Planting Microgreens/Garden Update/Mystery Bird

Welcome back.

After some nice weather in late April which allowed for a good start to the gardening season (April 30, 2016 Post),  May has not brought good weather for the most part.  In fact on the 15th, it was very cold and windy with snow showers.  Yes, snow showers.

Although the weather has been challenging, I have managed to get the garden off to a pretty decent start.

Microgreens

Microgreens, or "vegetable confetti", are becoming increasing popular.  A few seed companies are offering mixtures of these to purchase, including Johnny's Selected Seeds.  First let's explore microgreens.

Microgreens are simply edible greens of a variety of vegetables that are harvested when they are about 2 inches high.  They are not to be confused with sprouts, where the entire plant is consumed.  They add color, texture, and flavor to many foods.  They also have been found to be up to 40 times more nutritious than the mature plants.

There are a large variety of vegetables that can be grown for this purpose, even some herbs and edible flowers.  They are becoming increasing popular in fine restaurants and specialty grocery stores. However, they can be very expensive to buy.

The good news is that they can be grown quite easily, either indoors or outdoors.

So which seeds should you plant?  There are a large number to choose from including lettuces, beets, radishes, cabbage, broccoli, kale, and many more.  So be creative and come up with your own blend. This year is my first attempt, so it should prove to be interesting.

Microgreen mix

I chose endive, broccoli, lettuce, radish, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, beets, Swiss chard, and kale.  I will provide updates in future posts.  I planted a patch that is roughly 2 feet by 2 feet.

Garden Update

Sprouting Snap Peas

Sweet Onions

American Flag Leeks (Started from Seed March 21, 2016 Post)

Romaine Lettuce Plants (Started Using Winter Sowing)

Sprouting Microgreens

Thus far, the garden is doing well overall.  The progress is always slow and unimpressive at first, but before you know it the garden will be thriving and the photos will look better also.  It won't be long before I can start enjoying the results of my work.

Mystery Bird

This bird has been visiting my feeder lately.  Any guesses?  I welcome your input.  I will be researching myself in the meantime.

Thanks as always for visiting.