Monday, June 15

The salad bar is open

Our Woodblocx raised bed is now up and running and providing us with a salad harvest. This was just as well as rain prevented us from making a planned visit to the plot.
Last year radishes grown in this bed failed to fatten up as they had a previous year when grown in a large pot. We suspected that they didn't like growing in the compost being used so this year the top half of the bed was filled with a mix of John Innes soil based compost  and topsoil. This appears to have worked and we now have radishes with fat roots. The only problem is that all our defences haven't prevented something from having a nibble. The nibbles are tiny so maybe whatever it was didn't like the taste.
The spring onions have germinated but are growing really slowly. 

We are also snipping bits from our salad leaves and pea shoots that are still growing in the greenhouse.
The herbs growing in pots are also being made good use of.
The parsley is from last year and trying to run to seed whilst I am trying hard to stop it. New seedlings are growing on in the greenhouse but these are still very tiny.

We have had a small inedible harvest from the plot - our first sweet Williams.
Also a small scented posy of sweet rocket and roses.


32 comments:

  1. The first salad harvests are delicious aren't they. I never find radishes do very well for me once the summer gets under way. I shall try and sow some more soon, but I'm not hugely hopeful that they'll fatten up. The spring ones are fantastic though.

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    1. Maybe I should start sowing early got a spring harvest too, CJ.

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  2. Wow that's a cool salad bar, I love it.

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  3. That lettuce looks good, little gem? Your salad bar is very well sown, with leaves for weeks to come.

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    1. It was a Tom Thumb, Frugal. Just hope to keep it going.

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  4. Looking good. My spring onions are growing really slowly this year too, I'm putting it down to the cool weather.

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    1. Spring onions are a challenge for us, Jo

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  5. You've got a great looking salad bar there Sue and ideal that it's hand to harvest from. Glad you read you have found a solution to your radish problems. They look ever so tasty!

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  6. I'm so jealous of everyone's gorgeous lettuce patches right now. I'm still eating lettuce from the grocery store and it looks like I'll be doing that for at least another week or so - serves me right for waiting so long to get the lettuce going this year.

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    1. Something to look forward to, Margaret

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  7. What a nice patch of lettuce and radishes. They look so perfect.

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    1. Somehow the aphids have still breached our defences, Daphne.

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  8. You will be able to see my "salad bar" tomorrow (It's very similar to yours!) I think it is slugs that nibble the radishes. I get that too - nothing too severe, just little nibbles. I never manage to get good radishes in Summer, but they usually do well for me in the Spring.

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    1. Maybe they hane a nibble and decide they don't like them, Mark.

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  9. What a scrumptious salad bar! You won't know yourself when the first of the toms start coming! Lovely poies too, my sweet williams haven't opened yet, I am looking forward to seeing them!xxx

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    1. Picked another bunch of Sweet Williams today too,, Dina

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  10. Your Sweet Williams are GORGEOUS! Edible too, by the way, although I'm not a huge fan of eating flowers. I've only just harvested my first batch of lettuce - and I cheated ... I harvested butterhead lettuce way before the head formed. I just couldn't wait!

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    1. I didn't know that sweet William flowers were edible Susie but like you I'm not into eating flowers umless it is a cauliflower

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  11. What time do you want me to arrive for lunch?

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  12. I like your raised bed! Your salad and herbs make me so jealous...

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    1. You make up for it with lots of other lovely things Endah

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  13. This is really a salad bar! ;) Beautiful flowers!

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  14. Oh, that's very impressive. I occasionally wish I lived somewhere with a much longer growing season and salad bars like yours just make that desire greater!

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    1. It's not being a very long one this year, Jayne

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  15. Oh I like the idea of having a salad bar close to home Sue. It looks as if you have packed a lot in there. May well follow suit :)

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    1. Having pots of herbs too - both have been a success, Anna

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  16. Great salad bar sue, I have zero lettuce leaves, a major fail this year. Are those tiny slugs on the soil in you radish photo, it might have been them having a little nibble

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    1. Well spotted, they are Lou and it was despite nematodes being applied, I wonder whether it is too cold for them to work.

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