Harvest

I peeked under the row cover over the Asian greens. One of the boc choi looks beautiful. The other wasn't growing quite as well, but not bad, just small. They were ready to pick. This is the first harvest of this variety - 'Brisk Green'. I really like its size. It is supposed to be 6-8" tall, so a mini choi, but mine grew to about 9". Since I grow these just for me, size is important. The mini chois are usually a little too small (6"). I need two for a meal. The large ones (12" usually) can be a couple of meals. This one looks perfect for a meal for one. It is a fast grower too. I planted two and half week old transplants on June 16th and am harvesting on July 22nd. That makes about 53 days total, or 36 from transplanting. The packet says 50 days.

As you can see, I also harvested some onion thinnings. I usually only pick them as I need them, but they are getting way too big for their spacing, so they had to come out. I'm sure they will get cooked up with the boc choi.

I'm also still getting plenty of peas. I keep thinking that the peas will quit soon. They have lots of yellow leaves. But every time they start to fade, they send out new green branches with flowers. So the last couple of days I've had lots of snowpeas. A week ago I sowed some broccoli in a six pack. In 2-3 weeks they will be ready to take over the spot. So if the peas don't quit by then, they come out anyway. Though I suppose I could always pot them up to add another week or two to the timing.

I'm also getting beans every day. Yesterday I had beans with dinner and ate a quarter pound of them. I'm not a big bean fan, but I don't hate them. So I tend to jazz them up or add them to other things. Last night I made Chinese spicy green beans. I should be using asparagus beans for those, but the ones I planted are weird. I thought they were pole beans, but they are acting like bush beans. So I will get a small harvest in a couple of days then pull them up. It is not normal to have a yard long bean as a bush bean. The beans drape all over the soil.

On the tomato front, I keep picking a handful of Sungolds every day. I usually pick them not quite ripe and let them ripen indoors. That way the squirrels and chipmunks won't eat them. I was shocked today to see my Aussie tomato start to color. It still has a ways, but it is not the same green it was. It is supposed to take 75 days. My Orange Blossom tomato is supposed to take 60 days. So it should ripen first, but it looks like the Aussie may beat it.

And where are my pickling cucumbers? Well I had none today. I've been picking 3-4 most days, except we have a lull. It is probably because I was gone and didn't pick for a couple of days. The plants quit producing if you don't pick regularly. I'm sure I'll get more tomorrow. And the next day, and the next . . .