Our raised veg bed is coming along nicely again this year. We have added another to grow strawberries. We are also growing baby beet, spring onion, baby leeks (these were very successful last year), baby iceberg lettuce, radish ( we have had about four pickings already which were really crispy & flavoursome) and a new experiment, self-blanching celery which is growing really well so let's hope it tastes as good as it looks. Raised veg bed 2010 ( photo / image / picture from Gardengirl's Garden )
Oh GG...I like the looks of THAT! Ypur raised bed looks better this year (if that is possible). You have some good things growing in it, and they all seem to be doing very well. The strawberry plants there in the front are producing fruits already. Is this their first year? The squares that you have around them are looking good too. Are they working to your satisfaction?
Yes Sjoerd it is their first year. The only thing is they are throwing out a few runners and as I don't have that much room I wonder whether to just keep the first runner from each and peg it down in the spaces. Would this be a good idea do you think? I bought the strawberry mats as I thought these would be less messy than straw. They do seem to be doing the job so far.
I've been waiting to see your beds, GG! They look so great! I'm fascinated by how well you use that space and get so much in there! I hope you'll put up some more pics. Seeing your back bed makes me feel a bit more optimistic about mine -- though I still feel mine is a little too crowded. GG -- all the "baby" versions of the plants you have... where do you get yours? And do you start them from seed or buy plants?
I buy them from a gardening on-line catalogue 'Thompson & Morgan' daisybeans. I buy packets of seeds and there is usually enough to last for a couple of years. They do all the mini veg which is handy for smaller veg beds. I don't know whether they ship to US or if it would be too expensive... here is the link http://www.thompson-morgan.com/ I would recommend this firm as I have always had great success with their seeds and plants. The strawberry plants came from them as well. They are always very well packed.
Thanks GG -- I'll check out that link. There are probably US companies that carry the seeds... I've just never thought to look for "baby" varieties of things. Surely, have not ever seen them as plantlets around here.
Well, here it is, a photo of my first harvest of my self blanching celery. The packet said harvest July/September and being the impatient person I am I pulled a couple of heads. I must admit to earthing it up a little as I thought it was looking a bit on the green side but not bad for a first attempt I think. I am hoping that the ones I have left in form larger heads. What do you think? Don't be polite, be honest Celery ( photo / image / picture from Gardengirl's Garden )
WEll, GG--that looks like good celery to me. I have never grown this sort. I can't imagine that earthing them up would hurt, if you are wanting to hedge your bet, so to speak. Self-blanching--that sounds interesting. About the strawberry runners: I usually remove all runners from my producing plants and then when the harvesting is about half over I begin letting them stay and peg them down thereafter so I can remover and plant the runners out in august.
I followed your advice regarding the strawberry runners Sjoerd and removed them. Since then they have doubled the amount of fruit and the fruit is larger. I did pot up about half a dozen of the first plants off the runners and have planted them in between the others and they too are fruiting already so brilliant advice Sjoerd, thank you.
Coiffing my hat and bowing deeply---at your service, ma'am..."Niets te danken", as we say here. I will caution you about planting strawb plants too closely together though, though. It can have an adverse effect on size and number of the fruits ultimately. If you had had another empty raised bed, it would have been better to have put them into that, but nevermind--you are having great sucess and THAT is what counts. I am so very pleased for you with this project. --You did good! BTW--thanks so much for letting me know how it all went. It is always good to hear how things went after offering advice.
I will heed your caution Sjoerd and not plant any more in that particular bed. Many thanks again. By the way, how many years do you keep your original plants before replacing them with new ones, I assume this is what you have to do to get a good yield?
