Over the last couple of weeks I have been harvesting Radishes, which are normally the first salad veggies to become available each year. This year mine have not been such fine specimens as I usually produce. I think the dry conditions have not suited them at all well, and the slugs seem to have attacked them more than usual too.
The so-called "Daddy Salad" I sowed in a seed-tray has been brilliant though. I have already had four cuts from it, though I do cut the leaves carefully and only take the biggest ones each time.
The pea-shoots have been tasty, if rather scarcer than I had hoped. Not all of the peas germinated; I used old seed, so I suppose that's hardly surprising. However, I notice that they have started to produce a second crop of shoots now.
I have another tray of little lettuce seedlings coming along (mixed varieties). These ones will not be picked as Baby Leaves, but will in due course be planted-out in a raised bed for growing as "proper" lettuces.
In the relevant raised bed I already have a number of lettuces that are rapidly approaching pickable size:
I have one or two specimens of several different types:
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| The 2 at the top left are "Dubacek", and top right is "Tom Thumb". |
I'm not sure what this one is, because it came from a mixed pack.
This is "Redin", a red 'un!
And this is the unmistakeable "Little Gem", a compact Cos / Romaine type.
And this frilly little number is "Lollo Rossa".
In the Right foreground of this next photo you can see my two half-rows of Beetroot.
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| Behind the Beetroot are Radishes |
Here they are in close-up. They're obviously a long way from ready, but they are looking good so far.
Finally, there's the little square mini-bed of Baby Leaf Salad:
There's a bit of everything in there - lettuces, endives, rocket, cress, even a few stray bits of the self-seeded Celery Leaf (which is coming up everywhere!).
Your lettuce bed is doing great, and the beets seem to be doing well even with your dry spring. I won't be planting any beets or carrots till after the bush beans finish.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was tidying a bed yesterday I found some spring onions that I sowed last year and they were fine to harvest. Maybe this year I will sow some late to overwinter.
ReplyDeleteThese look great! I am nowhere near as far on with my salad leaves although I did have my first home grown radishes of the year in a salad yesterday.
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