Cool soil?

[Ozark Lady]

I left some cabbages, broccoli, and brussels in the garden all winter. They were so aphid chewed that they were lacy looking. So, nothing there to eat!

I thought they were dead. And today, I was tidying other beds, in preparation to start serious planting. The worms were thick, but not moving much at all. Big fat gorgeous helpers looking sleepy.

As I moved the compost from one bed to the next, I realized, hey, I do compost, and I guess that I do turn the pile, I flip it from one bed to the next, and add weeds as I go!

As I piled the compost on the former cabbage bed, to clear another bed, I noticed, leaves, just starting to come from the stems of the old dead, rotten looking cabbages, that I hadn't gotten around to removing as of yet.

There was no compost on that bed. I put it there to smother the weeds there. And just found that I do have cabbages there, so surely they will set seed this year! But, apparently the soil is still pretty cold in that they are just starting to grow. When I couple the slow growing things and the sluggish worms, I think my soil is just too cool yet for many things.

I was debating whether to plant beets, turnips etc. Or go ahead with summer crops, well, I think my worms and cabbages just answered that question.

So, I am inside to eat lunch, and gather my potatoes, turnips, beets, and carrots. The lettuce is not germinating well at all, so maybe it should be planted again too. Swiss Chard is barely poking its head out.

Maybe, I am still rushing the season and it isn't warm enough yet for many things to take off? We have been having days of 60+ and nights in the 40's F.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Cool soil?

Far out Man! I can digit. Oh! Not that kind of cool soil.

Sheet Composting is a good thing.

[rainbowgardener]

Your temps sound pretty similar to mine. My lettuces, swiss chard, spinach were direct seeded mid-March and are now mostly 3-4" tall and nice baby-lettuce eating size. I'm thinning by eating. They are growing quickly.

They don't mind cool, don't like hot.

[Ozark Lady]

Out of 2 rows measuring 4' long, I got 3 lettuce plants. Not good germination at all!

The chard germinated okay, just being slow to grow.

I am having weed issues, is it too cool to mulch the cool season crops? Like onions, garlic, green peas, lettuce, radishes, and swiss chard?

Any advice on turnips, or beets would be greatly appreciated, I have never grown them past the greens stage.

[tedln]

Ozark Lady,

My garden is taking off a lot later than normal. Everything germinated well that was direct seeded but hasn't done much since germination. We have had a few cool nights, but the days have been warmer than normal for April. Even my tomato plants are slow to grow. They are blooming, so I will have some early tomatoes. The first blooms usually grow really large tomatoes so I am looking forward to those. My cucumbers germinated well, put on their first true leaves, and then stopped doing anything. I don't know what everything is waiting for. Last year I gave my garden lots of water early. This year, I've tried to only water once per week to get the roots to go deeper. That may be one reason the growth has been inhibited. My Prudens Purple and and Brandywine tomatoes are growing like mad, but not blooming yet. What is the most important quality a gardener can have? Did I hear someone say "patience"?

Ted

[jal_ut]

Any advice on turnips, or beets would be greatly appreciated, I have never grown them past the greens stage.

If you want to go for big roots, thin them to about 3 inches apart. On the beets you can wait until the greens are usable. I guess some eat turnip greens too. I never do.

[garden5]

If your soil is not frozen and doesn't freeze, I don't think it will hurt the cool weather crops at all. I planted some lettuce and radishes in the fall last year (a little too late) and harvest lettuce and radishes clear into November!

[Ozark Lady]

I have never eaten beet nor turnip greens.

I get them to germinate, then about the time they look like they will grow, they just fall over dead, nothing there at all.

Are they that heat sensitive, or am I just not feeding them enough something?

Potatoes and sweet potatoes are the only root crops that I have ever gotten to grow. And today is potato planting time for me. I got Blue Adirondack and Red Norland, in addition to the sprouted kitchen ones.

Oh I did get radishes to grow once. But, since we didn't eat them much, I didn't plant them again. But, now that I have learned to cook radishes I have 2 rows of 4' growing, and plan to sow new ones every 2-3 weeks all summer. How do you know when to pick a radish? Do you wait for some color from the radish to show? The leaves are about 3-4" size, but no color showing from the soil.