Transplanting Cool Season Crops & Seeding Radishes

Village Farm Team,

Our swiftly growing heads of Chinese cabbage were joined by other cool season crops like red cabbage and mustard greens this week. Red cabbage has a similar taste and texture to the more traditional green cabbage but as the name implies, it has striking violet-colored leaves. This bright color comes from the presence of anthocyanins which are a type of flavonoid. Depending on their pH, they can present as shades of red, black, blue, or purple. It is anthocyanins that are responsible for a blueberry’s color as well as the autumn leaves that begin to change to red during this season.

The beets and carrots we seeded in our raised planter boxes are doing well despite the large amount of rain we’ve received over the past week. We added radishes to the mix this week planting both Nelson and Nero Tondo varieties. The Nelson variety is a type of French breakfast radish with an elongated shape, bright pink skin, and a white tip. The Nero Tondo radish is a Black Spanish variety that produces a larger round root that has black skin and crisp, white flesh. We’re hoping these mature in time for our special Halloween-themed farmers market at the end of October.

Tropical depression Imelda ended up dropping several inches of rain on the farm last week. Everything seems to have weathered the storm except for our summer and winter squashes. When the soil becomes waterlogged as it did last week, it means that the roots of the squash can’t properly receive oxygen. Eventually this causes the plant to “drown” and develop root rot. We made a final harvest of our squashes so make sure you pick some up at the farmers market because we won’t grow them again until next year!