The Backyard Homestead

by Carleen Madigan

  Well-shaped carrots need stone-free, deeply worked soil

  Add a ½-inch layer of sifted peat moss to the bottom of each furrow, place seeds sparingly on top, then cover with ¼ inch of peat moss. To help germination, cover the bed with burlap bags, soak them, and keep the bed moist until the carrots sprout. Remove burlap, then water daily until seedlings are well established.

  Because they grow slowly, seedlings can’t compete with weeds. Hand-weed until the plants are 2 inches tall. Thin to 3-inch spacing, then mulch with chopped leaves, pine needles, and compost.

  Cauliflower

  Cauliflower is less tolerant of hot weather than its relatives are, so set out your plants very early or plan on a fall crop. Heads that mature in high heat are apt to have a bitter taste or go by (bolt) very quickly.

  For your first crop, set out some plants three to four weeks before the last spring frost. Pinch off a couple of the lower leaves.

  When heads are 4 to 5 inches across, blanch them by preventing sunlight from reaching the heads. This keeps the heads creamy white and sweet tasting. Blanch by tying the plant’s leaves around its head. Blanching normally takes four to eight days, but it may take a little longer in the fall.

  Begin harvesting when heads are completely white. Depending on the variety, the heads will be 6 to 12 inches across. Be sure to cut the heads before the tight flower buds start to open. Unlike broccoli, cauliflower does not produce side shoots.

  Blanch cauliflower by tying leaves over the head.

  Collards

  This perennial is one of the oldest members of the cabbage family. Unlike kale, collards can withstand considerable heat, yet they tolerate cold better than do cabbages. Collards grow in a large rosette of blue-green leaves.

  Use one of two planting methods: (1) in spring, sow seed or set out plants to stand 10 to 15 inches apart; or (2) in summer, sow seed thinly and let seedlings grow until large enough for greens, then harvest seedlings to give 10 to 15 inches of spacing.

  Collards require little fertilizing. Successive plantings are not necessary for a continuous supply. Harvest seedlings or entire plants, or gradually pick the lower leaves.

  Pick lower leaves of collards to prolong harvest.

  Sweet corn is ready to pick when the juice in the kernels is milky, not watery.

  Corn

  Corn is a member of the grass family. To support its heavy appetite, corn needs a ready supply of food. Enrich the soil well in advance of planting. If possible, plow under a 1-inch layer of manure the preceding fall or grow a green-manure crop. Turn this crop under in spring before planting corn.

  If you want fresh corn week after week, plant early and midseason varieties the same day. The result will be five to six weeks of steady eating. Or you can stagger planting dates by sowing a block of corn every 10 to 14 days for about a month. Corn does best in a full day of sun. Because of its height, plant it on the north side of a garden, where it won’t shade other sun-loving plants.

  Extend your corn harvest by planting early and midseason varieties at the same time.

  For sturdy corn, plant seeds 10 inches apart in a furrow or trench, then hill the plants as they grow. Plant sweet corn in blocks of at least four rows to ensure good pollination. If you’re planting popcorn, keep it at least 100 feet away from other corn.

  Thin the seedlings to 8 to 12 inches apart. Leave the tillers (those extra-long stalks growing from the base) on the plants. When the plants are small, keep weeds under control so corn doesn’t have to compete for nutrients. Watering is most effective at the time of tasseling and when kernels are forming. Soak the soil at least 4 inches deep. For spectacular corn, side-dress twice during the growing season with liquid plant food such as diluted fish emulsion or manure tea.

  Sweet corn is at its best for only a few days, 18 to 20 days after the silks have been pollinated. Its juice is milky. Test by puncturing a kernel with your fingernail to see if it squirts out. If you’re too early, the juice will be watery; too late, and the kernels are doughy. Look for dark green husks, brown but not brittle stalks, and well-filled ears.

  Cucumbers

  Cucumbers are warm-weather plants that belong to the squash family. They are generally grown in mounds and send out vines. Cucumbers do well on trellises and resent transplanting, so it’s best to sow them in the ground. Since trellised plants dry out more quickly, watch their water supply.

  Side-dress with a 5-10-10 fertilizer in a band around the plants when they blossom. Cover the fertilizer with soil so the leaves don’t flop down on it and get burned. Mulch with hay between the mounds for weed control.

  Cucumbers thrive when trained up a trellis, but they must be watered frequently.

  Brine-Curing Pickles

  Curing cucumbers and other vegetables in a brine “strong enough to float an egg” is as much a part of our food heritage as salt pork or apple pie. A 10 percent brine (see step 2) will float a fresh egg, and in it we cure many vegetables that are then used for sour, spiced, and sweet pickles: cucumbers, green tomatoes, green beans, onions, and cauliflower.

  1. Prepare vegetables by washing, trimming, and removing stems and blossom ends. Use whole, immature cucumbers — from tiny gherkins up to 7 inches. Wipe rather than wash, unless very dirty. Beans should be blanched in boiling water or steamed for 5 minutes. Small green tomatoes and onions can be left whole. Cut cauliflower into florets.

  2. Weigh vegetables and pack into a clean container. Cover with a cold brine of 1 pound of pickling salt to 1 gallon of water. A gallon of brine will be needed for each 2 gallons of vegetables.

  3. Cover the vegetables with a wooden cover or plate weighted down to keep the vegetables under the brine.

  4. The following day, add more salt at the rate of ½ pound for each 5 pounds of vegetables. This addition is necessary to keep the brine strong enough despite the liquid drawn from the vegetables by the salt. Place the salt in a mound on top of the cover rather than directly into the brine, so it will not sink to the bottom.

  5. At the end of the first week, and for four or five succeeding weeks, add 1/8 pound salt for each 5 pounds of vegetables. To help remember when and how much salt to add, tape a timetable to the crock, marking off each time the salt is added.

  6. Remove any scum that forms; be sure to keep every pickle completely submerged in the brine. Add more 10 percent brine if necessary.

  7. Fermentation will continue for four to eight weeks, indicated by a few bubbles rising to the surface. The speed will depend on the storage temperature: 68 to 72°F (20 to 22°C) is safest to avoid spoilage.

  More vegetables may be added in this recipe for the first couple of weeks of the brining process, provided the brine is kept strong enough — at 10 percent. Go ahead and test it with an egg! (An egg in its shell will float to the top of the brine if the brine is salty enough.)

  The cucumbers are ready when they are a consistent olive green color, translucent throughout, and without white spots. Before using them for pickles, they should be desalted by soaking for 12 to 24 hours in large quantities of fresh water that is changed several times or in equal parts water and vinegar.

  Eggplant

  Eggplant is a warm-weather plant. It can’t stand frost. Set out a few transplants before your last frost date and surround them with plastic or cover with hot caps. Put others in later, when the soil is warm. Set plants in the soil just slightly deeper than they were in the flat or pot.

  Eggplants prefer sun and lots of heat and are drought tolerant. They don’t need a lot of fertilizer. Fertilize them lightly with 5-10-10 at planting time and again when blossoms set.

  Eggplants prefer hot, dry weather.

  They taste best when they’re young. Pick eggplants when the fruits reach one-third of their full growth or any time after their skins appear glossy.

  Horseradish

  To start a bed, get some roots from a friend. A horseradish grower won’t mind, because the plants expand quickly. In fact, unless you till around it several t
imes a year, horseradish will try to invade neighboring crops.

  You’ll need only six root pieces. Plant them in early spring. Till or spade the area to 6 to 8 inches deep. Dig a hole or furrow 4 to 6 inches deep, add a handful of compost or fertilizer, and top with 2 inches of soil. Push in each root piece at a 45-degree angle. The top of the root should be 2 inches below the soil surface. If you buy roots at a store, one end will be cut on a slant. Be sure to place that end downward.

  Horseradish is invasive; plant it where it won’t crowd out other veggies.

  Jerusalem Artichokes

  Jerusalem artichokes are closely related to sunflowers. Their underground tubers are delicious and low in calories. They will grow anywhere in the United States, and you can plant them either in the fall or as soon as the ground can be worked in spring. They are almost completely free of diseases and pests. They are so prolific that they may take over the whole garden if you don’t watch them closely. Any tuber left in the soil will sprout the next year.

  Jerusalem artichoke is a perennial vegetable that spreads quickly in open soil.

  Jerusalem artichokes are almost completely free of diseases and pests.

  Cut six tubers, each with an eye, into quarters for a 25-foot row. Plant them 4 inches deep, spaced 1 foot apart. Leave 3 to 4 feet between rows for tilling. They are mature when they reach 6 feet tall.

  They need a long growing season of about 126 days. Harvest them after frost has killed the tops or in the spring before they resprout.

  Kale

  Kale is a member of the cabbage family. Much like collards and mustard, it is grown for its greens. Kale doesn’t like heat; in fact, it is at its best after fall frost. Fertilize it with nitrogen for healthy leaves. Prepare the soil with added compost and animal manure, and boost during the growing season with a side-dressing of manure tea, blood meal, or diluted fish emulsion. Kale can be bothered by the cabbage worm. Routine sprayings with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) after you spot the white cabbage moth should prevent problems.

  Give kale extra nitrogen for more vigorous leaf growth.

  Leeks

  Start leeks indoors early along with onions, and put them out in the garden as transplants. Set them in the bottom of a narrow furrow 4 to 6 inches deep. Place them an inch deeper than they were in their flat. As the plants grow, gradually fill the furrow with soil to keep the growing stem white. The tastiest harvest is in the spring, when they are small and mild. Leave some in the ground and fertilize. They will go to seed in early summer and produce new plants.

  Blanch leeks by planting them in a trench and filling soil around them as they grow.

  Lettuce

  Like most greens, lettuce thrives in cool weather. The key to a continuous harvest is succession planting. Put lettuce in the rows where peas have finished. Tuck quick-maturing leaf lettuce in the wide spaces between tomatoes, melons, or squash transplants before they spread. Lettuce likes nitrogen. The plant’s shallow roots must be well supplied with water (1 inch per week) to maintain a mild flavor. If the weather isn’t too hot, lettuce will come back when cut down to an inch above the ground. Sprinkle with fertilizer and enjoy a second crop.

  Cut side leaves of leaf lettuce to prolong harvest.

  Melons

  Melon refers to cantaloupe, muskmelon, winter melon, and watermelon. Their culture is similar to that of other members of the squash family. Plants are generally grown in mounds 6 inches apart and are thinned to two or three plants per mound.

  Work the soil, and then warm it with black plastic mulch. You can direct-sow or transplant melons. Sow in shallow rows or hills. If planting in rows, place the seeds 1½ to 2 inches deep in groups of three, spacing the groups 18 inches apart. Thin to about 2½ feet by cutting the stems at the soil line. Avoid planting until the soil warms to 65 to 70°F (18 to 22°C) in the daytime.

  Support developing melons with a nylon-stocking “sling.”

  Make sure the fruits are supported by a sturdy trellis. Melons thrive in a well-drained, rich, light soil and full sun, and they are sensitive to frost. Their seasons are long, which can be a limiting factor in northern climates. To get them off to a good start, use hot caps or plastic tunnels in the spring to trap heat. Water them deeply at least once a week; when they blossom, side-dress with a tablespoon of 5-10-10 fertilizer in a band 3 to 4 inches from a plant’s stem. Keep leaves from touching the fertilizer by covering it with soil.

  The key to a continuous lettuce harvest is succession planting. Put lettuce in the rows where peas have finished.

  Mustard

  Mustard is a cool-weather plant. This tasty green is a member of the cabbage family. Mustard greens are peppery with greenish purple leaves.

  Direct-sow mustard seeds 1 inch apart in shallow rows. Sow them in early spring and late summer, or during winter in warm areas of the South. Thin them to about 6 inches apart, separating the rows by 18 to 24 inches. If you want a constant supply, sow them every 10 days. Mustard needs even, steady moisture.

  Harvest outer leaves of mustard, and inner leaves will continue to develop

  Harvest the outside leaves when they are 3 to 4 inches long and still tender, leaving the inner leaves to develop. Or you can harvest the entire plant when warm weather sets in. Use leaves 3 to 5 inches long for flavorful salads.

  Okra

  Okra is a warm-weather plant that likes heat. Soak the seeds 24 hours before sowing to speed germination. Plant them 8 to 10 inches apart in rows 3 to 4 feet apart. In northern areas, start the seed indoors in pots about five weeks before you plant corn or beans. To keep the plant producing, no pods should be allowed to ripen on the stalk. Young pods are more tender and more nutritious than older pods.

  Keep okra producing by picking all pods before they ripen.

  Storing Vegetables in the Garden

  It is possible to leave some of your crops in the ground until spring. When the ground begins to freeze in the late fall, cover such crops as carrots, turnips, and beets with a heavy (18-inch-thick) mulch of hay or straw. Except where the cold is severe (0°F [-18°C] and below), you should be able to pull back the mulch and dig up the crops throughout the winter. Mark where you stop digging each time, so you will know where to start again.

  If you are not sure about your climate, try leaving just a few roots in the ground, digging the rest in the fall to store elsewhere. That way some will be safe for certain, and if you are lucky, you will also have fresh, crisp vegetables right out of the garden in midwinter.

  Traditionally, parsnips, horseradish, and salsify are best left in the ground long enough for thorough freezing, which improves their flavor. Harvested in the late winter or early spring, they provide a great taste treat. Caution: Be sure to harvest parsnips before they begin their second growth, because they become poisonous at that time.

  Kale withstands extremely cold weather. If the plants are mulched before snow falls, they will keep throughout the winter and be the first crop to grow in the spring. This crop can be important for your family’s nutrition, since in late winter and early spring root crops are beginning to lose large amounts of vitamin C.

  Celery and Chinese cabbage plants of late-maturing varieties can also be stored in the garden for one to two months. Bank a few inches of soil around the base of the plants at the end of the growing season, then build up the bank to the top of the plants before severe freezing occurs. As the weather becomes colder, cover the banking with straw or cornstalks held in place with boards.

  Plants like celery and Chinese cabbage can also be dug up, keeping a good-sized clump of soil attached to the roots. Place these plants in a trench, a hot bed, or a cold frame or on a dirt or concrete floor in a root cellar. With protection from the weather and insulation with bedding for the outside storage, you may have success keeping these plants until late December. Endive can also be brought inside with roots on, like celery, and kept for a month or two. Tie the leaves together to help blanching. The celery and Chinese cabbage will also blanch in the dark.<
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  Cabbages can be stored in mound-shaped or long pits. Their odor is penetrating, so store alone to avoid spoiling the flavor of other food. When stored this way, they should be dug up with their roots intact and placed head down in the mound and covered with bedding and soil.

  Another way to store cabbage plants is upright in a shallow trench, covered by a framework made of boards and stakes driven into the ground or a very thick covering of hay. Cabbages can also be hung up by their roots in a shed where they will not freeze, or keep them wrapped in newspaper in the root cellar.

  For healthy, large green tomatoes ready to harvest just before frost, take the suckers off new plants two to three weeks after planting in the spring. Put them in a glass of water for several hours and then plant, watering liberally. These late plants will produce tomatoes timed just right for cold storage.

  Onions

  The key to growing onions successfully is to start early in the season. The cold won’t hurt onions, and they need a long time to grow lush, green tops. Warm temperatures and the number of daylight hours signal onions to stop growing, sending their energy down to make bulbs. If you plant late, you may get smaller bulbs.

  You can sow seeds indoors, buy started plants, or plant sets. You get the widest choice of varieties if you start your own from seed, but it takes 100 to 120 days to get mature bulbs. Begin in early March if you live in a cold climate. Buying plants limits your choices, but you get an edible crop more quickly.