The snow continues to pile up and night time temperatures remain in the single digits, but we keep the path to the hoop house clear. By now, the growth of the daylight sensitive greens is unmistakable. Below: the rosettes of tatsoi, a mild Asian cooking green, have filled out.
Tatsoi, an Asian cooking green
The challenge this time of year is getting enough growth before the plants begin to "bolt." Once all their energy goes into producing seed, there are no more new leaves. So for lunch, tatsoi, the first to bolt, was on the menu. Baby greens, stir fried with just a bit of tamari; it tasted like spring.
Starting to bolt: the flower buds are in the center
Spring was also in my mind, if not the air, as I planted pac choi, rose radish, lettuce and red kale this morning. While they will germinate and grow more slowly in the cold, they should be fine. (Check back next month for an update.)
Richard used to tease when I insisted that spring had arrived in mid-March, just because it was sunny and above 50 degrees. Now I no longer need to wait until March to plant those first seeds. The solution for cabin fever! I'm cured!
