Above, an all-yellow early harvest: Two Yellow Perfection tomatoes (a variety from England - smaller than a ping pong ball), three Sungold tomatoes (even smaller) and one baby Meteor yellow zucchini. They're nestled among the prettiest weed of the season, Mexican Evening Primrose. Yellow Perfection is a pleasant tomato with some sweetness, on the mild side but not bland. The great Sungold has not come into its own yet this season. Both varieties had tough skin on these first tomatoes (on the plant before transplant).
We've only had a few Sungold tomatoes and one other Yellow Perfection (given away) so far this season. Should have started a couple of weeks earlier. Next year. . . .
Update: the day after I harvested the first squash of the year above, I got a Magda, a Zephyr and a Sweet Zuke (examples pictured in a previous post
here. ) Princess Kitty Darla has more kitty friends now than she did in the picture at the link and may now qualify as Queen. I also got a Butter Scallop the second day (looks like its name) and a Supersett (yellow crookneck). Same old seeds I had in 2011, pretty much. By May 11, two days after the first zucchini was harvested, we had a total of 19 squashes. Once these plants start . . . I also planted Peter Pan, a scallop, from quite old seed. It is behind the others in development.
The lettuce above is now too bitter to eat, but it was nice while it lasted. Doesn't take much potting mix to grow cut-and-come-again leaf lettuce in winter here. These are growing in trays from supermarket barbecued chicken. My favorite cool-season crops this year were Tatsoi and its later blossoms, broccoli and Red Russian kale. UPDATE for Gilly:
Tatsoi is one of the cutest edible plants ever, and would look nice with pansies or other low-growing plants. I planted
Red Russian Kale in a pot with some mauve and pink chrysanthemums.
2 comments:
Those yellow tomatoes and the courgette (zuccini) look really pretty. But what is red Russian Kale? We have curly kale over here (UK) but it can be tough unless really young and fresh and cut up small!
I've grown climbing french beans in pots in previous years, but last year's dreadful wet and cold summer put paid to any beans! I might try this year again, but if I plant them before we go away on holiday then they will surely lack water, and if I wait until we return then its a bit late!
I can't win!
Gilly, Red Russian Kale is taller and more tender than most dwarf curly kale. It is quite cold-tolerant but bolts in hot weather. I can't find it as a separate product at T&M, but Red Russian kale is included in the mix below. It also goes by the name of "Ragged Jack". You can let a plant go to seed when it bolts and save the seeds if you like. Otherwise, check nurseries in season:
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/vegetables/vegetable-seeds/salad-seeds/salad-niche-rhs-garden-explorers-childrens-seeds/gwc0830TM
If you have a place for a climbing bean, you might try the new hybrid between a French bean and a runner bean called, "Tenderstar". You might see if a neighbor will water it while you're gone. Another possibility would be a short-season dwarf French bean which bears most of its crop over a short period of time. Hope you have a great time on holiday.
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/vegetables/vegetable-seeds/pea-and-bean-seeds/runner-bean-tenderstar/tt01078TM
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