Swiss Chard experiment
It’s always fun to learn something new about gardening.
I had two swiss chard plants over-winter this year, first time that’s ever happened for me. Someone else I know also had chard over-winter and said the leaves were tough, but our plants were treated to a bunny pruning before the electric netting went on, and the pruning must have helped, because our leaves were perfectly fine.
Not ever having plants live through the winter before, I was surprised when they bolted, geting to a good 5′ or so in height. Curious, I left them for a while to see what they’d do before throwing them in the compost. Could have collected seed, but I didn’t.
So, the reason this happened is that swiss chard is a biennial and goes to seed the second year. Apparently, I yanked it too soon though, because the small inner leaves are supposed to still be tender and delicious. I should have tasted them before I assumed they’d be bitter because the plant bolted. I finally decided to get them out of there to give the new chard plants room to grow.
Anyone else have anything over-winter, since winter was so mild this year?
June 12, 2012 - 7:07 AM
I had a planter of petunias that survived the winter. I had them sitting up against the southside of the house – they are now blooming again. We had a small row with lettuce, spinach, beets and collards that we covered with small hoops and then draped ground cloth over that. We were able to pick greens throughout the winter. Then we had lettuce that had reseeded and over wintered throughout the garden. The collards also survived the winter – the goats loved the collard leaves we fed them this spring.
Chard, parsley, spinach, and carrots (that I forgot about late last fall)were all better this spring than in the fall when I first started to harvest them. The greenery was tucked away in a raised bed near the back porch where the house provided eastern and northern protection. I’ve had the central rosettes of parsley and spinach stay green all winter before but never the entire plants.
Carrots (that I forgot were there), parsley, salsify, and snapdragons. Plus this is the first year out of 9 that there was no die back on our fig tree. It’s planted in a corner on the south side of our house, out of the cold winter winds, and I top it and cover it every year, but still lose 1/2 of the tree each year. It’s already put on 2 feet of growth and is covered with little figs.
Patricia – I also have 2 fig trees/bushes and in the winter I surround both with hay and leaves to protect them – one is sheltered by the house and one isn’t. This year, both have put out loads of green shoots/branches but no figs.
Doppler Carol – Have you gotten figs before? When the tree turned 5 I started getting maybe a handful of figs that showed up in mid summer and ripened a few days before the first frost. I also surrounded the tree/shrub with hay and leaves. Then 2 years ago I ran out of time and hadn’t sheltered the tree and it was December or January and the predicted low was 12 degrees which will kill the top of the tree. I cut the tree back to 6 ft tall, cinched the branches together with twine to make a large cylinder shape and tied a big heavy blue tarp around it. I also shoved bubble wrap in the areas where the tarp had a few holes and shoved bubble wrap around the base of the tree. We had a couple of lows around 8 degrees that winter, and some of the branches died, but I got TWO crops of figs last summer (one in July/August and one in early October) and at least 150 figs! So I did the same thing last fall. I’m hoping it makes the difference when we have a real winter.
I’m lower than you are (1900 ft) but at the top of a hill backed up against a 3000 ft peak and the wind blows like mad up here.
Patricia – no figs. My bush is at least 5 years old (here at this house). Before that it was at our previous house in another part of the state and in a shady area. I am hoping that it will eventually produce fruit. I will try your idea of protection this winter.
KH or anybody. Need an answer ASAP!!!!! WILD HUCKLEBERRIES and when do they normally come in around the Roanoke area. Reason for the ASAP is either the berries had a crop failure, or it’s still too early. Help please.
Karen, still looking for when huckleberries get ripe here. Come on , dig me up an answer. Ask some of your sidekicks, paper or gardening, flower clubs. Might be late already. Thanks.
wdbrand: Best I can tell, huckleberries ripen the same time as blueberries. So it might still be a little early for ripe berries. Our blueberries here are just starting to ripen.
As far as I can recall, I’ve never actually eaten a huckleberry, although I may have when I was little. I recall picking blueberries out at a relative’s farm, but it’s possible they were really huckleberries.
Karen or other readers. Found some planter boxes on craigs list somebody might be interested in. You can’t buy it for that price.
http://roanoke.craigslist.org/grd/3081967192.html
Hi. Yes!!! My swiss chard overwintered too. I was so surprised as I have never seen this happen before. I live in zone 6. The plant bolted and now I am watching it to see if I can use the seeds. Since I need the pots that they are in, I am not sure how much longer I will wait for the seeds to mature. I just ordered more chard…