Two weeks ago, I moved my food garden from the containers I used to a patch of grass that I lifted. The move was successful! After two weeks, almost all of the swiss chard is growing new leaves and the amaranth is already producing seed heads. The basil and the garlic chives are flourishing, producing so many seeds, yet again.
| Swiss chard standing upright |
Along with the transplant of the plants, I sowed so many new seeds, and a cacophony of greens is greeting me every morning. The basil, rocket, and mustard greens are the first ones to stick out their heads.
| Seedlings |
I think I also see some marog/amaranth betwixt all the others.
| Basil seedlings |
There is something special about basil seedlings, I do not know why. I just love to see them stick their heads through the ground. Their color is also so vivid against the soil background. I want to rip them out of the ground and eat them!
| Chickweed seedlings |
The winter seedlings are also coming along! It is a bit too early, but I hope this chickweed will make it. All over the garden, I am seeing the chickweed seedlings. It was a cold two weeks so they are thinking it is time to sprout! But the warm weather is not done yet. I cannot wait for the first plate of chickweed salad.
| Garlic chive seedheads with bugs |
Even some bugs chimed in on the many flowers and pollen available. I would have done the same, these flowers are just delicious! They pop in your mouth with an incredibly sweet flavor.
| Garlic chive seedhead |
I counted about 15 or 20 seed heads on my garlic chives. It will be an amazing harvest. I do not know what I will make with all of them, but I think I will plant them and give them away to some friends. It is an amazing plant to have!
| Spekboom cuttings |
I think I might have a slight addiction to the spekboom plants. I think there are about 20 new plants growing. Some are a bit further along the way. Every time I make a salad with the leaves, I plant some of the cuttings I did not use in the salad.
| Spekboom cutting close up |
Every time I walk past them, I break off a leaf or two. The young leaves are so sweet and sour, yet no tannin is present. Some of the older leaves have a lot of tannins. I am so in love with this plant. I cannot eat enough of it. I really hope that I can plant even more of them. In the two or three years of growing them, I probably have 30 plants going in the garden. It is a magical plant to have.
| Dandelions |
After some nice rain in the last week, a lot of dandelions also popped up along my pathways in the Fynbos garden. I made some nice salad for dinner with these leaves. It is amazing how much food the garden can provide if you start to know which plants are edible and nice to eat.
| Before: Grass transplants growing (Source: post two weeks ago) |
| After: Grass transplants growing |
And even the grass transplants are growing! Two weeks ago, it was just soil, nothing, now it is green and growing! Nature is just amazing. With a little water, it just grows and grows.
| Amaranth seedhead |
I hope that your gardening expeditions are going well! Enjoy the freedom of growing your own food.
All of the musings are my own and the photographs as well, taken with my Nikon D300 and 50mm lens. Happy gardening, and stay well.