Rutabagas are a hardy vegetable that grow best in cool weather.

Spring Planting

Rutabagas are sensitive to heat, and only grow well when temperatures are 75°F and cooler. For most areas they should be planted in the fall only.

Fall Planting

Plant seeds 14 weeks before the frost.

If you live in a mild climate with a late or no fall frost date (after Nov 1), you might be able to grow turnips all during the winter.

Soil and Fertilizer

Turnips grows best in a rich soil and are susceptible to boron deficiency; amend with lots of compost and fertilizer (chemical or organic) at planting.

Fertilizer: 16-16-8 at planting, Borax at planting.

Harvest

Harvest when tops are 6-8″ tall and roots are 4-5″ in diameter.

Similar to: Turnips

More Resources

• Rutabaga Reference Sheet (Utah Extension Service)

The method of tying them in nylon stockings really worked–only about 2 sprouted and 2 went bad. But those were not able to infect the other onions, so I feel like I maximized my harvest.

But I did a little research and found some examples of how you might protect your square foot garden.

Fully Fenced Enclosures

This basically consists of building a “top” for your garden bed made of chicken wire. The upside of this strategy–it will protect your garden from many types of pests: birds, squirrels, deer, etc. The challenge is that it makes it difficult to work in your garden, and might not be possible for vegetables supported with a large cage or trellis. Here’s an example from Steve’s Square Foot Garden.

From Steve's Square Foot Garden

Fence Around Garden Bed

Another idea is to put a small fence around the garden bed, leaving the top open. It’s relatively easy to pound stakes into the ground and attach chicken wire or some other type of netting. It is important to create a way to access the garden bed so you can weed and harvest. This method would not protect from birds, but would help with cats, dogs, rabbits, etc. Here’s an example from Tim’s Square Foot Garden.

From Tim's Square Foot Garden

Fence Around Entire Garden

Finally, you can build a fence around the entire gardening area. With a small gate, this method makes it easy to access and work in the garden beds. It would keep out pets, deer, rabbits, but not birds. Here are two examples. The first is from Harmonic Mama, and the second from Flickr.

From Harmonic Mama

From mlwhitt on Flickr

 Netting

If you search online, you can find netting to cover your plants to protect from birds. This type of product is draped over the plant and simply lifted when you need access to it.

If you have solved this problem in your garden, share what worked and send me a picture to add to this article.

Turnips are a hardy vegetable that grow best in cool weather.

Spring Planting

Plant seeds directly in the garden 6 weeks before the frost date. You can plant 16 per square and then thin them to 9 per square as you use the tops for greens.

If you live in a climate with hot summers, choose varieties that mature quickly.

Fall Planting

Plant seeds 10 weeks before the frost.

The plants will mature more slowly in the fall because the days are shorter, but since they can tolerate freezing temperatures, you can continue harvesting after the first fall frost.

If you live in a mild climate with a late or no fall frost date (after Nov 1), you might be able to grow turnips all during the winter.

Soil and Fertilizer

Turnips grows best in a rich soil; amend with lots of compost and fertilizer (chemical or organic) at planting and once during the season.

Fertilizer: 16-16-8 at planting, 21-0-0 six weeks after plants emerge.

Harvest

Harvest when tops are 6-8″ tall and roots are 2-3″ in diameter.

Similar to: Rutabagas

More Resources

• Turnip Reference Sheet (Utah Extension Service)

My husband and I started our garden in 2010. We started late but had great success with everything we palnted. We used regular, good quality soil (delivered from our local nursery) mixed with organic compost and we’re adding compost to the bed at the beginning of each planting season to bulk it up.

The bed is 4×16 feet long and it sticks out away from the fence and into the yard which gives 3/4′s of the bed full sun all summer, and still allows me to plant shade tolerant veggies in the 1/4 that is closest to the fence (usually lettuce, onions). I was watering the garden almost daily the first year and noticed my tomatoes were splitting. Last year I changed the location of the tomatoes to the middle of the garden where the sprinklers hit everyother day, and the tomatoes were perfect. I was VERY pregnant all last summer, and basically ignored the garden with the exception of some crazy weeding during a ‘nesting’ episode 2 weeks before delivering, and the garden flourished! We had so many tomatoes half of them rotted before my husband could pick them! This year I’m hoping to be a little more vigilant than last year (and actually weed and fertilize), but I think I may keep from hand watering anything and re-set the sprinklers to hit the whole bed as that seemed to work really well last year.

My biggest worries are the carrots and peas. I have no idea when to harvest the carrots and the first year I think I waited too long and they tasted bitter. I also worry about fertilizing the peas, it seemed that every time I did, the flowers would fall off and I had a so-so crop. Also, I have strawberries planted in the last 4 feet of the bed that have taken over those 16 squares, I’m going to attempt to contain them there before they take over the entire bed; any suggestions?

The only changes I’d like to make to the bed this year are the addition of some kind of netting or fencing because the squirrels and birds are feasting on all of the fruits and veggies! And, I’d like to attempt planting something new when the early veggies are out.

Thank you for taking a look at my plan, your website has been an inspiration to me and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts about my garden!

Cauliflower is a semi-hardy vegetable that grows best in cool weather. It is one of the most difficult vegetables to grow, because it can’t tolerate too much heat or cold. Temperatures should be between 40°F and 75°F. Cauliflower requires nutrient rich soil, and constant moisture to grow successfully.

White varieties are the most well-known, but green and purple varieties are easier to grow and have more nutrients.

Spring Planting

In most areas there is not enough time to grow cauliflower from seeds before the weather gets too hot.

Start seeds indoors 11 weeks before the frost date, or purchase transplants.

Transplants are ready when they have at least 3 true leaves, but not more than 6. Harden off and transplant outside 4 weeks before the frost date.

If you live in a climate with hot summers, choose early-maturing varieties to plant in the spring (45-60 days).

Fall Planting

Start seeds indoors 14 weeks before the first fall frost date, or purchase transplants (if available). You can also plant seeds directly in the garden 12 weeks before the first frost date.

Transplants are ready when they have 2-4 true leaves. Harden off and transplant outside 8 weeks before the frost date.

Soil and Fertilizer

Cauliflower requires very rich soil; amend with lots of compost and fertilizer (chemical or organic) at planting and once during the season. It particularly needs boron, phosphorous, and potassium in the soil before planting. After planting it will need at least one application of nitrogen.

Fertilizer: 10-10-10 and Borax at planting, 21-0-0 four weeks later

Keep the soil evenly moist throughout the growing season; apply mulch in dry areas to retain water. If the transplants are too large, the soil deficient, or the temperatures too cold or hot, the heads will “button”–form small heads that never grow and mature.

Harvest

White cauliflower won’t look or taste as good if the head is exposed to the sun. It must be protected from the sun by wrapping the leaves around the head. Most current varieties are self blanching, so you should not have to secure the leaves.

Harvest before the flower buds open (they get “ricey”), when the head is still tight. Cut off just below the head.

Similar to: cabbage, broccoli

More Resources

• Cauliflower Reference Sheet (Utah Extension Service)
• Recipe: Veggie Lasagna

I’m Kati, from Smyrna, GA…just outside Atlanta.  We live in a subdivision, relatively suburban, but are only 15 minutes from downtown or the airport.

We are under the Red color group for our summer garden.  2012 starts our second year with a family garden.  Part of our back yard is a steep hill which backs up to the community property line.  The space was totally unusable (with the exception of my sons bug hunts and “safari” expeditions.)  We decided to have garden boxes put in to utilize the space.

Last year, we started with 4 boxes; two 4×10 ft and two 4×14 foot.

We were able to fit more but I told my husband I wanted to be able to manage these four before over-committing ourselves. We had a great first season…many lessons learned but much bounty to enjoy as well.   We started most of our plants indoors in soil blocks under grow lights.

The boxes were filled with regular soil but we nourished it with compost.  We use bokashi and effective microorganisms to create our compost through an anaerobic method.   (We learned this from a friend who teaches sustainable agriculture in the Philippines (http://www.alohahouse.org).  Basically, it ferments our kitchen waste in about 2 weeks time in sealed buckets and we then bury it in the garden for another 2-3 weeks while it breaks down into the soil.  The results are beautiful!!!

This winter, we took the plunge and added 4 additional boxes, same sizes.

The hill is divided with wooden steps going down the middle and four boxes on each side.  We are continuing to bury our compost to begin nourishing the soil in the new boxes.

The challenge I am faced with is how to manage all of this space and have a harvest from spring through fall.  Last year we planted everything at the same time, therefore limiting our window of opportunity.  I’d like to better maximize the growing season this year.  (Then I need to learn more about canning and preserving!).

I’ve attached my spreadsheet of the boxes, color coded for your viewing pleasure.  Click to see it larger.

A few points:

1. I attempted to create a succession plan…however, I’m still a little unclear as to whether or not I’ve done this as effectively as possible.
2. I have not planted potatoes in the past so was unsure as to how invasive they would be underground.
3. Likewise, I was curious as to the herbs. I planted parsley last year that is still growing strong.  If I create an herb box, is it necessary to rotate that when I rotate the other crops each year?
4. Lastly, but very important….if you notice, our hill is right next to large trees which are covered in kudzu during the heat of the summer.  As a result, we have been battling kudzu bugs!!!  I am avoiding any legumes b/c kudzu bugs are said to feed on them.  Last year they did not invade my garden until the fall when they hung out on the leaves of my pepper plants.  They didn’t eat them, were just a nuisance.  I’d love any insight anyone may have as to keeping this “pests” from sabotaging my efforts. 

Your site has been incredibly helpful in my planning!!  Thank you SO much!  Any thoughts or insights you have, I’m open for suggestions.

Happy gardening!

Eating a Paleo Diet

For the past two months we have been eating a Paleo diet. The basic idea behind this way of eating is to go back to eating like man did before he settled down and grew crops. Basically, this means eating meat, veggies, fruit, and fat. It means NOT eating grains or legumes (think wheat, barley, oats, rice, beans, peanuts).

Before you freak out, I’d like to offer a few bits of background. First, this diet was recommended to my husband by his physician in response to his latest physical exam and blood tests. He has not been officially diagnosed, but we’re pretty sure he has metabolic syndrome. If left unchecked (by diet and exercise), he will surely develop diabetes, heart disease, and be at increased risk of a heart attack or stroke. Sounds like most of America right now, doesn’t it?

Second, we haven’t made drastic changes all at once. We maintained two diets (regular and paleo) for quite a while. I often cooked pasta or rice for the kids, with a paleo substitute for the adults. My husband has been more careful and strives for 80% paleo compliance, I’m eating paleo about 50% of the time, and the kids about 25% of the time.  This was an expensive, but effective way of gradually building new recipes into our diet.

Finally, though the paleo-lifestyle permanently excludes grains and legumes, I expect that once my husband reaches his health goals we’ll probably have them as a minor part of our diet. We like the 80% rule–try to eat this way at least 80% of the time. This allows for eating out, eating with friends, holidays, etc.

What Paleo Eating Looks Like

When my husband first brought this to the table (literally and figuratively!), I thought it was a crazy meat-eating diet that would be impossible to maintain. Boy was I wrong!

Before we started I leaned a bit toward the vegetarian side, so I often used less meat (3/4 of a pound instead of 1 pound), and cooked meals with meat only two to three times a week. Now I try to incorporate meat into most meals, using amounts that would be typical: 1 pound of ground beef for an entire recipe or 1 small chicken breast per person.

The main difference is that I replace all our former grains with vegetables. So, instead of rice, I make cauliflower rice. Instead of pasta I make spaghetti squash or cabbage. I also make veggies as a side dish–broccoli, asparagus, green beans, green salad. We easily eat twice to three times as many vegetables as before.

We still enjoy dairy (which is controversial in the paleo world), but have moved to whole dairy: whole milk, full fat sour cream, cottage cheese, etc. And butter! You see, there are fewer calories in vegetables than in grains, so the fat is an important source of energy and calories.

Another part of the paleo-lifestyle is fruit and nuts. We’re eating the same amount of fruit and slightly more nuts than before. We enjoy it, but don’t go crazy on the fruit. They make a great treat (strawberries and cream) or as a snack with lunch.

Finally, we’ve loved the addition of coconut to our diet. Coconut milk is a new staple, and I cook with coconut oil. I’ve always cooked Thai and other Asian dishes with canned coconut milk, but felt bad for the high fat content. But this type of fat/oil is recommended when eating paleo style.

Benefits of the Paleo Lifestyle

Both my husband and I have been losing weight, which is great. But the biggest benefit I’ve seen is with his appetite. After eating this way consistently for a week or two, he lost many of his cravings. His energy is more consistent, without the early-afternoon crash he used to experience. He’s a cookie/doughnut junkie, and while he still likes those foods, he doesn’t NEED them like he used to. When he was eating grains, he found it nearly impossible to give up those bad foods. But now it’s easier to abstain (or during the holidays, enjoy just a few).

I’ve loved the increase in veggies for my children. My oldest has gone through a picky eating phase, and was routinely asking to eat just pasta with butter and powdered Parmesan cheese. Now even when he refuses the main course, he eats spaghetti squash and butter, along with a small salad and broccoli. What an improvement!

I’ve totally stopped buying cereal, chicken nuggets, and most snack foods. My kids beg for fruit or yogurt as a snack, enjoy eggs for breakfast, and leftovers for lunch.

As for me, I can feel a huge difference with the increase of veggies and reduction of grains. I had already given up all white bread, which brings my already slow digestive system to a standstill. Replacing starches with fiber has helped even more. I find that I experience a different sensation of being full after a paleo meal. I am satisfied, but not stuffed, and that feeling lasts a while. Meals based on carbs always left me overeating, wanting more, and craving a snack within an hour or two.

The Cost of Eating Paleo

For a point of reference, I usually spend $300 a month to feed our family of 4. That includes food and paper goods, pretty much anything you buy in the grocery section at Wal-Mart. On top of that we budget about $130 for eating on the go.

Even though it’s been two months, because of the holidays, travel, etc. I don’t feel like I have an accurate view of what these changes cost in money. My gut feeling is that it will cost somewhat more (maybe 25-30%), but less than it cost at first (no idea, I can’t even think about it). You see, at first I was buying double. Or I should say, my husband was buying paleo-friendly food while I maintained our normal supply for me and the kids. He likes to experiment, and sometimes one trip to the health food store was $50! With 2, 3, 4 or more such trips, I would not be surprised if we spent double.

Honestly, I decided that the cost of food, even if it’s double for a month or two, is less than disease, medicine, and other potential problems and losses we might incur without this change. So I chose to let go and see how it all settled out. I think it’s evening out and I’ll report on it at the end of January.

The biggest cost has been in time and preparation. I had my repertoire of recipes I could whip out at a moment’s notice, and this has made me scour the internet for ideas, run to the store for extra items that aren’t in my pantry, and spend WAY more time cooking.

We also don’t have a great option to get pizza or eat out as often as before. So it creates more responsibility for me, since I’m the one who cooks around here (my husband is willing, but remember I said he likes to “experiment”?).

The upside–I got a new Cuisinart for Christmas. Highly justified, highly used, and highly loved by me! Also, winter is slow in my garden, so I have the time for cooking. And who can complain if I warm the house up with cooking or baking?

Summary

So overall, it’s been a great change for our family. Like I said, I’ve found some great recipes that use lots of vegetables. Some veggies that we rarely ate before (cauliflower, cabbage, squash) have become staples. I’m excited to pass some of these along to you and  link you to my favorite cooks and sources of these recipes. Some are paleo, others are not.

This will also change how I plan and plant my garden. I’m looking forward to planting more spring veggies–salad greens, cabbage, and broccoli. And I’m less focused on tomatoes (though we’ll still have lots of those) and more focused on squash, green beans, and root veggies. Growing a garden will really start to impact my budget, since we spend more on vegetables than we used to.

Won’t this be fun?!? Here’s looking forward to a great year enjoying my square foot garden!

An indoor succulent garden is the ideal choice for enhancing your home with some delightful, low-maintenance plant life. Whether you live in an apartment or condo and don’t have space for a garden, or if you enjoy watching botanical things grow but have limited time to care for them, having an indoor garden filled with succulents is a great solution. Succulent gardens thrive all year long, even through the cold winter months, and require much less maintenance than the average houseplant. In fact, succulents are the most water efficient garden one can have because this plant variety stores water in its swollen leaves, stems and roots. You can water your succulents very infrequently — once every three weeks being sufficient — and they are able to survive with very little soil. By the way, succulents don’t require “natural light” — there are a number of “eco-grow” lighting systems you can use.* Mine is on a timer, so I don’t even need to turn the lights on!

There are countless varieties of succulents and they are available in a diverse range of shapes, sizes, colors and textures which — when artistically combined — create an extraordinary atmosphere. I like to include the “pencil” cactus as well as the Hens ‘n Chicks in most of my succulent arrangements. I also recommend adding Echeveria varieties such as Echeveria ‘palliada,’ Echeveria ‘nodulosa,’ Echeveria ‘Big Red,’ Echeveria ‘Icicle,’ Echeveria ‘Black Prince,’ Echeveria ‘Blue Curls,’ Echeveria ‘Captain Hay’ and Echeveria ‘Fireball.’ Once you pick your succulents, all you need to make your garden unique is some eclectic pots — I prefer to use all different kinds of pots to mirror the varied textures and sizes of my succulents — and you’re ready to grow.

Additionally, I enjoy decorating my succulent garden for the various seasons and holidays using festive figurines and seasonal items such as pumpkins for Halloween, painted eggs for Easter, and seashells in the summer! I know of some cat lovers who use rocks painted as cats to decorate their gardens. Apparently cats like to eat plants, but a painted cat rock won’t nibble on the things you grow! If you’d like to see images of my succulent garden for inspiration, you can visit my blog, The Last Leaf Gardener. This link will take you to posts that feature my succulent garden throughout the year.

-The Last Leaf Gardener

*Have questions about succulent gardens or “eco-grow” lighting systems? Have a topic you’d like me to cover? Leave a comment here or visit me on Facebook or Tumblr.

Cuisinart Pro Classic 7-Cup Food Processor

My mom thought I needed a Cuisinart, and I had a list of objections:

1. One more appliance.

My cupboards and counters are full of kitchen helps, and I didn’t feel I had room for more. I’ve gotten along just fine without it, so do I really “need” it?

2. Overkill.

I have a little food chopper that has been doing a great job for many years, and I didn’t think I needed something “bigger and better”.

3. Lid.

It seems like the lid to the Cuisinart ends up being a million pieces. Actually, it’s only 3 pieces: top, big plunger, and little plunger. Still, this would take up nearly the entire top rack of my dishwasher! I wanted something simple with a bowl, blade, and lid.

To buy or not to buy . . .

After doing a bit of research, I found what I thought was the perfect machine. We ordered it (three days before Christmas) and I used it Christmas day. Indeed, it is PERFECT! All my concerns have been resolved:

1. One less appliance.

I was actually able to get rid of two appliances I had–my small food chopper and the Magic Bullet. The Cuisinart food processor can do everything they did, only better. Truth be told, my chopper blade was so dull that it had a hard time with parsley. The Cuisinart is so sharp, it shredded carrots, sliced celery, and chopped jalapeno like butter. It’s also SO MUCH quieter.

I’m waiting until salsa season comes around, because it might replace my manual salsa chopper. For sure I’ll prefer to chop all my onions, garlic, and peppers in the Cuisinart, but I’m not convinced it will be as good with tomatoes. I’ll let you know!

2. Perfect Power.

I opted for a smaller size–7 cup bowl instead of 9, 11, or 14 cups. I have a family of four, and this is perfect for our needs. I’ve found it does a better job at chopping onions and peppers than my small chopper, even with a bowl capacity that’s twice as large!

3. Extra lid.

Not all the models came with this, but you might be able to order one for the others as well:

It came with a compact cover to use for chopping. That means that I only have to wash three pieces: bowl, blade, and lid. Just like before–woo hoo! The compact lid has a little removable top in the middle that allows you to add liquid and small items while the blade is running.

If you’re happy and you know it . . .

I LOVE THIS APPLIANCE!!! I watched the instructional DVD, and had to give it a try that very day. I made a quick Cole slaw for dinner.

• Using the chopping blade, process 1/4 cup of fresh parsley until minced.
• Add 1/4 of a medium onion and process until minced.
• Add 1/3 cup of mayo and 1/2 TBS red wine vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper and pulse until combined (up to 10 seconds).
• SWITCH TO SHREDDING BLADE
• Shred 1 carrot. Cut to size of feed tube and lay down horizontally. This will give you long shreds.
• SWITCH TO SLICING BLADE
• Cut 1/2 cabbage into wedges, then slice each wedge.
• Dump contents into a large bowl, mix, and serve!