From a spring both cold and unfailingly wet, the weather has surged into the heat of high summer. Mostly dry, too, though the past few days have brought more than two inches of rain, primarily from thunderstorms. Some of the plants are thrilled, including the hops that have overwhelmed their supports, knotting into a fury of bines, leaves, and budding little cones:
The radishes have been less enthused, racing to bolt before we could pull more than a handful to eat. Still, the seedpods ought to be good for a stir-fry or two:
The rest of the deck planters are humming along nicely, providing a handy little salad bar just a few steps from the kitchen:
With sweet salad turnips, too:
These Hakurei turnips are tough to beat. Sweet, tender, and quick-growing, they've got delicious roots and leaves. The only bits we don't use are the tip of the root and the short section between trimming the root top and the base of the leaves.
We've also harvested a bunch of broccoli raab, which has grown enormously in the past week:
Also lettuces that are threatening to bolt any minute:
Kohlrabi with pristine leaves, thanks to plenty of rowcover:
And we've also started into our peas for this season:
The wet spring delayed planting, and this hotter-than-average weather means they'll likely be a brief treat this year. But at least we get some. The small local farms have, for the most part, skipped peas this year, since they couldn't get them in the ground in time.
On the upside, we've got plenty of purslane - it's having a banner year - which, as far as garden weeds go, is tough to get upset about. And the garlic scapes were too good to resist this morning, so they'll be a treat for as long as they last. Add some fresh strawberries to that, and it's becoming unclear how all of this is possibly going to fit into the refrigerator.
2 comments:
oh we've had much better radish weather than you - we ate our first crop (about 20?) and we're onto our second. I've had three big courgettes so far, and a good 4-5 bowls of strawberries, but they're finished now.
I did an audible squeal when I saw your kohl rabi - my friend Isabella treated us to some home grown (green) kohl rabi last weekend, and I've been eyeing up this purple variety at my favourite seed store for the past week. I think it might have to wait for next year, though.
Ours has certainly been a year tending to extremes, but that inevitably means some successes, some failures.
There are two main groups of kohlrabi out there: Viennese and Russian/Eastern European. Most are the Viennese varieties, which are small and quick to grow. There's plenty of time for several succession crops yet this year. Just be sure to pick them before they get too big and woody.
The Russian types get huge. Some of the largest cultivars can get up to near-volleyball size, and still stay sweet and tender inside. They're awesome, if you've got the space.
I grow Kolibri, a purple Viennese variety that's common stateside. Since you're trimming off the skin, though, grow whatever you can find that's sweet and resistant to woodiness.
That precision of 47 seeds is hilarious, by the way.
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