DIY Network

Tips for Healthy Crops Tips for Healthy Crops From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-118

Want to help your kale and rutabaga thrive throughout the growing season? Just follow these simple yet effective strategies:

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	To make leafy vegetables as fresh as possible when they're picked give them extra water for a few days before you are ready to harvest.
	You can harvest kale all at once: use pruners to cut the plant off just above ground level. The whole head will come off in one piece.
	Kale will keep for 2-3 weeks in your refrigerator. Before you put it away cut off any dirty leaves and excess stem.
	If you wash kale before you put it in the fridge, be sure to get it really dry. If you put it away wet, it may start to decay or rot.
	If you want to harvest all of your rutabagas at one time, you can dig them out using a shovel or garden fork.

• One way to make your crops healthy and more disease-resistant is to feed them regularly with a liquid fertilizer mix. The directions on the box recommend using the mixture every 2 weeks for best results. There are many farmers and gardeners who use liquid fertilizer every week. It's important to dilute the fertilizer with twice as much water as you would normally use in the mixture since the plants will be getting fed twice as often.

• Another way to care for your plants is to make sure they're well mulched. This accomplishes a couple of things. First, it helps to keep the moisture level in the surrounding soil at a more even level, meaning the plants won't dry out as quickly. Second, the mulch keeps soil from splashing up on to the leaves and stems of the vegetable as you water. Soil carries lots of bacteria and fungus that can make plants sick, keeping soil off the leaves makes the plant less likely to get these soil-borne problems.

• Another reason mulch helps plants is that it keeps weeds at bay. Weeds need water and nutrients just like your plants. Consider any weed in your garden as competition to the vegetables you've worked so hard to plant and maintain. Any nutrient that a weed consumes is less that your vegetables get.

• The final great reason to use mulch in your garden is simple. Composted mulch contains nutrients that act as another type of fertilizer for your plants. Because these nutrients are created by nature, they're released slowly into the soil so that your plants get the benefit of mulch over a long period of time. Make sure that the mulch you choose is fully composted or broken down so that your vegetable plants get the benefit of al the nutrients

• To make leafy vegetables as fresh as possible when they're picked give them extra water for a few days before you are ready to harvest. You want to give them just enough to wet the soil so the plants crisp up. You don't want to drown or flood them. Too much water can actually cause the vegetables to swell and split, ruining the crop you were trying to freshen up.

• You can tell Kale is healthy based upon its deep, rich-green color. Kale has very few pest problems like other plants in the cabbage and cole family. Cabbage loopers can be a problem but they’ve left the Kale alone. Mildew can also be a problem during wet weather.

• There are two ways to harvest Kale. First you can just cut the tender outer leaves and leave the center of the plant growing. Every plant has one or more growing tips. Kale grows from the center, so it will continue to grow if you leave the middle stalk intact. Another way to harvest kale is all at once. Using pruners, cut the kale plant off just above ground level. The whole head will come off in one piece. If your soil is loose you can pull the plant straight out of the ground and then cut the roots off with the pruners.

• Kale will keep for 2-3 weeks in your refrigerator. Before you put it away cut off any dirty leaves and excess stem. If you wash it before you put it in the refrigerator, be sure to get it really dry. If you put it away with water on it, it might start to decay or rot. Wrap the heads in paper towels to keep them clean and you’re ready to put them away.

• There are several diseases that can affect rutabagas. Check the leaves to make sure there are no spots or holes in them. If you see red, orange or rust colored dots it might be sign of a fungus called rust. It usually happens late in the season, especially when it has been raining a lot. This crop of rutabagas is looking good, but I won’t plant rooting vegetables in this bed again for several years just to make sure there are no left over problems next year.

• Since rutabagas are a root vegetable most of the diseases they get are below the ground. Rutabagas can get club root a disease that destroys the root system making them the roots get lumpy and the leaves wilted. They also get root-knot nematodes, tiny worms that live under ground and eat the plants from below. The best way to tell if you have these problems is to dig up a plant and check the roots.

• If you want to harvest all of your rutabagas at one time you can dig them out using a shovel or garden fork. Dig along one side of the row so that you lift the rutabagas from underneath. Make sure you dig far enough to the side and deep enough below the rutabagas that you don't cut them. Once the soil is loosened, just go along and pull them out with your hands. Rutabagas, like other root vegetables can be stored over the winter in a cool dry cellar or in a dark cool basement.

• Rutabagas can be stored easily if you take a little time up front to make sure they're clean and healthy. Lay your harvest out on a tarp or sheet to let the soil on them dry out and fall off. You want any bacteria that could be on the outside of the rutabagas to die so they need to air for several days in a cool dry place, outside is best. Once they're dry, take a clean dry towel and wipe away any remaining soil. Place the rutabagas is a basket or hamper that has plenty of air holes. You can store them for months and eat them all winter long -- enjoy!