It’s that time of year, folks. After a winter of planning, setting up seed trays and mulling through seed catalogues (and your own stash), perhaps these two reminders will be helpful.
Cabbage
Anyone who grows cabbages eagerly waits for that beautiful head of cabbage – minus insect damage, hopefully. (I cover mine with tulle.)
Did you know that when you harvest that green globe, the plant can produce more from the same plant? Leave it in the ground, cut away the first cabbage and new ones will grow at the base of each of the remaining leaves.
Instead of one cabbage, you can get 3, maybe even 4 more. Smaller, but still delicious and rather effortless. Here is a good image of cabbage regrowing!
Potatoes
Most of us know tomatoes fall into two camps: determinate, which produce one set of fruit and are done, and indeterminate, which keep producing all season.
Thanks to a fellow gardener, Christine K. at our community garden, for sharing this:
Potatoes are also determinate or indeterminate. Determinate potatoes produce one layer of vegetables, unlike indeterminate potatoes, which can grow many layers depending on how you plant them – like in a potato tower.
It depends on which types of potatoes you plant. An internet search can give you a fuller list, but just to get you thinking…
Are Yukon potatoes determinate or indeterminate? Determinate. Which means they set a few potatoes all in one level.
What about Russet potatoes? Time for discovery. The familiar varieties may surprise you.
Happy gardening.
About The Author: Ann Marie Allen
Anne Marie is a gardener, educator and volunteers with the London Middlesex Master Gardeners. She is passionate about food security, sustainability and preserving heirloom crops. Through hands-on growing and community engagement, she connects people to the history of food and inspires interest in local food systems.
More posts by Ann Marie Allen