Pulled all of them out moments ago. Second phase begins now. They will be in the fridge for 45 days then I will replant.
I might split things up. I am thinking about planting half on 8-26 and the other half 9-2. I am also thinking about splitting into 4 bags, and put 2 in the fridge and 2 in the freezer. Then plant 1 of each during those dates. Average frost frost is 11-15.
Does anyone think that’s a good idea?
My root crops have never done well in the freezer, although they do just fine overwintering in the soil.
Thanks
My climate: hot, humid, 65 inches a year of rain, elevation 230’. Our current day length is 14 hours. Also, frost free range is typically middle of November to middle of March. We usually do not get below freezing very often or very long.
I planted a bunch of different varieties this time. I was hoping I would notice a few varieties that outperformed the rest. Unfortunately, there were no clear winners from a variety standpoint. In general, anything purple did better than the rest. Yellow did worse in this season compared to fall planting. Also, there were variability per variety in growth and health.
Do you have a plan B species that could serve a similar role in the kitchen? Jicama and Yacon come to mind as sweet, crunchy roots that can be eaten raw.
I expect frozen carrots to die.
Not yet. But I have recently picked up 2 beet varieties that may be sweet and less earthy. They may be good enough to eat raw. I will get those planted when it cools down some.
I will look into Jicama and Yacon. I am currently not familiar with them. Thanks for the tip.
Thanks. I will definitely keep out of freezer then. Good to know. My intuition was telling me to start in fridge then move to freezer then move back to fridge. I am glad I asked first.
vernalization in progress. I didn’t count but it’s probably 50 or so carrots. I think I have a real shot of getting flowers this year. My outlook feels a lot better now.
How do turnips or kohlrabi fare in your part of the world in the winter? Those plus jicama in the warm season are our favorites for crunching raw.
I tried yellow and white beets for the first time last year and they had much less of the muddy taste than the red beets. Concerning yacon: it is very crunchy and juicy. For my family it fits well into mixed salad.
I was not thinking of turnips, but I would put them in the hopeful category like beets. I have 4-5 varieties to plant soon that are supposed to be milder. I have grown turnips before but it was the purple top which I didn’t like the taste. I did not observe its behavior in winter that time due to lack of interest.
For kohlrabi, I have never grown but have a couple varieties to try out soon.
Also, turnip greens are delicious and probably my favorite green. However, my experience so far growing any kind of brassica is the leaves are going to get ravaged when it’s warm enough for insects. When it’s not warm enough for insects, the plants grow super slow. So I have decided to put my focus on tastier roots.
Interesting, I have some beet varieties to try with those colors. I have quite a bit of varieties to try. It’s probably 20 or so now. I am not looking forward to the raw taste test though. Last time I tried it, I almost threw up.
For what it’s worth, the aphids don’t touch turnips or rapini in our garden, and we have a big cabbage aphid problem. I grew up on purple top turnips. The key for us is getting enough fall rain to plump them up and dilute the bitter.
Also look into Malanga, used like potatoes but I’ve never eaten them to comment further. Supposed to grow great in the heat. The leaves can be eaten as greens, with the variety grown for leaves instead of tubers goes by the name Calalous. It is in the Elephant ear group but I don’t know if the common Elephant ear is a synonym
Will do, thanks
I considered malanga, but apparently they like lots of water, and, well . . .
In the garden preparing the bed to receive the vernalized carrot roots. I took a break to make this post and get another cold one. I have no idea if these roots need a warm up but my suspicions say so. Therefore, I have them warming up in a shady spot next to the hvac system.
I’ve got about 80 days until first frost: I am going out for go ahead and plant all my roots and hope for the best to get seed this year.
