The raised beds are enjoying the Spring sunshine. And most of all, the lettuce is full head now.
That's the heritage variety of Black Seeded Simpson. It's growing quickly and pushing up against the horseradish (dark green leaves). So far, I have harvested 16 meals from this lettuce. And it's still producing well.
The photo above is the Paris Island Romain. It is dark green and grows slower than the Simpson. The flavor is delicious. We have harvested 7 meals from this lettuce so far. The heads are denser and I think it will continue longer into the spring than the Simpson.
Remember where these were a month ago? @growingmyownfood/update-on-raised-beds-lettuce
Check out the peas. These are super growers. There's a wire underneath to keep them vertical and they are blooming well. See below
I harvested some of the blooms and small pea pods this week and put on the salad of lettuce. They were super yummy. And do you remember where these seeds were store bought, dried seeds that normally we put in the soup pot?
@growingmyownfood/from-the-grocery-store-into
Pretty amazing, huh? They proved to be super germinators and growers. I will try more dried beans and peas in the garden in the future. It's really a cheap way of purchasing seeds.
And finally, I want to introduce my new friends Mr. and Mrs. Kiwi. I took these cuttings last year and I wasn't sure they would make it through the winter. Check out the new leaves. These should be nice vines in a year or two. This is a cold hardy kiwi, so I have high hopes for fruit to go with my veggies.
If you are wondering who is lurking behind the kiwi in the raised beds? That's Mr. Potato plant. I didn't plant those but I guess I missed a few potatoes in last falls harvest. Nature finds a way to come forth, so I am looking forward to some spring taters!
And as one season begins, another ends. Asparagus was a quick crop and it went to seed before I expected. That's ok, because it will sprout up tender shoots again next spring.
So what's in your garden? So far, my success has been lettuce and peas. Strawberries are doing okay and the green onions are going strong. My tomatoes and peppers took a hit with a late frost, so I am restarting those plants for the third time! Since they both do well in summer heat, I am not too worry about the delay, but I do miss having them on my salads. My other setbacks so far are the radishes did not germinate and the collards never grew large enough to harvest.
All photos and content are my own. All plants are grown organically without pesticides. We capture rainwater for irrigation and sustainability.