For the first time this summer season, we’ve closed UPick plots of spring greens for 3 weeks.
SWISS CHARD and PARSLEY are now open for UPick as are the mizuna, vita greens and mustards.
The spring greens of kales and collards are closed now for regrowth. They’ve been cut by members over the first two weeks; You’ve probably noticed how thin they got last week. The solution is to re-grow their leaves. By picking the outer leaves, the plant's center is able to grow more leaves!
So now we spray an organic foliar fertilizer, give them a deep drink of water, trim dead leaves and let the sunshine do its magic of chlorophyll creation. You’ll see growth each week until so that in three weeks, the leaves will be large and green, ready for trimming again.
Why can’t you pick during this stage? Even though it is organic, the foliar fertilizer (on the leaves) is not safe to eat. The plants need time to digest their food and grow, just like we do.
Why have we instructed the proper picking technique of the outer leaves? Greens grow from the center outward; keeping the center intact means there is a plant to nourish when it is time for regrowth. You’ll see other plots closed for the same “re-growth-ing” process throughout the season.
Enjoy!
For our junior farmers out there, here’s the scientific explanation of foliar (leaf) fertilization:
“Surprisingly, plants generally take in nutrients more efficiently through foliar feeding than through root uptake. Foliar fertilizers are mixed specifically for foliar feeding, optimizing nutrient uptake through stomata (plant pores) in the leaves. Foliar fertilizers are also an excellent way to revise and stimulate stressed, tired, or diseased plants immediately. … Tests have shown that foliar feeding can be 8 to 10 times more effective than soil feeding … .“ (Source: www.planetnatural.com)
