Cherry Bell Radishes

I harvested a few Cherry Bell variety radishes from my cold frame on Election Day (yes, I did vote) and thought I would document one of them for my records.

The radish pictured here weighed in at 23.5 grams and was over a foot long. The roots were about four inches in length and the plant sported a total of nine leaves. The radish itself was about one inch wide by one inch long. And yes, it was delicious!

I'm not sure why I like to grow these. Part of the reason must be the fact that from sowing to eating can be as quick as one month. The other reason, for me, is the color they add to a salad.

The leaves, they are a falling!

It’s already October the 1^st, can you believe it? The weather service is even talking about the likelihood of frost across the northern parts of Missouri by the morning of Monday, October the 4^th.

I got up this morning to the reality that the leaves have begun to fall off some of the trees. Always a sad time for me as it means winter is next on the agenda. I’m much more a spring personality type. That’s the time of year when nature re-awakens and puts on a burst of new growth. This time of year is more about the ending of growing things as we all get ready for a cold chill in both the air and ground.

Cold weather also means longer nights, shorter days and a severe restriction on my garden activities. Thank goodness I have the two small cold frames in the front of my house. They will become a focus for me and a continuing spark of life while everything else slumbers. As you can see, the romaine lettuce starts which don’t look like very much right now are actually growing rather quickly. Interspersed among them are Cherry Bell radishes that should be ready for harvest by the end of October.

Romaine and Radishes!

This promises to be a really great growing season down here in southwest Missouri. We’ve had ample rain and the last few weeks have seen almost perfect growing conditions. The nighttime temperatures have been in the fifties followed by daytime highs in the seventies and low eighties. As a result my early radishes and romaine lettuce have really taken off!

The radish seed I like to use is a variety called Cherry Belle and the lettuce is called Little Caesar from Burpee Seed. I’ve been growing both for some years now and enjoy the crunchy taste of the fresh radishes and fullness of body you get with romaine. Both of these are now growing in my small cold frames (the windows have been removed) and in the open raised beds out back. My seeding of lettuce back in October is why I’m enjoying lots of fresh romaine salads right now. This is especially nice considering the cost of a head of iceberg lettuce at the market right now. Now, while I do not have this down to a science, I have been lucky enough to grow just enough plants, spaced the right amount of time apart to insure a continuous supply through mid summer. At that time, I hold off planting any more lettuce until mid August when I can get in yet another crop and then a late planting in October so the small plants have a chance to grow big enough to survive the winter months.

Cold Frame Update for March 14, 2010

On February the 27^th, I planted by broadcast method a few Little Caesar romaine seed along with an equal amount of Cherry Belle radish seed. Both were from packets that were purchased last spring. As you can see, as of March 14^th, they have germinated well and are on their way. The temperatures during the day have been in the middle forties to low fifties while the nights have fallen in the thirties. But, the cold frames have done a good job of protecting the young seedlings from harm.

On this date, I also broadcast a small amount (about one tablespoon) of fertilizer in both frames. I used a NPK (Nitrogen Phosphorous Potassium) mix of 13-13-13 which should give the young seedlings in Cold Frame #1 and the established lettuce plants in Cold Frame #2 a boost. As a side note, when I finish harvesting the lettuce from the small Cold Frame #2, I plan to spread a little finished compost from my compost pile of kitchen scraps out back. I do this to try and insure an even pH balance is maintained. This frame will then be given a rest and will just be used to hold starter trays through the rest of the cool spring days. As warm weather approaches, I’ll broadcast a small cover crop of hairy vetch to help replenish the soil. By doing this, I will help benefit my fall planting of lettuce there.  Note: The small pot in between Cold Frame #1 (nearest) and Cold Frame #2 contains garlic plants. They are destined for the raised bed out back in  week or so.

Yes, I also need to re-caulk the window frames. They are over twenty years old and have performed well late in life. They were donated to me by a friend, Stephanie O’Neal back in 1995 and were pretty old back then. Since that time they have been repainted a couple of times, but now the window panes are falling out because the old caulk has deteriorated so much. Still, they have performed their function very well. A good motto to live by is to re-use and re-cycle whenever possible. Nature has done a great job of this for millions of years and it works really well.

It's time for some cold frame lettuce!

It’s almost March now, just a couple of days away. Here in southwest Missouri, you can see how much more bright the days are as the sun now arcs ever higher across the sky. The temperatures are now beginning to respond a little to the increased sunlight. Today, February the 27^th, it we had temps in the mid forties and I can tell you…compared to just a few weeks ago that is warm! With the window sash over the top of the cold frame the air quickly warms into the mid sixties. This is perfect weather for romaine lettuce and radishes.  I just happen to have some seed left over from last season and decided the time was right to put them to good use.

So, with no further ado, I went out this afternoon and prepped the ground in my first cold frame. The space is on the small side, but you’d be amazed at the amount of lettuce I can get from this space. The actual size is just under 24” x 36 inches of growing space or 6 square feet of total growing area. I have two of these frames in the front yard which can provide me with quite a bit of early spring lettuce. The picture at right shows lettuce that was actually planted last fall and even though the plants are small, they are a welcome addition to the dinner table.

My method of planting at this time of year is simple and stupid. I just broadcast some lettuce and radish seed in a random pattern, then wet the surface down, cover everything with newspaper and then water it again. Total time spent was about 15 minutes if that. After covering up the frame, the sun immediately elevated the inside reading to 65F while it was 46F outside. In about four or five days, I’ll take a peek under the newspaper and see what’s germinated. Because it’s still cool outside (and cold at nights) I don’t have to worry much about the top layer of soil drying out. The window sashes also act as a moisture barrier. Kind of a ‘SET IT AND FORGET IT’ deal. My apologies to Ronco.

With a little luck and some supervision, I should have a good harvest sometime in mid to late April or about the time most people are just getting started in their raised beds. Of course, I’ll post an update at that time. Happy gardening!

Cold Frame Update - Early January 09

Well. Well. It’s the first week in the New Year and I’ve finally harvested my first morsel of lettuce and spinach for a grand total of nine grams! Yes, I said grams. Not much to show for my efforts at this point. I also had a single radish that was about half and inch wide and weighed in at 5 grams. As I think I have pointed out in another entry, the crop is more or less in suspended animation at this time. Everything looks healthy; it’s just not growing very fast. Had planted the seed back in September instead of late October, I think I would have a lot more to eat at this time.

The radish got consumed first and tasted great! The lettuce and spinach was next. I added a small amount of iceberg lettuce and a short stalk celery, then sprinkled on some oil and vinegar. The result was a very fresh and tasty addition to my lunchtime fare.

My big hope is that as the weather moderates, I will see more and more growth. So that’s it for now. A total of 9+5 grams for a whopping total of 14 grams. My basket runnith over.

CF2 on the Way!

It's now mid November 2008 and we are now entering the time of year I like the least. The next fourteen weeks will see some of the coldest weather of the year and most of the trees will be bare. Thank goodness for my cold frame with its spark of spring greenery inside. It will soon have a friend when I install a twin unit next to it. I'm in the process of painting the frame and still need to purchase a soil amendment (vermiculite)to add to the 3 cubic feet of Miracle Gro potting soil bought at a store last week. I now have three trays of plants (lettuce and spinach) that need to be planted out soon, so I need to get to it as they say. The new cold frame will be referred to as CF2 and the original CF1. CF1's plants are going great. I'll try and post a current picture sometime soon. The average temperature in that frame has been about 54F which is near the ideal temperature to grow lettuce and spinach at.

Over the next weeks they are forecasting a series of cold fronts about every other day with lows getting into the twenties. This will be a real test to see how well these guys can surviive.