Spring has come and is on it's way out...how did the trials go??

Well, it has been a hard year for spring gardens! As you all know, it has been extremely hot and this has had some affect on our spring crops. This year marked a great trial year, and you may say why? In a research garden, adverse weather is a good thing, so we can test the merits of crops in the worst conditions.

This year we trialed:

Cabbage
- Parel - Sweet flavor, some splitting or busting due to hot weather, Taste Grade - A+, Appearance Grade - B-

- Bronco - Average flavor, firm nice heads unaffected by heat, Taste Grade - B, Appearance Grade - A

Broccoli
-Premium Crop - Good flavor, larger bead, semi-loose heads due to heat - Taste Grade A, Appearance Grade -B+

-Blue Wind - Good flavor, small bead, tight heads, (20% bolting due to heat) - Taste Grade A, Appearance Grade - A

Iceberg Lettuce
-Tiber - Excellent flavor, small size due to heat, 30% tip burn due to heat - Taste Grade A+, Appearance Grade - B

Excalibur - Excellent flavor, large heads, poor fall performance, excellent spring performance - Taste Grade A, Appearance grade - B+

Romaine lettuce
Parris Island - Excellent strong growth, Dark green - Taste Grade - B+, Appearance Grade - A

Cauliflower
Fremont - Excellent growth, large heads, heat tolerant, not self wrapping - Taste Grade - A, Appearance Grade - A

Symphony - Excellent growth, large heads, heat tolerant, self wrapping, not recommended for fall cropping. Excellent in spring. Strong flavor. Taste Grade - B+, Appearance Grade A

Kohlrabi
If you haven't tasted it you need too. It taste like a potato and a cabbage mixed together and is very good cooked! Easy to grow! Ours turned out great! I grew a variety called "Winner". Overall grade A


Even in bad years we can still have an excellent crop of spring vegetables. Your harvest will be reduced and come and go much more quickly but it's worth the effort every time!