Kale and Spinach

Thumbnail image of Bob Bauer
Bob Bauer
July 30, 2016 (Last Updated: ) | Reading Time: 1 minutes

July 29, 2016

Sometimes Kale is the only crop we can get to overwinter so I always plant a fall crop. Now is a good time, at least six weeks before the first frost, because frost will sweeten it like it does with Brussels sprouts. ( Insert plug for your Frost Date website cutie). The last of the Spring lettuce has just been pulled up leaving a fluffy, moist, weed free row, so it only takes dragging your finger in the dirt to make your furrow..

Water the seeds in, cover with a board, and peek under it every day. Thin them to 2' apart and mulch around the bases. It will make a welcome change to winters frozen vegetable entrees..

July 30, 2016

Spinach might be the best return on investment in the garden. It's high in vitamins A and B, and loaded with iron, calcium and protein. None of it goes to waste because you keep eating all of it's leaves until it's done. Then you can cut the stalks off at the ground allowing the roots to decompose in the soil, and put the stalks around the artichokes, because you don't want the artichoke roots to freeze in the winter. Now is a good time to start your fall spinach seeds..

The times I've tried planting the starts from nurseries have been disappointing. The plants pout from day one, and before they can get over it they've developed a root rot, fungus, or millipedes start eating their roots. When I start the seeds in the ground the plants think they're indigenous and grow like weeds..

More from Efundies