Blanco: Road Home has enough money to pay eligible applicants
December 12, 2007December 14
December 14, 2007Now is the time Louisiana citrus is available at roadside stands, retail outlets, and farmers markets. Satsumas are currently on the market and you will see navel and other round oranges around Thanksgiving through February. Louisiana citrus is delicious and nutritious and makes excellent holiday gifts. Support Louisiana products and buy citrus today.
Harvest Vegetables Properly
The vegetables we grow here during the cool season are some of the most delicious and nutritious our home gardens can produce. And many of the vegetables we planted in late summer and early fall are ready to harvest – or will be soon.
But it’s important to harvest vegetables at the proper stage for best quality, so here are a few guidelines for some common cool-season crops:
Root crops should be harvested when the root is the proper size. Usually, the top of the root is readily visible at ground level, but it is easy enough to brush aside the soil at the base of the leaves to check on the size of the root.
Harvest radishes and carrots when the root is about an inch across. Carrots also can be left in the ground once they are mature and harvested as needed, and the tops can be used as a parsley substitute.
Harvest turnips when they are 2-3 inches and rutabagas (a close relative) when they are 4-5 inches in diameter. Beets are best harvested at 2-3 inches.
Incidentally, to get good production, these plants must be spaced properly in the garden. When the seeds that you plant come up, it is important to thin the seedlings at least as far apart as the width of the mature root to get good production. Leaving the seedlings too crowded is a common reason for root crops to produce small or misshapen roots.
Broccoli heads are not harvested based on the size of the head; instead, they should be harvested when the largest individual flower buds are about the size of a kitchen match head. Do not allow the heads to remain on the plant so long that some of the buds open to produce a yellow flower. And remember that smaller side heads will develop after the main head has been harvested, so leave the plant in place for additional harvest.
Harvesting cauliflower also depends more on the appearance of the head rather than its size. The curds of the head should be relatively smooth – very much like the cauliflower you buy in the supermarket. If allowed to stay on the plant too long, the head will begin to separate and lose quality. If you did not blanch your cauliflower by covering the head with the plant’s leaves, it may have a purple, green or yellow tint to it. This does not greatly affect the quality of the head.
Leafy crops such as mustard, spinach, Swiss chard, leaf lettuce, collards and turnips should be harvested frequently by breaking off the lowest, largest leaves (this is called cropping). Harvest the entire head of semi-heading varieties of lettuce such as bibb, buttercrunch and romaine when the head is fully developed.
Cabbage is ready to harvest when the head is solid and hard. Cabbage is one of the few crops that may be left in the garden after they are ready to harvest – although the heads may split if you do. If you are going to leave fully formed heads in the garden, rotate the entire plant one-half turn to prevent splitting (this slows water uptake by breaking some of the roots).
Snow peas and edible podded peas are productive, delicious and well worth growing. Harvest snow peas when the pods are full size but still quite flat. Edible podded peas, such as Sugar Snap peas, should be harvested when the pods are full and round but before the peas inside the pod have fully developed. Both types of peas should be checked daily and harvested frequently.
Bunching onions and green shallots can be harvested anytime during the winter when the tops are large enough. Dig up the entire clump and separate off 1/2 to 3/4 of the bunch, and then replant the rest to continue to grow and divide for future harvesting.
Question of the Week: What are the gray specks or dots on the leaves of my hollies and Indian Hawthorne?
Answer: We are currently seeing Florida Wax Scale (Ceroplastes floridensis) on many ornamental plants due to the warmer weather we have recently received. Applying a recommended rate of ultra fine oil tank-mixed with a systemic product containing 75% acephate or a product containing Imidacloprid, as per label directions will give effective control. According to LSU AgCenter entomologist Dr. Dale Pollet, water pH should be 5.5 to 6.5 prior to mixing most insecticides for effective control. Contact your garden center or feed store for a buffer to adjust water pH levels.
For more information on these or other horticultural topics, call me at 985-446-1316 or email me at bhfletcher@agctr.lsu.edu, check out the LSU AgCenter website at www.lsuagcenter.com or come by the office in Thibodaux located on 402 West 5th Street.