Friday, October 11, 2013

Oh So Delicious Fall Greens

Fall greens are oh so delicious. Instead of racing the clock to bolt, the plants are in slow motion and will keep for weeks almost like they are in stasis or maybe in the refrigerator with the roots on.We plant fall greens in late August and early September. We start about three times the amount we normally would, because as the days get shorter the plant growth slows proportionately.

We have spinach, lettuce, red Russian kale, kale, arugula, beet greens, and mustard greens in this current state. We started harvesting these greens this week. While they are in limited supply they are amazing while they last.

I have been encouraged by many of our customers to build a green house to extend the harvest into the winter. While this has been tempting and I will likely do that some day, I think we have learned more about season extension by engaging the challenge of picking varieties and growing techniques that are robust under non-greenhouse conditions.

These baby greens are always the "last man standing" when everything else has succumbed to the frost, so there is always deer pressure on the best salad of the season. This year and last we enclosed the salad beds in an electric fence, which is strategically placed next to the carrots, which also need protection.

I don't know how the nutrient content is affected by the shorter days but if good flavor is any indication of top notch nutrients these guys are off the charts.


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