New England Jan 2015

Is this subject too off-topic for this board?

I think I'll just do an experiment this summer and then report back with results.

So my coworker was bringing in some excellent kale from a farmer friend of hers all summer - the best I've ever tasted.  I've since found out that they are Winterbor.  So I asked if should would bring me some pulled up plants at end of season so I could maybe get seeds from them next year. This past Monday she brought in 4 of the hugest stems w/ roots that had had foliage completely eaten off by goats.  But there are little tiny leaf sprouts on them.  She'd left them in a 5 gal bucket of water outside and of course the water & roots were frozen solid.  I put them in my garage and this morning the ice was melted.  I planted them.  Do you think they will grow or are the roots dead from being frozen?

CC

Planting frozen and then thawed parts of goat eaten plants!! LOLOL! You know we have it bad.... Well, let us know.

I'm reminded that in a recent conversation with organic gardeners, they brought up the fact that healthy, mineralized soil produces sweet vegetables. I never realized that the sweetness of a vegetable might be based on the health of the soil, but that's interesting. Anyone ever heard of that?

I'm noticing a diff in flavors.
Our community garden has the worst tasting greens *blech*. They grow huge and are WAY too strong. Soil w/ cow manure.
My SFG has the 2nd best tasting but small greens - MM w/ seaweed?
And my coworkers friends farm as the best tasting veggies ever - soil w/ goat manure.

If I get these Winterbors to grow, I'll know for sure if there's a diff flavor than with goat poo.

Pretty soon we'll be sniffing our vegetables like fine wines:

Fruity, complex, crisp, with a hint of almond...

This is the first chance I've had to get back here after my puter went wacky and wouldn't let me into any online sites other than emails for over a week.  I'm surprised no one else posted here.
I just got a new Johnny Seeds today and checked out the greens.  Yes, I rec'd one in Dec, but this one is updated with a few more thing I think.  I'm really going to get into early spring and late fall/early winter greens this year so I've been adding to my list. 
I also was able to get 2 Growlights at Home Depot for my 2-foot grow system that sits in the entry on my old antique Singer sewing machine.  I'll be starting some seeds there in a few days just so I can grow some greens.  I'm missing fresh homegrown veggies and greens are easy.
I'm thinking Spring!

QB - If it's not too much, which greens are you thinking of, and which seeds are you planting in a few days??

I have to go to FL for 5 days in late February. I'm worried about indoor seeding because they would be unattended at that time. Maybe they could survive 5 days without care? I don't know...

Nhg, I suggest just sow after your return. You will have plenty of time from the middle of February. And I hope you have a nice trip.

Thanks, camprn.

Don't worry about seeding yet.  I'm doing a couple pots that will remain indoors only.  Its not actual seed-starting time for me either.  With a grow light, I just wanted to try a few things.
I'm going to grow Claytonia, Arugula, Mizuna, Wrinkled Cress, Corn Salad (Mache), Cressida (peppergrass), and Kyoto which grows well cool or warm.  I think I'll just start with some Arugula and mizuna in the indoors pots and of course, some leaf lettuces, an assortment.  They can be cut and come again which I've grown before.

It strikes me that there are so many possibilities to grow, but so often many of us (like me) only stick with the basics. I've never even heard of most of those things, QB, and I'm afraid I wouldn't know how to eat them. There's so much to learn!

NHGardener.....Those mentioned are all leafy greens that do well in salads.  Some are stronger than others, some peppery, some sweet and the colors range from greens to reds so look nice in a salad bowl.  Some grow quicker than others, some only in cool and some into warm weather as well so there's a range of pretty color in your salads thru the seasons.  In our house, salads are a must any time of year.

QB, do you grow enough indoor greens all winter to keep you in salads? Via indoor lighting?

NHG......I never tried all year indoors.  Until this week I never had growlights in my entry way so this will be new to me.  An experiment but I'm willing to try.  With my outdoor activities more limited now, this will be a place I can grow at least something for my kitchen, I hope.  Please cross your fingers for me.  Of course, I can place the pots outdoors in my flower garden when its warm enough.


Today I got some mail from the PO and inside was my order envelope for Praxxus seeds returned to me all torn and useless and with a letter of apology.  I'll have to send a re-order.  You'd think they'd at least send me stamps to replace those I can't use that was destroyed by their machinery and the one that was ripped off the inside envelope and lost. 
Next time I'll mail them from the PO where they can be hand-cancelled.  Thank goodness I never sent him any cash as a thank you or it would be lost, too.

Bummer about your envelopes, QB.  At least you got notification about it and don't have to wonder why Ray isn't sending seeds.

Besides herbs, I've got turnip greens growing right now, here at the office and many more at home:


My indoor lettuce was finished off a couple of weeks ago when the kale & collards were put out into the cold due to aphids.  I didn't bother to start new ones for winter since seed starting time for the SFG is so close.


Beach was gray & drizzly today:


CC

CapeC......That's exactly what I thought, I'm glad I know Ray never got my order and am not waiting thru months of anxiety wondering where are the seeds I ordered.
Lucky you with those turnip greens growing indoors.  I think its so nice to see green growth thru the winter months of white.  My houseplants always bring me smiles and especially the African violets that often bloom thru cold weather.

Sorry to hear that QB, but you get your envelope into Ray soon!!!! Because I got my seeds today. Maybe I'm misremembering, but it seems to me he put more seeds in the packets this year. Now I have to look on his youtube link because I forget what they were - have to label them. What's funny tho is when you get to know what the seeds are just by looking at them - you know what pepper seeds look like, and tomato seeds. I get the carrots and lettuce mixed up, and there are some black ones here I forget what they are too.  Oh yes! They're onion seeds. How fun it would be to know every seed just by looking at it! Not the variety, of course.

L-R:  sweet banana peppers, tender sweet carrots, little gem lettuce, Tokyo green onions, ad Rutgers tomato

Thanks Sanderson! I actually had just labeled mine from the youtube video. But I think it's Little Gem Lettuce and Tokyo Long Onion. I have to google those and see what they're about.

http://www.rareseeds.com/little-gem-lettuce/ "One of the very best-tasting lettuces. A superb heat-tolerant variety..." Looks like a direct seeding in early spring, or indoor seeding earlier.

And it looks like the Tokyo onions are like scallions, and good in asian cooking! (but you don't have to limit to that) Sow outside 4-6 weeks before last frost. Huh. Usually we think to indoor seed onions. Maybe scallions are different.

The Rutgers tomato is a determinate "bush" tomato and should not be suckered. Does that mean we should spread them out further than 1 per square? 

Dang this cold! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Have the drought conditions eased at all, Sanderson? I haven't kept up lately.

Maybe Rutgers would make a good corner-of-the-box tom? As far as seeding onions outdoors before the end of the frost season? I'm still a novice on onions.

Green onions and scallions can be started from seed and harvested the first year. Bulb onions are biennial.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/onions/ONIONGRO.htm

https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-411/426-411.html

ucanr.edu/datastoreFiles/268-259.pdf

My green onions are perennials. I cut them down to the base and they grow back every year and even a few times during the same year. Just like chives.

Yup, it's cold...indoor chores today. Tomorrow I can get outside again! No rain here until tomorrow night.

Thanks, Cape, that's something to think about.  I think I'll plant some in my flower beds by the kitchen door for perennial use.