Penellype's 2015 Edible Garden Challenge

[Penellype]

Spring onion Furio (red variety) in a stir fry yesterday.

Total varieties so far = 24.

[Penellype]

Somewhat of a lull in the new varieties so I thought I would post a few piccies of things that I'm experimenting with.



This is my old wooden compost bin containing an old water butt currently planted with broccoli, and an old split dustbin, planted with rainbow chard, which as you can see has been absolutely shredded by caterpillars or slugs. In the other 2 corners I have planted some Charlotte potatoes in bags today. The bags are supported on lidded buckets underneath (2 buckets below each bag) and are about 3/4 full of a mix of home made compost, some of which is from last year's tubs, vermiculite and BFB. On top of that is a double layer of bubble wrap, and I've clipped the handles of the bags across the top to stop the bubble wrap blowing away. The camera is pointing due south, so this is deep, deep shade.



This is my growhouse, which now contains quite a few seedlings. The top shelf holds peas, lettuce, mizuna and pak choi, the square green pot is namenia, the 2 smaller square pots are carrots and the self watering tray is spinach. On the right is one of my usual 18" square pots planted with the same 2 varieties of spinach on the same day, with a cover over to try to keep conditions similar. I'm hoping to see if the self watering pot stops the spinach from bolting so quickly.



This is my cold frame, which has been a problem for about the last 4 years, since a cat jumped on it and broke the glass in one of the lids. I've tried various ways of covering it, but had problems with water puddling or a sheet of rigid plastic (complete with bricks) flying through the air. This is a cheap and cheerful cloche greenhouse from Wilko (£10) which fits snugly inside the cold frame so hopefully it won't blow away. I've got some kohlrabi, turnips and leeks hardening off in there at the moment.

[Penellype]

Ate the first of my Half Pint peas today - one pea from the first small pod. These were sown in January and have been growing in a pot on the landing windowsill. I'm hoping I will get a decent handful of peas to eat, but I'm rather worried because the plants don't look great and a few are clearly dying. They are on a self watering tray so it is not likely to be a watering problem, and they have had a feed. Maybe there are just too many of them in the pot.

Total varieties so far = 25

[Lisasbolt]

I do enjoy reading this, and you are inspiring me to do more.

[Penellype]

Good to hear it is helpful. I'm finding it a good way to keep track of what I am doing, and its interesting to see the results in reality of the plans on the paper!

[Penellype]

New variety in my salad today - a couple of leaves of American Land Cress. I've been waiting for this to be ready for quite a while, having sown loads of seeds back in January. Lots germinated, but all but 2 plants kept the seed cases over the seed leaves, effectively suffocating the plant. I tried to pull some off but the stalks just snapped No idea why they were like this. Anyway the 2 surviving plants are now of a reasonable size.

Total varieties so far = 26.

[Penellype]

I've been waiting for this and finally...

2 sticks of beautiful pink rhubarb for lunch
Interstingly forcing this under a large bucket this year has resulted in the first stems being big enough to harvest 2 days later than I harvested unforced rhubarb last year. Maybe the colder weather has something to do with it, or maybe forcing it doesn't grow it faster, just less green. Not sure.

Total varieties so far = 27.

[Penellype]

I seem to have missed one out - been eating Lollo Rossa lettuce for the last couple of weeks as baby leaves, which are now getting fairly big.

Total varieties so far = 28

Edit - In fact I have missed 2! Also ate a few small leaves of Spinach Reddy a couple of weeks ago.

Total varieties so far = 29.

[Penellype]

1/4 of the way through the year already! I thought I would list the varieties but also add some information about what I have been able to use them for.

Alfalfa - repeat sowings providing additions to salads etc Jan, Feb and March, edible within 10 days.
American Land Cress - on windowsill, a couple of leaves ready in March, still growing.
Basil - overwintered on windowsill, a few leaves added to sauces etc Jan and Feb. Finished
Broccoli Early Purple - overwintered in raised beds, large numbers of shoots from mid March. Plenty left.
Cabbage Duncan - 4 plants overwintered in a pot for spring greens Feb and March, one left
Carrot Eskimo - overwintered in a pot, finger sized carrots in Jan, Feb and March, some left
Carrot Nantes Frubund Fastcrop - overwintered in pot, as for Eskimo. Finished
Chard - overwintered in a dustbin, very small leaves for salads in March. Still growing.
Leek Albana - overwintered in soil providing veg in Jan, Feb and March, some left
Leek Oarsman - 8 leeks overwintered in pot, eater Feb and March. 2 left
Lettuce Lollo Rossa - in modules under lights then on windowsill, nice baby leaves in March. Plenty left.
Lettuce Salad Bowl Mix - cut and come again on windowsill, Jan, Feb and Mar. Leaves are very small.
Lettuce Winter Gem - 5 plants grown under lights over winter, ready March. Finished.
Mizuna Red Knight - overwintered in soil, a superstar salad leaf Jan, Feb and Mar. Bolting but still edible.
Mustard Green Frills - grown for microleaves, Jan, Feb and March, ready in about a week.
Pak Choi Tri-colour Mix - overwintered in soil, only 1 plant survived the slugs, eaten in Jan
Parsley - overwintered in soil, steady stream of new leaves Jan, Feb and March, and still going strong.
Pea Half Pint - sown in Jan under lights for early peas. Produced a few small pods in March, some left.
Pea Hurst Greenshaft - in pots indoors for pea shoots in Jan, Feb and March. A few shoots remain.
Pepper California Wonder - overwintered on wndowsill for a couple of small fruits in Jan. Finished.
Pepper Snackbite Orange - as California Wonder. Finished.
Potato Desiree - overwintered in their bags in garage for potatoes in Jan and Feb. Finished.
Provencale salad mix - grown in modules under lights for baby leaves in Jan and Feb. Finished
Radish Sangria - microleaves grown on windowsill in Feb and March. Ready in about 5 days.
Rhubarb Red Champagne - in raised bed. 2 small stalks ready for picking at the end of March. Plenty left.
Spinach Bloomsdale - grown under lights for baby leaves (very small) in Jan. Finished.
Spinach Reddy - as Bloomsdale, in March. Leaves even smaller. Finished.
Spring Onion Furio - overwintered in pot outdoors. Some very small onions in March. A few left.
Tomato Shirley - a few small fruit in Jan and Feb from overwintered plants on the windowsill. Finished.

[Penellype]

New variety today - I ate some celeriac thinnings in my salad for lunch.

Total varieties so far = 30.

[Penellype]

More salad today and 3 new varieties. A few Namenia thinnings, Chervil (at the 3rd attempt!) and some soft new growth from a red cabbage (Kalibos) that was too crowded to form a heart last year. For once my tendency to leave things that have failed "just in case" did provide me with something edible. I need the pot for some carrots now though.

Total varieties so far = 33

[Penellype]

Salad again - I do love this weather. This time its the turn of the spinach Tirza, which was overwintered in the growhouse. 3 nice big leaves to go in my lunch today

Total varieties so far = 34

[Penellype]

New variety today - spinach red vein baby leaves from thinnings. This is not the same as Reddy, which I grew indoors earlier this year. Reddy has very tiny leaves and is not really worth growing, Red Vein is a big leaved variety, and the thinnings at the 2 leaf stage already have bigger leaves than Reddy.

Just in case people get the impression all I ever eat in a salad is baby leaves, this is today's lunchtime salad:



As well as the spinach there is winter gem lettuce, mizuna, celeriac thinnings and chervil. Yummy with tuna mayonnaise and home made bread

And here's pudding:





Total varieties so far = 35

[Penellype]

Just looking at my list of varieties so far, I seem to have missed off the kohlrabi, which I was eating in February and March. It just goes to show, even though you think you know what you have eaten, its very easy to miss something off the record.

Total varieties so far = 36

Hoping to reach 40 (half way) by the end of April.

[Penellype]

A few small leaves of spinach beet in my salad at lunchtime. These were planted this time last year, in front of a row of peas, which leaned over them and left them completely in the dark. When the peas were finished the spinach beet were a few pathetic looking leaves but being me I left them to see what happened, and planted PSB behind. Plants never cease to amaze me - while not exactly thriving in the shade of the PSB, they are now starting to bolt and have some edible sized fresh leaves. Another victory for the "see what happens" method!

Total varieties so far = 37.