Last year I decided to introduce a series of blog posts I called “Now Harvesting.” Every week or two, I chronicled the food coming out of my garden. I thought it would be a good way to identify lulls; times when my garden wasn’t producing to its full potential. It would, I thought, help me become a better planner, and thus, grow more food.
Um…yeah. It’s a good idea in theory.
Unfortunately, I don’t think better planning could have helped my garden during this dismal spring. Lack of sunlight and warmth conspired to keep even the coolest of the cool-season edibles stunted and sad.
But things are looking up! I’ve been harvesting arugula and radishes for a couple of weeks, and now the lettuce is really starting to put in some effort.
Funnily enough, this time last year my Now Harvesting post didn’t look all that different than this: greens and radishes. The only difference was that I’d been eating them for at least a month. This? This was my first homegrown salad of 2011. And damn, it was good.
Now harvesting: ‘Red Sails’ lettuce, ‘Garden Ferns’ heirloom Italian lettuce, arugula (leaves and flowers), ‘French Breakfast’ radishes.
What are you harvesting now?
It’s been a rough Spring in Vancouver eh? I have been harvesting my mescluns, but I’m getting a little impatient with the tomatoes and such!
It’s so fascinating to watch the season unfold on warmer-zone blogs… It seems counter-intuitive that we are ahead of you, but it’s not really ahead – it’s just a totally different pace. Our arugula has all bolted, and our strawberries are starting to wind down. Some heat-tolerant lettuces are hanging on. No peas because the woodchuck enjoyed the shoots a little too much. What zone are you? (We’re a 5b/6a depending who you ask.)
I sowed my greens in the greenhouse – some last fall & a bunch more in the spring. Was so good to eat fresh food from the gardens, albeit a bit later than usual.
I’m thinking with this cool weather along the coast, it might just be a salad-type of season as nothing else seems interested in doing anything. (my potatoes are loving it though!)
I’m on Vancouver Island, and have survived the same dismal spring! I’m now harvesting radish, lettuce, mustard greens, sorrel, rhubarb, walking onions, and just in the last few days – strawberries! Sugar snaps are not far behind…hmmm….Sugar Snaps and Strawberries…that reminds me of something =)