Wednesday, September 28, 2016

My Vegetable Garden Wish List for Autumn

We have a long growing autumnal season in Northern Florida, in Zone 9, starting in September and lasting through October.  This is my wish list for Vegetables from Seeds to sow in my garden:

Contender Snap Beans (September only) germinates in 8 days and matures in 40 - 60 days.
Detroit Beets germinates in 8 days and matures in 55 -75 days.
Imperator Carrots germinates in 8 days and matures in 100 -120 days.
Kale sown in December germinates in 10 days and matures in 60 - 90 days.
Black seeded Lettuce germinates 7 days and matures in 60 - 90 days.
Sweet Peas sown in December germinates in 10 days and matures in 100 - 150 days.
Turnips germinates in 7 days and matures in 45 - 60 days.
Radishes sown in October germinates in 6 days and matures in 28 - 36 days.
Spinach germinates in 8 days and matures in 40 - 60 days.

It is important that the soil is free from debris making for for a smooth bed for the seeds, especially the small seeds, so that they don't have to struggle so hard to germinate.  Once the seedlings are large and healthy enough, it is time for thinning out the plants, fertilize, and water.  It may also be advantageous to mulch the plants to conserve water and keep the roots from getting cold.

This is my wish list for Vegetables from Plants to plant in in my garden:

Broccoli matures in 55 - 75 days.
Brussel Sprouts matures in 75 - 120 days.
Cabbage matures in 120 - 150 days.
Cauliflour matures in 120 - 150 days.
Collards matures in 60 - 80 days.
Kale planted in December matures in 50 - 60 days.
Mustards matures in 85 - 100 days.

Water, fertilize, and mulch as needed.  Oh, I forgot the weeding.  Remove unwanted growth to keep from weeding at a later date--weed management.

A Special Thanks to Standard Feed for their many fine seed.

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Thursday, September 15, 2016

The Leafy Greens

The garden is a place where my important nourishment comes from and I have selected leafy green vegetables to grow:  collards, kale, and mustards along with turnips.

Kale
The other year, I was pleasantly surprised how well mustard and kale plants did in my garden and I couldn't go wrong with Georgia collards.

The collards grow just about anywhere in any soil as long as they get a little food, water, and sunshine.  The more you pick, the more you get.  If you sow the seeds, they will take about 10 days to germinate and 120 - 150 days to mature.  Eat the collards finely chopped in salads, if you prefer, but otherwise cook until tender and use seasoned meat to add flavor to the collards.  I always use pickles and its juice.

Box of Mustard Plants
The kale and mustards compliment each other well when cooked together in salted water.  If you sow the seeds, they will take 9 - 10 days to germinate and 50 - 70 days to mature.  These greens freeze well after a quick blanching, cooling, draining,and packing.

I also like to mix in a bit of turnip greens with the kale and mustards.  They cook quickly.  If you sow turnip seeds, they will take 7 days to germinate and 45 - 60 days to mature.

These leafy green vegetables are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants and they will keep you regular.  They are easy to grow, cook, freeze, and store.

I usually let the mustard greens go to seed in the garden because they produce yellow flowers that attract bees and butterflies.

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