The garden season is well underway and I am learning so much. Everyday is a new beautiful discovery and I can't wait to get out to the garden in the mornings with a mug of coffee to see what's new that day. Surprisingly a garden can change so much in one day! Which is why....lesson one...you should use garden signs! Apparently those little markers that gardeners use are not just to make the garden look cute. I did not use these when I transplanted my seedlings. I thought with my super genius powers I would just remember what I planted and where.......ummm no.
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| Surprisingly Important! |
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| Using my Super Genius Powers of Remembering. |
After a couple of weeks I had no idea what was a weed, herb or vegetable. I then proceeded to have to taste every seedling or supposed seedling, glad I didn't get poisoned, and by process of elimination, identify each plant. I managed to figure it out after a lot of bitter tastings (I discovered martinis help this process a lot) The only plant which really stumped me was the broccoli rabe. I had never seen it before let alone tasted it! I am still not sure how to pronounce it either? Of course I always speak it with a thick Italian accent and therefore no one questions me about my pronunciation.
Turns out broccoli rabe is delicious! I didn't know when to harvest it or how to cook it but after a little research I discovered some important tips. The first is, you must harvest the small heads before they flower. If it flowers it becomes very bitter and unpalatable. So timing is crucial to the harvest.
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| Look closely can you see the small heads? Now is the time to pick. |
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| Don't eat it now! Just cut off the flowers and new baby edible heads will come up. |
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I cooked them in a little butter and yum! It also grows like a weed and produces daily so it has a very good garden return.
I think when you have a small urban garden like mine, maximizing returns from you garden is crucial. This means planting things that will give you a big harvest in a small space for a good chunk of the summer. I think it will vary from garden to garden so it is best done by trial and error. In my garden, the radishes, kale, romaine, butter crunch, sweet peas and beans are all super performers.
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| Look at all the sweet peas. |
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| Try not to stare at my massive kale bush! |
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While the swiss chard, beets and herbs have either not grown or barely grown.
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| Tiny beet plant. |
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Not maximum returners. That's Okay though. I have learned to not plant these next summer and to stick with what grows well in my small space.
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