I’m not sure where I picked up this helpful hint, but I kinda love it. Cauliflower will supposedly turn green with too much exposure to sunlight. I harvested my first head– 14 oz!! yesterday from the early planting. But before that, I covered it and the other four growing heads with their own leaves.
This keeps them “blanched” and snowy white (the variety is Snobowl) as they grow. I just folded the leaves over the top of each head and secured it with a chip clip. As the heads grow, they do push the leaves open. It’s also like a little present!
The next variety of lettuce is just at the baby stage now. It has developed some early blight, I think from the heavy rains and possibly being over-planted. Still, it is in good shape. I mean, I’ll eat it!
I’m trying to do much more succession planting this year, but I realize one reason why people choose not to do that. It is about weeds, of course. If you just plant the beds and let them go to work, you can cultivate around the large plants and not worry about something new trying to come up. To have to discern between tiny new carrots, radishes, beets, parsley, etc, and the established plants takes more time and effort. I know I’m cultivating areas that I planted with something new because I forget that kind of thing and my labeling skills are not the best. That said, I have sown more lettuces, greens, and baby kales here and there.
Next up is beets. We had solid plates of greens just from the thinnings last night. Early on a rabbit got in there, but even just setting a fence loosely around the bed as deterred them and they’ve come back nicely.
Ah, I do think June might be my favorite month. Mother Nature takes care of most of the watering, everything is lush and green, and there’s garden food every night!
