Home-grown Peas. You really can’t beat them. I love the way the plant itself is so fresh and green. It’s the very epitome of Spring. The leaves are intricate and interesting. And catch the light beautifully.
The flowers are small and pearly white and hide from view like they’re shy of something.
And then one day you notice that there are not one, not two, not even three, four or five pods appearing. They’re everywhere. And the more you look the more you find. They’re all green and they make that squeaky noise when you touch them.
Peas – quite possibly the greatest vegetable of all.
My Winter Density Lettuce are just coming into their own and it’s nearly the end of May! I’m so glad that I planted two varieties of winter Lettuce because the Winter Gem hearted up early and are now all gone but this variety is still going.
After this harvest I’ll have three Lettuces left in the ground which I’m saving for my camping trip at the weekend. After that the summer Lettuces will be centre stage, Marvel of the 4 Seasons, Drunken Housewife, Parris Island, Tom Thumb and Oak Leaf. Can’t wait!
What Lettuce varieties are you growing? And which is your favourite. Mine is still Marvel.
We had a few friends round for a BBQ today so it was the perfect opportunity to cut three of my Winter Gem Lettuces that have been happily growing in the coldframe all Winter.
They have hearted up nicely over the last week and were hitting perfection today so I went for it.
Winter Gem are just like Little Gem’s except they’re way more Winter hardy. They taste virtually the same too – nice and crispy and perfect with a good sharp dressing.
I sowed them back in October last year and basically fretted and fussed over them all Winter, particularly during our bout of snow. Then in early March I thinned them out, which is what allowed them to grow lovely and big.
I’d say growing Winter Lettuce is the perfect use of a coldframe or greenhouse. It makes use of your frame during an empty period and by the time you need it they can either be harvested or transferred to your main plot – I transferred my other Winter sowings (Avalanche Cauliflower and Winter Density Lettuce) a couple of weeks ago.
So come this October the first thing I’ll be doing is sowing some Winter Lettuce.
My Purple Sprouting Broccoli is finally nearing harvest. Honestly, you need the patience of a very patient saint to grow this thing. This year seems a particularly painful year. It’s already April and it’s only just purpling up. In previous years we’ve been eating it by early March.
But, that said, I’m very excited about the prospect of eating Purple Sprouting Broccoli. If you’ve never tasted it, then do it, and very soon. It’s the most Broccoliy tasting thing you’ll ever taste. It’s one of those vegetables that is worth growing, even though it’s probably the most expensive Broccoli you’ll ever have on your plate (cost/hour of your time that is). But still, I will grow it every year and I can’t wait to get it in the pan.
I’m pretty sure I saw the first signs of my future Sprouting Broccoli harvest today. Each branch has a tiny little sprout, tinged with purple, beginning to show. This is where the small bunches of curds will form. Ooh I can hardly wait. Purple Sprouting Broccoli is one of my favourite vegetables from the garden. You can hardly buy it in the shops (maybe at a farmer’s market) but it tastes sooo much better than common Broccoli (actually Calabrese) that it’s worth waiting nearly a whole year for.
I made sure that the plants were staked firmly and even earthed them up a little to stop wind rock. It would be a disaster if one of them fell over!
Is it me, or is this Autumn really, really mild? I don’t usually have Cos Lettuce still standing in the garden at this time of year. Even my Calendula is STILL going. There has been no sign of frost whatsoever and the last of my Tomatoes are still ripening, albeit very slowly.
I’m a bit perturbed to be honest. Anyone else experiencing the everlasting season? What have you still got that you aught not to have?
A couple of weeks ago my Ghost Rider Pumpkin looked like this. It was fully green and unripe.
Now it’s ripening well. However, the frosts are just around the corner and I’m worried it won’t fully ripen in time for Halloween (there’s still a patch of green on one side). The plant itself is dying off which means that its ripen power is waning. If a frost comes it will knock the plant back even further.
My Pumpkin is in the sunny part of the garden that still gets a lot of Autumn sun. But I’ve also tactfully removed some of the leaves that were shading the it. And rotated it so that the greenest part is facing the sun. Bottom line, I’ve done everything I can do to get it to perfection for the 31st. And I’m sure it will get there.
But… if yours is still green – you can’t eat unripe Pumpkins but you can carve them. Who can tell if the Pumpkin is green or orange when it’s dark?
Call me old-fashioned but I do like a nice Tricolore. Especially, when the Tomatoes ‘and’ the Basil come straight from the garden. There’s nothing like a nice slice of Mozzarella coupled with Tomatoes and Basil and drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Très healthy too.
I also like Black Forest Gateaux and Arctic Roll!
So I have to admit our neighbours were fantastic at freezing our Raspberries for us while we were away. Full marks for that. They weren’t, however, quite so good at watering plants – infact I’m forced to give a ‘nil point’ Eurovision style, since one of my plants actually died from lack of water. Which one? Only my beloved Turk’s Turban Pumpkin!
Okay, okay so it only actually had one Pumpkin growing on it. And admittedly that one was very small. But still, the Pumpkin! When I saw its withered frame and tiny, vulnerable, perfectly formed Pumpkin, cruelly stopped in its tracked… well, I was sad. Especially, since last year’s were so massive.
Someone, however, was over the moon when he saw it. A mini Pumpkin, just for me? You really shouldn’t have. What a perfect size for little fingers. Clearly, it’s mine and will forever be so.
What’s a mum to do? I guess I’ll just wait until he’s gone to bed and then hide it away for my Autumn table display. Shuush… he’ll never know.
I’m back! And look what was waiting for me in the garden. Heaven! We had a long drive home and I stopped off at M & S (as you do) to get some essentials since we had no food at home. I nearly bought some Lettuce (and some Tomatoes – I’ve no faith) but I didn’t, I held out. I’m soooo glad I did. We came home to a bumper crop, including tons of Tomatoes, Lettuce, Cucumber, Apples, Grapes!, Blueberries and Raspberries. Even Marks and Spencer can’t top that.
I have to say (and this is a bit embarrassing given my paranoia) our neighbours were really sweet. They picked my Raspberries and put them in a box in my freezer! They are my new best friends.
Well, I’m glad to be back (with some new interesting, foreign seeds in my seed basket) and I will be going through the comments you’ve all made today. Happy Gardening everyone – onwards and upwards!
