Our garden is drinking up the warm spring rain that has been falling over the past few days. The young tomato plants (just transplanted into the garden) have perked up, and the peas seem to be growing even as we watch. We are now picking all the collard greens we can eat, plus a few more to give away. We are also harvesting a good deal of lacinto kale, and a few leaves of a beautiful plant called red orach. Red orach can be used like spinach, but its tender leaves are a stunning shade of pink. So far, it seems to be growing well, and has been untroubled by pests. Kevin and I have never grown red orach before, but we may well be planting more of it in seasons to come.
Today, I slipped outside between showers of rain and constructed a frame out of bamboo and twine for the runner beans to climb up. After that, it was time to plant the bean seedlings in the damp earth next to the new structure. The variety of runner beans we’ve chosen is an heirloom with the colourful name, “painted lady.” The flowers should be two-tone red and white. We hope that they will make a beautiful and tasty display next to the path that leads to our front door.
Lacinto kale and red orach picked fresh for lunch
Just planted: painted lady runner bean seedling