Brussels Sprouts... for Winter Garden Foodies [General]
2013 Jan 1
Hi Caperbeach,
Yup. Planted at the normal time and just left as is until we decide to go and fetch them. It has to be the right winter in order for them to last though. If you get a really mild winter it might not work. One year we lost them but other years we have gone out in the spring - suddenly remembered they were there - and at them then. This is the first winter that I've gone out in the snow and dug them up but as you can see, they are gorgeous. During the fall, I mostly picked from the same stalks along the edges and left the rest for this very reason. The stalk you see in the picture above just helped feed 9 people but could have fed 12 as a side serving. I think we each had about 8 brussels sprouts tonight? There are a few servings left over and some still on the stalk. When my aunt walked in tonight the first thing out of her mouth was 'Oh where did you get the nice brussel sprouts?' They looked great and they tasted great too.
Yup. Planted at the normal time and just left as is until we decide to go and fetch them. It has to be the right winter in order for them to last though. If you get a really mild winter it might not work. One year we lost them but other years we have gone out in the spring - suddenly remembered they were there - and at them then. This is the first winter that I've gone out in the snow and dug them up but as you can see, they are gorgeous. During the fall, I mostly picked from the same stalks along the edges and left the rest for this very reason. The stalk you see in the picture above just helped feed 9 people but could have fed 12 as a side serving. I think we each had about 8 brussels sprouts tonight? There are a few servings left over and some still on the stalk. When my aunt walked in tonight the first thing out of her mouth was 'Oh where did you get the nice brussel sprouts?' They looked great and they tasted great too.
2013 Jan 3
Well, Caperbeach we saw Eliot Coleman at a Canadian Organic Growers conference a number of years back, and my husband has been borrowing all his groovy ideas since. ;-)
Plant your carrots in mid-July, keep 'em moist until they germinate. By the time they need substantially more water, you're into autumn so more rain and cooler temps. This means way less fighting with heat, drought, weeds, and bugs.
When frost starts to become an issue, cover the carrots. You can use floating row cover, frost cover, or even light coloured bed sheets. Assuming you didn;t start them too late in July, you can harvest all fall and into the winter.
The year it worked really well for us (we got them in the ground in time, and the weather really co-operated) we'd go out on a Friday afternoon, peel back about 20 feet of floating row cover to see a 1x20 foot length of green leafy tops. The top centimeter of soil is frozen, but using a garden fork, lift the ground. The soil will be so WARM on your hands! And the carrots will be so beautiful and sweet!
We'd collect a few bushels of them, bring them inside the house to rinse and bag them, and these babies sold like hot cakes at the market! The look so fresh and vibrant, and the taste is amazing! Customers were always amazed when told them that we picked the carrots less that 24 hours before, in February!
The other thing that we like to do is really early gardening. Greenhouse or cold frames are great to get plants like radish or spinach on your table by April.
I'm sure there are loads of websites on this stuff, but I'm too lazy to find them for you. Google Eliot Coleman and I'm sure you'll learn tons of good stuff.
Plant your carrots in mid-July, keep 'em moist until they germinate. By the time they need substantially more water, you're into autumn so more rain and cooler temps. This means way less fighting with heat, drought, weeds, and bugs.
When frost starts to become an issue, cover the carrots. You can use floating row cover, frost cover, or even light coloured bed sheets. Assuming you didn;t start them too late in July, you can harvest all fall and into the winter.
The year it worked really well for us (we got them in the ground in time, and the weather really co-operated) we'd go out on a Friday afternoon, peel back about 20 feet of floating row cover to see a 1x20 foot length of green leafy tops. The top centimeter of soil is frozen, but using a garden fork, lift the ground. The soil will be so WARM on your hands! And the carrots will be so beautiful and sweet!
We'd collect a few bushels of them, bring them inside the house to rinse and bag them, and these babies sold like hot cakes at the market! The look so fresh and vibrant, and the taste is amazing! Customers were always amazed when told them that we picked the carrots less that 24 hours before, in February!
The other thing that we like to do is really early gardening. Greenhouse or cold frames are great to get plants like radish or spinach on your table by April.
I'm sure there are loads of websites on this stuff, but I'm too lazy to find them for you. Google Eliot Coleman and I'm sure you'll learn tons of good stuff.
2013 Jan 6
Ahhhh... lol. Okay gotcha. We've got loads of carrots that had a late start (not on purpose though!) and have been planning on going out there to fetch them but not looking forward to trying to pull them out of the frozen earth. Will try and let you know how it goes. Must check out this Coleman fellow.
Thanks!
Thanks!
TMac