Can you plant kale now? Can you buy it from a garden center and transplant it or from seed? Sorry for the basic question but I'm a newbie gardener and I love Kale. I think perhalps it's too late in the season but I know it's a winter vegtable so I thought I'd ask! Thanks!! And, any direction on how to plant for best results in BC would be appreciated! :)
I've never grown it from seed. It's a bit early for the garden centers to have it. Keep an eye out, because it can sell out fast. I have found that the white kale turn mushy in our wet weather. I have had better luck with the purple ones. For some reason they hold up better in all of our rain
I plant mine from seed. Several interesting varieties are available from West coast Seeds & elswhere. Mine are currently flowering & about 6 feet tall...this was not the plan. I planted them in Jun. "Bolting" does not affect the flavour Oh well, we're just picking away & it's delicious. I think it's a bit late, to start seed now. It takes about a month to get the plants to a good size to plant out, which would be mid Oct. You can always try it, my veggie gardening never seems to go quite to plan anyway & the weather is very odd this year. Kale seems to like lots of organic matter & nutrients & a pH neutral or a bit below - Dolomitic lime would probably help in Port Moody.
Thanks so much Lysichiton, your note was really helpful! I appreciate the info and you're right, I think I'll try anyway and if it doesn't suceed then... oh well! :) I don't know about any of these nutrients or lime so you've given me a lot to reasearch! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. If it doesn't work, I'll get on it in June next year!
@David-- thanks for the tip. I'll get purple and maybe see if I can get some seedlings! I love roasted kale!
I have several Kale plants. They're very easy to grow from seeds. I had two batches. One in middle of July, and the other in the middle of August. The one that I planted in July is bolting (though a couple are not bolting yet). I'd try and just sprinkle seeds and see if it grows. Worse that can happen is you don't get much from your $2.5-3 :)
@stffradio -- Thanks!! As I mentioned before, I am VERY new to gardening and planting of vegtables. Any other recommendations for winter crop that it's not too late to plant? :) PS. @Lysichiton thanks for the tip on West Coast Seeds, I'd never heard of it! Looks great!
This is my first year planting a vegetable garden @Portmoodygirl. I use West Coast seeds for some things, but they are also more expensive than Territorial Seeds in WA. Almost everything I planted this year I started from seed :) I have things like Basil, Oregano, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Peas, etc. etc. that I planted. The Basil and Oregano I started sometime early spring inside under lights. I like directly seeding things though. A couple Walla Walla onions just started to sprout this week, and I will be planting Garlic in a few weeks. I also started my tomatoes from seed (no store bought seedlings at all) :)
I have heard that the WCS is buying from Monsanto. Being an organic gardener I would hesitate to recommend WCS to anyone.
Do you have proof of that claim? http://www.localdelicious.com/reviews/books/west-coast-seeds/ From what I've read, this claim sounds like something you'd want to ask the company directly about before sharing it here.
Hi folks, It's nice to be talked about, I guess... I'd like to clarify so we're all on the same page. It involves a bit of history. Since 1983, West Coast Seeds has purchased seeds of exceptional quality. That was Mary Ballon's whole program - she wanted to deliver agricultural quality seeds to the home gardener. One supplier she purchased from was Peto Seeds. Peto was eventually bought by a company called Seminis Seeds, and yes, Seminis (about 5 years ago) was bought by Monsanto. WCS has not pursued, and would never pursue, any kind of relationship with Monsanto. In fact, part of our corporate mandate is to replace each and every Seminis seed variety over time and part ways with them. Why not right away? Because seeds require trialing, and our many growers need to be sufficiently comfortable with new varieties, as they're wagering their whole livelihoods on these decisions. We dropped a number of Seminis varieties last year, and continue to replace the remaining handful for 2012. Does West Coast Seeds sell genetically modified/engineered seeds? Absolutely not. In fact we are signatories of the safe seed pledge, and we feel strongly that genetically modified organisms have no place in the food chain - or, at the very least, that they need to be clearly labeled as such so that consumers can make informed decisions. West Coast Seeds is a certified handler of organic seeds, certified by the Pacific Agricultural Certification Society (PACS). We work with the CFIA and USDA to assure a very high level of quality in our record keeping and quality controls. And we are subject to annual audits by both PACS and the CFIA to ensure those controls are in place. Much rumour mongering has gone on with relation to Monsanto's purchase of Seminis and other seed companies. Only 3 years ago, it was rumoured that WCS had been bought by Monsanto. This came as news to us! We are a small company based in Ladner, BC, and operated by a handful of dedicated people. Johnny's Select Seeds is another company that was more or less "accused" of being a tool of Monsanto... You can look at their response right on the front page of their website. Some sites and forums online have attempted to create lists of Seminis products or customers, with the apparent intent of helping consumers make informed decisions. We applaud the intent, but in truth, Seminis is scaling back their vegetable seed selection radically. As patents on hybrids expire, the varieties are dropped. In some cases, they may then be picked up by small (even organic) producers who are then wrongly associated with the name. So it's very easy for web-posted information to go out of date, and for people to think they are making informed decisions without all the information. We have repeatedly experienced untrue or outdated web-posted information being treated as fact. Cool Breeze cucumbers are a case in point. This was a fantastic hybrid variety that WCS had offered for many years. It was an old Peto type, that then became a Seminis variety, and finally it was available only through Monsanto. Now the patent has run out on that variety, so it's not going to even be produced... Well, until some other potential grower begins breeding the seeds. Happily, in our pursuit of replacements for the Seminis varieties, we have entered into relationships with a number of new seed producers who are doing amazing work with open pollinated AND hybrid seeds, and they in turn are responding to consumer demand for more certified organic seeds. We at WCS feel that there is great promise ahead for more organic seed production and we hope to offer a greater range of organic seeds in the coming years. For my part, I think I know our seed products fairly well. I run all the trials for WCS, I grow these seeds in my own garden, and I spend my days photographing and writing about the results. For what it's worth, I feel really good about West Coast Seeds, our political agenda, the education we offer, our growing guide, our substantial charitable work, and the path ahead. And while I totally appreciate the emotional response many people have even to the word "Monsanto," I ask that you hear us out. West Coast Seeds are not the bad guys. We're on your side of this debate, and we're improving each year. And, at the end of the day, if you're curious about such matters, call me - it's local! I'm happy to discuss these or any matters related to seeds, gardening, or farming. If there is anything that remains unclear, by all means, feel free to ask. Sincerely, Mark Macdonald West Coast Seeds
Not with Monsanto, only with a company owned by Monsanto? For me whom WCS buys their seeds from is their own business. Whom I buy my seeds from or whom I recommend or not to other gardeners like myself, is my.
Please understand. We had a relationship with Peto Seeds. This became a relationship with Seminis, and at the time, there was nothing at issue. Seminis was not involved with GM research. They were a kind of vegetable seed conglomerate owned by a Mexican gentleman. The seed varieties remained of sufficiently high quality that we maintained our relationship. Why wouldn't we? Remember, at that that time, as true as it is today, the same people were producing the seeds in the same manner. Literally the best quality OP and F1 seeds available. Only when Seminis was bought by Monsanto did any of these seed products come under fire. And it's an enormous shame that they did, because they remain some of the best, tastiest, most productive varieties of all. They did not become genetically modified simply because Monsanto now held the rights. Nothing changed about their production. To be frank, who wants to be associated with Monsanto? Not us. That is why we have incorporated a transition away from these varieties into our business plan. And I can tell you that in the past four years alone, our purchases of those original Peto varieties have shrunk by around 70%. As Seminis scales back its production the very availability of these varieties is in doubt. And as I said above, with every year that passes, we are pleased to offer more certified organic varieties. It was never the case that WCS was offering only Seminis varieties. I completely appreciate the negative vibe around Monsanto. And again, we are both on your side and have nothing to hide. Where we source our seeds is critical to our business, as you say. I think West Coast Seeds is a source you can trust, and I personally feel that our products are superior to those from many other companies. As much as people may be concerned about Monsanto as a corporation, it is worth recognizing the quality of the products they came to own by simple corporate takeover. That is, it's a genuine shame to not be able to offer some of their seeds. But here we are making that transition. WCS is responding to your feedback. Because the Monsanto "brand" is at issue, we will try to find suitable replacements. That is our commitment, full stop. And again - if it would be helpful to sit down and have your concerns addressed face to face, just give me a call. We have absolutely nothing to hide here. And I think a fuller view of the seed production industry may be helpful. It's more than I can accomplish in this venue, I think. To Sundrop, personally, I'm not trying to sell you anything. I'm really not. Just that when the M-word gets mentioned people get understandably emotional. There is a kind of background reality that the seed business must deal with. We are dealing with it. Now I'm going back to work on the 2012 catalogue and growing guide. I hope it'll knock your socks off! In common spirits, Mark Macdonald West Coast Seeds PS - Honestly - anyone who has concerns, please just give me a bell.
Sir, please understand. You can offer whatever you wish, it is your choice. Nobody denies this. You don't have to shame yourself by not continuing selling seeds from Monsanto in the future. I also believe you should put this information on WCS website, without shame. I also understand that you have the right to advertise for your company. If you feel that you should advertise for Monsanto I accept this, too. It is your choice. You can also allow Monsanto to acquire your company by simple corporate takeover, if you choose to. Nobody denies this. On the other hand I firmly believe that I have the right to choose for myself, the seeds I want and the company I want to buy from, and I want to be able to in the future, as well. That's all. And, just to give smaller companies, not overpricing their seeds and not being able to advertise to the world for themselves effectively enough, a chance, here is a list of Canadian businesses selling organic and heirloom varieties http://gefreebc.wordpress.com/2009/11/14/canada-organic-seed-list/ . They will be pleased to send gardeners great seeds of organic, open-pollinated and heirloom varieties suitable for growing in natural conditions without the need for constant watering and the use of synthetic fertilizers, just as they were grown before. Open-pollinated means that, unlike with F1 hybrids, the gardener can save and use his/her own seeds, without the need for buying them each and every year from big seeds companies. Heirlooms are always open-pollinated. One more thing, I also believe that all issues concerning broader audience should be discussed in the open, not in one-to-one phone conversations, honestly.
We warmly recognize the rights you have to shop where you want and support your choices. We also support seed saving by providing as many open pollinated varieties as we can, just as we offer heirloom seeds. We're also certified organic and included on the gefreebc list you provided. We are not owned or operated or influenced by Monsanto. And we are happy to carry on a discussion in the open or otherwise. The only shame in this whole story is that the quality seeds originally grown by Peto have come to be associated with a company that is so reviled. We will no longer carry these seeds in the future. I don't think I can be any more clear than this.
My opinion, as a member of the 'broader audience': I don't find spurious or potentially libelous statements to be either helpful, or part of what might legitimately called an 'issue', save the obvious issue of deep prejudice affecting one's sense of fairness. If one is going to assume the mantle of 'broacher of broader issues', fact before opinion seems mandatory. At minimum, citations would be good. Maybe worth noting Monstanto's central role in supporting anti-invasive species groups and endeavours: it's a well documented fact, and when you think about it, a sound marketing strategy for a producer of herbicides. An even greater taint-by-association, I'd suggest, but a situation in which you'd likely avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Might be a relevant way of thinking about the situation at hand. Thanks, Mark, for your patient and informed commentary. In the eyes of the 'broader audience' you do yourself and your business credit.
Most importantly, I hope Portmoodygirl planted her kale? It's raining & the soil is still warm. I shall go & pick a big bunch from our rampant plants. It will be a great accompaniment for a cooked ham & fresh local potatoes for supper.
