Last week I posted on my best performing winter crops. This week it is the turn of the Spring ones. In writing this post I realise that I probably didn’t pay enough attention to planting rapidly growing Spring crops. Although the below all earned their place, the truth is they didn’t have much in the way of competition as I haven’t harvested much other than these recently except for a few herbs and Spring Onions. If I’d planted more beetroot, bok choi or wombok I might be writing an entirely different post.
- Broad Beans – I have been delighted by my broad beans this year. As I wrote in my Spotlight post a couple of weeks ago they spent much of the winter in complete shade and have still produced reasonable quantities of lovely broad beans.
- Lettuce – Ever since we got guinea pigs our lettuce consumption has risen significantly. Fortunately the lettuce has grown well and more than kept pace with both our, and our rodent’s, appetites.
- Wild Rocket & Watercress – I have grouped these together because I use them for similar things and they have both grown well this Spring. The watercress I grew from seed although I did get a few volunteers as well. It is bolting now but has supplied us with fresh leaves all Spring. My established wild rocket plants started abundantly reshooting in September and have grown well ever since. It has also seeded in throughout the garden, especially in the lawn that it overhangs.
- ‘Easter Egg’ Radishes – They are all gone now (really should have succession sown….) but the Easter Egg radishes germinated easily, were quick growing, looked great and were delicious, especially eaten with either a sprinkling of salt or dipped in some humus.
- Parsnips – I sowed parsnip seeds in early Autumn and they were finally mature in Spring. By the end of the season they had started to bolt and had gone woody but in early Spring they were sweet and delicious, if a little oddly shaped.
What did well for you this Spring?
My Parsnips are at their best right now. Home-grown ones are just so much more intensely-flavoured than any shop-bought ones. Brussels Sprouts have also done well. Mine are “Brilliant F1” and they are very sweet compared with most other varieties.
Artichokes. Planted late winter, first crop mid Oct, getting a second round of smaller ones now. six plants produced a total of about 40 artichokes. Planted them between my citrus, great foliage and likely to get a few years out of them I’m told.
Like Mark we are harvesting our parsnips now and not too concerned about the shapes. Odd shapes taste just as good.
Well my spring was a long time ago, but typically my big crops are spinach, Asian greens, bunching onions, peas, favas, radishes, and turnips. Favas often get picked after the solstice. They seem to take longer than my peas.
We’ve had great carrots, silverbeet and beetroot.
I wish I’d sown carrots….I think….. I have mixed experiences with them but I reckon if I sowed in winter then I could get some nice Spring baby carrots. When did you plant yours?
Strawberries!!! They have grown almost like weeds. But I do stress the ‘almost’. Also going well are artichokes, early sown carrots, broad beans and lettuces/rocket which are now self sowing and I love that they just come up themselves without any effort on my part.
Now that just makes me very, very jealous.
Broad beans and parsnips were my heros. And many of the greens that you have. I finished freezing (and double peeling) my BBs just this weekend. What a pain but well worth it – they will see me through, particularly for BB and mint dip, for months to come. Yum!
I want some now – broad bean and mint dip I mean…if only I wasn’t too lazy to get off the couch and go to the kitchen……