? If you had to choose just ONE cool weather crop to grow (what a terrible thought, I know! ?), what would it be and why? Please share! ?
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For us, it would be Joi Choi bok choy, hands down. Why? It’s prolific; you can expect cut-and-come-again harvests for dayyyysss (okay, months and months) from a single plant before it bolts. We grow at least 18 every winter! If you’re not familiar with cut-and-come-again, it’s the practice where you routinely harvest just a few of the outermost, bottom, oldest leaves from a head of greens as opposed to cutting the whole plant, which makes it keep producing more and more new growth from it’s center – applicable for everything from kale to collards to lettuce. It’s hearty; of all the leafy greens and cabbages, Joi Choi sure can contribute to a filling meal with their juicy thick stalks as one of the larger, more open-headed varieties of bok choy. It’s crazy low-maintenance; of all our plants and veggies, the powdery mildew, aphids, cabbage moths and caterpillars hardly touch this stuff, and is also quite tolerant to both heat and cold. It’s versatile; with a fairly mild flavor (say, compared to mustard greens) and varying texture between the leaf and stalk, we use it in everything from nightly dinner sautees with other veggies, in green smoothies, in soups, salads, quiches, and most certainly in kraut ferments! It’s appearance; it is beautiful and compact and manageable. I love nothing more than the scene of a bed neatly packed to the brim with heads of maturing Joi Choi. Okay I am done obsessing now. Don’t let your head get too big with all this praise Miss Joi…. or, go ahead and let it! ??
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#plantjokes #plantnerd #crazyplantlady #seedling