Ha, tell it to the guy who sells kale at the Farmer Market, here in Frozenland. He says 200 bunches go in 1.5 hours - he sells out by 9:30 am. Then people fight over the leftover greens (chard and salad mixes), and he goes home clean as a whistle at 10:30 am. But kale always goes first. The problem with tomatoes is that there is a lot of competition. And people are starting to realize that kale is a better food than tomatoes (more nutrition, less inflammation), and also that you need to eat well in February March too. I am buying there because I ran out of almost everything except apples (I only have one hoop house with kale under), only one other hoop house is up with overwintering onions inside. Even garlic shoots are not up yet, nor will they be anytime soon with the next week being mostly below freezing.

It is more often called Walking Stick cabbage. Popular in Europe. In the US it is called Tree collard. Sources include: http://www.amazon.com/Kale-Cabbage-Walking-Stick-Seeds/dp/B000VJZ820 http://seedrack.com/02.html http://www.angelfire.com/pa/pwj/walkingstick.html http://www.backyardgardener.com/seeds/product08/779.html http://www.victoriananursery.co.uk/flower_seeds/walking_stick_cabbage_seed/

Well, I did go crazy cutting little pears before seeing the last 2 posts and the fruits are now a foot apart. I don't know the varieties---it's one of those 3 type grafted trees from Raintree, as I only had room for one tree. (They did tell me which 3 types, but not which is which, so the information isn't very useful to me!) As a general rule, I err on the side of over-thinning to ensure good long-term growth and health---I'm really not sure what came over me with this little tree. I'm new at fruit-growing (I've been in my house for 5 years) but hope to be here forever, so I don't mind the possibility of losing out on some fruit to know I did the best for the tree. I really do appreciate all the discussion and advice from you pro's... Ann

It is time to put certain things in the ground; tomatoes, squash, peppers, other frost sensitive veggies. Realize that most of these are frost sensitive so you will either have to try and protect them or expect a short growing season. You still have time for other varieties like greens (kale, spinach, collards, etc.) and sugar snap peas. The link above is a great reference and I keep it handy. Good luck! Dave