Spring has sprung in the landscaping world, so in most every spare evening and weekend moment I am running around helping other folks make their yards and gardens more beautiful while mine stagnates. Oh well, I have to pay the bills somehow. It is ironic that most of us in Horticulture never truly get to enjoy spring ourselves.
Good thing I get to be a Mom during the day and that the veggie beds are right out the back door, or I'd never get anything planted at my own place. As it is, the Girl and I put seeds in whenever we get a minute while playing or walking the dog out back. About a week ago we planted another row of each lettuce and spinach for a second crop. The first lettuce and spinach are about 1" high and looking pretty nice. We also planted a row of 'Bright Lights' swiss chard last weekend, which I have never grown, and have no idea what to do with, really, but have heard it's worth growing just for the colorful stalks if nothing else. I thought it would be fun for the Girl to see and maybe we'll enjoy some chard greens with our lettuce. My Mom said her mother used to grow chard and served it cooked and she thought it pretty disgusting; I think I'll take her word for it : )
This week I ordered seeds for Dinosaur Kale (Lacinato or Tuscan Kale) and Bulls Blood beet from Seed Savers Exchange.
http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=623(OG)
http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=610
We sowed them outside in the raised beds today, a row of each, although the kale was recommended to be started inside back around the time I started my peppers downstairs under the lights, ideally. Oh well. I'm beyond interested in starting more seeds inside, so I'm willing to direct sow to see what happens. I keep hearing about these two varieties here and there, at the Green Expo, some garden blogs, and most recently in a Midwest Home Magazine feature about Tangletown Gardens in Mpls (http://www.tangletowngardens.com), which is co-owned by a nice guy I know through MNLA. Tangletown has also opened a new restaurant across the street, serving organic produce grown on their own farm, which also produces many of the plants sold in the garden center. Restaurant green scraps are even sent back to the farm to be composted to complete the cycle; very cool. The beets and kale are both supposed to be beautiful garden plants as well as healthy greens packed w/ vitamins. Plus I keep hearing health nut foodies talking about kale chips, so I'm going to have to see for myself what they're all about and report back later this summer.
Good thing I get to be a Mom during the day and that the veggie beds are right out the back door, or I'd never get anything planted at my own place. As it is, the Girl and I put seeds in whenever we get a minute while playing or walking the dog out back. About a week ago we planted another row of each lettuce and spinach for a second crop. The first lettuce and spinach are about 1" high and looking pretty nice. We also planted a row of 'Bright Lights' swiss chard last weekend, which I have never grown, and have no idea what to do with, really, but have heard it's worth growing just for the colorful stalks if nothing else. I thought it would be fun for the Girl to see and maybe we'll enjoy some chard greens with our lettuce. My Mom said her mother used to grow chard and served it cooked and she thought it pretty disgusting; I think I'll take her word for it : )
This week I ordered seeds for Dinosaur Kale (Lacinato or Tuscan Kale) and Bulls Blood beet from Seed Savers Exchange.
http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=623(OG)
http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=610
We sowed them outside in the raised beds today, a row of each, although the kale was recommended to be started inside back around the time I started my peppers downstairs under the lights, ideally. Oh well. I'm beyond interested in starting more seeds inside, so I'm willing to direct sow to see what happens. I keep hearing about these two varieties here and there, at the Green Expo, some garden blogs, and most recently in a Midwest Home Magazine feature about Tangletown Gardens in Mpls (http://www.tangletowngardens.com), which is co-owned by a nice guy I know through MNLA. Tangletown has also opened a new restaurant across the street, serving organic produce grown on their own farm, which also produces many of the plants sold in the garden center. Restaurant green scraps are even sent back to the farm to be composted to complete the cycle; very cool. The beets and kale are both supposed to be beautiful garden plants as well as healthy greens packed w/ vitamins. Plus I keep hearing health nut foodies talking about kale chips, so I'm going to have to see for myself what they're all about and report back later this summer.
Comments
Post a Comment