Sunday, August 2, 2009

Got Lettuce?

I do. And half of it is rocket. I cut some this morning and probably got a little over-enthusiastic but I felt compelled to do a little tidy up. The lettuce was my first lesson in gardening 101. Its so easy to sow half a packet of tiny seeds... but how much lettuce can one couple eat? And green salad is not the most comforting of winter foods. The funniest thing of all is that I have so much rocket.. I don't even like rocket all that much! Definately learnt my lesson.

Amidst all the cut back rocket I did discover one of my mesclun mix sprouting buds. Might try for a lesson in seed collecting.


Also back amongst the follage are my beetroot and whats that poking up? Finally deciding to make an appearance, my first beetroot... root... weee! As you can see there is a little bit of a bulb on the one next to it but the rest have nothing. Even with *ahem* little bit of clearing I can't see anything. I'll have to wait for the others to catch up a bit.. no point harvesting one baby beet is there?



So here is today's harvest. You're gonna have to turn your head a little, sorry. I've uploaded it a couple of times from its landscape! location. No idea how to rotate here yet =(


I'm thrilled about harvesting my first broccoli, I can't believe that came out of my garden!

The other thing of note is today's garden visitor. A bee! He was very handsome buzzing around my tomato flowers, legs laden with pollen. By the time I focused the camera on him he decided he had enough and left. I don't know why I should feel so excited to see a bee in my garden, I've seen wasps, but that's not quite the same. I think the bee represents the ultimate sign of approval and proof of life. My little garden is now offically... offical!

11 comments:

  1. Well, aren't you doing great! I admire what you have done, I could never get anything to grow in pots. I tried last winter in Arizona, and failed miserably! Your broccoli is beautiful, so much nicer than what I grew in my big garden this year.

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  2. Hi I just came across your blog, that's a great harvest! If you're not crazy about rocket, I suggest trying it chopped up and used where you'd otherwise use spinach, cooked only briefly. I have a pasta recipe that's prawns, lemon zest, chili and a big handful of chopped rocket and it's fantastic.

    I also get excited when I see bees in my yard! Especially this time of year when there are so few of them. You'll get a lot more in the summer if you grow flowers amongst your veggies.

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  3. p.s. I rotate my images before putting them into Blogger. I find Microsoft Office Picture Manager to be the best program for basics like rotating and cropping.

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  4. What a lovely thing to say =) Thanks Annie'sGranny! I haven't seen pictures of your broccoli but your garden is truly inspiring. I can't believe how lush it is!

    Thanks Alexa =) Thats a great tip about the rocket btw, will definately try using it that way.

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  5. Hi Dot
    I reckon the trick with rocket is to sow small-sized crops fairly often (say, 4-6 weeks apart) and harvest them young, when plants are no more than three inches high. By the time they get to five inches tall the leaves become hot and peppery.
    You're doing great with your balcony garden, by the way. Wait until a bit of warmth and sunshine arrives in spring – you won't believe how fast things can grow!

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  6. Thanks Jamie, will try that next time =) It grows so quick, should be much easier to control in small batches.

    I'm almost scared of the warmer weather as the balcony will get pretty hot. Hope I'll be up to the challenge by then ;) Thanks for the advice!

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  7. Hi Dot,thought Id drop by and visit :0)You are doing a wonderful job growing in pots!I wish you merry gardening and a bumper crop!You are most welcome at grannys garden.

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  8. You have a good harvest here. The veggies look fresh a healthy green.

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  9. Your garden looks great and i wish u luck! (plz check out my blog http://savetheearthrecycle.blogspot.com/ )

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  10. Hi Dot,
    Today I am going to start my own balcony gardening adventures and am trawling through the internet for info as I have NO CLUE what I am doing :) Congrats on your harvest. I only hope my garden is as successful as yours.
    Cheers, Bek

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  11. That's wonderful Bek! I wish you all the success =) Its a great time to start, this weather has been amazing. I'm no expert by any means but please don't hesitate to contact me if you need any advice. Best of luck

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