success with root vegetables, cfsa sac 2015

TECHNIQUES FOR SUCCESS WITH ROOT VEGETABLES

EDIBLE EARTHSCAPES

DA I KO N

VA R I E TY A N D S E E D PR E P

• Minowase

• Early August to late September

• Miyashige

• Minowase Early• April Cross

Varieties

Planting Season

Hybrids (Kitazawa Seed Company)

Open Pollinated (Baker Creek Seed)

• Direct seed in furrows by hand-sowing rather than using a seeder

• 3.5 foot wide raised beds

• 1/2 inch

SOIL PREP, SPACING AND SOWING Sowing Method

Soil Preparation

• Furrows amended with compost and mycorrhizae

Seed Depth

Spacing• 12 inches

• Works well in a polyculture

CROP MAINTENANCE, DISEASES AND PESTS• Overhead sprinklers with

drip tape• Keep bed healthy by

weeding, thinning and mulching• Use row covers when below 28º

• Watch for flea beetles, harlequin bugs and moles

• Root rot can happen with too much water in soil

HARVEST , P OST HA RVEST AND ST ORAGE

Harvest

Post Harvest

Storage

• Leverage out of ground with digging fork

• Spray clean with hose

• Cut off greens• For short term storage, keep

in fridge• For long term, wrap in

newspaper or put in bucket of sand and keep in root cellar

MARKETING, EATING AND HEALTH BENEFITSMarketing

• It’s all about presentation• Cooking

demonstrations

• CSAs and restaurants

• Share recipes with customers

Health Benefits

• High in vitamin C • Facilitates efficient digestion • Natural diuretic

• Anti-inflammatory & antioxidant compounds• Rich source of calcium

https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/daikon.html

Daikon Steaks

• Sell as individual roots



SEED SAVING• When doing your own seed saving, cross-pollination is

possible

Watermelon Radish Purple Daikon

G O BO ( JAPAN ES E B U R D O C K )

SOIL PREPARATION AND SPACING

• March - August• Maturity reached in 70-

240 days

• Start seeds in trays and transplant after 3-4 weeks

• 2 feet

• 3 foot wide beds, deeply tilled or forked

• Place drip tape and cover with leaf mulch

Varieties

Planting Season

• Takinogawa• Watanabe Early (Kitazawa)

Sowing Method

Spacing

Soil Preparation

Seed Depth• 1/4 inch

• Amend with compost and micrrohizae

• Well drained soil will reduce risk of rot

• Minimal weeding with occasional compost tea

C R OP M A I N T EN A N C E

HARVEST

1. Cut leaves and clear the space

2. Place digging fork at least 8 inches away from root stem

3. Create a pentagon with your fork keeping an 8 inch radius

4. Leverage your fork and lift gently

5. Brush off the dirt and search ground for any broken

pieces

POS T-H ARVE S T AND S T ORAGE• Spray the root to loosen and discard thick soil

• Cut off stem

• Wash gently in standing water

• Remove root hairs

• Store in refrigerator

• Sell in 1/2 pound bundles

• Kimpira Gobo

Farmer’s Market and CSA

Eating

• Good for stir fries, roasting and soups

• Gobo burgers

Health Benefits• High in potassium

• Rich in iron, magnesium, vitamins C and E

• Reduces blood sugar and cholesterol levels

MAR K E T I NG , E AT I N G & HE ALT H BE N E F I T S

SEED SAVING

G I N G E R & T UR M E R I C

Sowing Method

Soil Preparation

Seed Depth

Spacing

• Direct seed sprouting rhizome pieces

• 1 x 1 foot raised beds amended with compost and mycorrhizae

• 2 inches

• 1 foot

Varieties

Planting Season

• Big Kahuna

• Early March (pre-sprouting) and May (sowing)

SOIL PREPARATION, SPACING AND SOWING

• Yellow Hawaiian• Red Turmeric

• Keep beds weeded and hilled

• Alternate feeding them with compost tea and epsom salt water every other week

• Keep temperatures above 40º by keeping them under row covers or in a greenhouse

• Be mindful of water content in soil to prevent rot and mold

CROP MAINTENANCE

HARVEST, POST-HARVEST AND STORAGE

Baby Ginger

Turmeric

• Harvest mid-September through late October

• For short term, store in fridge otherwise keep in freezer

• Harvest before first hard frost in November through December

• For short term, store in fridge otherwise keep in freezer

MAR K E T I NG , E AT I N G & HE ALT H BE N E F I T S

Marketing

Eating

Health Benefits

• Farmer’s Market• CSA• Farm Pick-up• Restaurants

• Teas• Cooking spice• Immunity boost drinks

• Ginger aids in stomach health• Turmeric is an anti-

inflammatory and most effective when eaten with black pepper

SEED SAVING

• Mature seed ginger is harvested in January and should be kept dry and at a cool room temperature

TA R O

Sowing Method

Soil Preparation

Seed Depth

Spacing

• Place sprouting corms directly into soil

• 1 x 1 foot raised beds of well-worked, loose soil

• 2 - 3 inches

• 1 footVariety

Planting Season

• Sato Imo

• Late April - late May

Bed Maintenance• Drip tape woven between plants• Heavily mulched and occasionally weeded


HARVEST, POST-HARVEST AND STORAGE

Harvest

Post-Harvest

Storage

• Use digging fork to uproot plant• Separate corms by breaking

them off of the mother

• Wash off excess dirt and lay to dry

• Keeps best when stored in a cool dry space

MARKETING, EATING AND HEALTH BENEFITS• Sell by the pound at Farmer’s Markets

Eating• Can be prepared many different

ways to achieve different textures and flavors

• Alone it is best boiled or roasted

• Also great in curries, soups, fritters and poi

Health Benefits• High levels of dietary

fiber along with vitamins A, C, E and B6

• Separate the sprouting seed corms from the food corms• Store sprouting corms in peat moss or coir

SEED SAVING

• Remove all corms from the mother

B E E T S

SOIL PREPARATION, SPACING AND SOWINGVariety• Early Wonder Tall Top• Detroit Red• Golden Detroit

Planting Season• Year-round!

• But best in early March andearly July to late August

Sowing Method• Direct Seed• Hand sewn

Soil Preparation• Amend raised beds withcompost, wood ash and mycorrhizae

Seed Depth• 1/2 inch deep in furrows

Spacing• Thin at least 4 inches

apart• Maintain 10 inches between rows

• Mesh cleaning table

• Store in fridge or root cellar

• Proper cleaning is important for effective presentation and marketing

C A R R O T S

Sowing Method

Soil Preparation

Seed Depth

Spacing

• Direct seed, hand sewn

• Amend well-worked, raised beds with compost and mycorrhizae

• 1/4 inch in furrows

• Thin to 2-3 inches

Variety

Planting Season

• Red Cored Chantennay

• Mid-February through mid-March

Bed Maintenance• Overhead sprinkler system• Keep bed soil bare


• 6-8 inches between rows; there should be 5 rows per bed

• Cosmic Purple

• Mid-August through mid-September

S W E E T P O TAT O E S

Variety• Murasaki

Planting Season

Sowing Method

Soil Preparation

Planting Depth

Spacing• 18 inches

• 2 to 3 inches

• 1 x 1 foot raised beds with drip tape and amended with rice hulls, mycorrhizae and mulch

• Grow slips in greenhouse from selected ‘seed’ potatoes

• Mid-May through mid-June


• Carver• Japanese

CROP MAINTENANCE AND STORAGE

• Pull up side roots

• May be affected by scurf or voles

• Leave to cure in a warm, dry area (like greenhouse) for at least 7 days

• Store in a cool, dry place where temperatures stay above 50º

PA R S N I P S

Variety• Harris Model

Planting Season

Sowing Method

Soil Preparation

Seed Depth

Spacing• 8 inches

• 1/4 inch

• 3.5 foot wide raised, mulched bed

• Direct seed in amended mounds

• Early April - early July


• 3 - 4 seeds per mound

• Amend each mound with compost and mycorrhizae

Maintenance• Thin to one plant per mound

CROP STORAGE

• Pour a layer of dry sand into a 5 gallon bucket

• Place an even layer of parsnips on the sand

• Continue alternating sand and parsnips until the bucket is full

• Seal the bucket with a lid and store in a root cellar

Haruka and Jason OatisEdible Earthscapes

[email protected]://edibleearthscapes.wordpress.com

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success with root vegetables, cfsa sac 2015

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