Whiskers Garden - Summer

[whisker]

I got off to a great start early in spring when there was some glorious fine weather. After that the weather changed for the worse, so I have not done anything for about 6 weeks. The weeds seems to be thriving.

What I planted in late September is growing well. That is -

a few leeks

... and my garlic, which is doing very well.

[whisker]

My herb bed, which badly needs some tidying up, has continued to grow and has done me proud all winter and spring supplying me with loads of herbs, sage, chives etc.

Some salad greens which I had last year have self seeded and will be ready to harvest soon. Initially the slugs were attacking the young seedlings , but now that the little plants are taking hold, the slugs seem to have lost interest. thank God for that!

[whisker]

I found this red sorrel had survived the winter in my salad greens patch, so i dug it up , potted it and put it with my herbs. It is quite a bitter herb, but does add some zing to salads.

[missm]

You grow lots of veggies.!!

I bet those greens are good and tasty fresh out of your garden.
And handy too. You don't have to shop for them ;D

[whisker]

That's the idea! Not to have to shop for veggies, especially greens. I throw out so many greens that I buy. They go off so quick!

I'm way behind in my garden this year, so need to get a move on! The fine weather has come and I have almost nothing planted!

[alphacat]

I don't grow herbs, don't know why. Think I'd better read up on them and have a think where I could put a herb bed.

Something tells me I'll be picking your brains about it soon Whisker.

[whisker]

while you're wondering where to make a bed, one of the simplest things to do would be to plant up a large pot or trough, with a few of your fave herbs bought as small potted plants from the garden centre.

Many herbs, such as sage, marjoram, origano last right through the winter.

[alphacat]

Thanks for the tip.

[penny]

Love leeks & I've never seen garlic growing either. It will be VERY interesting to me when the bulbs start.

[whisker]

It's my first time growing garlic, so I'm looking forwad to seeing how they turn out. On a gardening show, last September, we were advised not to sow cloves from the garlic we buy in the supermarkets, as that mostly comes from Spain, which is a much warmer climate. They said we should look for garlic bulbs that have been specially acclimatized to our temps. I found several species, which I planted in September. Can't get over how sturdy they have been all through the winter. They also said, that once having grown them, we could save seed from them for the next year! We'll see how it goes!

[penny]

Interesting!

[missm]

I have never grown garlic or leeks. Actually I have never eaten leeks. What do they taste like?
I do love garlic. Supposedly its good for the heart.

[whisker]

Leeks, I think, are members of the onion family. They have a very mild onion flavour. They are used in many ways as a cooked vegetable. One very well-known and popular recipe is "leek and potato soup". ;D

[missm]

I like onion cooked,cannot eat anything onion-y raw.

[alphacat]

Leeks have a lovely taste. I grow lots of them and use them in stews and soups. I would recommend them to anyone who likes vegetables.