Today's harvest

[pepperhead212]

I harvested something unusual today - some cauliflower greens! As usual, the cauliflower did not grow for me, despite starting it before all my other greens. They are like other brassica greens,with tough stems, but the leaves are delicious, so at least I can use them for something. I also still have some komatsuna and senposai out there, that are usually resistant to the low 20s. I wasn't sure how low these would go, which is why I pulled them all.
cauliflower leaves, harvested on 11-18 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[larry_stewart]

Although picked a few weeks ago, finally got. around to bringing these guys inside, as its supposed to get quite cold today. I have a few broccoli outside ,the heads are very small. Could have used 2 more weeks of growable conditions. Will likely also pick my chard today, make some spinach (chard) pies to freeze.

 

[larry_stewart]

Picked the last of the uncovered chard, carrots and rutabaga. Other than covered kale , chard and parsley, nothing left in the garden ( except next years garlic and shallots).

The carrots and rutabaga are not worth bragging about, but Ill be able to make a nice mash from what I got.

 

[taxlady]

Those short carrots look like a cultivar grown in Denmark. Regular carrots are called gulerod (yellow root) and the shorties are called karotte. They are often used as a fancier way to serve carrots.

 

[larry_stewart]

They're cute and chubby. They are sold as ' Ox Heart' carrots. they can only get as big as 2 inches long and wide. Very sweet too! I put them insight after I got the onions out, so it was a late season crop. I'd grow them again next year.

 

[larry_stewart]

Well, I thought I picked everything. I forgot to pick my dill before any heavy frost. Sure enough, I look out my kitchen window, and see my dill not looking too happy. Since it is. winding up in the freezer anyway , I was able to rescue it. Got a decent amount. Probably enough to last me the winter. Dill is one of those herbs that hold up well in the freezer, and dont lose their taste or have it altered. I usually grow dill early in the spring and late summer/ early fall. I find the plants do better and less insects to deal with when harvesting. I usually plant in bulk so I can make one large harvest and freeze.

 

[taxlady]

Well, I thought I picked everything. I forgot to pick my dill before any heavy frost. Sure enough, I look out my kitchen window, and see my dill not looking too happy. Since it is. winding up in the freezer anyway , I was able to rescue it. Got a decent amount. Probably enough to last me the winter. Dill is one of those herbs that hold up well in the freezer, and dont lose their taste or have it altered. I usually grow dill early in the spring and late summer/ early fall. I find the plants do better and less insects to deal with when harvesting. I usually plant in bulk so I can make one large harvest and freeze.

Any tricks to growing dill other than do it in cooler weather? I have tried growing dill from small plants many times. They all seem to die after about two weeks, weather I plant them outdoors or in a pot inside.

 

[larry_stewart]

Any tricks to growing dill other than do it in cooler weather? I have tried growing dill from small plants many times. They all seem to die after about two weeks, weather I plant them outdoors or in a pot inside.

Dill is one of those plants that laugh at me and make me look incompetent as a gardener. I can plant an entire row that either doesnt germinate or do crappy. But the place where may seed packet got knocked over, or the few roque seeds that blew out of my had from the wind and landed somewhere else do beautifully. The only trick I know is the earlier and later growing. They're kinda like carrots where they need constant initial moisture to germinate ( a little finicky). Other than that, its pure luck. I sometimes will just scatter them around haphazardly and if a plant pops up, I leave it. Wish I had better advise for you

The one thing I do know is I have never been successful growing them indoors or small pots. If I grow them outside in pots, it will be a huge one ( like 10 + Gallons). Im guessing cause The smaller pots dry up quicker and if I dont stay on top of it, the soil gets too dry.

 

[pepperhead212]

I grow dill in cooler weather, as well, and get a lot of volunteers all over in the fall. I just harvested a gallon bag of it, before the first freeze we had - it took me a while to be sure I got them all, as the seed scatters. Not bad for a weed, however.

Dukat is the best variety I have found, as far as slow bolting, and growing for its leaves. I found another last season in the hydroponics - Tetra - that was even more vigorous growing; in fact, I had to remove the plant from the cup, as the roots were getting overgrown! It didn't do much better outside, in the spring, but it was as good as the Dukat. I never had trouble growing it indoors or out.

 

[larry_stewart]

I grow dill in cooler weather, as well, and get a lot of volunteers all over in the fall. I just harvested a gallon bag of it, before the first freeze we had - it took me a while to be sure I got them all, as the seed scatters. Not bad for a weed, however.

Dukat is the best variety I have found, as far as slow bolting, and growing for its leaves. I found another last season in the hydroponics - Tetra - that was even more vigorous growing; in fact, I had to remove the plant from the cup, as the roots were getting overgrown! It didn't do much better outside, in the spring, but it was as good as the Dukat. I never had trouble growing it indoors or out.

Ive had no luck. with dill hydroponically. They germinate. ok, but once they reach about 2 inches they dry out. The system is in my basement , and my basement is vert dry, so Im guessing its just a lack of humidity thing. The dill leaves are so small and thin, maybe they cant handle it. Ive had luck with larger leafed veggies down there ( Romain, parsley, basil .

 

[taxlady]

Hmm, lack of humidity might be part of my problem growing them indoors. My house tends to be dry inside. In winter the electric baseboard heaters dry the air and in summer the A/C dehumidifies the air. Do you guys both grow them from seed? I haven't tried that, yet.

 

[larry_stewart]

Yes, Almost always from seed. The only way I buy the plants is if I have a complete failure and need something that is up and running. Its rare that happens, but I definitely have years that are better than other.

 

[GotGarlic]

Hmm, lack of humidity might be part of my problem growing them indoors. My house tends to be dry inside. In winter the electric baseboard heaters dry the air and in summer the A/C dehumidifies the air. Do you guys both grow them from seed? I haven't tried that, yet.

I think dill really needs to be planted outside. Like most herbs, it needs at least six hours of sunlight per day to thrive. And you need to keep an eye out for black swallowtail caterpillars - dill carrots and other plants from that family are host plants for them. They can decimate a plant in a day or two depending on its size.

 

[larry_stewart]

I think dill really needs to be planted outside. Like most herbs, it needs at least six hours of sunlight per day to thrive. And you need to keep an eye out for black swallowtail caterpillars - dill carrots and other plants from that family are host plants for them. They can decimate a plant in a day or two depending on its size. View attachment 62542

Thats one of the reasons I plant before ( and after) butterfly season. Less chance of caterpillars or their eggs. And yes, they can literally chew up a whole plant in a day or two. I try to grow enough early on to freeze and last for the summer. Then again, in the fall to last for the winter. During the summer, I just let them do their thing. I grow more than enough parsley that they cant even make a dent.

 

[GotGarlic]

I haven't been doing much gardening over the last couple of years because of my health issues, but I did the same thing. I also put some dill in a window box-type planter away from my herb garden and whenever I found caterpillars on my culinary herbs, I moved the cats to their own plants.

 

[taxlady]

I haven't been doing much gardening over the last couple of years because of my health issues, but I did the same thing. I also put some dill in a window box-type planter away from my herb garden and whenever I found caterpillars on my culinary herbs, I moved the cats to their own plants.

Were you growing plants for the caterpillars? I have heard of doing that.

 

[larry_stewart]

Were you growing plants for the caterpillars? I have heard of doing that.

I did that when my kids were young. We'd bottle them up, feed them, watch them turn into a butterfly. Now,I just grow extra ( parsley) so there is enough to go around. The dill I grow for myself. As GG mentioned, occasionally they'll feed on the carrots, but I think they prefer the dill and parsley ( at blest in my yard).

 

[pepperhead212]

I always grow these from seed,
(this year I didn't save, since I had 2 kinds growing), as bees love the flowers, and pollinate them well. Here is a photo showing the dill growing into the lights, before harvesting. And another outside bunch of dill.
11 days since I trimmed this Tetra dill down to the stubs! This stuff is on steroids. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And here's one of those caterpillars, growing on the forest of dill outside, one year. I always grow more than I need, for them, and they like dill more than parsley (their usual host), so they leave that alone!
Black swallowtail caterpillar on dill, 9-11-17 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[GotGarlic]

Were you growing plants for the caterpillars? I have heard of doing that.

Yes, just to keep some for me to use lol I wasn't raising them like some people do. I've seen people in my local Facebook gardening group begging for parsley and dill late in the season to feed their caterpillars with.

 

[cookiecrafter]

Yes, just to keep some for me to use lol I wasn't raising them like some people do. I've seen people in my local Facebook gardening group begging for parsley and dill late in the season to feed their caterpillars with.

How long do those caterpillars live?