Bolting happens naturally at the end of the plants life and the reason bolting occurs is because that is how the plant spreads it's seed before it dies!
Some people may have noticed bolting in their lettuce before they had a chance to harvest, in this case, the lettuce felt like it was in danger of dying and wanted a chance to spread it's seed before it died. Many times, the reason for the lettuce sensing it's "impending death" is a lack of sun. It starts to grow upwards in search of the sun since plants know that the sun is in the sky above them. To avoid this bolting, plant lettuce in an area where they get direct sunlight for at least half the day. If it's in a place that is mostly shady, it won't produce leafy greens to eat and bolt prematurely.
Once lettuce does bolt, the lettuce that comes from it turns bitter as a defense mechanism so eat at your own risk!
Broccoli and cauliflower bulbs are a collection of flowers. Once they come to the end of their life if not harvested, they begin to bolt. That is why harvesting before the separation starts is so important. If you wait, the flowers in the bulbs will start to bloom and you won't be able to harvest your cauliflower or broccoli!
]]>Keeping plants alive during extreme temperatures or heat waves can be a daunting task, but definitely is not impossible. Plants this time of year have the tendency to “sunburn” and be under watered. There are a few methods you can use it to protect your plants and promote healthy growth in this hot season.
1. Water in the morning. When you water your plants early in the morning you are allowing the plants to absorb the water without the extreme heat evaporating the moisture from the soil in the peak of the day. If you think your plants need a second watering, don’t be afraid to do so. Everyone’s garden is different, and if you are worried about if your plants might need more water we recommend THIS METER.
2. Mulch. Putting mulch in your garden is always a good idea if you haven’t already. Mulch can help protect your plants by promoting more water retention and helps prevent the heat from evaporating the water in your soil. It moderates soil temperature and overall looks great!
We recommend using a natural mulch that can decompose and add nutrients to your soil. Stone, rubber, or shells can be used as a mulch. However, since they do not break down easily we suggest leaves, straw, or grass clippings.
1. Let tall plants shade smaller plants if available. If you have plants from your Spring box planted that are taller than your new plantlings, it can be beneficial to plant them near each other for partial shade of the young plants.
2. Shade cloth. Using a shade cloth allows your plants to still receive sunlight without the harshness of the full sunlight. We suggest using a cloth that allows for partial shade and partial sunlight for your plants in the case of a heat wave.
3. Stay cool. Remember that gardening in the heat not only affects the plant babies, but also plant parents! Drinking lots of water and wearing SPF is very important when gardening in the hot sun, and staying healthy is a priority!
The weather in your area will affect the way you water your garden. Typically, your plants need 1 inch of water per week. This can be from rain or from your watering routine.
For dry climates or if you are experiencing a heat wave, it is important to water your garden more often. If you live in a dry climate, 2 inches of water per week is recommended.
Hot weather requires more watering. For every 10 degrees above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, your garden needs 1/2 inch more water weekly. If the weekly average temperature in your area was 90 degrees, you would need to water 1.5 more inches. This would be 2.5 inches total for the week. You can meaure the inches of water your garden is getting my using a RAIN GAUGE.
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Artichoke:
Artichoke bulbs are a hard one, because the main bulb grows quickly and will be a lot bigger than the (usually) two that grow on either side of it. Size isn’t the best way to decide when an artichoke is ready to harvest so don’t worry about the sizing. You want to harvest your artichoke when those thick leave looking parts of the artichoke start to separate from the center slightly. Once you see they’ve started to separate, cut it off the stem! It may be too late to harvest once they’re separated a whole lot. (Fun Fact: the stem of an artichoke can be pretty tasty roasted with some olive oil so cut some extra stem off to give it a try!)
Cabbage:
There are lots of different factors at play when it comes to the full maturity of your cabbage. The cabbage variety, the weather it grew up in, etc. So, a cabbage could be ready for harvest and look pretty small or they can be huge and ready to harvest. The way to tell is to grab the head and squeeze, if it’s solid, it’s ready to harvest! If you give it a good squeeze and you feel your fingers go in a good amount, wait another few days.
Cauliflower:
The cauliflower head is a collection of flower buds, so you want to harvest the head while it is white and before yellow buds start to open. You want the buds to be compact and for there to be a dense amount of buds. It’s hard to say exactly how long in diameter the cauliflower should be since each variety is different, so just go by the look and make sure you grab it before too many yellow buds open!
Lettuce:
Lettuce is pretty easy, and this goes for the red and green varieties in your box! You can pluck off some lettuce leaves whenever you need to but just make sure you grab the leaves from the outermost bottom layer to keep the leaves in the center to continue growing more! You can keep doing this until the lettuce plant bolts, meaning flowers start growing from the center. Once it bolts, the lettuce turns mostly bitter tasting!
Peas:
Peas are fun! Peas should be just about ready for harvest 3 weeks after the flowers appear. After those 3 weeks, pick and taste each day until they are just right. Once you taste what you like, harvest and enjoy!
Kale:
Kale is similar to lettuce when it comes to harvesting. You want to wait until they’re about the size of your hand. Same with the lettuce, pick leaves from the outermost bottom layer to keep the plant growing from the center. Kale will replenish itself over time as long as the center is undisturbed.
Broccoli:
Cauliflower and broccoli are also similar when it comes to harvesting. You'll know broccoli heads are ready when they're deep green with small, tightly packed buds. Harvest broccoli right away if it starts to flower or turn yellow!
Fennel:
Fennel could be a little tricky since the bulb that most eat grows under ground. The stems of the fennel can be harvested as soon as the plant bulb is starting to peek through. That’s a sign that the fennel is established enough that picking some of its leaves won’t harm it. But do only take a few at a time just to be careful not to harm the plant in any way. Once you see some of the bulbs peek out and it looks about the size of a tennis ball from the top, go ahead and harvest!
Brussel Sprouts:
Brussels sprouts are ready to harvest when the tiny heads are firm, green, and 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Remove sprouts by twisting them until they break away from the plant. As you remove the lower sprouts, you can also remove yellowing leaves; the plant continues to grow upward, producing more leaves and sprouts!
Arugula:
Arugula is pretty fast growing just like lettuce is. You want to harvest leaf by leaf when they get to be 3-4 inches long. You want to pinch the outermost leaf from the bottom of the stem one by one. Take what you need and your plant will reproduce in just a couple of days!
And there we go! That’s how you harvest your veggies that come this season's Fall/Winter box! I hope this helps out a little with your harvest and please feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
Here’s what I found to be the simplest and most effective way to successfully freeze your goodies to eat later!
To begin, you would prepare the vegetables as you normally would. Wash, peel (if needed), trim any stems or roots and then cut/dice as if you were going to add them to your meal that day.
Then, you would blanch your prepared foods, and it’s recommended to do it one variety at a time since each vegetable may have a different blanch time. Here's a link that lists the different blanching times for each veggie. Once in the pot for it’s amount of time, take those babies out and place them in an ice bath to stop any further cooking. Pat them dry with a towel to avoid any freezer burn and some websites suggest freezing them on a sheet pan first that way they don’t freeze together, otherwise you can throw them into a freezer safe container and store them for, well, kinda, ever. BUT up to 8 months is recommended since any time after that they tend to lose their tasty flavor. Don’t forget to label when you began freezing your veggies that way you can keep an eye on their freshness.
The herbs are a whole different story. Herbs are beautiful, delicate and delicious plants that are stored a bit differently. First, finely chop your herbs up and fill each ice tray cube about ¾ of the way full. Fill in the rest with some olive oil and throw them in the freezer! It’s that easy! Mix and match the herbs!
Have fun with it, they’re your plants from your garden you can do what you want!
So you want to start a garden but don’t know where to start? That’s ok, you’re not alone!!! It’s hard to know where to start when picking up a new hobby-- from figuring out what materials you need, to sticking within your budget, to actually pulling everything together--it can feel overwhelming!
But, it doesn’t have to be scary! I had the same problem when I was starting my garden but was able to get everything I needed at my local hardware store. I’m going to show you how I made a simple 8ftx4ft garden bed and only spent $60!
Here’s the supplies I needed:
I love this garden bed hack because it’s 1. Inexpensive 2. Requires no tools! 3. Is versatile
If you don’t have the space for the 8ftx4ft garden bed option you can adjust the dimensions to fit the size of your space and have the lumber department cut the planks as needed. The corner blocks will work with whatever variation you choose!
If you don’t have much space for a garden bed, you're not out of luck. You can still produce homegrown deliciousness in planting pots! Hop on Amazon or head to your favorite store to find 5-10 gallon gardening pots. These are compact, reusable and easy to store just about anywhere (as long as that place gets some sun for your plant babies). The larger the better, and we’ll explain why!
Think of it like a first class flight vs economy. Just like a first class seat gives you ample space to stretch your arms and legs out, a large gardening pot gives your plant the space it needs to spread its leaves and roots comfortably. Less room in the pot doesn’t mean the plant won’t grow, but it might not be able to stretch its roots and leaves as far. In short, big pot = more space for delicious, beautiful veggies!
Each kit we send is marked with easy to find and understand spacing instructions. This works as a size guide. There’s small, medium, large and extra large. Your small plants will need 4-12” between each plant, medium will need 12-24”, large will need 24”+and extra large will need 4’+! If you have larger pots available, you can put multiple plants in the same pot for some really beautiful and delicious creations!
Our recommended spacing is designed to give your plant babies their first class experience. But if you don’t have quite enough room, don’t stress! This is a recommendation, not a requirement. If you don’t have the exact space available but you have something close to it, that’ll work too! It’s not about having the perfect space, but making the most of the space that you have!
You have two options when it comes to growing in pots: 1 pot for every plant (putting them on a first class flight) or pairing them up in a pots (an economy seat). The size we recommend coincides with the size pot you would need, so the small varieties can go in a 4-12” pot, medium varieties in 12-24” pot and so on. If you would rather put two plants in one pot I would definitely recommend sizing up on the pot so they get enough space. For example, if you’re going to put two small varieties, like lettuce, that would each need about 4-12” put them into a 6-8” pot rather than putting them both in a 4” pot. Same goes for the medium and large varieties.
The great thing about planting in pots is they can easily be moved, they are cost effective, easy to come by, and a gorgeous decoration for your outdoor space!
I hope this helps as a guide to how to set up your next beautiful garden space! Don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions. Happy Gardening!
]]>Let’s talk about artichokes!
Artichokes are one of those plants that take a while to grow, but it’s totally worth it. Once artichokes are fully grown, they are massive! So, you’ll notice that we’ve labeled them as needing lots of space to grow!! Artichokes will eventually need about a 4 foot radius spacing, but don’t worry! If you don’t have a ton of space, you can still grow amazing, delicious artichokes!
Here’s what you do: plant your artichokes in the space that you have available, and plant them next to lettuce or kale! Lettuce and kale are the perfect neighbors for your artichoke because they will grow and be harvested before the artichokes, leaving that space empty for your artichoke to thrive! If you plant your artichoke now, your fully-grown, beautiful, and amazing artichoke plant will be ready to harvest by February/March!
Tending for the artichokes over the winter season is pretty simple. So long as they avoid frost, they should be ready to burst into amazing production come early spring— giving you some really amazing homegrown deliciousness!
Making room for some of your larger veggies doesn’t have to take a ton of time or money! Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of strategy, and that’s where we come in! Leaf’d Box wants to make sure that you can cultivate homegrown deliciousness without breaking the bank, or sacrificing your sanity! We are here to help you (and your garden) flourish, and that’s why we walk with you every step of the way.
#EasiestGardenEver
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Why is that? Speaking from my own personal experience, it's because life gets in the way.
One of the main reasons I wanted to start Leaf'd Box was actually selfish-- I needed it!
I had been working for a family seed company and it was great! I got to see all types of herbs and veggie varieties, while helping farmers all over the world become more productive with naturally bred seeds.
But... I walked out of my front door one day and noticed that those beautiful planter boxes I put in the year before were completely empty! How sad is it that I have loads of seeds a few steps from my desk, and the planter boxes that were made for those seeds had nothing in them!
I realized that life had gotten in the way. Between having a newborn baby, a three year old boy (read ENERGY!), working to pay the bills, and helping parents who were going through some major medical issues-- life had just gotten in the way.
I think it's the same thing that happened to a lot of people. Growing your own veggies isn't that complicated. But it isn't that easy either. There's a hump you need to push through to get it going, and that initial inertia is what can stop a lot of us (myself included!). We made Leaf'd to make that hump as small as possible...
B.L. (before Leaf'd) I had to remember what to plant, when to plant it, and what to do when tricky things came up. That takes a fair bit of brain power!
- There's a summer squash plant they're selling at my home garden store, but it's not summer. Can I still grow that?
- How much should I be watering?
- What's that?
- How do I know when I should be picking?
- What do I do next?
These issues, and many more, create a barrier that stop people from breaking through the amazing gift of having your own food growing at your doorstep. It stops them from the joy of seeing life flourish in their gardens. It stops them from enjoying the fruit of their labor (literally!). And that's why we created Leaf'd Box.
We wanted to take as much of the tricky stuff as we could out of the equation and give you the help along the way that empowers you to have a successful garden.
By creating a custom garden plan for the space you have and the climate you're in, we tailor the plants were sending you so all you have to do put them in the ground and help them grow. We then follow up with the right tips, at the right times, to help your garden be a success. We're always available with any questions you might have.
We're leading the anti-trowel tossing movement-- helping defeated gardeners everywhere by providing the joy of gardening with the plants, tools, and tips you need for success.
We hope you've been loving your garden, and if you haven't yet experienced the Leaf'd revolution, we're here to help turn defeat into delicious homegrown success...
]]>Blossom end rot is primarily caused by a lack of Calcium and/ or inconsistent watering. Our bones are made out of calcium-- its what provides structure to our bodies. Similarly in tomato fruit, calcium is really important for them to develop strong, delicious fruit. Not enough, and that brown scar starts to form at the bottom where the fruit's structure is weak. The more calcium that's missing, the bigger the scar.
So how can we make sure our tomatoes get enough calcium? There's two simple ways.
The first is water. If the tomato's roots have too much water, it's almost as if they're drowning. Because of this, they're not able to absorbe the right amount of nutrients. Similarly, if there's not enough water, the plants won't get the nutrients they need since nutrients are carried into the plant through the water they drink up. Making sure your plants are consistently properly watered will really help. Remember-- not too much water, not too little. If you think of a moist cake, that's the amount of moisture that your soil should consistently have. With proper watering, you should see your tomatoes improving within two weeks in most cases.
The second is calcium. If your soil doesn't have enough (or any) calcium, then it won't matter how much you water, your plant will never get any of the calcium it needs. Here's a few ways you can add calcium to your soil:
Unfortunately, if a tomato has blossom end rot, there's nothing that can be done to take it away from that tomato. The best thing to do is to pick and compost any tomatoes with blossom end rot so your plant can transfer its energy into growing the undamaged and new fruit that remain. The good news is that your plant is still producing the same amount of energy. Because of this, you're not really loosing out on your fruit production, you're just transferring it to the new fruit instead of the damaged fruit.
Growing your own food is all about learning these little tips and tricks, so you can get better and better each season. Each garden is different. Some people may see blossom end rot, others may never. The fun part of gardening is learning about your garden, how plants grow there, and making it better and better with each passing season. It's all about progress, not perfection. So keep up the great job you're doing as you enjoy delicious food that's as fresh and local as it gets!
As always, we're here to help you. Send us an email at info@leafdbox.com or contact us on social media with any questions we have. We're here to help you have your #EasiestGardenEver!
]]>Cilantro is a great herb for anyone who likes to cook. It can be used in a lot of dishes and has a wonderful taste. Unfortunately, many people don’t know who to keep this plant healthy or to harvest it so here’s what you need to know.
Some insects are great for your garden. For example, Lady Bugs eat those pesky aphids that suck the life out of your plants. However, there are lots of bugs who think that you planted your herb and veggie garden just for them. They're happy to enjoy your delicious plants before you get the chance to. So what can you do about them?
The first step is to identify if you have a problem. You can tell that you have an insect pest problem when parts of your plant start disappearing because they're being eaten up. This can show up as holes in your leaves, or even leaves that are missing entirely, with just their stem remaining. If you see any of these signs, it's important that you deal with the pests right away.
To insects, it is as if they were hungry on a dessert island, and someone just installed a free, all you can eat buffet. Once they've had a taste, they're going to come back and invite all their friends along the way.
Fortunately, there are several options you have to keep them out of your tasty buffet. You can put a barrier, a non-toxic pest control, or a pest control product.
Regular Application
Managing pests is like brushing your teeth-- it's something that is important to do to keep them healthy and strong. If you've never brushed your teeth before and they are in bad shape, it's a bit of work to get them up to par. Once you get them clean and working well, they become a lot easier to maintain. It's even easier if they're kept clean from the beginning. Because of this, it's great to regularly keep an eye on your plants and keep on top of any pests that might be trying to eat them.
Pesky pests at only some of my plants?
You might be wondering why some plants got attacked while others didn't. Pests, like people, have tastes. Some people like pizza while others like sushi. It's the same with pests! Some like cabbages, others like tomatoes, and others like lettuce. Depending on what you have in your garden, they'll go to their favorite foods first, before moving on to others. Some pests are even like kids-- they'll never touch your broccoli!
Since Leaf'd Box ships you a mix of different plants that work well in your area and season, if you have pests, you have a first row seat to see what types of veggies your local pests enjoy most.
Will my pest damaged plants come back?
So you've had some pesky pests take a snip at your tasty garden. You've dealt with them so they won't come back to your backyard buffet. What about the plants they went after-- will they come back? This all depends on what part of the plant they ate.
It all revolves around Growing Points. To understand growing points, think of your hair. If you have a haircut, you're not worried about going bald. You know your hair will come back. On the other hand, if you get laser hair removal instead of a haircut-- your hair's not coming back. That is because it stops the growing point of your hair (the hair follicle).
Plants have similar growing points. You can identify them by looking for where the smallest leaves are (usually in the middle of the plant). If you pick the outer (bigger), leaves, the plant will still grow and produce new leaves. If you pick the growing point, then the plant often won't keep growing new leaves because their source was damaged.
So to know if your plants should continue to grow after some insect damage, if the insects enjoyed your outer leaves, then the growing point will often continue to produce new leaves and the plant will recover. If the insects ate or damaged the growing point, then the plant might not continue to grow new leaves. It will continue to maintain whatever leaves are currently there.
The Main Point
The main point is to enjoy delicious homegrown food. Staying on top of controlling or preventing pests helps make sure you can enjoy eating as healthy and local as it gets-- your own back yard. So keep up the great work, your veggies will appreciate it and so will your taste buds...
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Tomatoes are one of the best veggies to grow at home. They can produce loads of fruit for you to enjoy, and can produce for several months. If you have our spring boxes planted, you'll soon see your beef tomatoes (round), roma tomatoes (egg shaped), and grape (mini) tomatoes coming in. These are some of the most popular and best tasting tomatoes out there, and they're even better because the best tasting tomato is the one you grow yourself!
To be sure your tomatoes produce as much fruit as they can, here are a few tips that can help:
We hope you really enjoy the delicious tomatoes you'll soon be enjoying! Shoot us a note at info@leafdbox.com if you have any questions we can help with, and enjoy the great outdoors!
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The moment we've all been waiting for is finally here! It's been a decade worth of work to develop the varieties that we now have ready for Leaf'd Box. And since 2019, we've been busy working all of the other elements that we need to run smoothly and bring our customers an amazing experience. From the IT platforms, to production, to packaging, to logistics-- we've gotten our PhD in Amazing Vegetable Garden Subscriptions!
We believe in helping our community eat local-- truly local. We think it's sad that so many kids these days don't even know what a real carrot looks like (not those pre-cut minis in the supermarket-- a real carrot with dirt on it!). What does a pepper plant look like? No idea... We're on a mission to change that-- the #EasiestGardenEver mission.
We know it's tough-- its not easy to figure out what to plant, where to get it from in the first place, when to plant it in your garden, where to plant it in your garden, and what to do when you have it in your garden. But that would all change if you had what you needed at your fingertips at just the right times.
So we've worked hard to take as much work out of this as possible. Will you still need to get your hands dirty? Yes! Will you be able to finally have the information and plants you need to have an amazing and delicious garden delivered to your doorstep? Finally- YES!
We're so excited to help people start off on this journey. Too many of our friends say how they'd love to have a garden, they just don't know where to start. Well, that has now changed with Leaf'd Box.
Now it's finally to enjoy your #EasiestGardenEver. From all of us at the Leaf'd Box team, we hope you really do love the delicious fruit of our collective labors, grown right at home in your back yard.
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