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Cabbage

1/24/2015

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Right on schedule the delivery person brought the majority of my seed order yesterday. And since it was a dreary, rainy day and a good day to plant seeds according to the almanac, I got at it and planted cabbage. I don't grow broccoli in the spring but if you want to try spring broccoli it is time to plant those seeds also. I don't recommend cauliflower in the spring, you generally won't make a crop before it gets hot and the plants wilt under the Georgia sun.
  I'm trying two different varieties of cabbage this year. My old standby variety "Copenhagen Early Market" seed were not available due to a crop failure for the grower. "Copenhagen" had it's problems, being an heirloom it was susceptible to Black Rot but it is an early maturing variety which I like. This year I'm growing "Farao" and "Capture". "Farao is a 63 day hybrid and "Capture" is an 85 day hybrid that is resistant to Black Rot. We'll see how these two varieties perform.
  I did see that I had a few "Copenhagen" seeds left over from last year but I've learned cabbage is one of those crops that the seeds don't stay viable for more than a year so I'll just toss those seeds out.
  I grow my seeds in the unfinished basement and since it is a bit cooler down there than in the house I put a heat mat under the rack holding the seeds trays. If you are starting your own seeds, a common technique is to put the seed tray on top of the refrigerator, it's toasty up there from the heat of the fridge motor. Keep the soil moist but not soggy and the seeds should sprout in 7-10 days. Watch for the sprouts, once the seeds have sprouted they won't need heat as much as light. Lots of light!! If the seedlings start getting tall, they are screaming for more light...it's sad to hear little plants begging for light. I use florescent lighting, 15 hours/day and only 1/2 inch over the tops of the plants.
  Although it's take a little more effort to grow your own transplants the end result is worth it. You'll get specific varieties you want, when you want and you'll have the satisfaction of seeing a crop from seed to table.
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Seed Ordering

1/15/2015

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With the cold damp weather I've had a chance to finish my seed orders and just now clicked the last of the "confirm order" buttons. I ordered from 4 suppliers, the majority of which are organic seeds. "High Mowing Seeds" has a special on free shipping so that saved me a bunch, "Johnny Seeds" had free shipping for orders over $200 so I caught a break there also. If you are looking to peruse a couple seed catalogs those are the best for organic seeds and great variety selections. With organic certification, I am required to use organic seeds to the max extent possible. The exception is if a specific variety I use is not available as an organic seed then I can use untreated nonorganic seeds. Typically we only see seed treatments on sweet corn seeds. If you open a packet of sweet corn seeds and the seeds are pink those seeds have been treated to help with germination in cool soils. The pink stuff on the seeds is an  antifungal treatment that is disallowed by the organic standards. 
  Seed farmers have the same issues as regular gardeners, some times a crop fails. The cabbage I have grown for years is "Copenhaven Early Market". Not this year though since the seed is not available due to one of those crop failures. That may be a blessing in disguise as it will force me to try a different cabbage this year. So while I'm experimenting I'll try two cabbage varieties and see which make the best crop for me. Speaking of cabbage, those are the first seeds I'll start in 2 weeks for the upcoming season.
  There are lots of really educational seed catalogs out there chock full of hope and inspiration. A few dollars spent on a packet of seeds combined with sunshine, fresh air, and a bit of exercise returns an abundance of healthy eating and comradery in the community garden. 
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Looking Back, Looking Forward

1/3/2015

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With this rainy weather I get a chance to finish out the books for the 2014 growing season. I see what did well and made a nice crop and what did poorly. Then planning starts for the new season ahead. A review of the meteorologic year is also helpful to make sense of what happened in the garden. Last winter was unusually harsh, followed by a cool dry spring. The garden got off to a late start and several crops were 2-3 weeks late overall. Temperatures were fairly typical last summer with early dryness and adequate rains later in the season. Fall came on schedule but we had an early hard freeze in November.
  First let's look at what did well. Beans, peppers, tomatoes, squash, spring peas, and sweet potatoes made a great crop this year. Eggplants did well but came later than normal although they were planted same time as the peppers. Potatoes did good, not as much size to the tubers because of the dry spring weather. I was aggressive with a spray program on the tomatoes, the spray combined with dry weather helped with the blight. There were lots of green tomatoes on the vines at the end of the season which I picked and stored in the basement...we're actually having a tomato sandwich for lunch today!!
  Notable crops that didn't do good for me this year included beets and cauliflower. For the second year in a row I had poor germination of the beet seeds, it might be time to change varieties/suppliers. Cauliflower was a complete mystery, beautiful plants that just didn't produce, obviously aggravated by the cold in early November. Last winter's harshness hurt strawberry production, and the blueberry crop was hurt by the drought.
  Looking forward, in the next week or so, I'll place my seed orders for the coming season. I'm planning no new crops this year but if I see a new variety of a particular crop I may try a trial planting. (I do have my eye on a specific tomato for the largest tomato contest at the farmers market!) In the archives on this site are the specific varieties I plant so check that list if you want to order your own seeds. 
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    Larry Dove, of Two Doves Farm,.

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