You look at the photos you took during the year, see the photo of apple chips and remember there a few left in the cupboard and eat the rest of them ... Then you decide that you are not a very disciplined blogger and need to make up for failing to make any entries since spring by reviewing 2010 growing season ... if you can remember how.
I love Asian Greens
I really do. I have two experiences to tell of this year.
They were one of the first crops I grew on my balcony. I planted the gai lan closely in the boxes and they did not grow very tall before they began to bolt but they allowed me to harvest my dinner fresh and supplied me with about three meals.
By mid June I was harvesting a small variety of pac choi (patchoy), Toy choi, I do believe. The great thing about Asian Greens is they like the cooler weather so you can begin growing them very early in the season. I probably started them indoors in March planted them out as seedlings and was harvesting them about 5 weeks later. They are fast growers and you can eat the whole plant. What is more delicious and easy to cook than stir fried, freshly harvested baby patchoy? Even better because you grew them yourself. I swear they taste better when you grow them yourself! ... and in the compost from your own recycled veggie waste! On your balcony! Satisfaction on many levels ....
Growing Asian Greens as a Fall crop on the Sharing Farm ...
My other experience has been growing Asian Greens at the Sharing Farm where I work two days a week. The Farm supplies the Richmond Food Bank and a few of the local Community Meals run through different neighbourhood churches with fresh veggies grown using organic methods. Asian greens, particularly different varieties of patchoys have been a great way to extend the growing season. It is now November and again with about five weeks from seed to harvest we have pulled many pounds of patchoy out of the hoophouses and greenhouse. The only discouragement was finding small slugs tucked deep into the heart of the larger upright variety. Smart slugs.
The great Tomato Project of 2010
Well my verdict on that particular project would be probably not something I would undertake to do again. Just to recap ... I started and nurtured 75 tomato plants ... three heritage varieties. A lot of work! and a difficult project when you live in a town house with no decent sun exposure. I have to move tout bagage over to my Urban agriculture site when it came time to pot up 75 seedlings into 1 gallon pots. Then I had to set them up under plastic so they would not get early blight. And I had to find an efficient method of giving them their fish tea and water them. Then how the heck to you sell 75 1 gallon tomato plants to recoup your investment? Not on Craig's List! Did not work for me. I did manage to sell some of the plants at the Steveston Farmer's Market.
Lucky for me, this year, the first intake students studying Organic Farming on the Sharing Farm, ran a stall at the Steveston Farmers Market and I was able to link up with them in a few ways this year. More about that coming up ... back to the pesky, spoiled rotten, high maintenance tomatoes! You can tell I have a love hate relationship with tomatoes.
As a last recourse I ended up planting out about sixty plants in two different sites. Then they had to be staked and I was not prepared to invest more money in 8 foot bamboo poles and what I used as stakes were most unsuitable so I was forever trussing and propping. Then ofcourse, the weather did not cooperate either, too cool, not enough sunny days and there were no tomatoes for harvest until very late in the season. I was getting a few tomatoes late in September. I had them all lined up on my kitchen table in graduations of ripest to greenest.
They do look quite lovely ... I must begrudgingly admit. How about this baby?! Quite the looker, hey? That's a Black from Tula.
You will notice the cracking in some of the tomatoes. Well, for those that are interested that is another of the many things that happen to tomatoes. When heavy rainfall comes along and the tomatoes drink it up, they swell and their skins pop! Just great! Inevitably that is where mold settles and rot begins.
There are just so many fresh tomatoes you can eat and give to your family. So I did do some canning which I will tell you about shortly ...
1 comment:
Funny you should mention selling tomato plants on craigslist because I did just that this year. I started them from seed I had saved from the previous year, started them 4 to 6 weeks before the May long weekend. The grew and when they were big enought I planted them in 4" pots. I posted them for $2 each and sold them in 2 days to one person who tryed to lower my price and I did negotiate the plants down to $1.50 because he bought 30. $45 dollars in my pocket wasn't bad.
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