Guest guest Posted June 19, 2011 Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 Pam - do you think kale will grow in a container garden and is it a year round plant or only summer into fall? Are you starting from the seeds or small plants? I need to eat more of it myself plus I'm feeding guinea pigs and birds! The more I can grow all this stuff myself, the better, LOL!! From: sproutpeople [mailto:sproutpeople ] On Behalf Of Pam Gotcher Sent: Friday, June 17, 2011 1:03 PM To: sproutpeople Subject: Re: Veganism and sprouts - a bit for n as well When I started my garden this year, after lying fallow last year, I had an entire bed FULL of kale. Boy, that stuff is prolific! I was actually able to move over 50 plants! Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 19, 2011 Report Share Posted June 19, 2011 Thea, As a Master Gardener, let me jump in here. Kale is a cold season crop like cabbage and broccoli. Yes you can grow it in continers, but you need big ones. Kale roots actually grow quite large. You can cut leaves off, and it will keep growing new leaves. This is called: Cut and come again. Tell me where you live and I'll tell you when to plant, or contact the Master Gardeners in your County. ew RE: Growing Kale - Pam Pam - do you think kale will grow in a container garden and is it a year round plant or only summer into fall? Are you starting from the seeds or small plants? I need to eat more of it myself plus I'm feeding guinea pigs and birds! The more I can grow all this stuff myself, the better, LOL!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Hello ew,  I hope you don't mind my sending this privately, as you addressed your post to Thea.  When is the kale planting time for 91942? I plan to grow heirloom, organic, open-pollinated Siberian Kale in a grow box (either one of my Earth Boxes or one of the City Pickers from Home Depot). I'm wondering how best to keep the munching critters away from it. A couple of summers ago I tried collards and every morning there were huge holes where something had had a healthy snack! I have some Earth-Tone insecticidal soap for organic gardeing that may be used up to day of harvest. Hoping that will do the trick.  Also, another question: the instructions with the City Picker said not to use planting soil containing forest products as those don't wick well, and that's the principle behind these boxes - wicking of the water from the bottom up through the soil. I got a very good deal on some Miracle-Gro Organic Choice (In California and Texas, regionally formulated from forest products, compost, sphagnum peat, composted manure and pasteurized, pelleted poultry litter.) and have an amendment that has worm castings plus some other things. If I mix the two together, do you think I would get results good enough to expect a nice crop in the growing boxes?  I appreciate your expert input. Feel free to re-post this on the list if you feel it would benefit others.  Thanks so much!  Peggy   To: sproutpeople Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2011 10:41 PM Subject: RE: Growing Kale - Pam  Thea, As a Master Gardener, let me jump in here. Kale is a cold season crop like cabbage and broccoli. Yes you can grow it in continers, but you need big ones. Kale roots actually grow quite large. You can cut leaves off, and it will keep growing new leaves. This is called: Cut and come again. Tell me where you live and I'll tell you when to plant, or contact the Master Gardeners in your County. ew RE: Growing Kale - Pam Pam - do you think kale will grow in a container garden and is it a year round plant or only summer into fall? Are you starting from the seeds or small plants? I need to eat more of it myself plus I'm feeding guinea pigs and birds! The more I can grow all this stuff myself, the better, LOL!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 I see I didn't send this privately, so... I just looked up the MiracleGro Organic Choice and it doesn't get good reviews. Darn! Am I correct that you have recommended Dr. Earth products? I see that I can get that at a store only a mile from where I live.  Thanks again.  To: " sproutpeople " <sproutpeople > Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2011 11:16 PM Subject: Re: Growing Kale - Pam  Hello ew,  I hope you don't mind my sending this privately, as you addressed your post to Thea.  When is the kale planting time for 91942? I plan to grow heirloom, organic, open-pollinated Siberian Kale in a grow box (either one of my Earth Boxes or one of the City Pickers from Home Depot). I'm wondering how best to keep the munching critters away from it. A couple of summers ago I tried collards and every morning there were huge holes where something had had a healthy snack! I have some Earth-Tone insecticidal soap for organic gardeing that may be used up to day of harvest. Hoping that will do the trick.  Also, another question: the instructions with the City Picker said not to use planting soil containing forest products as those don't wick well, and that's the principle behind these boxes - wicking of the water from the bottom up through the soil. I got a very good deal on some Miracle-Gro Organic Choice (In California and Texas, regionally formulated from forest products, compost, sphagnum peat, composted manure and pasteurized, pelleted poultry litter.) and have an amendment that has worm castings plus some other things. If I mix the two together, do you think I would get results good enough to expect a nice crop in the growing boxes?  I appreciate your expert input. Feel free to re-post this on the list if you feel it would benefit others.  Thanks so much!  Peggy   To: sproutpeople Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2011 10:41 PM Subject: RE: Growing Kale - Pam  Thea, As a Master Gardener, let me jump in here. Kale is a cold season crop like cabbage and broccoli. Yes you can grow it in continers, but you need big ones. Kale roots actually grow quite large. You can cut leaves off, and it will keep growing new leaves. This is called: Cut and come again. Tell me where you live and I'll tell you when to plant, or contact the Master Gardeners in your County. ew RE: Growing Kale - Pam Pam - do you think kale will grow in a container garden and is it a year round plant or only summer into fall? Are you starting from the seeds or small plants? I need to eat more of it myself plus I'm feeding guinea pigs and birds! The more I can grow all this stuff myself, the better, LOL!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 I am not Pam, nor do I have the expertise of EW, but I am very enthusiastic about kale! Kale sprouts, raw kale, steamed kale, ANY kale! Our flock loves it too. I put a bunch in the aviary and it is gone by the end of the day. I made some brown rice the other day and towards the end of the cooking time I put a few handfuls of chopped kale into the pot. I am planning on having kale sprouts this week too. I am going to juice some with my apples today. It is fantastic in smoothies, a summer staple for me. I wish you much success with your kale crop. Enjoy! n Wondering why she hasn't turned green from all the kale! Dr. Rollings NJ Licensed Psychologist #4686 www.DrnRollings.com Sent from my iPad > Pam - do you think kale will grow in a container garden and is it a year > round plant or only summer into fall? Are you starting from the seeds or > small plants? I need to eat more of it myself plus I'm feeding guinea pigs > and birds! The more I can grow all this stuff myself, the better, LOL!! > > From: sproutpeople [mailto:sproutpeople ] On > Behalf Of Pam Gotcher > Sent: Friday, June 17, 2011 1:03 PM > To: sproutpeople > Subject: Re: Veganism and sprouts - a bit for n > as well > > When I started my garden this year, after lying fallow last year, I had an > entire bed FULL of kale. Boy, that stuff is prolific! I was actually able > to move over 50 plants! > Pam > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Hi Peggy, Yes indeed, I am a big fan of Dr. Earth products for people who can't make their own compost. If you have a nursery nearby that sells the product, they will probably have a free copy of their magazine also. Dr. Earth is not sold in big box stores. Its only sold in places where people can tell you all about it. ew Re: Growing Kale - Pam I see I didn't send this privately, so... I just looked up the MiracleGro Organic Choice and it doesn't get good reviews. Darn! Am I correct that you have recommended Dr. Earth products? I see that I can get that at a store only a mile from where I live. Thanks again. Visit Your Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sproutpeople;_ylc=X3oDMTJlM3RiaTN0BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0\ BGdycElkAzI0OTM2MDAEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDYwOTUwBHNlYwN2dGwEc2xrA3ZnaHAEc3RpbWUDMTMw\ ODU1MTI2NQ-- http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJka2I3aGJsBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzI0OTM2MD\ AEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDYwOTUwBHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA2dmcARzdGltZQMxMzA4NTUxMjY1 Switch to: sproutpeople-traditional %3Fsubject%3DChange%20Delivery%20Format%\ 3A%20Traditional , sproutpeople-digest %3Fsubject%3DEmail%20Delivery%3A%20Digest • sproutpeople-unsubscribe %3Fsubject%3DUnsubscribe • Terms of Use http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 I would like to throw my 2¢ in here. I have been growing vegetables in self-watering containers for eleven years now using the ones from Gardener's Supply. The ones I have measure 30 " X 20 " . http://www.gardeners.com/ I have grown the following successfully; tomatoes, green beans, beets, cucumbers, chard, lettuce and baby bok choi. I'm living in an apartment now and have a much smaller patio so for the past three years I have only grown cherry tomatoes (Sweet Baby Girl - Burpee) and cucumbers (Little Leaf - ny's). I also grow basil, dill, mint and chives in round self-watering containers that measure 15 " in diameter. Over the years I have found that the best soil to use (at least, for me) is ferti-lome Ultimate Potting Mix. Womack > Hello ew, > > I hope you don't mind my sending this privately, as you addressed your post to Thea. > > When is the kale planting time for 91942? I plan to grow heirloom, organic, open-pollinated Siberian Kale in a grow box (either one of my Earth Boxes or one of the City Pickers from Home Depot). I'm wondering how best to keep the munching critters away from it. A couple of summers ago I tried collards and every morning there were huge holes where something had had a healthy snack! I have some Earth-Tone insecticidal soap for organic gardeing that may be used up to day of harvest. Hoping that will do the trick. > > Also, another question: the instructions with the City Picker said not to use planting soil containing forest products as those don't wick well, and that's the principle behind these boxes - wicking of the water from the bottom up through the soil. I got a very good deal on some Miracle-Gro Organic Choice (In California and Texas, regionally formulated from forest products, compost, sphagnum peat, composted manure and pasteurized, pelleted poultry litter.) and have an amendment that has worm castings plus some other things. If I mix the two together, do you think I would get results good enough to expect a nice crop in the growing boxes? > > I appreciate your expert input. Feel free to re-post this on the list if you feel it would benefit others. > > Thanks so much! > > Peggy > > > > > To: sproutpeople > Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2011 10:41 PM > Subject: RE: Growing Kale - Pam > > > Thea, > As a Master Gardener, let me jump in here. Kale is a cold season crop like cabbage and broccoli. Yes you can grow it in continers, but you need big ones. Kale roots actually grow quite large. You can cut leaves off, and it will keep growing new leaves. This is called: Cut and come again. Tell me where you live and I'll tell you when to plant, or contact the Master Gardeners in your County. > ew > > RE: Growing Kale - Pam > > Pam - do you think kale will grow in a container garden and is it a year > round plant or only summer into fall? Are you starting from the seeds or > small plants? I need to eat more of it myself plus I'm feeding guinea pigs > and birds! The more I can grow all this stuff myself, the better, LOL!! > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Peggy, If I remember correctly, you area is quite hot in the summer. You are too far from the ocean to get much of the cooling breeze. Average rain fall is about 10 inches. You can plant kale seeds towards the middle of Sept. and put in transplants from the nursery in Oct. You should be able to continue to harvest outer leaves through March. If you want a lot of kale, don't plant all your seeds at once. Make smaller plantings every 6 weeks. Cabbage moths love to lay their eggs on collards. Their larva will eat holes in the leaves, also grasshoppers will make holes. But none of the insects that feed on your plants will make them inedible for humans. Forrest products on the label can mean anything that was once a tree. Whether it was ever in a Forrest or not. During my Master Gardener training, we visited a place where compost was made. Landscapers and city trucks brought stuff to be shredded for compost. I saw a lot of old wooden fence pieces and a lot of horse manure. The cheaper the bag of compost, the more of these item that are in it. The reason that your City Picker said not to use mix with forrest products is that wood needs nitrogen to decompose. And it robs that needed nitrogen from the roots of your plants. After the wood has completely decomposed, the nitrogen becomes available for the plants. That is why composting of Forrest products should be done away from your plants. I have not taken a look at Miracle-Gro Organic products yet. I have always been against the use of Miracle-Gro because their products were synthetic. I guess now they seed the writing on the well about people demanding healthier oraganic foods. Hope this helps. ew Re: Growing Kale - Pam Hello ew, I hope you don't mind my sending this privately, as you addressed your post to Thea. When is the kale planting time for 91942? I plan to grow heirloom, organic, open-pollinated Siberian Kale in a grow box (either one of my Earth Boxes or one of the City Pickers from Home Depot). I'm wondering how best to keep the munching critters away from it. A couple of summers ago I tried collards and every morning there were huge holes where something had had a healthy snack! I have some Earth-Tone insecticidal soap for organic gardeing that may be used up to day of harvest. Hoping that will do the trick. Also, another question: the instructions with the City Picker said not to use planting soil containing forest products as those don't wick well, and that's the principle behind these boxes - wicking of the water from the bottom up through the soil. I got a very good deal on some Miracle-Gro Organic Choice (In California and Texas, regionally formulated from forest products, compost, sphagnum peat, composted manure and pasteurized, pelleted poultry litter.) and have an amendment that has worm castings plus some other things. If I mix the two together, do you think I would get results good enough to expect a nice crop in the growing boxes? I appreciate your expert input. Feel free to re-post this on the list if you feel it would benefit others. Thanks so much! Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Kale is one of the most nutrient dense plant foods and pretty easy to grow! We grow hydroponically and here in Florida can grow year round (under shade in the summer). In the north, you can grow in a greenhouse type shelter. Bugs and fungus will be kale's worst enemies---keep a good air flow to help with both problems, but there are some good organic methods to help, too. Any of the cabbage type plants (kale, cabbage, etc) can be used as " trap plants " as bugs will run for them before many other varieties. -- *Diane K* Heart of Christmas Farms http://hocfarms.com on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heart-Of-Christmas-Farms/62673422893 on localharvest: http://www.localharvest.org/heart-of-christmas-farms-llc-M19402 On Sun, Jun 19, 2011 at 11:40 PM, Thea Barbato wrote: > ** > > > Pam - do you think kale will grow in a container garden and is it a year > round plant or only summer into fall? Are you starting from the seeds or > small plants? I need to eat more of it myself plus I'm feeding guinea pigs > and birds! The more I can grow all this stuff myself, the better, LOL!! > > From: sproutpeople [mailto:sproutpeople ] > On > Behalf Of Pam Gotcher > Sent: Friday, June 17, 2011 1:03 PM > To: sproutpeople > Subject: Re: Veganism and sprouts - a bit for n > as well > > When I started my garden this year, after lying fallow last year, I had an > entire bed FULL of kale. Boy, that stuff is prolific! I was actually able > to move over 50 plants! > Pam > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Just so you are aware, Miracle Grow organic choice is NOT organic. The poultry liter and manure come from battery chicken farms and that is as far from organic as you can get, since hens are fed antibiotics, growth hormones, steroids, medications, etc. Soil is not regulated for organic labeling, so they can get away with calling it whatever they wish-they are allowed to call it organic simply because it contains some forest matter that may have come " from the wild " . I have some more detailed info somewhere-as I researched this topic heavily when I was trying to work out my own soil needs when I started gardening years ago. Just a heads up-I really despise when we are so easily duped by companies-pay more for a product that is EXACTLY the same as its off labeled counterpart (am hunting for my soapbox-can't remember where I stored the darn thing, but this issue is worth dragging it out for) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Thanks for that , LA County Master Gardeners are very much against all Miracle Gro products. ew Re: Growing Kale - Pam Just so you are aware, Miracle Grow organic choice is NOT organic. The poultry liter and manure come from battery chicken farms and that is as far from organic as you can get, since hens are fed antibiotics, growth hormones, steroids, medications, etc. Soil is not regulated for organic labeling, so they can get away with calling it whatever they wish-they are allowed to call it organic simply because it contains some forest matter that may have come " from the wild " . I have some more detailed info somewhere-as I researched this topic heavily when I was trying to work out my own soil needs when I started gardening years ago. Just a heads up-I really despise when we are so easily duped by companies-pay more for a product that is EXACTLY the same as its off labeled counterpart (am hunting for my soapbox-can't remember where I stored the darn thing, but this issue is worth dragging it out for) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 This is good info. I'll revisit it later on when I'm not at work. I really would like to be successful at container gardening all year round. My first try has resulted in wimpy, non-producing plants so I know they're not getting the TLC they need. I'm a bad plant mom, LOL! I don't think I started with the best soil (it is gardening soil though) and probably need to fertilize them too. Ack - time is at such a premium, but I'm determined to make a successful go of it!!! Thea ---- Womack wrote: > I would like to throw my 2¢ in here. > I have been growing vegetables in self-watering containers for eleven years now using the ones from Gardener's Supply. The ones I have measure 30 " X 20 " . > http://www.gardeners.com/ > I have grown the following successfully; tomatoes, green beans, beets, cucumbers, chard, lettuce and baby bok choi. > > I'm living in an apartment now and have a much smaller patio so for the past three years I have only grown cherry tomatoes (Sweet Baby Girl - Burpee) and cucumbers (Little Leaf - ny's). > I also grow basil, dill, mint and chives in round self-watering containers that measure 15 " in diameter. > Over the years I have found that the best soil to use (at least, for me) is ferti-lome Ultimate Potting Mix. > Womack > > > > > > > Hello ew, > > > > I hope you don't mind my sending this privately, as you addressed your post to Thea. > > > > When is the kale planting time for 91942? I plan to grow heirloom, organic, open-pollinated Siberian Kale in a grow box (either one of my Earth Boxes or one of the City Pickers from Home Depot). I'm wondering how best to keep the munching critters away from it. A couple of summers ago I tried collards and every morning there were huge holes where something had had a healthy snack! I have some Earth-Tone insecticidal soap for organic gardeing that may be used up to day of harvest. Hoping that will do the trick. > > > > Also, another question: the instructions with the City Picker said not to use planting soil containing forest products as those don't wick well, and that's the principle behind these boxes - wicking of the water from the bottom up through the soil. I got a very good deal on some Miracle-Gro Organic Choice (In California and Texas, regionally formulated from forest products, compost, sphagnum peat, composted manure and pasteurized, pelleted poultry litter.) and have an amendment that has worm castings plus some other things. If I mix the two together, do you think I would get results good enough to expect a nice crop in the growing boxes? > > > > I appreciate your expert input. Feel free to re-post this on the list if you feel it would benefit others. > > > > Thanks so much! > > > > Peggy > > > > > > > > > > To: sproutpeople > > Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2011 10:41 PM > > Subject: RE: Growing Kale - Pam > > > > > > Thea, > > As a Master Gardener, let me jump in here. Kale is a cold season crop like cabbage and broccoli. Yes you can grow it in continers, but you need big ones. Kale roots actually grow quite large. You can cut leaves off, and it will keep growing new leaves. This is called: Cut and come again. Tell me where you live and I'll tell you when to plant, or contact the Master Gardeners in your County. > > ew > > > > RE: Growing Kale - Pam > > > > Pam - do you think kale will grow in a container garden and is it a year > > round plant or only summer into fall? Are you starting from the seeds or > > small plants? I need to eat more of it myself plus I'm feeding guinea pigs > > and birds! The more I can grow all this stuff myself, the better, LOL!! > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Thank you for this information, ew. You are correct that our area gets pretty hot in summer. However, we are on top of a hill and our backyard looks out on a view to the ocean (about 12 miles west). There is nothing to impede the breeze, and sometimes it gets quite breezy! The only time that is a problem is during our infamous " Santa Ana " winds. Those will dry out anything in an afternoon.  I plan to check out the Dr. Earth products and will purchase if not too pricey. I don't have a green thumb, but I keep trying, and your expertise is so welcome and appreciated.  Thanks for your wisdom!  Peggy  You should see the lemon cucumber I planted in my Aerogarden on June 8. It is already 4 " tall with 4 sets of true leaves! That's why I need to get the grow boxes set up - I'll need to transplant the cukes soon. To: sproutpeople Sent: Monday, June 20, 2011 7:22 AM Subject: Re: Growing Kale - Pam  Peggy, If I remember correctly, you area is quite hot in the summer. You are too far from the ocean to get much of the cooling breeze. Average rain fall is about 10 inches. You can plant kale seeds towards the middle of Sept. and put in transplants from the nursery in Oct. You should be able to continue to harvest outer leaves through March. If you want a lot of kale, don't plant all your seeds at once. Make smaller plantings every 6 weeks. Cabbage moths love to lay their eggs on collards. Their larva will eat holes in the leaves, also grasshoppers will make holes. But none of the insects that feed on your plants will make them inedible for humans. Forrest products on the label can mean anything that was once a tree. Whether it was ever in a Forrest or not. During my Master Gardener training, we visited a place where compost was made. Landscapers and city trucks brought stuff to be shredded for compost. I saw a lot of old wooden fence pieces and a lot of horse manure. The cheaper the bag of compost, the more of these item that are in it. The reason that your City Picker said not to use mix with forrest products is that wood needs nitrogen to decompose. And it robs that needed nitrogen from the roots of your plants. After the wood has completely decomposed, the nitrogen becomes available for the plants. That is why composting of Forrest products should be done away from your plants. I have not taken a look at Miracle-Gro Organic products yet. I have always been against the use of Miracle-Gro because their products were synthetic. I guess now they seed the writing on the well about people demanding healthier oraganic foods. Hope this helps. ew Re: Growing Kale - Pam Hello ew, I hope you don't mind my sending this privately, as you addressed your post to Thea. When is the kale planting time for 91942? I plan to grow heirloom, organic, open-pollinated Siberian Kale in a grow box (either one of my Earth Boxes or one of the City Pickers from Home Depot). I'm wondering how best to keep the munching critters away from it. A couple of summers ago I tried collards and every morning there were huge holes where something had had a healthy snack! I have some Earth-Tone insecticidal soap for organic gardeing that may be used up to day of harvest. Hoping that will do the trick. Also, another question: the instructions with the City Picker said not to use planting soil containing forest products as those don't wick well, and that's the principle behind these boxes - wicking of the water from the bottom up through the soil. I got a very good deal on some Miracle-Gro Organic Choice (In California and Texas, regionally formulated from forest products, compost, sphagnum peat, composted manure and pasteurized, pelleted poultry litter.) and have an amendment that has worm castings plus some other things. If I mix the two together, do you think I would get results good enough to expect a nice crop in the growing boxes? I appreciate your expert input. Feel free to re-post this on the list if you feel it would benefit others. Thanks so much! Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Thanks for that info, . I believe I purchased my Earth boxes from Gardener's supply some years ago. The 20x30 " size sounds about right. Do you get the ferti-lome potting mix from Gardener's Supply, too? I always get their catalog and love drooling my way through it! Peggy To: sproutpeople Sent: Monday, June 20, 2011 6:53 AM Subject: Re: Growing Kale - Pam I would like to throw my 2¢ in here. I have been growing vegetables in self-watering containers for eleven years now using the ones from Gardener's Supply. The ones I have measure 30 " X 20 " . http://www.gardeners.com/ I have grown the following successfully; tomatoes, green beans, beets, cucumbers, chard, lettuce and baby bok choi. I'm living in an apartment now and have a much smaller patio so for the past three years I have only grown cherry tomatoes (Sweet Baby Girl - Burpee) and cucumbers (Little Leaf - ny's). I also grow basil, dill, mint and chives in round self-watering containers that measure 15 " in diameter. Over the years I have found that the best soil to use (at least, for me) is ferti-lome Ultimate Potting Mix. Womack > Hello ew, > > I hope you don't mind my sending this privately, as you addressed your post to Thea. > > When is the kale planting time for 91942? I plan to grow heirloom, organic, open-pollinated Siberian Kale in a grow box (either one of my Earth Boxes or one of the City Pickers from Home Depot). I'm wondering how best to keep the munching critters away from it. A couple of summers ago I tried collards and every morning there were huge holes where something had had a healthy snack! I have some Earth-Tone insecticidal soap for organic gardeing that may be used up to day of harvest. Hoping that will do the trick. > > Also, another question: the instructions with the City Picker said not to use planting soil containing forest products as those don't wick well, and that's the principle behind these boxes - wicking of the water from the bottom up through the soil. I got a very good deal on some Miracle-Gro Organic Choice (In California and Texas, regionally formulated from forest products, compost, sphagnum peat, composted manure and pasteurized, pelleted poultry litter.) and have an amendment that has worm castings plus some other things. If I mix the two together, do you think I would get results good enough to expect a nice crop in the growing boxes? > > I appreciate your expert input. Feel free to re-post this on the list if you feel it would benefit others. > > Thanks so much! > > Peggy > > > > > To: sproutpeople > Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2011 10:41 PM > Subject: RE: Growing Kale - Pam > > > Thea, > As a Master Gardener, let me jump in here. Kale is a cold season crop like cabbage and broccoli. Yes you can grow it in continers, but you need big ones. Kale roots actually grow quite large. You can cut leaves off, and it will keep growing new leaves. This is called: Cut and come again. Tell me where you live and I'll tell you when to plant, or contact the Master Gardeners in your County. > ew > > RE: Growing Kale - Pam > > Pam - do you think kale will grow in a container garden and is it a year > round plant or only summer into fall? Are you starting from the seeds or > small plants? I need to eat more of it myself plus I'm feeding guinea pigs > and birds! The more I can grow all this stuff myself, the better, LOL!! > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Thank you and EW. I read the label on a miracle gro organic soil bag while shopping for soil for my sunnies and wheatgrass. I saw poultry litter in the contents and put it right back. Glad I did the right thing n Dr. Rollings NJ Licensed Psychologist #4686 www.DrnRollings.com Sent from my iPad On Jun 20, 2011, at 11:53 AM, " Ernest Willingham " wrote: > Thanks for that , > LA County Master Gardeners are very much against all Miracle Gro products. > ew > > Re: Growing Kale - Pam > > Just so you are aware, Miracle Grow organic choice is NOT organic. The poultry liter and manure come from battery chicken farms and that is as far from organic as you can get, since hens are fed antibiotics, growth hormones, steroids, medications, etc. Soil is not regulated for organic labeling, so they can get away with calling it whatever they wish-they are allowed to call it organic simply because it contains some forest matter that may have come " from the wild " . I have some more detailed info somewhere-as I researched this topic heavily when I was trying to work out my own soil needs when I started gardening years ago. Just a heads up-I really despise when we are so easily duped by companies-pay more for a product that is EXACTLY the same as its off labeled counterpart (am hunting for my soapbox-can't remember where I stored the darn thing, but this issue is worth dragging it out for) > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Yes, I've gathered this much from the reading I've been doing (post-purchase - :<(). Fortunately I didn't spend too much on the two bags I have. I hope to check out Dr. Earth today. I want to feel good about the medium I'm using to grow these beautiful heirloom seeds!  Is there room on that soapbox for me?  Peggy To: sproutpeople Sent: Monday, June 20, 2011 8:49 AM Subject: Re: Growing Kale - Pam  Just so you are aware, Miracle Grow organic choice is NOT organic. The poultry liter and manure come from battery chicken farms and that is as far from organic as you can get, since hens are fed antibiotics, growth hormones, steroids, medications, etc. Soil is not regulated for organic labeling, so they can get away with calling it whatever they wish-they are allowed to call it organic simply because it contains some forest matter that may have come " from the wild " . I have some more detailed info somewhere-as I researched this topic heavily when I was trying to work out my own soil needs when I started gardening years ago. Just a heads up-I really despise when we are so easily duped by companies-pay more for a product that is EXACTLY the same as its off labeled counterpart (am hunting for my soapbox-can't remember where I stored the darn thing, but this issue is worth dragging it out for) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Thea I'm late getting back to the list and see that lots of posts are about Kale, so maybe someone has answered. I put in a small plant mesculin salad mix which had kale in it, as well as red chard. That was in 2009, spring. It went to seed, and I didn't garden last year, and this year, when the weeds were pulled so I could raise my beds to 12 " height, I had all these kale plants. I also had a ton of red chard, LOL. A definite case of benign neglect. I'm not much of a gardener, and can't seem to figure when to harvest, so am not much help. P Reply-To: <sproutpeople > Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2011 23:40:43 -0400 To: <sproutpeople > Subject: RE: Growing Kale - Pam > > > > > > Pam - do you think kale will grow in a container garden and is it a year > round plant or only summer into fall? Are you starting from the seeds or > small plants? I need to eat more of it myself plus I'm feeding guinea pigs > and birds! The more I can grow all this stuff myself, the better, LOL!! > > From: sproutpeople <mailto:sproutpeople%40yahoogroups.com> > [mailto:sproutpeople <mailto:sproutpeople%40yahoogroups.com> ] > On > Behalf Of Pam Gotcher > Sent: Friday, June 17, 2011 1:03 PM > To: sproutpeople <mailto:sproutpeople%40yahoogroups.com> > Subject: Re: Veganism and sprouts - a bit for n > as well > > When I started my garden this year, after lying fallow last year, I had an > entire bed FULL of kale. Boy, that stuff is prolific! I was actually able > to move over 50 plants! > Pam > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 > > Yes, I've gathered this much from the reading I've been doing (post-purchase - :<(). Fortunately I didn't spend too much on the two bags I have. I hope to check out Dr. Earth today. I want to feel good about the medium I'm using to grow these beautiful heirloom seeds! > Â > Is there room on that soapbox for me? > Â > Peggy Climb on up here, Peggy! I bet we would make a great team! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 ;>)  Move on over, ! To: sproutpeople Sent: Monday, June 20, 2011 11:29 AM Subject: Re: Growing Kale - Pam  > > Yes, I've gathered this much from the reading I've been doing (post-purchase - :<(). Fortunately I didn't spend too much on the two bags I have. I hope to check out Dr. Earth today. I want to feel good about the medium I'm using to grow these beautiful heirloom seeds! >  > Is there room on that soapbox for me? >  > Peggy Climb on up here, Peggy! I bet we would make a great team! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 I use azomite powder. It is natural but i doubt if it is organic. Does anyone know about this? I just saw it at the farmers' market and bought a small bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Azomite is a mined product, it can be used on organic crops. It's OMRI listed as allowed in certified organic production or food processing and handling according to the USDA National Organic Program Rule. Lee > I use azomite powder. It is natural but i > doubt if it is organic. Does anyone know about this? > I just saw it at the farmers' market and bought a small bag. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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