagus is actually producing food for the shoots below in much the same manner as bulb foliage renews a bulb underground for next spring’s flower. For this reason, asparagus foliage should not be cut down too soon near the end of the season but should be allowed to wither off naturally. The thick growth of asparagus ferns or brush that covers the bed in late summer and early fall will turn brown and brittle at the end of the growing season. In early to mid-fall after several hard freezes, cut this brush and add it to the compost pile to interrupt the life cycles of insects and diseases. This is a good time to add soil amendments if necessary, and spread a 3-inch layer of compost followed by a thick (6″) layer of straw to protect the asparagus crowns from winter damage and allow soil organisms to continue improving the soil in both the fall and spring.

Fertilizer for Asparagus

As far as vegetables go, asparagus has a pretty big appetite for fertilizer. Asparagus needs to produce enough energy to survive the winter, feed us, and then produce a few new ferns. It may be possible to overfeed asparagus, but it isn’t easy. To ensure a steady supply of nutrients for the plants and keep soil organisms busy loosening and aerating the soil, apply a thick layer of weed-free compost topped with three inches of straw, rotted sawdust, or mulch after harvesting is complete, and again in the fall after cleanup. This will help to encourage succulent spears the next spring. Clean spears will push up through the mulch in the spring, there is no need to remove any leftover mulch in the spring.

Asparagus Pests

• Asparagus beetles are the main pest that damages asparagus fronds. There are two common species, the common asparagus beetle (black, white, and red-orange) and the spotted asparagus beetle (red-orange with black spots), both of which are about 1/3 inch long. They can effectively be hand-picked from the plants when found, look for them in the morning when it is too cool for them to fly. The beetles overwinter in the plant debris, so removing fronds in winter will reduce their numbers eventually. Lady beetles and several small wasp species are major asparagus beetle predators that are naturally occurring.
• Asparagus beetle eggs look like stubby brown hairs. Wipe them off the spears with a damp cloth. Asparagus beetle larvae are soft, grey, slug-like creatures with blackheads that are unable to crawl back up into position if swept off the plants. Many gardeners allow their chickens to pick through the asparagus beds for 3-5 days over winter to eliminate any leftover beetles. If you have a problem and don’t raise poultry, setup a spring trap crop. Don’t cut the spears in spring within this plot, and patrol often to collect as many adult asparagus beetles as possible. In late summer cut the fronds 2 inches from the ground and compost them. In three weeks or so, you can harvest a fall crop of spears from your trap crop plot.

Diseases for Asparagus

Rust has been virtually eliminated by the development of rust resistant varieties.

The post Asparagus Growing and Harvest Information appeared first on VeggieHarvest.com.

Pole Beans: Germination in 8 to 14 days. Set 3 rough barked, 6-foot poles in the ground, tepee fashion, and tie together at the top. Leave 3 to 4 feet between the pole groups. Make a hill at the base of each pole, enriched with compost or well-rotted manure, and plant 6-8 seeds in each. After the second pair of true leaves appear, thin to 3 plants per pole. With regular harvesting, the pole beans should bear all summer.
Harvest: 65 days.

Cultivation for Beans

Keep rows weed-free with shallow cultivation or heavy mulching; beans are shallow-rooted, and should not be cultivated deeply. Never work around beans after a rainfall or in the early morning when the leaves are still wet from dew. The plants are susceptible to rust, which spreads when the foliage is wet. Water weekly and deeply during dry spells, as beans need constant soil moisture to develop properly. Feed pole varieties by working a thin band of 5-10-5 or 4-12-12 around each hill, once at planting time and again as beans start to form. In addition, pinch off the growing tips of pole beans when plants reach the top of their support system.

Bean Diseases

Bean seed is often pretreated before sale with Captan, a fungicide that protects the seed from germination in wet weather.

• Anthracnose: Clean up after crop is harvested. Never work around wet beans, and buy quality seed.
• Bacterial blight: Clean up after crop is harvested. Never work around wet beans, and buy quality seed.
• Mosaic: Select resistant varieties.
• Downy mildew: Do not grow in foggy regions.

The post Bean Growing and Harvest Information appeared first on VeggieHarvest.com.

Where to Grow Beets

Beets are an annual cool-season crop, half-hardy to frost and light freezes. They thrive in all parts of the country. Beets are closely related to spinach and chard, and once called “blood turnips” because of their bright red juice. Growing beets will provide delicious colorful roots and nutritious greens. Most beets are open-pollinated and multi-germ, where one seed yields a clump of 4-5 plants that need to be thinned. These “seed balls” germinate better if soaked an hour before planting.

Beet Varieties

Yellow and white beets tend to be sweeter than red varieties, and the best beets to use with other roasted vegetables because they don’t bleed red juice. Storage beets are beet varieties that excel when grown for fall harvest followed by winter storage in the refrigerator or root cellar. Newer hybrids are usually sweeter than older varieties and offer more green leaves. Most beets contain 5-8% sugar, where newer hybrids such as Big Red run 12-14%. There are also some special varieties of forage or mangel-wurzel beets that are typically fed to livestock, whose roots can weigh as much as 20 pounds each. In general search for varieties that are resistant to bolting and downy mildew. Beets tend to get tough, woody, and develop an off-flavor in hot weather, so plan on harvesting in early summer or fall. If you have hot summers, choose a variety that matures in 45-60 days.

Recommended varieties:

Detroit Dark Red; Early Wonder; Ruby Queen; Firechief; Burpee’s Golden, an unusual beet with sweet golden flesh that does not bleed when cooked; Long Season, a slow-growing long beet, roughly shaped and harvested in early fall or for winter storage.

Soil for Beets

Beets grow well in average garden soil. The best crop is achieved with pH 6.5 in a rich, sandy loam prepared with well-rotted manure and compost to a depth of 8 inches. Beets do not thrive if the pH is below 5.8. The soil should be well pulverized to remove stones and clods so that roots form well and rapidly.

Planting Beets

Germination should occur in 5 to 10 days if seeds are kept sufficiently moist. Plan on an average of 10-20 plants per person.

When –

Beets are hardy and may be sown as soon as the ground can be worked. Beet seeds can germinate in cool soil, but they sprout best when soil temperatures are above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. They should be planted directly in the garden one month before your last spring frost. For succession crops, plantings can be made every 2 weeks to mid-summer. Beets can become tough and stringy if grown in hot weather during droughts; ample water supply is essential to succulent roots. A late summer crop can be sown for fall harvest, start planting them 10 to 12 weeks before the last fall frost.

How –

Sow seed 1/2 inch deep in rows 12-18 inches apart. The beet seed is a compact ball of many tiny seeds. Many plants germinate where each seed is sown, so seed should be placed sparingly. When seedlings are 4-6 inches high, thin plants to stand 1 1/2 inches apart. (They can be used in salad or cooked as spinach.) Then, as these beets grow to about an inch in diameter, pull every other one to allow larger beets to grow.

How Beets Grow

Red table beets develop leaves with red stems and leaf veins similar to red-leafed chard varieties. The leaves can be used as a spinach substitute. Beets grow best when temperatures average 65 degrees, so early plantings will grow faster if covered with a row cover. Beetroots naturally push up out of the ground as they mature, and this exposed portion of the beet can cause the shoulders of white or yellow beets to become green and tough and should be mulched to avoid this problem. Beets will typically produce edible greens in 35 days, followed by cylindrical roots a month later.

Cultivation for Beets

The rows should be cultivated shallowly halfway through growth periods to keep weeds down, or the rows may be heavily mulched to keep them weed-free. Initial plantings will need to be thinned, because of the multiple plants that grow from one seed. An additional thinning when the roots reach a diameter of 1 inch to a spacing of 4 inches between plants will enable the roots to reach their full potential size.

Pests for Beets

None of major concern.

Diseases for Beets

None of major concern

The post Beet Growing and Harvest Information appeared first on VeggieHarvest.com.

How Broccoli Grows

The plant grows relatively erect, to 4 feet tall, with long, narrow, dark green leaves. As the harvest nears, a thickened cluster appears at the top of the stalk, which is actually a flower head. When it is cut off for harvest, side shoots will continue to develop for several weeks.

Harvesting Broccoli

60-80 days from plants. The first crop will be the central flower head, which resembles a green cauliflower. Cut it off with a sharp knife at an angle to a 4-6 inch stem, be sure to leave some leaves on the stalk, as many types will then produce side shoots from the leaf axis. Try to cut the head off at an angle, to help ensure water can not gather on the newly cut stem which leads to rot and disease. Be sure the head is cut before it cracks apart and separates; otherwise, the plant will quickly flower and go to seed. When the terminal flower head is cut off, smaller side shoots will develop a continual harvest. Homegrown broccoli will most likely not grow heads as large as supermarket varieties.

Broccoli Pests

• Same for cabbage
• Root Maggot – Place 3-inch tar paper squares around each seedling when transplanting to cover the soil areas; or keep the ground dusted with wood ash.
• Cabbage butterflies/worms – controlling cabbage worms is surprisingly easy. Cover susceptible crops with a floating row cover when planting and leave it in place until harvest.
• Cutworms – Use stiff paper collars around transplants to extend at least 1 inch below the soil line.
• Flea beetles – Dust with wood ash or flour dust.

Diseases for Broccoli

• Same for cabbage
• Soil fungicides are somewhat effective on broccoli diseases, but they are expensive, sold in large quantity, and not practical for small home garden use, unless a great deal of broccoli is grown.
• Clubroot fungus – Most frequent in soggy or acidic soil. Grow only in well-drained soil; follow crop rotation practices; lime to keep soil pH at a neutral 7.
• Yellows – A soil-borne diseases; choose resistant varieties.
• Black rot – Bacteria born on seed; buy only from reputable seed dealers or bedding plant growers; rotate crops.
• Blackleg – Bacteria spreads from infected plants, garden tools, and leftover debris. Follow crop rotation.

The post Broccoli Growing and Harvest Information appeared first on VeggieHarvest.com.

Cultivating Brussels Sprouts

Keep weed-free with shallow cultivation or heavy mulching. Grow in the same manner as all cabbage family plants. As soon as the lower sprouts begin to mature, pinch out the growing shoot at the top of each plant (not the entire top leaf). This will stop the top from growing and encourage the sprouts to ripen along the stalk.

Pests for Brussels Sprouts

• Same for cabbage
• Root Maggot -Place 3-inch tar paper squares around each seedling when transplanting to cover the soil areas; or keep the ground dusted with wood ash.
• Cabbage butterflies/worms -controlling cabbage worms is surprisingly easy.  Cover susceptible crops with a floating row cover when planting and leave it in place until harvest.
• Cutworms – Use stiff paper collars around transplants to extend at least 1 inch below the soil line.
• Flea beetles – Dust with wood ash or flour dust.

Diseases for Brussels Sprouts

• Same for cabbage
• Soil fungicides are somewhat effective on Brussels Sprout diseases, but they are expensive, sold in large quantities, and not practical for small home garden use unless a great deal of Brussels Sprouts are grown.
• Clubroot fungus – Most frequent in soggy or acid soil. Grow only in well-drained soil; follow crop rotation practices; lime to keep soil pH at a neutral 7.
• Yellows – A soil-born disease; choose resistant varieties.
• Black rot – Bacteria born on seed; buy only from reputable seed dealers or bedding plant growers; rotate crops.
• Blackleg – Bacteria spreads from infected plants, garden tools, and leftover debris. Follow crop rotation.

The post Brussels Sprouts Growing and Harvest Information appeared first on VeggieHarvest.com.

How –

In rows 2 1/2 feet apart, with 12-16 inches between plants. For late varieties, rows 3 feet apart and plants 2 feet apart.

One of the drawbacks in growing members of the mustard family is their susceptibility to many insect pests and soil-borne diseases. A general good gardening practice to follow is crop rotation. Never grow cabbage or any other Brassica in the same soil year after year. Rotate these plants on at least a 3-year basis, preferably on a 7-year basis. To prevent spreading soil-borne diseases, don’t compost any brassica roots; pull and destroy infected plants.

Harvesting Cabbage

When to harvest cabbage

Cabbage is ready to harvest in approximately 3-4 months. Cabbage heads must feel hard and solid before cutting. When harvesting, use a sharp knife to cut the head off at the base of the plant, keeping a few outer leaves to protect the head. The heads must be harvested promptly, or they deteriorate in the field. If there is ample cool and dry storage space, the heads may be harvested and stored for use. Or the ripe heads can be stored in the field by stopping plant growth. To do this, pull the plant up slightly from the ground until a few roots can be heard snapping. This will hold the plant for a short while until it can be picked. Some European gardeners have reported success in storing cabbage plants by burying them upside down in a deep soil pit with a thin straw flooring and covering them completely with soil to just below the frost line, with another straw mulch on top.

Pests for Cabbage

• Root Maggot -Place 3-inch tar paper squares around each seedling when transplanting to cover the soil areas; or keep the ground dusted with wood ash.
• Cabbage butterflies/worms -controlling cabbage worms is surprisingly easy.  Cover susceptible crops with a floating row cover when planting and leave it in place until harvest.
• Cutworms – Use stiff paper collars around transplants to extend at least 1 inch below the soil line.
• Flea beetles – Dust with wood ash or flour dust.

Diseases for Cabbage

• Soil fungicides are somewhat effective on brassica diseases, but they are expensive, sold in large quantity, and not practical for small home garden use, unless a great deal of cabbage is grown.
• Clubroot fungus – Most frequent in soggy or acid soil. Grow only in well-drained soil; follow crop rotation practices; lime to keep soil pH at a neutral 7.
• Yellows – A soil-borne diseases; choose resistant varieties.
• Black rot – Bacteria born on seed; buy only from reputable seed dealers or bedding plant growers; rotate crops.
• Blackleg – Bacteria spreads from infected plants, garden tools, and leftover debris. Follow crop rotation.

The post Cabbage Growing and Harvest Information appeared first on VeggieHarvest.com.

Carrots are an annual cool-season crop, half-hardy to frost and light freezes. They develop quite normally under a variety of temperature conditions, except very warm temperatures. It is said that frost or cold weather will make them even sweeter.

Where to Grow Carrots

Carrots can practically be grown anywhere with deep, stone/clay free soil. Try containers if your soil doesn’t look so great.

Recommended Carrot Varieties

In general carrot varieties are categorized by length: short, medium, and long. Variety selection should be determined by the kind of soil in which they will be grown: tight clay soils for the shorter carrots, rich, loamy, well-drained soils for the longest kinds. In order of root length: Exheart (4 1/2″); Royal Chantenay; Danvers Half Long or Danvers 126; Goldinhart (5 1/2-7″); Scarlet Nantes; Pioneer (7 inches); Gold Pak; Tendersweet; Imperator (8-9″).

The sweetest and best-textured carrots are the Nantes types, cylindrical and blunt-tipped. The long and tapered carrots are characteristic of Imperator varieties. Nantes types absorb more water and therefore have less dry matter, making them more succulent and crisp. They are also lower than other types in terpenoids, which cause a soapy turpentine-like taste; the amount of terpenoids depends entirely on the variety, not the soil. Terpenoids break down in cooking so that carrots taste sweeter when cooked. Nantes now describes any carrot with the above traits, not true lineage to the French region where the type originated.

Soil for Carrots

pH 6-6.5 is best. Proper soil is the key to success with carrots. Ideally, it should be very fertile, deep, and easily worked with ample quantities of humus to permit the roots to grow quickly and straight. The more natural fertility in the soil, the sweeter the carrot. Heavy clay soils do not support good carrot growth. Try carrots that don’t require deep soil if your soil is not ideal.

Planting Carrots

Germination in 10 -21 days.

When –

Carrots are hardy and can be planted as soon as the ground can be worked. For a continual crop, sections of the row can be planted every 2 weeks until late May. For a fall crop, more sowings can be started in late July.

How –

Since carrot seed germinates slowly, it can be mixed with radish or leaf lettuce, which germinate quickly and mark the row. The pulling of radish and leaf lettuce plants will also provide some natural thinning. Carrots do not transplant well, so start them outdoors once the soil is at least 45 degrees F. The seed can be mixed with sand or dry compost to make sowing easier. Sow seeds evenly in a very shallow furrow, about 1/4 inch deep, and keep seeds moist so they will germinate. Space rows about 12″ apart and when the first leaves emerge, thin to 1″ apart; when true leaves emerge, thin to 3″ apart. If you delay final thinning a bit, you can use the removed roots as baby carrots.

Cultivating Carrots

Carrots grow quickly at first, sending down a tiny orange root that expands and develops more quickly toward the end of its growing period. As with all root crops, rapid, steady development produces the best results. Keep the row weed-free with light shallow cultivation or heavy mulching. The seedlings must have steady moisture to develop well, with less moisture as the roots mature. Too much moisture at the end of maturing will cause the roots to crack. To prevent greening the shoulders, hill up dirt around the greens.

The post Carrot Growing and Harvest Information appeared first on VeggieHarvest.com.

How Cauliflower Grows

The plant has broad green-blue foliage that develops a central flower head. This increases in size to a large, cabbage-sized head of condensed flowers. By tradition, the head is blanched (covered from the sun) to bleach it white. Spacing between plants determines head size: the closer together, the smaller the head. When heads start forming, prevent yellowing by tying several upright leaves loosely together with string, covering the rest of the head from direct exposure to sunlight.

Harvesting Cauliflower

Cauliflower is ready to harvest in approximately 60-80 days from transplant date. As soon as the compact head is formed and blanched, it should be cut off with a sharp knife, along with several of the leaves for protection. The head should look full, and will likely be slightly smaller than supermarket varieties. Harvest when the curds of the head are still smooth. If too many heads ripen at once, cut them anyway and store them in a cool, dark place for several weeks. Ripened heads left on the plant will rot and deteriorate rapidly.

Cauliflower Pests

• Same as cabbage
• Root Maggot -Place 3-inch tar paper squares around each seedling when transplanting to cover the soil areas; or keep the ground dusted with wood ash.
• Cabbage butterflies/worms -controlling cabbage worms is surprisingly easy.  Cover susceptible crops with a floating row cover when planting and leave it in place until harvest.
• Cutworms – Use stiff paper collars around transplants to extend at least 1 inch below the soil line.
• Flea beetles – Dust with wood ash or flour dust.

Diseases for Cauliflower

• Same for cabbage
• Soil fungicides are somewhat effective on cauliflower diseases, but they are expensive, sold in large quantity, and not practical for small home garden use, unless a great deal of cauliflower is grown.
• Clubroot fungus – Most frequent in soggy or acid soil. Grow only in well-drained soil; follow crop rotation practices; lime to keep soil pH at a neutral 7.
• Yellows – A soil-borne diseases; choose resistant varieties.
• Black rot – Bacteria born on seed; buy only from reputable seed dealers or bedding plant growers; rotate crops.
• Blackleg – Bacteria spreads from infected plants, garden tools, and leftover debris. Follow crop rotation.

The post Cauliflower Growing and Harvest Information appeared first on VeggieHarvest.com.