e Dirt - Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture

BRASSICA GREENS: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
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Mustard
Turnip
Brassica greens are cold-hardy, which means they withstand cooler temperatures and even light frosts
(unlike summer vegetables), making them ideal to plant in very early spring, or late summer for a fall
harvest. One growing difference is that some varieties of Brassica greens are more susceptible to bolting
in heat than others, which is something to consider for crops planted in the spring. Bolting refers to a
stage when a plant’s growth begins to ‘ run away’: when growth goes rapidly from being mostly leaf based
to mostly flower and seed based, signaling the end of its lifecycle.
Harvesting:
October 2013
The Dirt
Special points of
interest:
CCUA’s seasonal growing guide and news
Volume 2, Issue 4
• Interviewwithour
FarmManager,
CarrieHargrove
• Planting&Events
Calendar
• Beneficialsvs.Pests
Interview with Farm Manager, Carrie
Inside this issue:
ColumbiaUrbanAg.org
Food Is Good!
Kale
Phone: 573-514-4174
Growing:
Collard
The Urban Farm:
1207 Smith St., Columbia, MO 65201
Many vegetables thought of as “ cooking greens” are
also members of this family, including collard, kale,
mustard, and turnip greens. While these various
greens have certain differences in taste and texture,
they are for the most part very similar! They all favor
similar growing conditions and are harvested in similar
manners, share closely-related nutrient profiles, and
can be interchanged in most recipes that feature
greens.
Mailing address:
PO Box 1742, Columbia, MO 65205
Brassicas, also known as cruciferous or cole crops,
are a group of cold-hardy, nutrient-dense vegetables
commonly eaten throughout the world. Broccoli,
cauliflower, and cabbage are three popular members of
this vegetable family.
These plants can be harvested as soon as their leaves are large enough to be used. They are all
harvested, cutting leaf by leaf where the leaf stem meets the plant stalk, and taking outside leaves first,
as new inner leaves emerge from the center of the plant.
BrassicaGreens:
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PlantingWinter
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Nutrition:
Brassicas are loaded with nutrition! While they are high in fiber, they also contain large amounts of
vitamins A, K, and C, and are great sources of calcium and other important minerals. Furthermore, these
vegetables are acclaimed for their cancer-fighting properties, due to their high levels of antioxidants and
phytochemical compounds. (Must be healthy, right? )
(“ All in the Family - The brassica family of vegetables is a powerhouse of health-promoting phytonutrients” . Written by: Heather Pratt, CNT;
Published in: Health Hotline)
BRAISED MIXED GREENS
from Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen
Serves 3 - 4
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for finishing
1 small onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, 1 slivered, and 1 halved
1 1/2 lbs greens, such as collard, kale, mustard,
and/or turnip; washed and chopped
a handful of chopped parsley and cilantro
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1½
cups cooked white beans (cannelloni, navy,
etc)
3-4 slices chewy country bread
Shaved parmesan (optional)
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven.
Add the onion and cook over medium high
heat, stirring occasionally. Once the onion
starts to soften a bit, after 3 or 4 minutes,
add the slivered garlic. Cook for a minute
more, then add the greens and any herbs.
Season with ½ teaspoon salt.
2. As the greens cook down, turn them in
the pan to bring the ones on top closer to
the heat. Once they’ve all collapsed, add
½ cup water or bean broth, lower the heat
and cook. Partially covered, until tender.
Depending on the greens this can be as long
as 20 mintues. Just make sure there is some
liquid in the pan for sauce. When the greens
are done, add the beans, heat them through,
then taste for salt and season with pepper.
3. Toast the bread and rub it with the halved
garlic. Arrange on plates and spoon on the
greens and beans. Drizzle with olive oil.
Garnish with the cheese, if using, and serve.
For more about CCUA, visit our website at ColumbiaUrbanAg.org,
or call us at (573) 514-4174.
October is the time to plant garlic!
There are many benefits to growing your own garlic, including keeping your garden active during
winter, and having a powerful anti-bacterial, anti-viral herb to cook with at garden’s reach!
Garlic is not grown from seed like most plants, but rather from its individual cloves. Plant garlic in
the fall, because it not only takes 9 months to mature, but actually needs a cold spell (winter) for the
clove to break apart and activate production of a full head of garlic.
Plant the cloves on a back edge of your garden so spring preparation and planting don’t disturb your
garlic before its ready. Plant only the largest cloves, as they will produce larger heads than smaller,
inner cloves.
Marlin Bates, of MU Extension, gives the following planting advice:
Plant cloves root end down (pointy end up), 3 inches apart and 1 inch deep. Cover with a thick layer
of straw or other light mulch to prolong warm soil temperatures. This allows for sufficient root growth
before the ground freezes, suppresses weeds during fall and spring,
and protects the garlic shoots when they emerge in spring. Mark the
row when planting so you know exactly where to expect your garlic
to come up.
Garlic is a heavy feeder, so incorporate plenty of compost into your
soil before planting. If garlic does not have enough nutrients to
support its growth, the heads will turn out small and may fall apart
when harvested.
Garlic is harvested after its shoots begin to die back, around earlymid summer. Dig up garlic, rather than pull it, to avoid injuring the
stem. Then either lay the entire plant out on a table or hang by its
stem and allow to dry for at least 2 weeks (this is called ‘curing’).
After the garlic is cured, trim the roots and stem and store for future
use! It is best to dry only undamaged bulbs for storage. If you nick a
bulb when digging it up, just go ahead and use it.
For more about CCUA, visit our website at ColumbiaUrbanAg.org,
or call us at (573) 514-4174.
The growing is slowing
down for the winter season,
but this doesn’ t mean we
stop gardening. Are you
wondering what to do with
your garden during the
winter? We interviewed the
U rban Farm manager, C arrie,
for some first-hand advice:
curs, so you retain the warmer soil
temperature. You can also use a
make-shift row cover for protection
at night. Do this by placing hoops
of thin wire over your bed, draping
a bed sheet over the hoops so it
doesn’t lie directly on your plants,
and securing the bed sheet corners
with something heavy.
crops. U se the same set up as a
row cover, except with thick clear
plastic instead of a bed sheet.
However, if it is sunny at all you will
want to vent or remove the plastic
so your plants don’t get too hot.
During this time, vegetables don’t
really grow, but they don’t die
either. You’ll want to plant these
C: Spinach is our favorite to grow,
vegetables early enough so they’ve
as it is particularly cold-hardy. We
reached a mature state once frost
have the best luck with a variety
hits and are strong to withstand the
called Tyee. We also grew curly
cold. Overwintering takes practice,
kale, carrots, lettuce, parsley and
especially with the temperature
cilantro last year. Turnips are
swings of the fall to winter trananother good winter vegetable to try sition. However, if you want an
over-wintering.
alternative to over-wintering vegetables, growing containers of lettuce
OG: What does over-wintering
indoors can be fairly easy too.
mean?
OG: What is a cold-frame?
C:You over-winter vegetables
that are cold-hardy and won’t be
C: This is another way to overdamaged by frost. Keep plants well- winter vegetables and get an early
mulched before the first frost ocstart on direct seeding your spring
C: If I’ve left a bed fallow (decided
not to grow anything in it) I add
compost or other amendments
so they have all winter to mix into
the soil, and then I cover the bed
with lots of mulch. This keeps soil
soft and prevents erosion. I also
do general “ cleaning up” , such
as taking down my trellising and
irrigation eq uipment. Winter is the
best time to reflect on how your
garden grew over the year, what
you might want to do differently the
next year, and to browse the new
seed catalogues.
OG: What do you grow in the
winter?
OG: What other things do you do
in the winter?
Check out our website for more information about the Harvest Hootenanny!
ColumbiaUrbanAg.org, or call us at (573) 514-4174.
Green
Lacewing
Predaceous
Ground
Beetle
Assassin
Bug
Pirate Bug
Soldier
Beetle
Spider
Syrphid Fly
Sixspotted
Thrip
Western
Predatory
Mite
Predatory
Wasp
Praying
Mantis
Aphid
Garden Pests
Tomato
Hornworm
Cabbage
Worm
~ Overwintering geraniums like
bright light and cool temperatures.
Keep soils on the dry side.
~ On cold nights, move houseplants
back from icy windows to prevent
chilling injury.
~ Water houseplants with tepid
water. Cold tap water may shock
plants.
~ Wash the dust off of houseplant
leaves on a regular basis. This
allows the leaves to gather light
more efficiently and will result in
better growth.
House plants are lovely, easy to
care for, and help purify the air in
your home. Here are some tips
along with general garden
maintenance tips for your house
plant care:
** Roll up and store garden hoses
on a warm, sunny day. It’s hard
to get a cold hose to coil into a
tight loop.
* To prevent insects or diseases
from overwintering in the garden,
remove and compost all plant
debris and cover garden with a
layer of straw.
~ April 2013 ~
Garlic, cover crop mixture,
winter wheat, rye
Garlic, cover crop mixture,
winter wheat, rye
Garlic, cover crop mixture,
winter wheat, rye
Plant during week of:
Harvest all your green tomatoes
the day of a killing frost. They will
slowly ripen if set out on a table with
good air flow around them.
Gardening Tips:
Spotted
Cucumber
Beetle
Diwali
Tue
Spread Mulch
Dismantle pole
bean fence
Finish sweet
potato harvest
before first frost
Wed
Halloween
Thu
Thanksgiving
First day of
Hannukah
Flea Beetle
New Year’s Eve
Christmas Eve
Japanese
Beetle
Christmas
Grasshopper
First day of
Kwanzaa
Last day of
Hannukah
~ December
2013 ~Thu
Wed
Tue
~ May 2013 ~
Harvest Brussels
Sprouts
Muharram/Isalmic
New Year
~ November 2013 ~
Average first frost
Harvest eggplant,
green tomatoes
and peppers
ahead of frost
Cutworm
Begin 2014 seed
order
Dig sweet fall
carrots**
Cover strawberry
plants with straw
for the winter
Mon
Striped
Cucumber
Beetle
Daylight Savings
Time Ends
Make pepper and
green tomato
relish
Accumulate
Winter stores of
onions, garlic,
sweet potatoes,
etc.
Sun
~ October 2013 ~
Potato Beetle
Fri
Finish Mulching
Perennials*
Dismantle
tomato trellises
and cages (after
hard frost)
Fri
Stinkbug
Squash Bug
Winter Solstice
Sat
Composting
Workshop by the
City of Columbia @
Capen Park,10a-12p
Plant tulip or
daffodil bulbs
Composting
Workshop by the
City of Columbia @
Capen Park,10a-12p
4th Annual
HARVEST
HOOTENANNY
3-8p
Sat
Planting Calendar for Autumn
Convergent
Lady Beetle
Beneficial Garden Bugs