Bolting

Some plants can't take the heat. Cilantro is a plant that does better in cool and moist conditions, so when it becomes too hot for the plant it has a survival mechanism. Bolting is what happens when a plant decides it's time to think about reproduction (seed making) to ensure a new generation survives through the heat. Here are two cilantro plants - one has bolted, the other hasn't yet. 

Normal cilantro (which is a volunteer - self-seeded from last year).

Bolted cilantro. Notice that the shape of the leaves has changed - they are much more needle-like as opposed to the normal cilantro which is a little rounder and fuller looking.

Unfortunately, once a plant bolts the taste changes a lot, usually for the worse as it becomes more bitter and tough. However, in some cases the seeds are also edible - cilantro seeds are also called coriander, and can be dried and ground for many styles of flavoring

Other plants that bolt are basil, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, certain herbs and other non-fruiting plants

Planting potatoes

On a cold and drizzly day in spring, it’s nice to know that you’ve already got some crops in the ground. Potatoes can be planted during the spring, before the last frost date in your area. One problem with potatoes is that they can take up a lot of room in your garden. The traditional way to plant them is to place the seed potatoes in a trench 4-6 inches deep, wait for the plants to grow 6-8 inches tall, and then hill more soil around the stems. The problem is that you have to pile up the soil from your trench until you are ready to hill.

There are some other options, which involve growing potatoes in containers. We’re trying a couple of these in the Community Growing plot this year. The first method is a grow bag. This is a fabric bag specifically made for container growing. We filled the bag with 4-6 inches of soil mixed with compost, placed the seed potatoes into the soil mix , and covered them with another 4-6 inches of soil mix. 

Once our second shipment of seed potatoes arrive, we’ll try two or three other techniques we’ve read about: a rigid container, an old plastic bag that compost or mulch came in, and a chicken wire tower. We’ll show you the results as the season goes on, and compare harvests.

-Suzanne