Plant Performance Winter Harvest Report January 31, 2010 College of the Rockies Community Greenhouse
Please see the Winter Harvest Project Summary for descriptions of environments and methods.
Insect Control Abbreviations:
BT-Bacillus thuringlens
SS -Safer's Soap
DT-Diatomaceous Earth
Covers
Each crop was planted in three beds, each bed with a different weight cover. In the winter of 2009/2010, it was found that ~ oz covers were not as effective as 1 and 1.5 oz in all crops except spinach, scallions, corn salad, leeks, and kale which performed well with any weight of cover. This was determined by a visual inspection of the crops on Feb.4, 2010.
We looked at plant size, vigor and general health. Next year's trials will eliminate the ~ oz. covers and focus on heavier protection.
The beds with 1.5 oz covers were originally covered with 1 oz. One half oz. more was added around Nov 1 and removed Feb 4. We found beds with 1.5 oz covers had some mold on the plants which indicated less ventilation in those beds.
Beds
The 2009/2010 crop was planted in raised beds 12" deep. We found that crops around the edges of the beds did not perform as well as crops in the middle of the beds. This was more apparent with more tender crops such as lettuce. Another observation was that the carrot beds froze in November making them very difficult to harvest. We hope to have a new hoop house in place for next fall where we will plant directly into the ground for further protection.
Arugula
In the hoop house, there were three successiveplantings on Aug 18, Sept 2 and 14. All successionswere planted with three different weight row covers, .5 oz, 1 oz and 1.5 oz. There were caterpillar problems in October which was successfully treated with BT. Harvest started on October 21 and continued until Dec. Arugula was not usable after winter solstice.
Beets
Two varieties were planted in the hoop house with similar results for both varieties and under all three covers. Varieties were Early Wonderand Winter Keeper. Seeds were planted August17 and first harvested October21. By early December the greens were losing their vigor and looking limp although tops and bottoms were edible. Caterpillars became a problem in October and BT was applied and slugs attacked someplants.
Carrots
Two varieties of carrots were planted in the hoop house on July 28, Minicar and mixed seeds. Harvest started on all beds on Sept 28 and continued till the ground froze on December 7. Taste was sweet and juicy. We expect to be able to continue harvesting once the ground thaws.
Chard
Chard was planted in the spring of 09 in the hoop house. As of November 13, there was no new growth reported. Plants were harvestable to winter solstice. After that, there was some rotting and die back but new growth is apparent. Feb 4 shows quite a bit of rotting and those plants with 1.5 oz. cover are dead. Next year we will plant new plants in the fall from seed.
Corn Salad
Corn salad was planted Sept 3, 14, 17, Oct 2, 6 and 21. No corn salad was ready for harvest before mid-Nov when only the Sept 3 plantings were large enough to be harvested at 3" x 3". Throughout December and January, corn salad remained in excellant condition making it a perfect winter crop for a home gardener. Commercial growers may find this green a bit on the small size but it has some value because it is one of the few crops which can be harvested in Dec and Jan.
Dandelion
Italian dandelion was seeded July 28 and Aug 18. On Sept. 2, the July 28 planting was ready to harvest and by Nov 13 both crops were ready. On Oct 2, mildew covered the dandelions on one bed and the crop was cut to the ground. Recovery was slow and was ready to pick by Dec 7. By January the entire crop still ready to harvest but did not look as pretty. This is a great commercial and home crop. The leaves matured fast, were mostly problem free and were lush right through to January. This crop is full of vitamins and is a good part of a salad blend.
Herbs
Chives, perennlal-This plant has lived in the hoop house for two years and went dormant on Nov 13 Cilantro, annual-Seeded on Sept 3 and by Nov 27 was healthy looking and 3" tall, still a bit too small to harvest. By January 7 it was still alive but it was limp.
Garden Sage,perennlal-Transplanted from a 4" pot in early September, this plant started to yellow on Nov 27 and appeared dormant on Dec.7. Even though it is dormant, the leaves still appear to be usable.
Winter Savory, perennlal-Transplanted from a 4" pot in early September, this plant did not go dormant and still looked in perfect condition on Jan 7.
Curly Parsley, biennlal-Seeded in the spring, curly parsley remained excellent in looks and taste up until Dec 7. By Jan 7 it was limp.
Lemon Thyme, perennlal-Transplanted from a 4" pot in early September, this plant still looked perfect and tasted good on Jan 7. The plant increased to about 12" in diameter.
Oregano, perennial-Transplanted from a 4" pot in early September, this plant still looked perfect on Jan 7 however the flavour was not very good.
Flat leaf Parsley, biennial-Seeded in the spring, flat leaf parsley remained excellent in looks and taste up until Dec 7. By Jan 7 it was limp.
French Tarragon, perennial-Transplanted from a 4" pot in early September, this plant looked good until mid-Nov however by the end of Nov, it had gone dormant.
Kale
Rainbow Tuscan Kale was seeded in the hot house June 30 and transplanted into the hoop house on Aug 17. Shortly after transplanting, flea beetles attacked and were treated with Gaia Green Diatomaceous Earth and Glacial Rock Dust which substantially reduced the insects by Aug 25. In early September cabbage butterfly worms appeared and were treated with DE which did not work. Then we tried BT. Eventually the worms disappeared, we're not sure if it was hand picking, cold weather or the BT. Despite the insect problems, all plants were ready to harvest by Oct 21. On Nov 27 slugs were discovered in one bed.They were hand picked. The plants were in perfect condition on Dec7 and on Jan 7 they were somewhat limp but alive. ByJan7the plants were again ready to harvest.
Komatsuna
Red Komatsuna was planted July 28, Aug 19 and Sept 2. There were many insect problems with these plants including flea beetles which attacked seedlings on emergence, cabbage butterfly worms, aphids and other caterpillars. We use DE, BTand 55. We lost approximately 60%of the crop to insects. Those plants that survived were beautiful and tasty. They were ready to harvest by mid November and stayed nice till the end of November when they started to become wilted. By January 7 the leaves were frozen and limp with brown tips, however the centers were healthy and there is a good chance of a spring crop.
Leeks
Bandit leeks were started in the hot house on July 15 and transplanted into the hoop house on Aug 17. There was a small amount of insect damage in one bed but it was not a big problem. The entire crop grew to about 12" tall and about 3/4" in diameter. The plants were usable but were still quite small. ByJanuary 7 they were limp but edible.
Lettuce
Cold frame #1 and 2 contained Ralslelane lettuce which is a winter hardy variety developed by a local gardener to withstand winter cold. As of Jan 7, there was a 40% survival rate in #1 and in #2, most of the heads are healthy, beautiful and ready to harvest. We feel that the polycarbonate covers on cold frame #2 were more effective that the glass on cold frame #1.
Cimmaron Romaine was seeded Aug 19 in the hoop house. By mid Nov it was 6"-8" tall with some powdery mildew. There was little growth by year end but it survived Dec weather and looked good in Jan. There was some harvesting in fall and we hope the spring crop to be more successful. The crop with a .5 oz cover was limp while under the heavier covers the crops look healthy.
Rouge d'hiver lettuce planted Aug 19, Sept 2 and Sept 14. By Sept 28, the Aug 19 planting was ready to harvest. By Oct 21, the Sept 2 planting was ready to harvest. This lettuce continued to grow and thrive until early Dec when some of the larger leaves became limp. By January 7 the entire crop was alive but limp. There was some problem with cabbage worms. This is a very good fall crop for both gardeners and commercial growers.
Oak leaf lettuce is being mentioned here because of how well it did despite the fact we did not plant it. Some seeds from last year's crop germinated and went on to perform well and they still looked harvestable on January 7. Another note of interest is that last year our lettuce crop was completely destroyed when the temperatures dipped to 23 for approximately 2 weeks in December. This year the temperature never went below -17 and most of the lettuce was still looking healthy on Jan 7.
Mlzuna
Mizuna was planted on Aug 18, Sept 2, 14 and Oct 2. The Aug 18 and Oct 2 plantings did not germinate. One bed was completely destroyed by caterpillars by mid Oct. ByOct 21, the Sept 2 plantings were ready to harvest and harvesting continued until Dec7 when the leaves were limp but still edible. By January 7, there were dead leaves but the plants were still alive and we expect a spring crop. A note of interest was last year's crop did not survive the -18 two week cold spell in December when all the crops had only ~ oz covers.
Onion
Allissa Craig Onions were planted for an early spring crop. They were seeded in the hot house July 15 and transplanted into the hoop house on Aug 17. They grew 8 -12" tall and looked perfect in Dec and Jan. They are still too small to harvest.
Purslane
Purslane was planted in cold frame #1 and 2 where it germinated and grew lushly. By Aug31, 75 % of the crop was disposed of due to leaf minors and the balance of the crop was removed on Oct 5 for the same reason.
Raab
Sorrento Raab was started early in the hot house on June 30 and transplanted into the outdoor garden on Aug 15. As of Aug 25 the crop was substantially reduced by flea beetles despite using controls. As of Sept 6, the entire crop had been destroyed by flea beetles. This would make a good flea beetle trap crop.
Radicchio
Palla Rossa Special Radicchio was seeded on Aug 17, Sept 2 and Sept 14. Problems encountered were powdery mildew and cabbage worms. For powdery mildew, we thinned plants to approximately 8" apart and removed affected leaves. Worms were treated with BT. The Aug 17 planting started forming heads by Nov 13 and the balance by Nov 27. On Dec 7 the crop was limp and by Jan 7 the heads are forming nicely with limp outer leaves. This is intended as a spring crop.
Radish
Altaglobe radish was planted in cold frame #1 and China Rose in cold frame #2. Seeding was done on July 31, Aug 24, 31 and Oct 5. The July 31 planting was completely destroyed by flea beetles. The other plantings produced nice crops half of which were harvested and half of which were left in the ground. Crops did not survive cold weatherpastmidNov. AltaglobeRadishwasplantedin thehoophouseonAug17,Sept 2,14andOct2. ByOct21,all plantings were ready to harvest except those planted on Oct 2. Insect problems were flea beetles and caterpillars which were treated with DE and BT. By the end of Nov, black spots were forming on leaves and what was harvested was not very nice looking. This is a good early fall crop if the insect problems can be overcome.
Scallions
Klncho Scallions were seeded on July 28, Aug 17 and Oct 2. By Oct 21 all of the scallions in one bed were eaten to the ground by some kind of caterpillar. By Oct 21 harvesting began and continued till mid Nov. In Dec the tops started to fall and turn limp. January crops are starting to perk up.
Spinach
In cold frame #1, Olympia Spinach was planted July 31 and Aug 24. Germination was spotty on the July 31 planting. This spinach grew and thrived all fall and on Jan 7 it was healthy, ready to harvest and actually is bigger than the spinach in the hoop house with more protection. In the hoop house, Olympia Spinach was planted on Aug 20 and was 3" tall by Nov 13 and 4" by Nov 27. By Jan 7, it was healthy with no damage and ready to harvest.
In cold frame #2 Bloomsdale spinach was planted on July 31 and Aug 24. Results were the same as Olympia in #1 except plants are about 1" shorter. Bloomsdale spinach was planted in the hoop house on Aug 20, Sept 14, Oct 2, Oct 5, Oct 14 and Oct 21. The Aug 20 plantings were the only plants which were ready to harvest in the fall and winter. ByJan 7, all plants are healthy and in good condition. One note of interest was last year spinach seeded in August did not germinate and we concluded conditions in the hoop house were too hot. Next year we will try using seedlings started in a cooler place. As of Feb 4, 2010, both varieties performed equally well with everything planted up to Aug 20 ready to pick. The weight of covers did not make any difference to the results.
Turnips
Hakurel Turnips were seeded Aug 19, Sept 2, Sept 14, Oct 2 and Oct 5. There was no germination for the Aug 19 planting and poor germination with the balance. The Sept 3 crops were ready to harvest on Nov 13. Everything survived the December weather and we will see how the roots are once the ground thaws. A note on last year's crop, all of the seeds germinated and we had a fantastic fall crop of healthy radish like white roots which were ready to harvest until the cold snap in December when everything was destroyed.
