Once we have less that 10 hours of daylight, plants don’t grow very much. For most of us in the U.S., this is from November 21 to January 21. And probably in my backyard, where everything has some shade, most things are getting less than their required allotment. I have know this fact for a couple years from my time at the farm. But, when it comes to putting it in practice, this winter is the first time I have really experienced the phenomena at work. What I have learned is that come late October, the things that you plant don’t grow.
This is is some romaine lettuce that I direct seeded in late October, and it has only grown about 2 inches in the 6-7 weeks.
These are carrots that I put in the ground a few weeks later and they have just started to sprout. I don’t expect any real growth until February. I haven’t been a great carrot grower, and next year we will see if I made any progress.
This kale has been growing in the shadow of the fence and now the broccoli next to it is growing over the top. I harvested all of the lower leaves from the kale today to use to make kale chips.
Here is the kale after harvesting. I’m going to let it go, but I know now that this would be healthier if it had more light. Things I have learned for next year…
After pulling off all of the bottom leaves, I left the plants with 5-6 small leaves in the center to continue growing (in the spring).
Below is the recipe that I use in my dehydrator. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can use your oven on the lowest setting but keep an eye on them, everyones oven works a little differently.
Kale Chips
- 1 large bunch of curly kale
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Remove the stems from the kale, I do this by hand, pulling the leaves away from the stem. In a large bowl, drizzle on the olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then massage the kale with the oil. The kale will change color from dusty green to dark green, when the oil is rubbed in. Then place the kale in the dehydrator set at 135 degrees F, for 8-12 hours. If you have large thick leaves, it might take a little longer, use your judgment. You will want to eat these within a day, or they will start to pull moisture from the air and loose their crisp. You can always put them back in the dehydrator to crisp.