Iceberg Lettuce

We're into December and the salad greens have survived quite well so far, despite the recent below-zero windchill. Even the more recently planted red leaf varieties (background) are growing well. In addition to the covered hooped-canopy, I place an additional double "blanket" directly on the plants using theAgribon+ AG-19 floating row cover fabric I use for the hoops.

The empty squares on the left row are from flowers which I pulled. Other than that, every square is coming along. Even the trellised peas (planted on a lark) are holding their own.

Undercover Salad

As of yesterday, eight kinds of lettuce, mizuna, tatsoi, spinach, bok choi, daikon, kale, collards, carrots, chard, Italian parsley, and thyme: that's what's still growing under these snow-clad half-domes.

Just a short run from the front stoop for salad.

Now if only they'd legalize that other herb.

Everything's Coming Up Brussels

Harvested Brussels sprouts and carrots this week. Both are sweet and delicious. The kale and collards in the same box have also survived thus far.

Each stalk yielded over two pounds of sprouts.

I like to think the snow insulation helped protect everything endure through the temps in the teens and twenties the past two weeks.

Tucked in for Fall

I've finally taken down my overburdened tomato cages, cleaned out the boxes, and put them to bed for autumn. At the same time, I've discovered a way to attractively attach functional row covers without the use of unsightly sandbags. These row covers (Agribon+ AG-19 Floating Row Cover) were purchased from Johnny's Seeds. They provide frost protection down to 28°F/-2°C. Hopefully, with the warmer micro climate of our sun-facing and sloping front yard, we'll get some produce for a few more weeks. Check back and watch me eat crow.

I stapled each side of the row cover to an 8-foot cedar 2"x2". Then I rolled each side taut over the hoops, and tucked them through 1 1/2-inch galvanized plumbing clamps on either end of the box. The four bricks hold the cloth down on each end. So far, they have proved quite stout in wind and rain.

Makes a pretty simple, clutter-free box, with no heavy (and unsightly) sandbags to move. To access each box, just move the bricks and slip the 2"x2"s out from the clamps and roll back.

Looking west to an early winter sky. Under cover, I still have several types of lettuce, collards, kales, Brussels sprouts, peas, bok choi, spinach, tatsoi, mizuna, chard, carrots, and a few herbs.

After the election, I took down all yard signs but the Green Party candidate's. He's the only one I didn't have to plug my nose to support.

Curb appeal? I think so.

Stop, already!

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. About every other day, we have to figure out what to do with another motherlode of tomatoes: eat 'em, give 'em away, roast 'em, freeze 'em, sauce 'em, throw 'em at squirrels. Meanwhile, the 12-foot tall plants are threatening to overwhelm and collapse my once-considered "overbuilt" cages. Waddyagonnado?

*Stay tuned for the fall planting update.

The Perfect Tomato

This is my idea of the perfect tomato (the fruit, not my wife, but she's pretty perfect, too). It's perfect not in the corporate ag sense: perfectly symmetrical, free of blemishes, and a particular shade of red. Rather, it's perfect in the wabi sabi sense: a color that's merging into purple, with greenish accents. But it's the taste and texture that really matter. This heirloom variety, and one of my favorites, is Cherokee purple. When properly ripe, the insides are a deep dark red, never mealy or dry, with just the right amount of juiciness. Perfect on an ALT (avocado, lettuce and tomato), a caprese salad, or just by itself.

They're starting to ripen fast and furious now. When I start to get tired of them, I will remind myself that I usually won't eat tomatoes out of season, so carpé tomato, and enjoy.

Cartoon Carrots

Unlike those long, skinny carrots developed by Big Ag to pack and ship well, Bugs Bunny would be happy to munch on these between one liners. Because they look like, well, carrots.