What would you plant?

[SueCT]

I have beans, carrots, squash and I bought some Broccoli Raab seeds for next Spring. The Raab, though, says Harvest is 50-60 days. Has anyone tried that? I wonder if it would tolerate the cooler conditions and shorter days of fall. I wonder if I could start those seeds inside. Probably don't have time, it says seeds emerge in 7-21 days, and I plan to harvest the garlic in 2 weeks. I also know some plants do not like to be transplanted, but I don't know about Raab, since I have never grown it before..

[salix]

Best radishes I ever grew were the ones planted after the garlic was harvested, they were crisp and juicy and the size of apples. Also have ready some lettuce and kale transplants.

[Ken B]

Broccoli raab is usually 3-4 days to emerge in warm weather/conditions. It grows fast, you should have a good sized transplant in 3-4 weeks, and then be harvesting it in 4-8 weeks, depending the time of year you put it out!

[SueCT]

Thank you, Ken. I love Raab so I will probably try some. I am currently thinking half Raab, half beans and some carrots along the edges. Then I will know what works for next year. It turns out I might have Fusarium or Virticillium Wilt in that bed, so if that turns out to be the case, I will need to do some research on which plants are susceptible. Lots of good suggestions here.

[SueCT]

Wow! I put the Raab seeds on a heat mat at 80 degrees and they are 100% up in 3 days! I want to let them get big enough to resist the bunnies before putting them out, but you were right, that was really fast!

[rxkeith]

i am trying to keep a steady supply of lettuce going. i also have kale and collard greens coming up all over the place from plants that went to seed last year. i will be relocating some of them. bush beans is a good idea. most of my pole beans did not come up. bad luck with the weather. i have some swiss chard, and some other greens just coming up that will get out there too.



keith

[SueCT]

I mostly grow Tomatoes, Peppers, Garlic, Rhubarb and herbs, which the bunnies don't particularly like, so they munch on clover and weeds in my lawn and we get along great. However, now that I am replacing the Garlic with Carrots, Beans and Broccoli Raab, it might put a strain on our relationship. They ate my peas, but to be honest i forgot I had planted them anyway, so they were forgiven. I am hoping some neighbors have some nice tender baby greens coming up that are more appealing, lol. So we will see if I ever see a carrot or a bean.

[tryno12]

I don't know why but my Broccoli was always infested with worms!!

[SueCT]

Oh wow, I only grew broccoli once but didn't get any worms, thank goodness! Probably cabbage worms, i guess, but gross! That would probably turn me off of growing it again.

[Father'sDaughter]

I tried both broccoli and Raab in the past. My problem was that I didn't have the space to grow enough plants to actually harvest enough at one time for part of a meal for two people.

I bought the last seed pack on the rack for arugula at Home Depot last weekend. This week the bolting spring lettuce is getting pulled and I'm going to sow both summer lettuce and arugula.

Where the garlic was I already sowed more Roma bush beans, zucchini, and cabbage. Later this summer when the onions and shallots are harvested, I'm replacing them with beets and fall lettuce, and maybe some more arugula if it does well. And that will be if for new plantings this season.

[SueCT]

I have never grown Raab before, so I have no idea how many plants are needed. I am only going to have one row about 5-6 feet long allotted to them. Will I get enough with that?

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by SueCT

I have never grown Raab before, so I have no idea how many plants are needed. I am only going to have one row about 5-6 feet long allotted to them. Will I get enough with that?

Not sure. I had six plants I put out in the spring and they started out promising, but I was getting maybe one sprig (or whatever they're called) per plant ready at one time, which was barely a tease.

If I left them on the plants until more were ready, the early ones would then go to flower practically overnight. The fridge bought me a couple of days while waiting for more, but then they would start flowering in the fridge!

Yours might be a better and more productive variety than mine, and maybe planting them as an early fall crop will help as well.

[Nematode]

Raab is a cole crop and will like the cool of fall.
Delicious stuff, bitter but in a good way.
In a frying pan:
Olive oil
Garlic
Crushed red pepper
Little chicken broth if you have it.
salt
Raab (or any green)

[SueCT]

Nematode, I cook the Raab then use it on a pizza with prosciutto. The bitter Raab, creamy goat cheese and the salty, crisp prosciutto is soooo good. Around here Raab is pricey, 2.49/lb. Plus it cooks down so much, once you cook it and chop it up you need quite a bit.


[IMG]Broccoli Raab Prociutto and Goat Cheese Pizza by Susan Albetski, on Flickr[/IMG]

[Nematode]

That pizza looks delicious.
Do you have a pizza oven?