Squash ‘Uchiki Kuri’
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Cucurbita maxima ‘Uchiki Kuri’ |
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Days to Maturity: 85 – 95 days
For an early start, sow seeds indoors about 4 weeks before your last frost date or direct sow in the ground from mid-May through to mid-June. If growing seedlings indoors, harden them off for 1 – 2 weeks before transplanting them outside. Allow roughly 4 square feet (0.37 square meters) between plants.
Special Growing Notes: Select planting site carefully. ‘Uchiki Kuri’ squash prefer full sun, but they will do well with a minimum of 6 hours. Direct seed outdoors when soil temperature reaches 18 °C (65 °F) and soil is partially moist but not soggy. Wet soil may promote fungus growth on seeds and rot them. Allow 4 square feet (0.37 square meters) between plants to accommodate their sprawling growth habit. Also allow for good air flow between plants to discourage powdery mildew. Germination takes about 10 – 14 days. Watch for slug, snails and cutworms once seedlings emerge from the ground. ‘Uchiki Kuri’ squash matures roughly 85 – 95 days after plant starts to bloom. The fruit is ready for harvesting when the rind end has hardened and the stem is about 2 inches (2.5 cm) long. If you harvest the fruit before it is mature, it will lose its sweet flavour. Cut ripe squash off the plant with a knife, being sure to leave 2 inches of stem intact. Harvest before the temperature falls. Harvest all of the fruits before a heavy frost hits the plants. Cure squash in full sun for about 10 days. If freezing weather is in the forecast, move them into a covered area and move them out into the sun the next day. When fully cured, store squash in a dark room at about 10 °C (50 °F) and at less than 65% humidity. Cured and stored properly, they will last well into the winter.
Note: I used my favourite cooking method for winter squash…cut in half, seeds removed, placed cut side down in a baking dish and baked in the oven.
Posted on August 19, 2020 |
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Bean ‘Dragon Tongue’
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Phaseolus vulgaris Family: Fabaceae |
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Days to Maturity: From seed 55 – 65 days
Description: Romano, or wax bush type bean with 6 – 8 inch (15 – 20 cm) long cream-coloured pods streaked with purple. There are 4 – 6 light brown with dark mottling seeds in each stringless pod. High yielding with excellent flavour. Pick young to eat as snap beans or allow to mature for shelling beans.
Special Notes: An open-pollinated Dutch heritage bean dating back to the 18th century. Having been cultivated throughout much of North, Central and South America, these beans have adapted to a wide range of heat and humidity levels.
Sow seeds for successive crops every 3 weeks until the end of July. Harvest between 55 – 65 days. Leave beans on plants to mature if you are growing for dried beans. The more often you harvest, the bigger your yield will be.
Special Growing Notes: Beans prefer a soil pH of 6.0 – 6.5. Work some Dolomite lime into acidic soils about two weeks before seeding. Adding peat to alkaline soils will lower the pH. Working some Complete Organic Fertilizer into the row before seeding is a good soil amendment. It contains the necessary nutrients and some lime to adjust the soil pH. Find the recipe here. Too much nitrogen in the fertilizer can impede pod set and delay maturity.
How to Use: The smaller the beans, the more tender so pick often for eating raw or steamed. If growing for drying, leave pods until they are turning a creamy-yellow colour and pods are rigid. Allow pods to dry completely before shelling. Dry beans for another two weeks in a dry, airy room.
Pests & Diseases: Wet conditions can be detrimental to bean plants. Be sure to have good air circulation between bean plants to deter powdery mildew. Never harvest bean pods when leaves are wet. Variegated cutworm (Peridroma saucia) and beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua) are two pests which enjoy devouring the newly emerging first leaves and leave just the stem as evidence there was once a plant coming up. Pillbugs (Armadillidium vulgare), thrips and spider mites can also be slightly problematic.
In our Zone 7a garden: I first trialed this bean variety for my Growing Sprouts School Garden program in 2012. The name of the bean and unusual colouring were such a hit with the students, they enjoyed eating their home-grown beans come harvest time. Lots of comments on how good they were. (Honestly, there were few kids who said they did not want to eat any.) The worst problem we have growing any bean variety are the cutworms. Typically, I have to re-seed at least a dozen because the first plants have had their first leaves nipped off.
Posted on July 23, 2020 |
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Apple ‘Akane’
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Malus domestica ‘Akane’ Family: Rosaceae |
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Special Notes: Developed at the Morika Experimental Station in Japan in 1937 but was not introduced globally until 1970. This apple typically ripens early in the mid-season range of the harvest period…usually in September. Good eating and cooking apple with a firm texture, keeping its shape throughout cooking. Good keeper if kept in cold storage at 4 °C (39 °F). Outside of cold storage, ‘Akane’ will only keep for 2-3 weeks.
Posted on October 3, 2018 |
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Mustard ‘Komatsuna’
 Photo coming soon |
Brassica rapa var. perviridis Family: Brassicaceae |
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Days to Maturity: From seed – 20 days (baby greens); 40 days (full size)
Description: A biennial leafy Asian green. Moderately elliptical, dark green leaves are grown on a long stem. They are slightly textured with veining quite prominently displayed. Although a biennial, this is considered a cool season crop, although it can tolerate short periods of extreme heat. It is reasonably frost-hardy to temperatures as low as -18 °C to -12 °C (0 °F to 10 °F). Protection with row cover or in a hoop house at the low temperatures is recommended.
Special Notes: An open-pollinated variety native to Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, this mustard is closely related to cabbage, turnips, rapini, and bok choi. Originally grown exclusively in its native countries, it was introduced into North America in the 1930s but has only recently gained some popularity in the specialty markets. Fast growing at optimum soil temperature, komatsuna can be harvested for baby greens at 20 – 30 days from seeding. Matures to full size in 40 days. Leaves have good nutritional value, rich in beta carotene, calcium, and Vitamins A, B2, C, and K. Also highly prized for its glucosinolates…sulfur-containing compounds found in brassicas which are generally thought to have great benefits in fighting cancer.
How to Grow: Optimum soil temperature range: 7 °C – 35 °C (45 °F – 95 °F). Minimum soil temperature: 4.5 °C (40 °F). Ideal soil temperature: 29.5 °C (85 °F). Ideal soil pH: 6.0 – 6.5. Amend planting row with Complete Organic Fertilizer (click here for recipe)…one cup (250 ml) per ten feet (3 m). If starting indoors, sow seeds from early February through to early March. If direct seeding outdoors, sow undercover for frost protection. From March through to the end of May, direct sow short rows every 2 – 3 weeks to ensure a continuous harvest of baby greens or mature plants. Start sowing again in late August or early September for late fall and winter harvests. Cut individual leaves or the whole plant at whatever maturity stage you prefer. Young leaves are tender with a gentler flavour than the tougher mature ones. If left too long, mature leaves can develop a slight bitterness. Use in salads, stir fries, soups, or as a steamed vegetable like spinach. Can be dried for longer storage in an air-tight container in a dry cool place.
Pests & Diseases: Slugs and wood lice (sow bugs) can be a problem for young seedlings. Good housekeeping in keeping rows debris-free with no puddles of water should help with these two pests. Flea beetles are attracted to the more mature leaves, leaving tiny round holes in their wake. Using row cover will guard against this pest. As with every member in the Brassicaceae family, clubroot is of major concern to komatsuna. Keeping to a strict regime of rotating your crops annually in a four or five year cycle…and not sowing another brassica crop where you grew one the year before is paramount to keeping clubroot out of your garden.
In our Zone 7a garden: We grew komatsuna for the first time in 2017. It grew well for us in our vegetable garden, which is in full sun…although some sections are shaded by a tall birch tree during part of the day. First planting was in the area which enjoys part shade through the heat of the day. This siting certainly delayed the komatsuna plants from bolting by a couple of weeks, at least, during the high heat of summer. We enjoyed the addition of young leaves in our salads so will definitely be growing this variety again in 2018. This time I will be experimenting in seeding a low pot of komatsuna…both green and the new hybrid red variety…to grow on my front porch which enjoys filtered sun.
Posted on February 21, 2018
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Lettuce ‘Royal Red’
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Lactuca sativa ‘Royal Red’ Family: Asteraceae (lak-TOO-kah saw-TEE-vah) Type: loose-leaf |
| Description: A loose-leaf-type with thick, wavy, crumpled leaves tipped generously in red.
Special Notes: Discovered in a field of ‘Prizehead’ lettuces in the 1980s. A cool season lettuce, best sown in early spring and/or late summer. Easy to grow. Leaves have excellent texture and a sweet taste.
How to grow: Start seeds indoors under grow lights in early March. Direct seed outdoors when soil temperature reaches a minimum of 1.7 °C (35 °F). Optimum soil temperature for lettuce seed germination is 10 – 21 °C (50 – 70 °F). Amend soil with compost and a complete organic fertilizer before planting. Sow seed at a depth of a quarter to half-inch (6 – 12 mm) in rows 18 – 24 in (45 – 60 cm) apart. Thin seedlings to a spacing of 8 – 10 inches (20 – 25 cm). For a continuous supply of lettuce throughout the season, sow a few seeds every 2 – 3 weeks. Cover early and late sowings with a poly tunnel or row cover to protect lettuces from frost. Ready to harvest in about 50 – 55 days from transplanting. Add an additional 7 – 10 days for harvesting when direct seeding in optimum soil temperatures.
In our Zone 7a garden: I grew this lettuce variety for the first time in 2017. We had a late jump on the growing season in spring due to unusual cold temperatures and lots of snow in February, followed by above average rainfall through March and April and a late frost date of April 3rd. Weather in May and June was atypical, as well. Consequently, my ‘Royal Red’ spring transplants into the garden struggled a bit, then languished when the summer heat ramped up. However, my August-sown seedlings which were transplanted into the garden in late September have done okay outside under row cover…even in minus degree Celsius temperatures and under snow. Lesson learned: Transplant fall seedlings outside earlier…absolutely no later than the second week in September…to better establish before fall weather of lower temperatures and long, dark rain days arrives.
Posted on January 3, 2018
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