Looks just like the package!

Every spring, one of my earliest ‘crops’ are radish plants that were sowed in February. They germinate quickly and can be ready to pick inside of a month. What’s not to like? Typically, I use them as markers for plant seed that takes longer to germinate. A good example is carrot seed which is hard to see to begin with. I just add a few radish seeds and then broadcast the lot into a spot in the garden. The radishes then come up and are eventually harvested while the carrots are still tiny.

In a typical season, I will sow about 100 or more seeds. One of the things that have always puzzled me, however, is the tendency for some of the plants to never bulb up! I have never determined what causes this. It may be due to over-crowding, soil type, temperatures, water or some combination of the above.

Well. Well. It’s the first week in the New Year and I’ve finally harvested my first morsel of lettuce and spinach for a grand total of nine grams! Yes, I said grams. Not much to show for my efforts at this point. I also had a single radish that was about half and inch wide and weighed in at 5 grams. As I think I have pointed out in another entry, the crop is more or less in suspended animation at this time. Everything looks healthy; it’s just not growing very fast. Had planted the seed back in September instead of late October, I think I would have a lot more to eat at this time.

The radish got consumed first and tasted great! The lettuce and spinach was next. I added a small amount of iceberg lettuce and a short stalk of celery, then sprinkled on some oil and vinegar. The result was a very fresh and tasty addition to my lunchtime fare.

My big hope is that as the weather moderates, I will see more and more growth. So that’s it for now. A total of 9+5 grams for a whopping total of 14 grams. My basket runnith over.