For people who want to grow more food with less work. 🌱 This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribers—here's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."
how to keep your plants from bolting too early
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This time of year, when the days are long and warm, many gardeners start to feel some frustration. Because while it's generally a good period for warm-weather crops like tomatoes and squash, it also means the end of cool-weather crops like kale and cilantro. ... Or does it? I typically have entire beds full of bolted (flowering) vegetable crops right about now, but I also have beds where my kale, lettuce, bok choy, and other leafy greens are thriving (often straight through the middle of summer). These plants can actually withstand some heat if you have a few tricks up your sleeve, and I've got 8 easy ways you can prevent (or at least delay) your cool-weather crops from bolting this summer. (As well as what to do if they're already flowering—you don't have to replace them just yet!)
June update 😍We're nearing the end of June and I've had a really full, wonderful month. I celebrated my birthday a couple weeks ago with family and friends in Washington state, where we dug for clams (including massive geoduck clams!) and oysters. It was our best year yet: 16 geoduck clams found over 3 days (plus a few random horse clams and piddock clams). If you've ever foraged for geoducks, you know they really make you work for it—all of ours were buried 3 feet in the sand! And on the last day, we were racing against the incoming tide to harvest the last two clams. I also spent a few days in Charleston, SC, for work, but managed to sneak away one morning to visit Magnolia Plantation. I just wanted to see the gardens—but lucked out with the fairy garden exhibit currently on display. It was such a magical experience walking through the property and finding one of the amazing fairy gardens that local artists created. I came home incredibly inspired, with a ton of photos to show my kids! (Who are obsessed with all things fairies and gnomes.) Our fairy garden at home is definitely getting an upgrade this summer... (Here's a few I especially loved from the plantation.) On the homefront, I'm finally (almost) (kinda) caught up with yard work. The garden is mostly planted, the shade cloth is hung, my tomatoes are thriving, and I just picked the first round of garlic scapes. In a couple weeks I'll be starting seeds in my garage for cold-weather crops like kale, arugula, white-stemmed chard, and a variety of Asian mustards. These will be transplanted in newly empty beds after I harvest my garlic and radishes, and remain through fall and winter under frost cloth. Can you believe it's almost time to start planning the fall garden already?? But let's not go there yet. Summer fun is just getting started! ☀️ P.S. If hot weather is starting to threaten your cool-weather crops, here's how to keep your herbs and vegetables from flowering too soon. P.P.S. Don't let good food go to waste this summer. Learn how to keep all your produce fresh and long-lasting (whether they're homegrown or store-bought) with my Fruit & Vegetable Storage Guide. (Tip: The fridge isn't always the best place for them!) |
Garden Betty
For people who want to grow more food with less work. 🌱 This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribers—here's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."