Succession Planting Peppers and Eggplant

We’ve finally moved into a drier weather pattern which means we’ve been transplanting all of the crops that have been patiently waiting in the greenhouse. Along with our bitter melon and Korean melon, we transplanted additional successions of eggplant and peppers. The eggplants are a mix of Asian and Italian varieties while the peppers are a mix of hot and sweet. These crops were potted up in the greenhouse to give them more space to grow while waiting for the beds to dry out. This means they’re already further along in their growth and thus well on their way to begin producing.

Remember the roselle we transplanted a couple of weeks back? The plants have put on plenty of healthy new growth which means we will be able to make our first harvest of roselle leaves this week! Roselle leaves have a tart, lemony flavor similar to sorrel and can be enjoyed either raw or cooked. Popular in the cuisine of Myanmar, roselle leaves, called chin baung ywet, are frequently enjoyed with spices like turmeric, chili powder, and garlic. You’ll be able to pick up roselle leaves this Saturday at the veggie wagon from 8am-noon.

A few weeks ago we transplanted the silo field with butternut squashes and we’re happy to report they’re doing really well! We’re implementing black plastic mulch on these beds in order to help reduce weed pressure. Unlike the mini butternut squashes we grew in this space last year, this year we’re growing more of a standard-sized butternut, “Waldo PMR”. We’re already seeing plenty of baby butternuts on these plants so we should be able to make the first harvest in the next 50-55 days.