Growing and harvesting Swiss Chard is a tremendous joy. But, eating the fruit of one’s labor must be the best part. Today we clipped some Swiss Chard fresh from the garden and made a lamb and swiss chard warp with it the same day. It does not get fresher than that! We harvested Swiss Chard by clipping a third of its leaves and clipping from the outside. Plants such as lettuces tend to grow from the inside leaving the mature leaves on the outside. Also one should leave leaves on the plant such as these (also herbs) so they can continue to photosynthesize and grow more leaves.
I harvested these leaves which were used in a lamb, salmon and vegetable wrap. We hear that the harvest was delicious. What are the benefits of eating fresh foods? What are the benefits of growing your foods organically? How can you and yours benefit from growing and harvesting your own foods? Share your comments with the community. Share the wealth of health with your friends and family by sharing this article with 3 people today. As always you are the best part of what we do. Keep sharing!
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When harvesting, at least leafy plants such as lettuces and herbs, the rule of thumb seems to be to harvest from the outside first and only about a third of the plant. From observation we can see that these types of plants seem to grow from the inside out, which is why one harvests from the outside first. The more mature leaves are on the outside. The remaining leaves are left to mature and to photosynthesize for the plant, so it can continue to get a healthy does of sunlight to grow. What have you observed from the pictures we have shared? Do you have your own pictures to share? Email them to us.Are you ready to harvest? We are too! After the harvest comes eating. Everyone is ready to eat.
Share your comments with the community by posting them below. Share the wealth of health with your friends and family by sharing this article with 3 people today. As always you are the best part of what we do. Keep sharing!
If these articles have been helpful to you and yours, give a donation to Shidonna Raven Garden and Cook Ezine today.
In keeping good plant health, one must consider the nutrients the plant receives as well as the predators and disease the plants may experience. In our garden we have to address all of these. With lack of proper nutrition comes disease and with disease comes predators. The health of the plant must also be considered. Has it experienced shock? Was it over watered or under watered? Was it properly drained? Did it receive too much sun or not enough sun?
Many factors can contribute to the overall health of a plant. As we discovered it is not just enough to plant a seed, provide some light and water. Starting with one plant and getting to know the needs and overall challenges that come with that one plant is a good way to begin if you are just starting out. The Organic Journey is a patient one that takes an understanding of the cycle of nature. Just as we may resolve one pest or disease issue, here comes another. The cycle of the nature process may not be over yet and may give rise to another issue or predator.
Recently our Swiss Chard sprout, planted in one of our Soil Blocks, became sick and dropped its leaves. We are not sure what caused it yet. However, the mini garage as we call it, is indeed a garage that we think likes moisture too much. We believe that it was some type of yellow mold. When we removed the plant and went to select the next round of transplants we saw signs of the yellow mold all around where Swiss Chard had been in the clay tray with the other seedlings. Removing the disease plant allowed us to see how the disease was attempting to spread.
Because we were able to identify the mold, we could quickly address the disease and remove it by washing the Soil Blocks with a bleach and water solution. The good thing about these Soil Blocks, more specially Soil Pellets, is that they had a medium holding the soil together. We were able to easily remove the mold from the outside. It looked as if this medium kept the soil from getting infected.
Swiss Chard Sprout Sick
Yellow Mold
Spread of Infectious Disease
Cleaning Infectious Disease
Preventing Infectious Disease Shidonna Raven Garden and Cook
We have found that the best way to address an issue whether its weeds or a predator is to:
Identify the issue
When you see a plant in trouble, ask why and investigate
Document the issue and enlist or consult other gardening experts
Conduct research regarding the issue
Resolve the issue before it gets started
Research and Identify Organic Remedies
Follow through for 2 – 4 weeks after the issue has seemed to be resolved to ensure the issue has been resolved. This may vary depending on the issue you are addressing.
Reevaluate
Was the issue resolved
Did the plant survive
Did another disease or pest come in after you resolved that issue
What did you learn
What have been some of the challenges that you have faced in your garden? We will face them together; tell us all about it. Did you know that plants could get disease? What did you think are the best ways to address disease when identified? What can observing disease in plants teach you about the nature of disease? What can disease in plants teach us about disease in our bodies? As always you are the best part of what we do. Stay healthy!
If these articles have been helpful to you and yours, give a donation to Shidonna Raven Garden and Cook Ezine today.
