Persnikety Plants

Have you ever tried to grow some veg only to have it bolt (go to seed), had horrible outcome, or just simply die? Well, it might not have been you, it might have just been the plant. I know that sounds like a cheesy breakup line, but did you know that some plants depend on certain amounts of light hours to produce, or that they need heat/cold to make them sweet? Let me go into a bit more detail. I have a coworker who said that she tried planting onions once but that they did horrible. I asked what time of year she planted them and she said that she planted them with her tomatoes, while there are some onions that are not dependent on light hours, most are and most are short day dependent, which means they are planted in autumn for a spring harvest.

We grow our kales and chards near the house where they get plenty of shade and protection from the sun and heat. They become sweeter once the temperature drops and they have a tendency to sprout babies.

This was most likely the case for my coworkers. Other examples are people trying to grow broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and other brassicas during the summer only to find that they go to seed really fast and are pretty bitter. One of the things about the brassica family is that it usually needs a cold spell or cool weather to give it that sweet taste. Paso, does not really have this environment until summer decides it's off to some other place to dry, autumn is bypassed, and winter just grabs a hold with it's high teens. Places that could grow brassicas well are coastal communities and those places that have shorter summers. If people in Atascadero/Paso would like to plant brassicas we usually have to plant them in September so that they have grown out of their baby state by the time the cold comes in. So don't go thinking that you're a horrible gardener because it might just be a bit more information can make a big difference on the outcomes of your crops.