Meet The Brassicas...

Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages…Oh, my! And let’s not forget Brussels sprouts, broccolini and broccoflower. All of these are super dense nutritionally and are now coming in colors beyond the common green and white – purple and even an orange cauliflower with very high levels of vitamin C! These are all closely related … The Brassica Family, also known as cold or Cole crops. With broccoli and cauliflower, the main difference is that broccoli are slightly smaller and have less covering by leaves over their heads. Broccolini – or sprouting broccoli - is a green vegetable not unlike broccoli with small florets and long, thin stalks. Although often misidentified as young broccoli, it is a cross between broccoli and kai-lan, Chinese broccoli. A natural hybrid of the cabbage family Brassica oleracea, it was developed by the Sakata Seed Company of Yokohama, Japan. Broccolini's flavor is sweet, with notes of both broccoli and asparagus. There are two forms of Brassica oleracea that may be referred to as broccoflower, both of which are considered cultivars of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) because they have inflorescence meristems rather than flower buds when harvested. They share a curd color that is a similar hue to broccoli.

The first form of broccoflower has the physical attributes of a white cauliflower, but the curd color is lime-green. There are several cultivars of green cauliflower on the market, with the first release being 'Green Ball' with parentage of both broccoli and cauliflower.

The second form is Romanesco broccoli, which is characterised by the striking and unusual fractal patterns of its flower head. It has a yellow or vibrant green curd color.
Broccoflowers are generally considered to have a milder and slightly sweeter flavor than their close cabbage-family relatives.

All of these vegetables have similar growing requirements – they like it cool. Cauliflower generally won’t withstand as high or low temperatures as cabbage. Broccoli is not as sensitive to hot weather as cauliflower. Brussels sprout plants will tolerate considerable freezing and can be harvested late into the fall. The best Brussels sprouts are grown during sunny fall days with frosty nights. That’s probably why they are a staple on the Thanksgiving dinner table. Sow in August for harvest on October. Autumn planting for use in winter. Staggered planting of a few each week will ensure that you have a fairly continuous supply through the harvest season. We’ve got time now for an early crop. One well-grown plant can provide a meal for a family of five. You really don’t need to spend much time working out your row lengths or what to do with surplus. All you really need to do is work your menu around your harvest. If you do get some surplus, you can pickle any of these, get out your Food Saver and vacuum freeze or find a family in need.

Either way, Brassicas are easy to grow from seeds, so you can either start seeds indoors early and transplant or direct-sow into the garden. Several university extensions recommend against germination and transplanting to protect against a bacteria that causes a condition called Clubroot. Keeping your soil fed and healthy means growing broccoli and cauliflower without Clubroot.

Soil preparation is vital for growing broccoli, cauliflower and other Brassicas with success. As odd as it may sound, biological activity is particularly important. For a number of years, commercial producers of these vegetables have used soil fumigation in an attempt to control diseases like Clubroot and Blackleg – and failed. These types of disease – like most soil borne diseases, flourish where they have no competition from microorganisms. In other words, dead soil opens the door for disease.

Get your compost pile or containers going, get some composted steer or horse manure and give those pathogens a run for their money. Do all you can to build soil structure. If you must use commercial fertilizers, choose an organic, biologically active one. If you can find it, mushroom compost is phenomenal! Seaweed extracts for root growth add much to a biologically active garden. Brassicas are heavy feeders and do best at the first stages of your crop rotation. Side dress your Brassicas with a good, slow release organic fertilizer about three weeks after planting. Even with this super rich soil you’re going to give them, they are greedy and will require more.

Research indicates that there are no universally good varieties to grow. Some varieties do better in some areas than others. A good approach is to check out those catalogs and sources specializing in heritage or heirloom seeds. Those varieties seem to be suited to a broader climatic range. Email me at thegardengrrl@gmail.com for some sources.

Broccoli prefers full sun, well-drained soil high in organic matter and a 6.0 to 7.5 pH level. Broccoli generally doesn’t like it much if the temperatures are above 68 degrees or so. They tend to get testy and bolt to seed. Broccoli has a relatively shallow root system. Cultivate carefully and apply organic mulch for weed control. Even moisture is important as well, especially if you’ve transplanted and during the maturing of the heads. Make sure your watering deeply – at least 6 inches deep – to encourage deeper rooting. Drip irrigation or soaker hoses are particularly well suited for managing Brassicas.

Harvest your broccoli before the flowers begin to open. That’s all they are, really; flower buds. Mature heads are anywhere from three to ten inches across. Harvest with six to eight inches of stem. Lateral heads will develop later and will be smaller, but not any less tasty.

Broccoli – like all Brassicas – can have problems with several insect and disease problems, including cutworms (how I hate those!), cabbage loopers, cabbage worms, flea beetles, white flies, aphids, blackleg, clubroot, blackrot and fusarium wilt. “Why even bother with them, then?” you ask. Control of disease and pests with Brassicas is really pretty easy. Control insects before the heads start to develop or protect them with a physical barrier like row covers.

Let me add just a bit more about cutworms. Yuck. Seriously, though…Use cutworm collars on your transplants to shield the stem. To make one, simply take a small strip of paper or newspaper and lightly wrap the stems of the young plants at soil level. Make sure that the collar is both below and above the soil level so as the cutworm crawls along the ground, it can’t gnaw the stem. Be sure to keep your growing area free of weeds, which will attract the egg-laying moths. Diatomaceous earth spread around the base of the plants discourages the egg layers, as well as earwigs and other ickies. There are always insect parasitic nematodes that you can purchase and apply to the soil. I really don’t like cutworms at all. Not one little bit. Nope.

Cabbages also thrive in cool weather, so grow as an early spring or fall crop in most areas, or as a winter crop where temperatures rarely fall below freezing. Avoid plantings that will mature in hot, dry weather. For early cultivars, start plants indoors six to eight weeks before the last expected frost. Set out transplants into the garden about four weeks before the last expected frost so they'll mature before the hot weather arrives. Or direct sow around the time of the last expected frost. For mid-season and storage varieties, you can sow directly in the garden about two weeks before the last expected frost until two to three weeks after. Most gardeners prefer to use transplants to get a jump on the season, so look for sturdy, compact plants that show no signs of disease or insects like flea beetle or cabbageworms. The leaves should not be yellow or brown, and the stems should be firm and unscarred. When setting out transplants do so about four weeks before the last expected frost and when soil temperatures are 40 degrees or higher. Like right now! Row covers can help protect plants from cold temperatures. Cabbages need a steady supply of moisture. To help keep the soil moist and cool, apply mulch 6 to 8 inches deep around the plants. For fall crops, start plants or direct sow seed from mid-May to mid-June. You can also start cabbages in September for a late-winter or early-spring crop.

Brussels sprouts resemble miniature heads of cabbage, but are actually buds that grow in the angle between the leaf bases and the stem. Depending on the variety of Brussels sprouts plant, the plant can grow to three feet in height and produce sprouts almost two inches in diameter. Brussels sprouts color ranges from light green through to dark green and red. Brussels sprouts are an excellent source of vitamins A, B, C, E, calcium, potassium, and sulfur. Brussels sprouts are also high in carbohydrates and dietary fiber. They are best after the first frost when quickly steamed, boiled, or stir-fried. Brussels sprouts can be served alone or with a sauce, but they are not good to eat raw.

Plant Brussels sprouts seeds ¼-½” deep. Transplant or thin small plants to 15-18” apart in rows 32-36” apart. Brussels sprouts transplants can be started in April for May planting. Transplant after 4-6 weeks. Direct sow Brussels sprouts in late spring, as seedlings can tolerate a light frost. Brussels Sprouts can be direct sown up until mid-late June for a continuous harvest. Soil temperature should be 70 to 80 degrees for optimal germination in 4-7 days. Brussels Sprouts prefer full sun, but will tolerate part shade. Prepare a rich, loose soil that holds moisture well and has a pH level of 6.0-6.5. Like all Brassicas, Brussels Sprout is a heavy feeder. To encourage development of the upper sprouts, pinch out the growing tip of the Brussels sprouts plant in late summer. Harvest sprouts as needed from the bottom of the stalk when they are about 1-1½” in diameter. The Brussels sprouts will develop a sweeter flavor after a few light frosts.

Cauliflower – on the other hand – is a little more finicky to grow. Don’t let that dissuade you, however. It’s not like we’re trying to grow black orchids, here. The only complication with cauliflower that I’ve been able to find is that it’s sensitive to temperature extremes. Many gardeners experience “buttoning” with cauliflower in the spring. This is a failure of the head to gain in size after it reaches about an inch or so in diameter. Buttoning is usually due to transplant stress, heat stress during the head formation or spring temperatures that were too low. In our area, I would highly recommend using a short season variety, plant early, use cold frames and get that crop going. It’s not too late to start them now. If I had any sense at all (shush, you!), I’d have direct sown three to four weeks ago and used some cut off milk jugs to encourage germination (fabulous invention, the cut off milk jug).

You might consider Snow Crown, Violet Queen (purple!), or Alverda (light green, like a broccoflower).

Cauliflower also prefers full sun and generally all of the same growing conditions of broccoli. It is also susceptible to the same pests and diseases of broccoli and the same remedies apply.

Cauliflower should be blanched when the flower head is about 3 inches across. Pull up three or four large outer leaves over the curd and fasten them with a rubber band. Generally, you’d leave it like this for four to eight days. There are what are called “self blanching” types, which have leaves that grow up over the head all on their own. I’ve not found anything that indicates one is better than the other. It the weather is warmer, make sure to tie the leaves loosely during the blanching period to allow for airflow.

Harvest cauliflower while the curds are firm and compact. If it gets too mature, it becomes grainy and the texture is, um, considerably less than palatable. Cauliflower usually produces only one head per plant. If you have a root cellar, you can store cauliflower for two to four weeks. You can also freeze it or pickle it.

Or give it away.

When is a veggie not a veggie?

When it's a pear!

A favorite food of the ancient Aztecs, the delicious and versatile chayote should definitely be on the list of “Things To Try” for any gardener with a yen for the different. They’re easy to raise (although they’ll probably grow as an annual in our area), have a high yield of nutritious fruit.

Is it a fruit or a vegetable? Good question. People call them chayote “squash”. People call them “vegetable pears”. In Louisiana, they call them “mirliton” and in the Caribbeans, they call them “christophine”. Madeirans, Italians and Polynesians all have them and all have a particular name for them. They do grow on vines and are rather “squash-like”.

It’s actually a member of the cucurbit, or cucumber, family.

When they’re wee, one to two inches, you can make pickles or relish out of them. About two-thirds grown and they’re great served as a cucumber, sliced in a salad. When they’re almost grown, you can curry them, use them in a stir fry, put them in soups and stews or simply slice them, boil them for about ten minutes, season them with salt and pepper and butter and eat up! When fully mature, the chayote can double as a potato. Mash them with garlic and a little grated cheese. Cut them in half and bake them as you would winter squash. They’re endlessly versatile.

Plant the chayote in the spring after the danger of frost. Here’s the trick: You have to buy them at the grocery store. Work the soil well and add plenty of compost. Plant the whole fruit, one to a hill, on it’s side with the broad end sloping slightly downward and the stem end slightly exposed. Chayote has shallow roots, so cultivation should be minimal. Mulch with compost, straw or leaves to keep weeds down and to conserve moisture. Sometimes you can get chayote to sprout indoors and then transplant when things warm up. Plant the germinated fruit wherever you want it to grow and LOOK OUT!

They are a rapidly growing vine that will crawl up and over everything near it. Keep it on a trellis and pay attention that it doesn’t crawl up into the trees or over a building. Remember that fence I was talking about a few weeks ago? Perfect place! The vine will grow all summer long and may grow as much as 30 feet or more before it blooms. You’ll need to water your chayote deeply once a week and you’ll need to keep it mulched. In August or September, when the days start to shorten, green blossoms will appear, but you may not notice them. Then one day in late September or October, your vine will suddenly be loaded with the green fruit and you’ll be harvesting well into frost. They’ll sort of hang out in cold storage for a while, and they’ll keep well spread out on newspapers in the garage. You should be able to enjoy chayote clear into the New Year.

When you’re done harvesting, pull down the vines and mulch the roots. In our area, where the winters seem to be getting colder, mulching heavily is recommended. Next season, new shoots should pop up through that insulated mulch layer and you’re off to the races.

Two chayote vines should produce all the chayote you can eat and then some, including plenty to give to friends and neighbors and donate to a local food pantry or church program for the hungry in our community. These two vines can produce loads of fruit for many years.

Once again, I’ll venture the question: When is a veggie not a veggie?

When it’s pasta!

The spaghetti squash is an interesting vegetable because when it’s cooked it separates into pieces that resemble spaghetti pasta. You can use it in place of pasta or as a very unique addition to salads.

Spaghetti squash is a winter squash. It is easy to grow, is sown from seed in May or so and germinates a couple of weeks after sowing. It is also a fairly hearth veggie that can be stored for several months provided that it is stored in a cool, dry place. No lower than 45 or so and no higher than 60.

As I said, plant your seeds in May when the soil warms up, in a sunny location with well-drained soil. When planting add a shovelfull of compost or manure or ½ cup of complete organic fertilizer. Plant several seeds together in a group 1 to 1-1/2 inches deep. Squash plants should roughly one inch of water per week. If it’s really hot, water twice a week. Make sure to rotate squash to different areas of your garden. Grow these vertically on trellises and try to keep them away from zucchini as cross pollination could make for a weird cross breed. You’ll need some old panty hose to make slings to support the fruits if you’re going to grow on a trellis. Otherwise, be prepared with some old wood shingles to place underneath, as that will keep some kinds of crawlies off.

Squash have pests, no doubt about it. Watch out for cucumber beetles, squash bugs (second only to potato bugs on the Disgust-O-Meter) and vine borers. If you get an infestation of beetles, cover your plants with a lightweight fabric like gauze or muslin. Remove it once the plants are ready for pollination. Put out those yellow sticky traps from the nursery or hardware store. Squash bugs (Ew!) can be dealt with via companion planting. Radishes, nasturtiums or marigolds are all natural repellants for the squash bug. My personal favorite is the tahini fly that EATS the squash bugs and their eggs. Vine borers are a caterpillar that destroys the stems of your squash plants. They can be controlled with either a hot pepper/garlic spray or their natural predators, the trichogramma wasp.

Harvest your spaghetti squash once it has reached a butter yellow or deep orange coloring. A sure sign of maturity is the squash’s skin hardening. If you have any intention at all of storing your squash, be sure to leave about two inches of stem on each fruit.

Tossing spaghetti squash with a sauce is the last step! First, you must cook it! Poke it with a fork several times and bake it in a 375 oven for about an hour. You can boil it whole for a half hour. And – finally – place your squash in the crockpot with two cups of water, after you’ve poked it all over with a fork, and cook it on low for 8 hours. Cut it open, remove the seeds and pull out the pasta-like threads with a fork. It’s great with just about any kind of pasta sauce.

Spaghetti squash is another great addition to one’s garden. It is prolific, really nutritious, versatile and just fun.

Here we go round the mulberry bush...er...tree...

Like lots of folks all over the country, we have a fruitless mulberry tree in our yard. When we moved to this house, that tree had beautiful and luxurious foliage. Of course, all those leaves had dropped by Thanksgiving to show me that this tree, like so many other mulberry trees in the world, had had all of it’s annual growth pruned back. I have no idea what the deal is with that drastic and violent pruning that goes on every year with mulberries. I’d noticed it when I lived in Southern California and thought it looked vile. I’d noticed it when I lived in Northern California and thought to myself, “Self, that can’t be good for those trees!”

Apparently, we Americans have adopted this rather European style of pruning. Pollarding, or training the tree from the beginning to a certain height and then removing each year’s new growth, is common in many European cities. With true pollarding – as we see with the fruitless mulberry – the branches are never more than two years old when they are cut. This pruning practice was developed hundreds of years ago in Europe when basket weavers required the long, young branches for their craft.

In my mind, it would be easier – and certainly better for the tree – to simply plant a tree that didn’t get so big that it has to be what I’ve come to view as brutalized every year, to say nothing of the relatively high maintenance aspect of this practice. But I like this tree, unsightly knobs and all, and I’m not going to kill it simply because the previous owner, likely at the instruction of an arborist, whacked it into rather a Quasimodo of trees.

The facts about fruitless mulberry are that it is high-maintenance because of its weak wood, rapid growth and invasive surface root system. It tolerates poor soil and heat, so people plant it as a smaller ornamental shade tree. It then very quickly morphs into a tree with a spread of 20 to 30 feet.

These fruitless mulberries are pruned one of two ways. One is called “crown reduction” involving shortening the extent of the branches by pruning back the leader to shorter, secondary branches that are strong enough to take over as the new leader. I talked to several arborists here in the Rogue Valley and was told that, considering the very rapid growth of this tree and the relatively weak wood, aggressive pruning and control of the fruitless is necessary lest the branches break.

The most common method to manage the fruitless mulberry is, as I said above, pollarding. If you’ve been to California’s Bay Area in the late fall or winter, think about those grotesque looking sycamores with the large knobs on stubby branches. I’ve seen this practice on beech, black locust, catalpa, horse chestnut, linden and London plane in addition to the sycamore and fruitless mulberry.

Pollarding is done only on species that are prolific sprouters – like our fruitless mulberry. I’m told that pollarding should be instituted when the tree is young and the branches small in diameter where they are to be cut. This way, you avoid the invasion of various detrimental funguses. The trees then sprout from buds under the bark below where you’ve made the cuts. These sprouts will grow very rapidly, sometimes as much as six feet in a growing season.

You then prune off the sprouts annually during the tree’s dormant season. The tree will develop large knobs at the pollarding cuts over the years and there will be a large number of spouts from each knob to make a full canopy. If your tree is quite tall, a pole pruner would be the ticket for you do-it-yourselfers; otherwise an arborist who will work on your trees within the conformance parameters of the Tree Care Industry Association standards would be the next choice. If you’re doing this yourself, be very careful no to scar the old knob wood or decay may invade your tree.

So there you have it…Pollarding. I still don’t like it. I think that I would seriously rethink putting a mulberry tree in my yard – or even any of those others the arborists mentioned that would require what equates to – in my mind anyway – tree torture. Still and all, I’m not going to rip out the mulberry tree in my yard and I am going to do my very best to make sure it stays healthy for many years to come. It’s the least we can do.

Sweets For The Sweet...

We’re all aware of those little colored packets on the tables at restaurants. You’ve heard that some of those choices are not very good for you, but which ones? And why? We’ve heard that some artificial sweeteners cause cancer. Doesn’t just about everything cause cancer these days? Are any of them better for you than the rest? How about regular old white sugar? As we know, this is a highly processed food with little to nothing good nutritionally. It can lead to or exacerbate diabetes, wreck havoc with your teeth, is processed with synthetic chemicals.

And don’t even let me get started on high fructose corn syrup. I’ll add it up in one word: “Ew!”

There is, however, something that is much sweeter than white sugar, has no calories, is safe for children, safe for diabetics. It’s available in supermarkets and health food stores; you can cook and bake with it and is available in several forms.

And you can grow it in your garden.

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is said to be a perennial. For us in the Rogue Valley, it would probably be an annual, unless you’re growing it in a container. Stevia is native to the subtropical regions of Paraguay and Brazil. In the wild, Stevia likes an acid soil that is generally constantly moist but not soaking. It is found near the edges of marshes and streams where the soil is sandy. If you choose to give Stevia a try, remember that it doesn’t like to dry out, but having wet feel will encourage rot and disease. You can be successful with Stevia with the use of a few simple techniques: raised beds, a good organic mulch and frequent watering (a soaker hose on a timer leaps immediately to mind) will go a long way to success with Stevia.

Stevia has the reputation of being somewhat finicky. I don’t know that that’s so. I’ve grown it. It worked. I’ve had more challenges with tuberoses, quite frankly. At any rate, Stevia is tolerant of most soil types, although it likes a sandy soil best. Any well drained soil that produces a good crop of vegetables should work fine. Of course, incorporating organic matter is the best way to improve any soil. If you have the resources to make one, a rich compost of leaves, grass, hay, kitchen waste, manure and other organic materials will greatly improve your soil structure and supply nutrients. Feed the soil and the soil will feed your plants. Stevia will tolerate a soil pH of 4 to 5, but has been known to thrive with soil pH as high as 7.5. You’ll want to test your soil and look for deficiencies. This will benefit everything you grow; not just Stevia. Excess nitrogen promotes bad growth and bad flavor with Stevia. Bone meal, blood meal, bat guano (I know, I know) or dried manure provide nitrogen that is released slowly as well as a number of other trace minerals. For the record, I don’t recommend suddenly taking up spelunking in your quest for bat guano; you can get it in a box at Main Building. Unless, of course, you have some unrealized desire to spend a lot of time crawling around in caves. Bat guano is actually a really fabulous fertilizer.

Raised beds are ideal for Stevia. A raised surface prevents standing water and soil compaction. Some bricks formed into a square or rectangle, a good soil – or even the lasagna gardening technique – and mulch and you’re ready to go with Stevia. Just a quick note – if you’re using wood for your raised beds, be mindful that treated wood can cause issues such as soil contamination – especially a consideration if you’re growing something you plan on consuming later.

Stevia rebaudiana – the only form of Stevia that is sweet – is rarely available in seed form. They say they’re very difficult to sprout and that plants are generally used instead. I got mine from a small nursery, specializing in herbs. Plants are available from several mail order sources, some of those are local or at least within our state. Feel free to write to the press or email thegardengrrl@gmail.com for mail order sources of Stevia. Arrange for your plants to arrive soon after the last frost date and transplant them as soon as possible after you get them. In the meantime, don’t let them dry out.

In general, it’s easiest to treat Stevia like any other vegetable in the garden. When warm weather sets in, around a month after planting, an organic mulch – 3 to 6 inches thick – should be applied. It will protect the shallow feeder roots, retain moisture and keep the weeds down. Those “weeping” soaker hoses made from recycled rubber are great for Stevia, since they don’t get the foliage wet, but provide the slow, consistent moisture that Stevia craves.

Stevia can be affected by fungus. Watch for lesions on the stems near the soil line. Stevia plants are usually full grown before diseases appear. Especially at harvest time, watch for disease and harvest immediately if you see any signs of it. Stevia is usually the last plant insects will feed on, so pests are seldom a problem.

You can use Stevia for tea right off of the plant. They’re great with mint. The level of sweetness is highest with Stevia just before flowering and is triggered by shortening days. Blooming generally occurs in midsummer to late fall. Plants should be harvested as soon as blossoming begins or just before the first frost – whichever comes first. Cut the entire plant at ground level. If you want to try Stevia as a perennial, clip the plants about six inches from the ground and mulch heavily, especially over the winter, and your Stevia may regrow. Harvest in the morning after the dew has evaporated.

You will need to dry your leaves. Plants are easily dried by hanging upside down in a warm, drafty location. After a few days, rake the leaves from the stems with your fingers and gather for storage in a clean container such as a glass jar. They will keep well for years. Toss the stems on the compost pile. You can also strip the fresh leaves from the stems and dry them on either elevated screens or in a food dehydrator. The quicker you can get your leaves dry, very little stevioside will be lost. That’s the sweet part of Stevia. Leaves are crisp, crumbly and bright green when fully dry.

You can easily turn your leaves into green Stevia powder with a coffee grinder. You can also make a sweet extract by soaking ¼ to ½ cup of fresh, crushed Stevia leaves in a cup of warm water for 24 hours. You would then strain and refrigerate. While homegrown Stevia is not as sweet as the commercial Stevia products, it will still be a nice addition to your garden. Stevia has been shown to repel insects. Aphids won’t touch it. It’s thought that the sweetness of the plants is what keeps those nasty aphids and other bugs away. Stevia is a great addition to the companion planting arsenal.