The big plastic crate in which I sowed all sorts of salad seeds, on 1st April, is yielding its first leaves now. The ones that have grown fastest are the Rocket and the Greek Cress. The slower-growing Lettuces are finding it hard to compete.
I'm cutting the biggest leaves first, to allow the smaller seedlings to get some light. Actually, I'm very pleased with the quality of leaves I'm getting. I find that Rocket is particularly vulnerable to damage by Flea Beetle, which makes its leaves very tatty, but these seem to be perfect. Perhaps the beetles didn't think to look in that crate!
Around the side of the house I have established a Salad Farm on the contraption that serves as my potting-bench, using any old containers I can lay my hands on:
There are a few each of four types of Lettuce: Green Oak Leaf, Valdor, Fristina and Delicato, and 12 individually-potted "Pancalieri" Endives (only 6 in the pictures - they won't all fit on the worktop).
I've just realised that according to Sod's Law, these are bound to be at their best at the time we head off on our holidays (12 June)! I'm not going to sow any more Lettuce seed until we get back from our holiday, because my Garden Helper team is going to have enough to do already, without having to tend to vulnerable little seedlings.
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| Lettuce "Marvel of Four Seasons" |
please god summer does not pass us by again this year, my stock of gin and tonic for balmy summer evenings is increasing when it should be decreasing
ReplyDeleteI am learning so much from your blog Mark, thank you! Just wondering about Kale. Any advice on harvesting it? It looks ready to me, but I'm not sure how to pick it!
ReplyDeleteHi Luschka; my advice is this: pick the medium-sized leaves. Not the big ones, which will be tough. Not the tiny ones, which will grow bigger, but the ones in between.
DeleteI'm going on vacation in July and have some of my summer planting dates delayed this year because I don't want to miss the harvest. It is making May seem a little less hectic right now. I'm sure in a week that will change.
ReplyDeleteThe winter has gone on forever and spring hasn't really arrived. These are desperate times for food growers. I empathise. But I must admit as also being a little envious that you at least have something edible growing. This year we won't be growing anything yet, as we need to reclaim some land first.
ReplyDeleteOh dear - that's what I call bad timing!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog site, which I found by accident! We are lucky enough to be able to grow lettuce and the like all year round due to our milder climate here in Sydney. We have just had our 1st downpour in ages, so welcome, as rainwater tanks were running dry. Our Autumn has been drier and warmer than usual, think we stole all your sun!
ReplyDeleteEnjoying the pics of your garden and LOVE that you have dug up your lawn area and replaced with veg beds, excellent. We have done the same, especially as lawns are extremely difficult to maintain with our limited rainfall and recent scorching summers.
Hi Dirtgirl; It's nice that you have taken the time to introduce yourself. I hope you will return to my blog! As you say, replacing my lawn was the best thing I've ever done to my garden.
DeleteAre those slug pellets? Do they work? We have a huge slug problem here so I'm testing nematodes this year and it seems to be working so far.
ReplyDeleteHi Laura; yes, those are slug pellets. I find that they are the only successful remedy. I use them as sparingly as possible.
DeleteI too have a salad bar in washing up bowls and the cooler weather we are having seems to be suiting all the lettuce I have planted but, like you I yearn for a bit of constant warmer weather not just the odd day. The good thing about raising the salad leaves means less chance of slugs finding them - at least that's the theory.
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