First Veg Harvest (Peas & Courgette)

We had some of early peas today, after the odd one pod we managed quite a handful to harvest now. They are soooo yummy.

They are first earlies, "Douce Provence", and I had a trial going: all sowed at the same time, but one set in the garden, one in pots and the pot ones when planted out one half behind glass and one half just in the ground. This is the result: The potted ones came out about a month earlier then the garden sown ones. The ones behind glass had the first flowers and peas, but stayed teensy-weensy. The potted ones planted in the garden normal are the ones we are harvesting from now, but they too are quite small and seem to stay that way.
The ones sow directly in the garden are big and really really strong. The first flowers are just starting to show up. Unfortunately the hens love them as well and all the bits they can reach they will happily tear off.

These are the garden sown peas, the right one diminished by the hens

This is my recycled whirly gig pea tower with the set of potted peas

My courgette that grows in a pot in my front garden surrounded by a wind shelter is ready to harvest soon as well. Just compare it with the plants which grow in my windy upstairs kitchen garden. I made a wind shelter round them as well, but no comparison. Both plants are planted same day, same soil.

 

the potted one

here in comparison the sad looking upstairs garden one

They are F1 hybrids and I have decided that in future I will only go for non-hybrid seeds/plants where I can save my own seeds. I hope they will be stronger when "self-seeded" or at least own seeds are used. We will see.

The first strawberry of 2011

Today we harvested the very first strawberry of this year. Josiah picked it and loved it and he let me have a bite and it was sooooo sweet and juicy! We can't wait for the strawberry season to begin properly. Due to my chickens getting into my new early strawberry bed and digging out all the labels I do not know which variety that is/was, but it was lovely.

I mulched the bed twice with comfrey which turned into compost very quickly, the third time I used nettles which were quite big by then, they dried out in the sun and keep the strawberries of the soil.



With the next picture I want to show you a recycled strawberry planter I made with the eco group at my son's school. We used an old pallet and three growbags and a piece of plastic piping in which I drilled holes for easier watering.
And although we were really too late in planting and the plants were in the shed for months (Elsanta from my garden), they have picked up really nicely. I intend of giving them comfrey/nettle tea as support.

The first few fruits are already there, so lets hope the kids will become inspired to eat more fruit if they have grown them themselves...