Step on it, Mrs. Cleaver!
09 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
in Lettuce
June isn’t messing around this time. She’s showing no hesitation, and of course the garden is eating it up. The cherry tomato plants are already at 6 feet and the Sun Golds are ripening on the lower trusses.
Sun Golds ripening
I popped one in my mouth yesterday and they *did* live up to the claims of sweetness. And as the year moves on, I’m sure they’ll taste better. I haven’t grown this variety before, but it deserves a permanent place on my tomato list every year. Very fast growing and extremely vigorous. Having said that, the Matt’s Wild cherry plants are out in the lead in terms of growth, although their fruit is not quite as early. I’m predicting that my MWC’s will get 13 feet by the end of September. I’ll try and remember to take a measurement of all the plants by that time. The Paul Robeson’s, a black slicing tomato, are doing well and putting out many fruit early on. The Aunt Ruby German Green plants are like trees with very thick stems. Their pollination on the lower trusses was a little iffy at first. Not very efficient. What I’m finding is that some varieties have this trait. The Paul Robesons didn’t. If anyone has any experience with this as well, I’d like to hear from you to convince me that it’s not just me.
My Outdoor Tomatoes: Gilberie and De Barao
Watermelons under IR plastic: White Wonder and Hime Kansen
My watermelons are even further along than they were last year, which is saying quite a lot since last year was an ideal year for growing. Even though our spring this year has been cooler and wetter, our last frost was earlier and the hot weather in late May and early June has made up for it.
The garlic is producing scapes and I would hope to start harvesting in July. I’ve been smart this year and have kept the garlic mulched with rye straw (produced in the garden) to keep the roots moist, which garlic likes. I cut the scapes off today and perhaps will have them grilled or sauteed.
A have some information about growing lettuce that many people don’t know about. I couldn’t call it a secret, but let’s just say that your lettuce seed packets rarely let you in on it. Lettuce seed is light sensitive. Some varieties more than others, but generally true. If you’ve ever wondered why your lettuce seeds don’t germinate very well and you think you got some jipped seed, I’m giving you some knowledge that should make you think again. Just for you, I ran an experiment. Not very scientific, but just for yucks…and for show and tell. The photo below shows the effect of light on the seed. The first 7 columns of grow cells were planted with a combination of Red Oak leaf lettuce and Black Seeded Simpson. The seed was packaged in late 2010. They were planted as per the packet, 1/4 inch below the surface. The 5 columns on the right used the same seed but were primed first and then pressed firmly onto the soil surface, making sure the soil is moist first, and leaving the seed exposed to light. Priming the seed just means that they are soaked in water for 24 hours prior. Just so you know, the seeds on the left were planted about 10 days earlier (Something distracted me from planting them at the same time). The photo speaks for itself. Primed and on the surface, they had a 93% (28/30) germination rate. The others had a 31% (13/42) germination rate. So, don’t throw away that lettuce seed just yet. It may be fine. I usually don’t keep lettuce seed for more than 2 years as it has a shorter shelf life that other seeds. But I may experiment with trying to keep it longer.
Music Garlic with Scapes
Bull's Blood Beets, Golden Beets, Rocket, Lettuce, etc.
Lettuce Seed is Light Sensitive!
Corn Planted in Circles, and Cucumbers to Make a Live Mulch Underneath
Another little secret I learned from Cindy Conner at www.homeplaceearth.com was to plant corn in circles. She says that they aren’t as susceptible to laying down in high winds as they help support each other. The circles are 18 inches in diameter and the center is kept uncovered to help warm the soil. The cucumbers underneath provide a living mulch to keep the soil from drying out. I highly recommend her video about composting in your garden, which you can find on her website. It’s full of great information. It’s one of those videos you must watch more than once to get everything.
’til next time.
Rows of Blue Potatoes
Sage Flowers
