Growing Belgian Endive

I am halfway into my experiment with Belgian Endive, because today I dug up the roots that grew all summer in the garden. The summer greens are edible, but quite bitter except the very tiny, baby leaves, so none were harvested. 

Some of the roots grew long and very fat, and a few grew long and skinny, and a couple grew gnarled. Of course, I broke several of the roots off at the tips because I didn't dig deep enough. (I only dug as deep as my shovel would go.) I doubt it will matter, but it will be interesting to see what kind of buds each type of root produces this winter, or if it even makes any difference.

I trimmed the tops to about an inch long, depositing the tops for composting, and then trimmed the tops again down to about 1/4 inch before putting them in a bucket for cool, dark storage.

I didn't have any sand, which is recommended for the root storage, so I used a left-over bag of potting soil to support the roots in the bucket. The potting soil had become very moist from sitting on the ground (probably had a hole in it somewhere) and I hope the roots do not rot before I am ready to expose them to light, some in January and some in February.

Once the roots are exposed to light (and some warmth), it takes about 3 weeks for them to grow the pale white and yellow-tipped torpedos we find at the grocers (at exorbitant prices).

The growth over the last 6-7 weeks was hearty, and I'm sorry I didn't take a photo today before I started digging them. The photo above was taken in late August, artichokes on the left and Belgian endive on the right. I didn't plant many as this was a trial run.

Still growing some winter veggies...

In an unexpected warm spell, the day after Christmas was 50ºF!  I opened up the hoop bed so I could cut back the lower leaves on the Brussels sprouts, enabling the plants to put their energy into sprout production rather than leaf production. They are struggling, but still continue to grow slowly. Same for the purple cauliflower in the hoop bed. Plus, a few beets are actually growing some leaves since the fabric cover has kept Br'er Rabbit from munching. (I did leave the cut Brussels sprout leaves accessible for the rabbits outside the hoop bed.)

Being out in the yard on such a nice day, I decided to "tour" my other garden areas. I found some red swiss chard still producing leaves large enough to eat, a few remaining leeks I failed to harvest, and some flat leaf parsley and rosemary. 

The biennial artichoke I planted in June hasn't died back completely yet either, although the other one I planted didn't make it through the summer.

The shallots and garlic I planted in late October are showing 2-3" of growth, which means they are putting down roots; the tops will die back when winter finally gets here, but the roots will keep them alive until they can resume growth in spring.

1st Ever Carrot... Please Don't Laugh

Today it was warm enough that I pulled open the end of the hoop garden bed to see what's really going on inside. We've had several nights in the upper teens and I wasn't sure what to expect.

Then I picked my first ever carrot, and since I've never successfully grown something that could be called a carrot by any stretch of the imagination, I consider it a milestone! I forget the variety; the seeds came free with a seed order that I think was from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

You may remember I posted that the flooding from TS Lee (or was it TS Irene?) washed away most of my seedlings in this experimental hoop bed, and by then it was too late to replant.

The faint white circles on the photo above outline a few beets, carrots and spinach that have survived despite chewed-off tops. (I should have used a heavier line weight for the circles on the photo, but it's too late now.)  

The larger plants down the middle are Brussels sprouts, and purple cauliflower towards the far end; the seeds of everything in there were planted at the same time. I believe most of the insect damage seen in the front Brussels sprout plant is from before I closed up the hoop, although the chewed off carrot and beet tops are clearly the work of Br'er Rabbit when the hoop still had gaps.

The Brussels sprouts are not filled out yet, but certainly much larger than 2-3 weeks ago when the clamps to fasten the fabric properly against Mr. Rabbit (and the weather) were installed.  


All in all, I'm not a bit disappointed in how bed has functioned thus far, even though there are very few plants inside of it. The weeds are also doing great; too bad they are not edible weeds!

Hoop Garden Bed aka Rabbit Hutch

After Thanksgiving when I went to check my small, experimental winter hoop house, I found a rabbit in it (it got in via a clothes-pinned seam the wind had blown apart). Darned cat and dog were just observing the rabbit munching away on the beet greens. My snap-clamps had finally arrived so I fixed the hoop house fabric securely, and fastened the edges against tunneling.

Unfortunately the battery in my camera was dead so I have no photos.

BUT, I am happy to report I spotted some small budding Brussels sprouts on a few stems, and I saw a few carrot shoulders protruding. Plus, there are a few baby spinach leaves the rabbit didn't munch down like the beet greens. Considering that we've had more than 2 dozen nights below 25ºF (and who knows how long that seam had been open), I'm pleased to see some growth, and no apparent frost damage.

So far, I am encouraged to do it again, but with better planning next year. One thing is the need to get seeds started sooner and planted earlier, so the plants have more root growth before covering when cool weather sets in.