October 9, 2017

 I used to grow  a number of winter greens to maturity and then harvest as a whole plant. The usual suspects would include spinach , boc choy and lettuce. I have moved in a non traditional way of harvesting these veggies, Instead of harvesting the whole plant I cut the lower larger leaves. This is done just like what I do with chard and kale.

There are a number of reasons that I do this.The primary reason is that a plant can grow a new leaf quicker and easier than starting from a seed. During the winter especially if it is a cool and cloudy one  I notice that the weekly harvested leaves tend to be smaller. To get bigger leaves I will harvest half of the bed and let the the other half grow for the following week. When I harvested whole plants succession plantings were very tricky to have continuous crops and harvests.

There are some other advantages to harvesting leaves. Save for spinach a trunk develops and the lower leaves soon are not touching the ground. This helps control aphid infestations under the fabric. When the leaves touch the ground a micro climate is formed that is just a little bit warmer and aphids thrive.

This does cause a little more labor but it makes all of these crops much more reliable to have for sale.

Another thing that I notice by cutting the lower leaves, the plants are slowed when it comes to bolting. When most plants begin to bolt this causes the leaves to get increasingly smaller as the veggie pushes up the flower stalk. Not only does this happen in lettuce but also the plants become very bitter.

I used to get questioned on the spinach being a bundled bunch of leaves sans roots. Not much any more.

Since cutting  green onions to regrow I have found that this even halts the  plant from bolting. Maybe this has happened because last winter was not very cold. Most onions bolt with a change in day light length. Possibly with bunching onions temperature is more crucial than day light. Who knows because  green onions are one of those whole plant harvest and there is no data on this. We will just have to wait and see next spring. Besides curtailing the bunching onions from bolting, I have also noticed that when ever I cut the onions  they usually grow back as two or more tops. Down the road I may have to thin the onion bed, that is if they do not bolt again this year.

I am easily amused but I find this all very interesting.

One last but not least note. A strong cold front is headed our way this evening. Presently they are predicting the low to be in the low forties. They have frequently under estimated the precise coolness of the low. It may be prudent to cover plants. Tuesday morning if it is clear and calm there very likely could be a convection freeze in any low lying area.