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corn salad or mache 102713Another delicious winter crop-Mache, or better known as corn salad in the states, is easy to grow and it comes up quickly. This will be ready to start cutting in about 2 weeks. In Europe it’s harvested as a whole plant and served in fancy salads. If you find it in high end restaurants in America it’s served the same way. But for the home gardener, you can use it as a cut-and-come again crop. This lengthens the availability of mache significantly for home use. It’s got a different taste-almost a nutty flavor, but it’s something that you’ll love for winter and spring salads. You won’t find it in summer salads because it doesn’t grow in warm weather. It’s categorized as a winter annual.

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In 148 square feet?

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TWE-getting it ready for winter3We’ve had 3 or 4 significant frosts already.  I’m getting ready to cover this structure with greenhouse plastic.  I’ll only then be using a weighted floating row cover to put over the crops.  As we head into winter, this is what’s growing in just 148 square feet of garden space: 20 pounds of potatoes, 108 heads of lettuce, 8 arugula plants, 320 carrots, 117 spinach plants, 36 mizuna plants, 45 claytonia plants, 4 minutina, 24 komatsuna, 27 mache, 80 radishes, 36 beets, 48 turnips, 44 Swissl chard, 9 onions, 36 chives, 16 radicchio, 63 leeks, 2 kale plants, 20 poc choi, 2 parsley plants, 1 rosemary plant, 45 tatsoi, 36 kohlrabi, and 4 plants of cilantro.  We’re ready.

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Radicchio

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fiero radicchio 101613Everyone is familiar with radicchio-the small, dark maroon pieces found in mesclun salad mixes. Radicchio can be a bit tricky. I grow this particular variety and it’s been a huge hit. The variety is called Fiero-it’s harvested and used as you would romaine lettuce. It’s an open leaf variety and when grown in the right season adds a wonderful taste to salad mixes. Grow it in warm weather and it will turn so bitter that just one leaf will ruin an entire salad. Not only does it taste good, I think the color is amazing. This will be perfect for our winter harvest garden which is starting to really crank up right now with these overnight temperatures in the mid to high 20’s. I had customers clamoring over it this past spring. Give it a try.

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Time to look for those deals

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2 star lettuce and chard 101113Today I pulled up all of my drip irrigation lines as I haven’t watered with my automated system in a month.  I’ve been hand watering with free water from my Friskars rainbarrel.  It holds 48 gallons of water, and it fills up in about 20 minutes with any decent rainstorm.  I bought mine for $18 a year ago because it was the last one Home Depot had and also because it had a little white smudge on it.  It’s been great to have around.  I’ve used less metered water this year than any other even though I’ve grown more than I ever have.  I think it’s a good time to look for these closeout bargains at stores in your neighborhood.  Rainbarrels, seeds, trowels, and other garden equipment can usually be found for great deals this time of year.  This is what my gardens look like right now-things are up and alive and all looking good for my winter harvest.  Clockwise from upper left is open leaf radicchio(Fiero), chard, 2 Star lettuce, and Komatsuna.  I noticed today that I’m still getting 7 hours of full sun on my gardens.  It’s almost like spring but I have no pests this time of year.  The winter harvest should be great.

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For the healthy types….

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fall wheatgrass and prizeheadThis is wheatgrass. I can’t stand the stuff, but my wife loves to juice it-she calls it her medicine. Oh, well-to each his/her own. This is planted and harvested in 10-12 days. I only cut it once and then I empty the square and plant something else. Since it’s so late in the season and this particular bed gets little winter sun, I won’t replant this square with anything. I’ll begin to harvest and empty this entire 4X8′ box for the season and when it’s done, I’ll add my soil amendments and let it sit for the winter. It won’t be planted with anything until next spring. That’s prizehead next to the wheatgrass-an easy and tasty lettuce that anyone can grow.