With the poor weather-driven slow growth and setbacks (like, hail), Friday harvests so far this year have been nothing like last year, much easier, less to do, relaxed. There are usually three to five people for all or part of the day, compared to six to eight last season. Comparisons don’t mean much on a practical level—the season you’re in is what you’ve got!—but it’s interesting, and human nature, I guess, to rank and rate and contemplate. Michelle has become this year’s mesclun cutting specialist, cruising in later in the afternoon and slicing up 60-70 lbs (approx. 30 kg) in no time. This year, depending on the veg, we’re doing about 20-40 units for sale, and around 30 for CSA shares for pick-up at the farmers’ market. Harvest on!
so do you cut the mesclun and let it regrow? or do you pull it? It looks so delicious all waiting there happy, ready to be eaten!!
gaile: Yes, “cut and come again”… My general plan with mesclun is to get two cuts, one around 30-40 days after seeding (depends on how fast it grows, determined by time of year and weather conditions), and the second one to two weeks later. Timing the successive plantings is tricky, sometimes a later planting will be ready at the same time as the second cut of the preceding planting, and then the older one goes to waste. With crazy weather, it’s hard to predict: plant too far apart, and you can be caught in between harvests some weeks. This year, we’ve been taking second cuts right through; last year, we were getting one cut because with all the sunshine, things were growing incredibly fast.