Fall Cole Crops….Join the Journey!

Not sure what Cole Crops are?  Keep reading to find out what they are and why you should grow them!

March 16^th was a warm day (upper 70’s to low 80’s!) for March. Not your typical early spring temps but perfect none-the-less! So why reminisce about warm March temperatures now that it is October? Because that is when the journey began for many of the fall crops we have available today at Culver’s!

So back to March 16^th… In our growing house, we seeded our 2^nd batch of cole crops. Cole crops are those belonging to the Cruciferae family. A big name for plants in the mustard family that include brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale and chard, just to name a few. Cole crops are in fact “cold” crops in the respect that they flourish in the cool seasons and are somewhat cold tolerant. (Ex: Cabbage can withstand frost down to 20°F.)

The kale, cabbage & swiss chard were broadcast by hand into seed trays ½ filled with lightly watered potting mix. Then covered with another thin later of potting mix and wet thoroughly but gently with a watering can. The trays were then placed on a rack in a warm corner of the greenhouse and covered with newspaper. (This keeps the soil and seed moist until they germinate.)

Within a matter of 4-5 days (with the help of the heat and humidity in the greenhouse), the seeds sprouted! At that time, the newspaper came off and the seedlings continued to grow. After a week or two, the seedlings were prepared for transplanting by placing them next to a garage door where they began to strengthen by being exposed to cooler temps and breezes from the outside.

April 2^nd was moving day for the seedlings. Hand transplanted into 6 packs, the plants were then moved to a cooler hoop house where they thrived in their favorite growing conditions.

Fast forward to June…..any ornamental kale and cabbage 6 packs that remained, were transplanted AGAIN into 12” round pots so they could continue to grow and be ready for fall decorating!

Being cold tolerant, these plants will continue to shine well past the first frosts of the fall season!