Greens Harvest #2

The weather has finally shifted in the last two days and Spring feels like it has arrived in Oregon. Yesterday I was able to process my first lettuce harvest of the year. I started with the bed of "Heirloom Cutting Mix" from Renee's Garden. This is at least the third year that I have grown this mix and it is still my favorite. It's a blend of "Speckled Trout's Back", "Blush Butter Cos", "Red Ruffled Oak","Devil's Tongue", and "Sucrine". And since it comes from Renee's Garden, I can always count on a really even mix of all 5 varieties in every planting.

This stunner is a new-to-me varsity from Renee's Garden; "Sea of Red" lettuce. I wish it would have photographed a bit better. It is just a mass of deep, blood red leaves. Really a knock-out in the garden and it looks lovely in the salad bowl too.

I also harvested my first bunch of "Abundant Bloomsdale" spinach. While it is starting to perform well, I don't think this variety is a good fit for me. I haven't ever grown a heavily savoyed leaf spinach before. I discovered today that those pretty, deeply wrinkled leaves are a magnet for both dirt particles and baby slugs. As you can see there was a fair amount of damage before I picked anything. And then I had to spend a lot more time cleaning this variety than any of the other greens that I harvested. But that said, it is growing well and the leaves do look pretty in the salad bowl. So, my final harvest for today was:

• "Heirloom Cutting Mix" Lettuce; 4.1 oz
• "Sea of Red" lettuce; 1.1 oz
• "Abundant Bloomsdale" spinach; 6.1 oz.
• Total Harvest; 11.3 oz

Planting the Lettuce and Sweet Peas

Our second lovely day this month and it fell on the weekend - hooray! That meant that I had no excuse to stay inside. It was time to get outdoor and get some things off of my "to-do" list. I started in the Kitchen Garden. Dad helped me bring a load of Nature's Best around and we added it to some low spots in the garden. Then I got out my seed stash and planted the two remaining raised beds with lettuce seed. I planted one bed with nothing but "Heirloom Cutting Mix" from Renee's Garden. Then, in the next bed I planted 3 rows of "Sea of Red" from Renee's Garden, 3 rows of "Green Oakleaf" from Seed Savers Exchange, and one row of "Yugoslavian Red Butterhead" from Seed Savers Exchange. It appears that the worst of our Winter weather is over, and I am hoping the lettuce will germinate.

After I got the lettuce all planted and covered, I couldn't help but take a peak at the Spinach bed. The spinach is doing great and I really need to thin it soon. 

The "Gazelle" plants, that germinated first, are just now producing their first true leaves.

Last Fall, when the builders were completing our new deer fence, it was necessary to move my chives from the Kitchen Garden so they wouldn't be trampled on as the posts were set in. Today I dug up my clump from its temporary home in the front flowerbed and settled it back home in the Kitchen Garden. It is growing like mad right now. My hands and the air were filled with a strong onion scent as I dug it up and relocated it. With a good watering in, I don't think it will even know that it has been relocated once again. 

After finishing up in the Kitchen Garden, I moved over to the Sunset Flowerbed. I brought out the Sweet Pea tower and set it in a bare patch of ground that had some fresh Nature's Best worked into it.

Then I transplanted the two six-packs of "Royal Family Mix" sweet peas from Hayhurst Nursery. I also dug up and moved 4 sweet pea plants that had germinated from last year's planting.

They look so little now, but will soon attached themselves to the tower and quickly begin climbing upward. I can close my eyes and practically smell them already.

I finished the day by beginning to weed one of your two new flower beds in the front of the house. Over the Winter, the new grass from the lawn has invaded the bed and is taking it over. I worked and work and managed to get a 1' wide strip weeded all along the front edge of the bed. There is still a lot of work to be done but at least it is a good start.

Greens Harvest - Week #9

Welcome to the 9th and final harvest report for my Spring Greens. Yesterday I harvested and then pulled out my 3rd and final raised bed. The lettuce and spinach were beginning to bolt and the leaves were showing some heavy bug damage. The three beds will now transition into winter squash beds but it is my hope that this Fall I will reseed them with salad greens for a long Fall harvest. For the final Spring harvest I was able to harvest two varieties:

• "Heirloom Cutting Mix" lettuce - 12.0 oz.
• "Charger" spinach -  7.2 oz.
• Total week #9 harvest - 17.2 oz.

I am really happy with my total Spring harvest. My February seeding was an experiment that paid off and allowed me easily an extra month of harvest. That extra harvest time was needed since I lost a fair amount of expected harvesting due to early bolting. The Arugula and Mustard were especially sensitive to the April heat and shut down almost immediately as we hit 80 degree weather. My Spring 2016 Greens total harvest:

• "Heirloom Cutting Mix" lettuce - 29.1 oz
• ""Charger" spinach - 18.2 oz.
• "Sweet Greens and Reds" lettuce -12.3 oz.
• "Catalina" spinach - 8.3 oz.
• "Wasabi" arugula - .2 oz.
• "Renee's Baby Leaf Blend" lettuce - 2.9 oz.
• "Mild Mustard Mix" mustard - 2.7 oz.
• Total Spring Harvest - 4 lbs. 9.7 oz.

Greens Harvest -Week #7

"Red Ruffled Oak" Lettuce

With rain showers threatening most of the day yesterday, I managed to find a dry spell and pick some more greens for another weeks worth of salads. All three beds are packed right now, the greens filling up every inch and pressing against the protective remay in all directions. I have been harvesting from these beds for almost 2 months now and the plants are starting to near the end. The timing is good as I need to transition these beds from Spring salad greens to Summer winter squash. But I will miss coming out here each week, to admire the amazing beauty and diversity found in simple salad greens and to harvest my family's weekly bounty. Here is this week's harvest;

• "Heirloom Cutting Mix" Leaf Lettuce - 9.0 oz.
• "Charger" Spinach - 5.3 oz
• Total - 14.3 oz

Greens Harvest - Week #5

The greens in all 3 raised beds are just exploding right now. Between the warm weather and regular watering, it is hard for me to keep up with the harvest. I said our new mantra this week needs to be " eat more salads!" It is such a time of lush growth but I know also that this time is limited. By the end of the month the greens will be petering out and it will be time for some Winter Squash to take this real estate. But until then we get to enjoy our nightly, local salad. This week's harvest;

• "Heirloom Cutting Mix" Lettuce - 4.8 oz
• "Catalina" Spinach - 3.6 oz
• "Sweet Greens and Reds" Lettuce -6.0 oz
• "Charger" Spinach -4.0 oz
• Total - 1 lb. 2.4 oz.

Greens Harvest - Week #3

On Saturday I managed to find a window between the rain showers to harvest some salad greens. As I lifted the row cover from the first bed, I discovered that the Wasabi" arugula had bolted. It wasn't a complete shock, thanks to a warning I received last week from Dave at Our Happy Acres telling me arugula was quick to bolt when temperatures rose.

It was a little frustrating though, since I hadn't even harvested any yet. So I took some small scissors and cut what I could away from the bloom stocks. I couldn't resist popping two small leaves in my mouth to see if this really, truly did taste like wasabi. The answer quickly came as my mouth caught fire, my nose begin to tingle, and I started coughing. It tastes exactly like wasabi! My sister, the heat lover of the family agreed. She did comment though, once she mixed it with other greens and poured dressing on the salad, she could no longer taste the wasabi flavor or feel any heat. What a fun variety to experiment with. Thanks Territorial Seed!

The greens have really started to come on this week. Just two weeks ago it was difficult to pick enough for 3 small dinner salads. Today I could pick that amount from any one of the three raised beds.

 Along with my garden helper Padma, we harvested:

• "Heirloom Cutting Mix" Lettuce - 1.7 oz
• "Charger" Spinach - 1.7 oz
• "Sweet Greens and Reds" Lettuce - 2.0 oz
• "Catalina" Spinach - 2.3 oz
• "Wasabi" Arugula - .2 oz
• "Renee's Baby Leaf Blend" Lettuce - 1.7 oz
• "Mild Mustard Mix" - 1.0 oz
• Total Harvest - 10.6 oz.

 

Second Harvest of the Year

"Speckled Troutback" Lettuce

Another beautiful Sunday, with the high hitting 80 degrees. It sure doesn't feel like April in Oregon! I finally had time in the late afternoon to head to the Kitchen Garden and harvest another round of salad greens.

When I lifted the remay cover off of the first bed, I was surprised to see some bloom stalks in the mustard. This is my first year growing mustard, so I am learning as I go. Perhaps it is very sensitive to heat, and these warms days that we have had in the last week has inspired it to bolt?

Next door, the "Wasabi" arugula is making a valiant fight against the "Catalina" spinach. The will to survive is stronger than the gardener's planting mishaps! I just might be able to harvest some arugula after all. So here is the summery of this weeks harvest:

• "Heirloom Cutting Mix" lettuce - 1.2 oz
• "Sweet Greens and Reds" lettuce - 1.2 oz
• "Catalina" spinach - 1.4 oz
• "Renee's Baby Leaf Blend" lettuce - 1.0 oz
• "Mild Mustard Mix" - 1.1 oz
• Total harvest - 5.9 oz

"Renee's Baby Leaf Blend" lettuce

The First Greens Harvest of the Year

A bed of "Heirloom Cutting Mix" lettuce

Yesterday evening I harvested my first picking of salad greens. These three raised beds were seeded back on February 13th, as an experiment to see how early I could plant, and then harvest, salad greens in this mild El Nino year. Last year I planted seed on April 12th and had my first harvest May 25th. So, it took much longer for the plants to mature this year - due I am sure to cooler temperature and less daylight in February and March, but I was still able to push my first harvest date back 6 weeks. I would call this a success!

A vibrant bed of "Sweet Greens and Reds" Lettuce

My crazy bed of Catalina" spinach and ""Wasabi" arugula. Yes, this was a seeding mistake but I am rolling with it! May the toughest plants survive. 

" Renee's Baby Leaf Blend" lettuce

With the Spring "heat wave" we had this past week, with high temperatures reaching 80 degrees, all of the greens really took off. Their growth in just one week was significant.

"Mild Mustard Mix"

So, I don't have a huge harvest total to report, but I am pleased with my first harvest all the same;

• "Heirloom Cutting Mix" Lettuce - .4 oz.
• "Catalina" Spinach - 1.0 oz.
• "Sweet Greens and Reds" Lettuce - .5 oz.
• "Renee's Baby Leaf Blend" Lettuce - .2 oz
• "Mild Mustard Mix" Mustard - .6 oz
• Total harvest 2.7 oz

The Salad Beds - Week #6

What a difference a week makes. This last week we enjoyed our first spell of nice weather this year, with the last three days all hitting at least 70 degrees. Suddenly, I needed to be mindful of the kitchen garden each day and water. But my young plants loved the warm days and their growth seemed to explode. My whole "Mild Mustard Mix" section is doing great. I Like the combination on rounded leaves and jagged leaves.

Next to it the "Renee's Baby Leaf Blend" is also doing really well. I think I will be able to cut my first small harvest next weekend.

A close-up of those delicate young leaves.

In the next bed over I have my "mistake bed" where I under planted  the "Catalina" spinach with the "Wasabi" arugula. So far the spinach is winning this battle. Hopefully some of the arugula will get enough room and light to mature.

Next to those two I am growing  a 1/2 bed of "Sweet Greens and Red" lettuce. It is doing well but the red lettuce varieties are growing at a much faster rate than the green varieties in this mix. I don't know if that is common trait among all Red Lettuce or just the type in this mix. But either way, the pretty little green ruffled lettuce in this group better hurry it up.

A close-up of this bed.

The last raised bed is quite a bit farther behind than the other two. I did plant the "Charger" spinach two weeks after everything else, so it has an excuse.

But I am really disappointed in the "Heirloom Cutting Mix" lettuce. This variety did so well for me last year. But with the exception of the far left row, the germination was really poor this year. I guess the lesson learned is to always buy fresh lettuce seed each year. I do love this mix, especially the "Speckled Troutback" lettuce pictured below.

The Greens After 5 Weeks

We have hit the five week mark for many of the greens I planted as an experiment in February. It took it a week longer to germinate than the other lettuce blends but the "Heirloom Cutting Mix" is starting to take off now.

Next to it, the "Charger" spinach I just planted a couple of weeks ago is starting to germinate. It will be interesting to watch and see if it catches up wit the "Catalina" spinach which was planted weeks earlier in cooler weather conditions.

Here a group of "Sweet Greens and Reds" Lettuce blend. in the next raised bed over.

It shares the bed with this interesting mistake. The "Catalina" spinach which I accidentally under-planted with "Wasabi" arugula. We shall see if they are good companion plantings!



In the next bed over the "Mild Mustard Mix" is doing great. I read it does well in cold weather and it is proving that to be true.

I love the spiky new leaves it is setting.

Sharing the same bed are these rows of "Renee's Baby Leaf Blend" . They too seem to be doing just fine in the wet and cold weather. I think as soon as we see a few sunny days in the 60's they are really going to take off.