Hardy Greens

      It certainly has been a mild winter so far.  Our low temperature locally has been 13 degrees, with a couple of 15 degree mornings also thrown in.  And those cold temperatures did not come in a long stretch, rather as interspersed single day cold snaps.  Here we are more than half way through February, so hopefully the coldest lows are behind us.  Many different cold hardy greens have not only survived, but are harvestable.

Mild mustard, 2/18/2012

      This mustard plant is growing right at the base of the compost pile.  Not only does it get a little wind break, it gets some good nutrients from the compost.

Similar mustard, completely unprotected,  2/18/2012

      These three plants are all volunteers.  The one on the left is another mustard, the one on the right looks like bak choi, and the one at the top is probably senposai, which is a hybrid of cabbage and Komatsuna.  Just don't ask me what Komatsuna is.

Also senposai?

      I harvested leaves from the mustard, the bak choi, and the senposai.  My thought is to shred all three and add some carrot shavings and onions to make a winter cole slaw.  Wish me luck.

Saving Brassica Seed

Time to harvest seed, 5-17-11

      Some of the brassica crops from last year seem fully seeded.  In any event, the plants are so large they are getting in the way and shading other plants.  The seed stalk on the left is from the mild tasting mustard plant that was a previous volunteer that overwintered.  Two good attributes to making me want to save some seed.  The yellow flowered plant on the right side are multiple plants of Beedy's Kale that overwintered in a bed of garlic.  Now the kale is shading out the garlic and needs to be removed.  The bees and wasps have loved the flowers of all of the various blooming brassicas, and flocks of Gold Finches fly off from the seed heads as I approach the garden.  But it is time for the seed harvest!

Mild Mustard seed pods, 5-17-11

      These are the seed stalks cut from the mild mustard.  The thingies that look a little like beans are the seed pods.  When they are a little smaller, they are quite tasty eaten raw.  If you open a seed pod in this green state, the seeds are green and soft.  The pods need to dry so the the seed dries to a stable storable state.  You can take individual stalks and strip them of the pods by running your clenched fist along the stalk.  Backwards, from tip to bottom, seems to strip the stems more easily for me.

Mustard Seed Pods, 5-17-11

      These are the stripped pods from the mild mustard.  They need to dry out and turn yellow.  You can actually leave them in the garden to dry, or hang them still attached to the stems from a dry hanging spot.  But as they dry, the pods will often crack and drop their seed, thus you need a container underneath.  The large paper bags formally found in grocery stores would work great to store and dry the seed stalks.  Trouble is finding the bags.
      The seed pods should dry completely and will turn yellow or a straw like color.  The pods will then be brittle and break easily, revealing the little round brown seeds.  Crush the pods by hand or any method you like better.  The pile of seeds and pod chaff can be separated by lightly blowing away the chaff.  Now the seeds are ready for planting this fall for a crop, or early next spring.  I store mine in small envelopes, away from high humidity.  The seeds are also great for sprouting for your very own zesty organic sprouts.  Something fresh from your garden in the middle of winter.  As mustard is basically ground mustard seed and vinegar, you could try to make your own.  I would rather put the seeds in a pepper mill and grind them as a fresh flavor enhancer.
      On 5/7 I harvested the mild mustard seed and Beedy's Kale.  Today I gathered Mizuna mustard seed to dry.  There are many different seeds in the garden that I still want and need to harvest.  The brassica family vegetables are supposed to cross easily so as to make seed saving pointless.  So far I have not had a problem with weird crosses.  Don't know why, so I will continue to save seed.

Mustard anyone?

Mustard greens, 4/22/11

      We often times try so hard to grow things in our gardens.  Buy things and they will die.  Plant seeds and they don't germinate.  Or the bunnies or the birds eat the new starts.  Other times we do nothing and are over run by volunteers.  These light green plants are Florida Broadleaf Mustard that are coming up where I had mustard in a cold frame TWO years ago.  Go figure.  The darker green leafed plants are Purple coneflowers, and these too would not be so successful had I tried to grow them.  So if you could use either, give me a holler and come on over for a dig.
      Planting notes:  On 4/20, I planted two short rows of Chioggia beets in the seed bed just to the west of the box cold frame in the Bellevue garden.  Just to the left of those rows were two rows of Fedco White Satin carrots.  Those carrots did well last year and were delicious.  In the middle of the seed bed was a row of salsify, Tragopogon porrifolius, a first time try for me.  Say that name fast.  Heck, try to say it slowly.
      I finally planted a border row of Purple Top White Turnips along the south edge of bed number three.  Hopefully they will grow quickly and be able to be pulled.  I broadcast multiple tablespoons of home grown and harvested carrot seed along the north side of bed number two.  The carrots seeded the same way in the onion bed are coming along nicely.  When I pulled a clump of weed grass out last week, three small carrots pulled out as well.  The largest was about the size of my little finger.  I made three holes in another area of the bed and stuck them back in.  The tops are recovering now after a couple of days of wilting.
      After having very poor germination with some nasturtium and zinnia seeds, I tried a different tack last night.  I had received a seed sprouting kit as a present, which does a great job for sprouting veggie seeds to eat.  So both of the above mentioned flowers now have a tray apiece.  If the seeds sprout, I plan on transferring them to dirt before they leaf out.  At least I can keep an eye on their development.  Will update with a progress report.