NOW YOU DONT!

The Bolshoi kale was the first to get infested with bugs this year. I planted it on 4-26 and pulled it today 8-11 for a total of 107 days. I am taking a break after the 45 minutes of cutting and pulling the plants to make this post then I will be reseeding the row with the Bolshoi. At 55 days the Kale should be mature by about 10-5, and since it is a good cool weather crop I should get a fairly good harvest, I hope.

I decided to cut the stalks to reduce the spread of the bugs. If I pulled the plants up roots and all, and the plant is covered in bugs, as I shake the plant to remove the soil from the roots the bugs get spread everywhere. By cutting I am able to keep them from dropping onto the kale on either side. Then I went back and pulled the roots and was able to shake vigorously with no concern for spreading the infestation further. The poultry and sheep were super happy to get the masses of removed plants and dove right into them.

I have 1 lb 7 oz or 650 grams of dried Bolshoi. I wish I had an initial weight before the leaves were all dried to know what the water loss is, but I think it is around 85% by a rough calculation. Thinking of the amount of leaves and the total weight I picked being in the 10 lb(160 oz) range, then 23 oz is about 85% difference.

So now out to get the row of 54 spots planted.

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