September 07, 2018
The perpetual spinach in the greenhouse is beginning to form 2"-3" leaves so it's well worth the time to pick it. It's not as sweet as in the spring, but when properly prepared doesn't require any chewing either. It doesn't look like I'll be getting any to overwinter this year because my direct seeded row is doing the same thing as the ones I started in six packs. They come up, go dormant, then form seeds. I'll try to find seeds locally because they are more likely to be suited for our area. Spinach has a tap root so it's recommended to loosen the soil more deeply than my 1" deep furrow. I'll try that..
I've read that one foot deep is good, but I think it's overkill. 8" is about my max. Contemporary thinking is to disturb the soil as little as possible. The French Intensive method of gardening has you digging 2' deep rows. They sure know how to take the fun out of gardening..
September 08, 2018
I really need to stop putting little stones up against my fallen over plants to keep them upright. A cabbage head is often too heavy to be supported on a small stem. When the planrs fall over the stem laying on the ground allows the weight of the cabbage to rest on the ground. Half of my cauliflower plants fell over also, and are now growing upward, with a bent stem resting on the ground..
I wonder if I'll get larger heads on those as opposed to the ones remaining upright? Broccoli typically doesn't fall over. Then again my broccoli heads are never very large anyway. The top few inches of my soil are very friable and I suspected that tiny side roots couldn't get a good purchase, but that may not be the case..
September 09, 2018
Be sure to grab the largest three or four garlic bulbs from storage and put them in your seed box, so you won't be left short come November. The more garlic I grow, the more we eat, and our harvest is already down to half. As the corn patches open up, the ground is so weed free, that the only prep needed is to mulch it before planting onion sets and garlic cloves. That's probably why I started planting in patches rather than rows..
It's also much easier to water a patch with an orbital sprinkler than a row. The corn stalks get cut off with an axe, slightly below ground level, so that the roots can decompose underground, adding organic matter to the soil, and then providing tunnels for water and air to move in. Yes, your garden passes gas..
