Kale ‘Scarlet Curled’
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Brassica oleracea var. acephala ‘Scarlet Curled’ (BRASS-ih-kah oh-ley-AY-see-ah variety ah-SEF-ah-lah) Family: Brassicaceae Common name: scarlet kale, curly scarlet kale |
| Description: An open pollinated, tall, ultra-hardy plant with large, frilly leaves. New leaves are blue-green in colour, maturing to a vibrant deep purple-red. Biennial.
Special Notes: This is a relatively new variety from the UK. As with other kales, ‘Scarlet Curled’ is full of healthy nutrients and anti-cancer properties. But do not limit this one to the vegetable garden! The gorgeous frilled leaves on this cultivar add a delightful splash of sensuous red tones to the ornamental garden. Just be sure to place it where you can still easily harvest a few leaves for the morning smoothie or dinner salad.
How to Grow: Kale prefer humus-rich soil, although they are decently tolerant of almost any soil conditions. Soil acidity is another matter…preferring a pH of 6.5 – 6.8. Targeting this range will greatly benefit the plant’s abilities to draw up necessary nutrients from the soil. Here in the Pacific Northwest, timing for direct seeding kale in the garden is early March…so as soon as you can work in the garden, work lime into the designated spot in the vegetable garden where kale will be sowed or transplanted. This should be done 2 – 3 weeks prior to seeding. Soil temperature range for kale seed germination is 10 – 30 °C (50 – 85 °F), but they have been known to germinate at low soil temperatures of 5 °C (41 °F). At the other end of the scale, being a cool season crop, seed germination is very poor at temperatures nearing 35 °C (95 °F). If you are itching to get growing before March, you can start kale seed indoors under grow lights. I typically start a few kale varieties around mid-February to transplant out in mid- to late March. Direct sow seeds about a half inch (1.25 cm) deep and space 8 inches (20 cm). Rows should be 24 inches (60 cm) apart. Thin seedlings to a spacing of 18 inches (45 cm). It is possible to transplant the thinned seedlings, if you want lots of kale. This is best done when the plants are at least 8 inches (20 cm) tall and have three or four leaves. Bury the seedlings a little deeper than what they were initially. It won’t hurt the plants. To harvest, pick 2 – 3 lower leaves from each plant. Do not cut the developing bud in the centre of the plant or you will stop its growth. For a fall and winter crop of kale, sow seeds in pots or starter trays in mid-July to early August. Sowing in pots or trays allows you to keep the seeds out of the hot sun of high summer. Transplant seedlings into the garden or cool frames when they are tall enough. Be sure to water young seedlings regularly in dry weather. Cover or mulch heavily when fall temperatures threaten to dip to freezing range. This will ensure a harvest of leaves through the winter months.
The cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae, can also be a real pest. Keep a close watch for these as you do not want them to get a foothold on your plants. Because of their incredible reproduction capabilities, one cabbage aphid can produce up to 41 generations in a single season…depending on how long your growing season is. If you see any, hit them with a strong jet of water from the hose to knock them off. Or you can use a soap spray of 1 – 2 teaspoons (5 – 10 ml) dish soap diluted in 4 cups (1 litre) of water. Whichever method you use, be sure to repeat the treatment every 7 days to catch the ones you missed and any new ones which have been born in the meantime.
In our Zone 7a garden: We grew ‘Scarlet Curled’ for the first time this year and were very pleased with its performance, overall health, and taste. However, the jury is still out on its winter-hardy capabilities. Early indications are favourable, though. Two nights of -8.0 °C and -8.5 °C temperatures only caused the leaves to droop very slightly…and lasted only until the temps climbed back to -5 °C and above. In the kitchen, we really enjoyed the addition of deep-red ‘Scarlet Curled’ leaves to our kale salad. Combined with the dark grey-green leaves of ‘Lacinato’, the blue-green of ‘Dwarf Blue Scotch Curled’, the bright green of ‘Scotch Curled’, and blue-red of ‘Red Russian’ definitely brought the salad to life.
Posted on November 19, 2017
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Tomato ‘Vilma’
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Solanum lycopersicon esculentum ‘Vilma’ (so-LA-num ly-koh-PER-see-con ESS-kew-len-tum) Family: Solanaceae Common name: ‘Vilma’ |
| Description: An open-pollinated, dwarf, bush-type tomato. Plant grows up to 24 inches (60 cm) and 12 inches (30 cm) wide. Regular compound leaves are dark green. Good yield of bright red, small cherry-sized tomatoes weighing about three-quarters of an ounce (20 g). Flavour is truly exceptional.
Special Notes: ‘Vilma’ has been specifically bred for container growing…purported to be from the Czech Republic but I have been unable to confirm this detail.
How to Grow: Start seeds indoors in late March through April. Optimum soil temperature for germination is around 24 °C (75 °F) for tomatoes. Pot seedlings up into gradually larger pots as they grow. When ready to pot up into their permanent growing pot for the season, select a 6 – 8 inch (15 – 20 cm) diameter pot which is a minimum of 6 inches (15 cm) tall. Typically, bush, or determinate, tomatoes do not need to be pruned. Removing the side shoots decreases overall crop yield.
In our Zone 7a garden: I grew this tomato variety for the first time in 2017. A dozen seeds were sown into 4-cell pots on April 8th. Seed pots were placed in a plastic tray on a heat mat under fluorescent lights hung directly above. Seven seeds had germinated by April 14th. All 12 seeds had germinated by April 21st. I selected five seedlings and potted those up into 6.5 inch (16.5 cm) diameter pots which were 6 inches (15 cm) tall.
Harvested a total of 50 fruits on first picking from all 5 plants on September 7th. Total weight: 10 oz (283.5 g). Next picking on September 11th netted 20 fruits weighing 5 oz (142 g). September 16th harvest yielded 34 fruits; weight 6 oz (170 g). Weighed individually, largest fruits were between 0.22 and 0.25 of an ounce (6.5 – 7 g)…not 20 grams as references stated. Judging by the photos I have seen of ‘Vilma’, the dimensions of the fruits on my five plants looked to be on a par, which truthfully, looks more currant-size than cherry-size. Definitely on the small size. But positively big…as in huge…on flavour. No dispute there. Two things I would do differently next year…stake the plants and fertilize with a liquid fish or seaweed amendment once a week.
Posted on September 25, 2017
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Lettuce ‘Drunken Woman’
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Lactuca sativa ‘Drunken Woman’ (lak-TOO-kah saw-TEE-vah) syn. ‘Rossa di Trento’ Family: Asteraceae Type: butterhead Common name: ‘Drunken Woman’; ‘Frizzy Head’ Zone: 9 – 11 Height: 8-12 in (20-30 cm) Spread: 6-8 in (15-20 cm) Aspect: full sun; partial shade Soil: fertile; well-draining Water: regular |
| Description: A robust, butterhead-type lettuce. Large, oval, savoy-type leaves are blistered in texture. They are a delightful mint-green colour with the ruffled edges dipped in wine-red.
Special Notes: An Italian heirloom from Milan, traditionally called Cappuccio ubriacona frastagliata which translates to “drunken woman frizzy-headed”. It is also known as ‘Rossa di Trento’ in some seed catalogues and references, stating a claim this lettuce is from the Italian Alps near Trento. Not sure who is right…other than it is an heirloom and is, indeed, from Italy. There is also further controversy over what lettuce category this one falls into. Some claim it is a butterhead type, while others claim it is a loose-leaf. The head is definitely round and fairly tight, as a butterhead. However, the leaves are quite large and have a tendency to fall away from the inner head somewhat. Its flavour is decidedly crunchier than a typical butterhead, with a faint nutty overtone rather than a buttery one.
How to Grow: Start seeds indoors under grow lights early in 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 ¼ – ½ in (6 – 12 mm) in rows 18 – 24 in (45 – 60 cm) apart. Thin seedlings to a spacing of 12 in (30 cm) for head lettuce and 8 – 10 in (20 – 25 cm) for leaf lettuce types. For a continuous supply of lettuce throughout the season, sow a few more 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 50 – 60 days from direct seeding in optimum temperatures.
Posted on March 30, 2017 |
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Asparagus ‘Mary Washington’
 Photo coming soon |
Asparagus officinalis ‘Mary Washington’ (ah-SPAR-ah-gus off-fi-si-NAY-lis) Family: Liliaceae Common name: Asparagus ‘Mary Washington’ Zone: 3 – 8 Type: perennial Height: 3-5 ft (90-150 cm) Spread: 30 in (75 cm) Aspect: full sun; partial shade Soil: alkaline; free-draining; humus-rich Water: regular |
| Description: A vigorous-growing, open-pollinated perennial with feathery blue-green foliage. The edible stems…typically called spears…are emerald-green in colour and tipped with purple buds. The delicate flavour of the spears holds well at peak quality over a longer than typical cutting period.
Special Notes: Native to the Mediterranean region, asparagus, which was once used medicinally by the Greeks, became very popular with the Romans as a highly nutritious vegetable, and they spread it throughout Europe as they expanded their Empire. When the Roman Empire tumbled, so did asparagus. It was not to be resurrected until the Renaissance when it was again deemed “an elegant vegetable” worthy of gracing the tables of the wealthy. Early pioneers brought asparagus crowns with them to America where it established easily…and also escaped garden boundaries to become wild specimens. The Department of Agriculture in Concord, MA undertook to breed an asparagus which would be more resistant to rust and fusarium wilt…two diseases which plague this vegetable. From these efforts, three varieties emerged: ‘Mary Washington’, ‘Martha Washington’, and ‘Washington’. Introduced in 1906, ‘Mary Washington’ received enthusiastic reviews from gardeners for having more vigorous growth, higher yields, and better rust resistance while imparting wonderful flavour and great texture. ‘Mary Washington’ has both male and female plants in its gene pool…although some references state this variety only contains female plants. These same references also claim male plants are more productive than female plants…even though all reports tout ‘Mary Washington’ as a vigorous grower.
In our Zone 7a garden: This vegetable is not in our garden just yet. We only decided this year to add asparagus to our list of things to grow and I opted to try growing this heirloom variety from seed. At the moment, I have four seedlings up in nine days, after soaking the seeds for two days, as recommended. I will likely follow the advice from one grower of potting up the young seedlings and growing them on for a year before transplanting them into their permanent bed. I will keep you posted.
Posted on March 10, 2017 |
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Lettuce ‘Merlot’
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Photo coming soon |
Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’ Family: Asteraceae (lak-TOO-kah saw-TEE-vah) Type: loose-leaf Common name: ‘Merlot’ lettuce; ‘Galactic’ lettuce |
| Description: An open-pollinated, annual, loose-leaf type. Strikingly deep, shiny burgundy-red, wavy-edged leaves are held open and slightly upright on the main stem. Deep red colour means the leaves are rich in anthocyanins, making this a very healthy food choice.
Fast growing. Relatively slow to bolt but will do better if planted in partial shade through the high heat period in summer. Tolerates light frosts. Crisp texture and sweet flavour with regular watering. Good for growing in containers. Excellent, edible addition in your regular landscape design.
Special Notes: From the Netherlands. Enza Zaden, a Dutch seed company developed ‘Galactic’ in the 1980s but decided its dark leaf colour would impact on its success as a commercial variety. Shepherd Ogden, founder of Cook’s Garden Seeds, spotted it, re-named it ‘Merlot’ and made it available for the North American market. It is still known, and sold as, ‘Galactic’ in Europe. Good resistance to powdery mildew. Slugs, snails, deer, and rabbits can be problematic.
How to Grow: Start seeds indoors six to eight weeks before your last frost date. Sow outdoors two to four weeks before your average last frost date. Succession sow a few seeds every three weeks until about four weeks before your first frost date in autumn for a continuous supply of fresh leaves all season long. Sow seeds ¼ – ½ inch (0.6-1.2 cm) deep and about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Lightly cover with soil. Space rows 18 inches (45 cm) apart. Germination is usually in 7-10 days. When seedlings are about 1½ – 2 inches (4-5 cm) tall, thin plants to 10 – 12 inches (25-30 cm) apart. Water regularly to prevent bitterness. Harvest baby leaves in about 30 days. Remove full-sized leaves from the outside for continuous harvesting or harvest the whole plant. You can also cut the whole plant about 2 inches (5 cm) above the soil when it is 6 – 8 inches (15-20 cm) across. More leaves will be produced on the stem left in the ground.
In our Zone 7a garden: We have grown this lettuce variety for the last two years and been very pleased with the production and taste. As with all lettuce varieties, though, ‘Merlot’ will get bitter-tasting if it does not receive regular water. Very pretty in the salad bowl when mixed with other lettuces and a bit of kale.
Posted on August 7, 2016
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