The first little sprouts of kale peeped out of the ground yesterday (2/23). These were the Siberian kale. The Russian red kale is still doing well, but it lacks the body and the flavor of the Siberian. When this crop disappears there will be no more of that stuff in my garden.
The compost is working well. The bin is full again even after using a little this weekend. It is time to move more of it to the tarp. There is enough there to fill another raised bed, if I can scrounge some lumber. Our class in the master gardener program on Monday was on compost. I like my method better. It yields better compost faster.
Yesterday’s trip to Renfrow’s to get carrot, beet and radish seeds also netted a compost thermometer. The soil temperature in the 1st 3 beds in the garden (a-1 through a-3) is 50 and 52 degrees. Today the compost will be tested. It got turned yesterday so the reading would probably have been meaningless. The carrots, beets and radish seeds were mixed together and inter-planted in row A-2 with onions, cabbage, broccoli and kale.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Showing posts with label Kale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kale. Show all posts
Friday, February 25, 2011
Monday, November 29, 2010
Tomatoes Still
The tomatoes were picked green a week or two ago, when the 1st frost was predicted. There have been a couple of frosts since then. The tomatoes were pretty much forgotten. Monday as the figs were being pruned, I found some red tomatoes. Wow.
The figs were pruned to eye level again. Last year one fig tree was left un-pruned and one tree was pruned. The yield from the un-pruned tree was marginally greater, but the figs were harder too pick. The decision to not prune that tree was really regretted when pruning was done Monday. Some of the branches were too thick for a lopper and had to be cut with a bow saw. The city has a 5’ long rule for curbside pickup. Many of the branches from that tree had to be cut again.
Kale has been picked 3 times now. Salad greens have been picked twice and I have lost count of how many times the sallet greens have been picked. The lima bean vines are still health and blooming, but the lima bean pods have not filled out much. A different variety will definitely be in the works for next year.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
The figs were pruned to eye level again. Last year one fig tree was left un-pruned and one tree was pruned. The yield from the un-pruned tree was marginally greater, but the figs were harder too pick. The decision to not prune that tree was really regretted when pruning was done Monday. Some of the branches were too thick for a lopper and had to be cut with a bow saw. The city has a 5’ long rule for curbside pickup. Many of the branches from that tree had to be cut again.
Kale has been picked 3 times now. Salad greens have been picked twice and I have lost count of how many times the sallet greens have been picked. The lima bean vines are still health and blooming, but the lima bean pods have not filled out much. A different variety will definitely be in the works for next year.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
That's Cold
Every weekend morning that I am home, I work in the yard or the greenhouse. We were out of town through Saturday. Sunday I went out to do the routine. Normally the compost turning starts on Saturday. The top of the compost in the 4th bin was frozen. No big deal. It broke apart on the 2”X4” wire than screens it into the 5th (storage) bin. Even with gloves on my fingers got so cold I could not stand to pick up the compost from the top to take it back to the 1st (accumulation) bin.
Perhaps I could work in the greenhouse. The rain barrel inside the greenhouse had a skim of ice on it. The tomatoes planted in the raised bed, looked frostbitten. I turned the heater up a little; but I guess that is like closing the barn door after the horse gets out. The plants for next years garden have bottom heat from pads. I think I will lose some of them as well. Too cold to work in the greenhouse.
I went home early to water the plants; because the enriched water had ice on the top. It was still icy. Plants do not like ice water. It took 2 gallons of hot tap water to bring the temperature in a 5 gallon bucket up to something that would not shock the plants. This morning it was even colder (19 degrees). The winter garden plants did not seem to mind except for the Kale from last spring.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Perhaps I could work in the greenhouse. The rain barrel inside the greenhouse had a skim of ice on it. The tomatoes planted in the raised bed, looked frostbitten. I turned the heater up a little; but I guess that is like closing the barn door after the horse gets out. The plants for next years garden have bottom heat from pads. I think I will lose some of them as well. Too cold to work in the greenhouse.
I went home early to water the plants; because the enriched water had ice on the top. It was still icy. Plants do not like ice water. It took 2 gallons of hot tap water to bring the temperature in a 5 gallon bucket up to something that would not shock the plants. This morning it was even colder (19 degrees). The winter garden plants did not seem to mind except for the Kale from last spring.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Kale Yeah!!
That is what my friend Burgess says when I offer him kale. He made a big hit with his family making kale soup on the day after thanksgiving. I have persuaded him to share his recipe, which is actually his grandmother’s recipe. This is a 2 day process.
The first day starts with boiling raw linguica and couric sausage (these are Portuguese sausages) . After the sausage is fully cooked pull it out and refrigerate the sausage. Skim the goo off of the top of the water. This will form the stock for the soup.
On day 2, cook carrots and potatoes in the cold stock from the sausage and water. Cabbage is optional. Sauté some onions and celery. When the onions and celery are ready add them and the fresh kale to the pot. Simmer until the kale is cooked. That is all there is to it. Burgess promised to bring me some leftover to try. I will give my report when I have tasted it.
Incidentally the fire ants are gone. I think the grits or the corn meal finished them off. Ray Moore also sent me a method of fire ant eradication using club soda. I hope I will not get to try that until next year.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
The first day starts with boiling raw linguica and couric sausage (these are Portuguese sausages) . After the sausage is fully cooked pull it out and refrigerate the sausage. Skim the goo off of the top of the water. This will form the stock for the soup.
On day 2, cook carrots and potatoes in the cold stock from the sausage and water. Cabbage is optional. Sauté some onions and celery. When the onions and celery are ready add them and the fresh kale to the pot. Simmer until the kale is cooked. That is all there is to it. Burgess promised to bring me some leftover to try. I will give my report when I have tasted it.
Incidentally the fire ants are gone. I think the grits or the corn meal finished them off. Ray Moore also sent me a method of fire ant eradication using club soda. I hope I will not get to try that until next year.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
False Spring
False Spring
Saturday morning the air was warm enough to go outside without a jacket. What a great time to plant the spring garden. Saturday saw carrots, radishes and beets sowed into a row 3’ wide and about 25’ long. Sunday was for Swiss chard, Tokyo cross hybrid turnips, curly mustard, mesclun mix and kale in one bed of 3 rows. Potatoes and onions went into another row.
The soil was too alkaline for potatoes so the first step was a heavy dusting of sulfur. It made me think about George Bush. Then I worked in a whole bunch of leaves so that the soil seems to be about ½ leaves and ½ dirt. Then the potatoes went in and a side row of onion sets. I still need to plant arugula and lettuce. Spinach has survived from the fall garden; but it never got big enough to pick. Maybe this warm weather will bring it up.
The weather man (fickle as he is) has promised us a week of spring like weather. I am quite sure it will be followed by more hard freezes and possibly some snow. I hope we won’t get early bloom on the flowers and fruit trees.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Saturday morning the air was warm enough to go outside without a jacket. What a great time to plant the spring garden. Saturday saw carrots, radishes and beets sowed into a row 3’ wide and about 25’ long. Sunday was for Swiss chard, Tokyo cross hybrid turnips, curly mustard, mesclun mix and kale in one bed of 3 rows. Potatoes and onions went into another row.
The soil was too alkaline for potatoes so the first step was a heavy dusting of sulfur. It made me think about George Bush. Then I worked in a whole bunch of leaves so that the soil seems to be about ½ leaves and ½ dirt. Then the potatoes went in and a side row of onion sets. I still need to plant arugula and lettuce. Spinach has survived from the fall garden; but it never got big enough to pick. Maybe this warm weather will bring it up.
The weather man (fickle as he is) has promised us a week of spring like weather. I am quite sure it will be followed by more hard freezes and possibly some snow. I hope we won’t get early bloom on the flowers and fruit trees.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
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