2017 - Grow Salad with me Challenge

[Penellype]

A rather green plate of salad this week:



Clockwise from top: 3 sorts of lettuce, pea shoots, microgreens (purple basil, choy sum,purple and green cress), baby leaf Provencale salad - all of these from under the grow lights. Then from outside, corn salad, mizuna (supposed to be red, but has gone green through lack of sunlight) and chinese celery.

[Penellype]

Me again.



Clockwise from top: microgreens (green and purple cress, rocket, choy sum, amaranth), a small Shirley tomato (see below), lettuce Valmaine and Warpath, pea shoots, alfalfa sprouts.

All of these were grown in the house - I was going to include a few outdoor leaves but was rather taken by surprise by temperatures of -2 and freezing fog today so I thought they were best left alone.

The tomato comes from one of last year's plants on my sitting room windowsill, from a truss that ripened way back in September/October. When I finished picking them there was a green tomato the size of a pea, and I nearly cut the plant down. However I am a sucker for anything that might grow, and the plant looked healthy enough, so I left it. There are 2 more green tomatoes, one of which looks like it might ripen, not sure about the smaller one:

[happyhumph]

I'm rubbish at remembering to take photos and can't seem to post at the moment. Sent eldest to school with a packed lunch of rice, chicken and a salad of lambs lettuce, baby spinach, sorrel, baby pak choi & a couple of white icicle radishes....

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

I'm getting rubbish at remembering as to who i'm am actually supposed to be!

Off fo an hot bath n calling it a day!

[Penellype]

Just leaves today:



Clockwise from top:
Pea shoots, microgreens (amaranth and choy sum), lettuce (Valmaine and Warpath) all grown indoors, and corn salad and baby chinese cabbage from the garden.

[Penellype]

Today's lunchtime salad:



Clockwise from top: lettuce Valmaine and Warpath, amaranth, pea shoots, microgreens choy sum and radish (all grown indoors), corn salad and baby spinach grown outdoors. I was going to add chinese celery but it was covered in aphids!

Sorry about the quality of the photo - not sure why it is slightly out of focus.

[Penellype]

More leaves today - getting somewhat repetitive, I'm afraid.



Clockwise from top: 3 types of lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, pea shoots, microgreens (choy sum and radish) all grown indoors, corn salad, chinese celery, namenia, mibuna, mizuna grown outdoors.

The real challenge will start soon when I can no longer afford to use up most of a grow light garden for lettuces!

[Snoop Puss]

Penellype, those look beautiful. The only things I'm picking at the moment are broccoli, leeks and parsnips. I'm positively green with envy. I'm up for the challenge, but won't be eating home-grown salad for weeks!

[Penellype]

Penellype, those look beautiful. The only things I'm picking at the moment are broccoli, leeks and parsnips. I'm positively green with envy. I'm up for the challenge, but won't be eating home-grown salad for weeks!

The alfalfa sprouts and microgreens are really quick - they take only a week to 10 days. If you have some spare brassica seeds, such as radish, turnip, broccoli, pak choi or other oriental greens you can easily grow them as microgreens on the windowsill.

[Snoop Puss]

Thanks for the tip. I must have thousands of radish seeds. And by mistake I ordered two packets of the same turnip seeds. Now I just have to persuade Mr Snoop I need another window sill!

[Penellype]

Today's lunchtime salad:



Clockwise from top - 3 types of lettuce, baby choy sum, pea shoots all grown indoors, baby spinach (overwintered), corn salad, namenia and mizuna and 3 small overwintered beetroot all grown outdoors.

[Penellype]

More greenery today:



Clockwise from top - 3 sorts of lettuce, choy sum, cress (red and green) all grown indoors, corn salad, mizuna and namenia, mibuna grown outdoors.

My attempt to brighten things up by growing red stemmed cress didn't really work - I don't think the grow lights are strong enough to affect the colour (same thing happens with red varieties of lettuce).

[Penellype]

More leaves today:



clockwise from top: 3 types of lettuce, baby choy sum and cress grown indoors, mizuna, namenia, corn salad, chinese celery, spinach (all grown outside).

The corn salad is really taking off now and this is probably the last of the overwintered mizuna and namenia as they are in full flower.

[Penellype]

In case it seems I only eat salad on a Monday, other days are available, but not other colours:



This plate of lettuce, cress, mibuna, mizuna and corn salad was brightened up with a slice of orange cheddar cheese and some mango chutney.

[Penellype]

Finally something that is not all green!



3 sorts of lettuce, radish microgreens, early mizuna and corn salad, plus a Shirley tomato grown indoors from one of last year's plants.

I absolutely refuse to buy tomatoes (or indeed most other veg) from the shops, so this is the first fresh tomato I have eaten since I finished off the ripened green ones at the end of January. They don't have a huge amount of flavour at this time of year, but even so, what a treat