Beautiful germination

A soil block site told me that there was no reason to cover the seeds when using blocks. It went on to say that there's plenty of  moisture in the block to let it germinate properly. I've tried this a few times and can say that it  works very well (lettuce is especially quick to germinate in this fashion). It also gives you a great perspective on what is going on just after germination. I find these little broccoli beautiful.

Newly emerged broccoli

Planting - Lettuce / Broccoli

Broccoli, take three

I started the first round of lettuce and spring broccoli this evening. I've had nothing but problems trying to start broccoli the last two years. Those years, I started the broccoli outside in the greenhouse. I think the wide swings of temperature in the greenhouse were too much for the young broccoli. This year they are in the house with nice stable temperatures. I'm interested to see what I get this time around.

Soil Blocks

I've had great success with soil blocks and will use them for everything that can be started in them. Last week I started tomatoes in 2" blocks. Today I used the 3/4" blocks for lettuce and broccoli. Blocks of this size are easily out grown, but they are also compact and allow me to start a lot of single seeds, resulting in more than enough plants, even with spotty germination. As it turns out, I've had great luck with germination in this manner and will have enough starts to share with all interested.

3/4" soil blocks - 160 total

Top Row (Left->Right): 

• Mascara Lettuce (x20); Territorial Seed
• Drunken Woman Fizzy Head (x20); Territorial Seed
• Marshall Lettuce (x20); 
• Italienischer Lettuce (x20);

Bottom Row (Left->Right)

• Valmaine Lettuce (x20)
• Fiesta Hybrid Broccoli (x20) (Pelleted)
• Broccoli Sampler from Cedar Grove Nursery (x20) (Not sure the exact variety)
• Blank, for now.

Frosty Morning

There was a pretty thick fog last night that our 26 degree night turned into a blanket of frost. Everything is certainly hunkered down.

Non-Purple broccoli. It is an experiment.
I don't know if it will last the winter.

Up close with a frosty broccoli.

Purple Broccoli.

Leeks, beets and chard. There are carrots
tucked down  beneath the autumn leaves.

The season of broccoli

We continue to go to our backyard store prior to dinner these days. There are green onions to pull; broccoli, chard and cauliflower to cut; and what can only be called gobs of tomatoes to graze on. Some things have been picked clean. I cooked up the last of the green beans tonight, finished picking over the front bed of canning tomatoes this week, harvested the jalapenos and the last couple eggplant. On the maintenance front, we had a nice weekend. I was able to take advantage of it, cleaning and prepping beds for garlic and winter. 

It's a long way up, but he'll make it.

It is a nice time of year. The garden is more relaxed, less demanding this time of year. It is still growing, be is slowly, but still providing plentifully. 

Our broccoli has is the clear over-achiever these days. Our dozen plants have been producing consistently for a few weeks now. The second variety, Fiesta, has put out huge heads. The one here is 4lbs. I don't think we'll get much more out of these, but the other variety, Packman, are still full of side shoots. We should get another couple weeks of of those. Many have started to go to seed, but that hasn't deterred me. I can say that broccoli flowers are just as tasty as their non-flowering siblings. Eaten raw or in stir-fry, they are just as good. Don't let a little flower deter you.

Luke's vegetable sculpture. 

Just over 4lbs of peppers - jalapeno & Big Bomb,
neither really much more spicy than a bell,
unfortunately.

Harvest Monday

Relegated to hang out with the recycling and garbage cans.
Thankfully, this isn't from this year. This technique (or is
it a trick?) did work. Most of these tomatoes found
their way into canning jars. 

Back to the present, here's an interesting mix of summer
and winter pickings. There are still a few eggplant
after this one. This butternut was on the small side, but
went very well with the potatoes, broccoli and beets
that shared my dinner plate.

Each of these beets was a pound. I was afraid
that the may have turned tough, but
was happily disappointed. They were excellent.

The last of the beans were tasty, along with mounds of
broccoli, chard, and tomatoes and jalapenos in last night's stir fry for
today's lunch.

The chard is plentiful and sweet all the
way to the end of the stalk.

Head over to Daphne's Dandelions for more Harvest Monday folks.

A walk around the beds today

We have 3 San Marzano. They are loaded, but always late.

A handful of beans is all that remains from our plants. The
plants have been mostly relocated to the compost pile.

Behind the beans are a few tomatillo plants. We'll get a
few from these.  Tomatillos grow great around here,
producing nicely until is freezes.

The broccoli continues is proliferation. This is a central
head from a Thompson. We have a few of these and
many Packman. The Packman continue to produce load
of side shoots.

The Brussels Sprouts are beginning to form. Will they
make sprouts by the time winter really sets in?

An outstanding head of cauliflower.

..and one that has started to bolt. I'll steam it up just
to make sure it is bitter and horrible.

The cabbage, Danish Ballhead, are really
starting to form heads.

This little Sunshine Kabocha is just a little too late. It
is cute, but won't amount to much.

That little Sunshine, above, came from this bed. It was home
to squash, lettuce, and potatoes this year.

After taking out the squash, I added fertilizer and put
some Broccoli in. I'm curious to see if anything comes o
 something planted out this late. I have another ten plants or so. 

Broccoli transplanted, withering in the sun

In retrospect, it wasn't the best day to transplant. But the broccoli in the nursery bed were plenty big enough. It was time. I transplanted a dozen broccoli from the nursery bed to their final locations last night. I took
great care to saturate their roots. I soaked the ground they were going into and coated their root ball in mud made from soil and fresh compost. This morning they looked great, but they withered soon after the sun touched them. I erected this quick sun shade to keep some heat off them. I also have given them another dose of deep watering. They seem to be bouncing back a bit. I am hopeful.