Q: What is the difference between onion sets and onion transplants?
A: Although many Texas gardeners use these terms interchangeably, there is a difference. An onion “set” is actually a small bulb, generally 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter. An onion set is produced under conditions that caused young onion plants to rapidly make a small bulb, which, when planted in the garden, will produce a larger bulb.
An onion transplant is an onion plant typically ranging from eight to 10 weeks old that has not gone through the bulbing process and, if planted at the right time, will produce a large bulb.
November is an excellent time to plant transplants of the 1015Y onion variety, and several area garden supply outlets have these onions in stock.
Q: Are turnip leaves safe to eat?
A: Yes. Turnip leaves are safe to eat and often are used as turnip greens. The most tender and tasty turnip greens are those harvested before the root we call a turnip begins to noticeably enlarge. However, continual harvest of the tops will adversely affect root development.
Long a popular soul food, turnip greens are slightly sweet when young but can become tough and have a stronger taste as they age. Harvest turnip leaves when they are about 4 to 6 inches long and are crisp with a good even color. Thoroughly wash and remove any thick ribs before preparing.
Turnip greens may be cooked in a variety of ways similar to that of mustard greens, including boiling, sautéing or braising, steaming and stir-frying.
They also can be served alone as a vegetable, cooked and served with other greens. I rather like the taste and texture that turnip greens add to a tossed salad when used sparingly.
Q: Are broccoli leaves good to eat?
A: Yes again. As a matter of fact, most people would have a hard time distinguishing between the young leaves of broccoli and those of collard greens.
Harvest and prepare only young and tender leaves as older leaves of broccoli become tough and often develop a somewhat bitter or off-taste.
Q: Are ornamental cabbages or kales edible?
A: There are certain varieties of cabbage and kale that produce decorative, non-heading plants with green or purple leaves and colorful white, cream, pink, red or purple interleaves.
These are sold as “flowering cabbage” and can be attractively used as edging or for low, colorful accent plants in flower beds.
Ornamental cabbage, like other members of the kale crop family, does best when it matures under cool weather conditions. While the leaves are edible, they are rather tough and strong in flavor.
Q: I am growing cauliflower for the first time. I read somewhere that it must be blanched to reached its best quality. How does one blanch cauliflower?
A: Blanching of cauliflower refers to protecting the heads from sunlight. Unblanched heads often will be yellowish-green in color, while blanched heads are white.
When the head begins to enlarge, the outer leaves should be pulled over the head and held together with a rubber band or soft twine to block direct exposure to sunlight.
Q: Last fall, some heads of my cabbages split after reaching maturity. What can I do to prevent this from happening to my cabbages this fall?
A: Once cabbage heads are fully solid and mature, they may split after a heavy rain because of the force exerted by higher internal water pressure brought on after plant roots absorb an excessive amount of water.
To delay this splitting for several days or weeks, simply pull the plant upward until a few of the roots break. This procedure, called “lifting,” cuts down on the amount of water entering the plant and reduces splitting.
Be sure the cabbage is fully mature before practicing this operation. As with radishes, maintaining even soil moisture conditions also will help reduce splitting.
Dr. William Johnson is a horticulturist with the Galveston County Office of Texas AgriLife Extension Service, The Texas A&M System. Visit his Web site at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston.
