February 26, 2012 - The Year's First Harvest



Today I had my first harvest of "windowsill lettuce". I also transplanted the little onions into larger containers, and I kept the clipped tops to add to tonight's fresh salad.

The first pot gets a trim.


With the second pot harvested, we had enough for a nice dinner salad. We'll enjoy the 3 oz. of Red Sails lettuce.



I had a real surprise today. I planted four Mini Gold tomato seeds on January 26th. All four seeds germinated, and three of them had what I would consider normal growth. The fourth, however, went right to the head of the class and today, exactly one month from the day it was planted, presented me with a cluster of tiny flower buds! Is that fantastic growth or what? I just hope it doesn't drop its blossoms, which has been my luck in the past when trying to grow tomatoes inside.



24 comments:

  1. Look at that lettuce! How awesome.

    I have tried growing windowsill edibles, but unfortunately my cats love to snack on them, too.

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  2. Good job on the windowsill lettuce. It looks good. I have some small lettuce plants on the windowsill too but the winter sun has been fickle. Enjoy!

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  3. That's great news about your Mini Gold tomatoes. I've heard that if you shake the blossoms it helps to fertilize them. I'm really going to have to plant mine soon.

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  4. Prairie cat, that's one thing about having two fat little dogs....they can't reach the lettuce!

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    Gardener on Sherlock Street, I had these growing under lights. Last week I moved one to the windowsill and left the other under the lights. There was no difference in the growth, so now they are both in the window. It is a bay window, but it has a northern exposure, so I didn't know if it would be enough light or not.

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    Ed, a couple of years ago I tried growing some in the laundry room, with just daylight from the window, and no matter how much I shook them they dropped their blossoms. Once I put them outside they were fine. I'll probably move this one in and out as weather permits, which is how I grew them through the winter in AZ. I used an electric toothbrush to vibrate those plants, and they pollinated just fine :-)

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  5. Your lettuce looks great and congratulations on the first tomato buds!

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  6. Thats wonderful. Enjoy the salads and good luck with your tomatoes.

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  7. Great idea - you have inspired me. I am from New Zealand and blog on food amongst other things. You might like this recipe for a bacon and avocado salad http://caroleschatter.blogspot.co.nz/2011/11/asparagus-bacon-salad.html

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  8. Christy, those first buds make one feel like they're expecting a new baby! I'm too old for that, so I'll just enjoy watching the buds turn to blossoms...and hopefully into tomatoes!

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    Thank you, Sarada!

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    Carole, welcome to my blog. It will soon be time to find fresh asparagus in our area, I can hardly wait! My garden area isn't quite large enough for an asparagus bed, so we have to buy ours at the farmers' market.

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  9. That is amazing! robbie p.s why you are the expert:-)

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  10. LOL, Robbie...not an expert, I just get lucky once in a while ;-)

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  11. Excellent harvest of windowsill lettuces! Good news on the tomato starts too. You are already hitting your gardening stride and it is not even March yet!

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  12. Wow, windowsill lettuce. I blogged a few months back about growing herbs and flowers in the windowsill, but never thought about lettuce! Your green thumb must be glowing!

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  13. Kitsap, even Mr. Granny, who professes not to like leaf lettuces, was impressed. He actually complimented the simple salad of lettuce, tiny onion trimmings and sweet balsamic vinaigrette tonight.

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    1st. Man, I applaud you for getting flowers to grow on the windowsill. I can't even get house plants to live at my house, I end up buying the "silk" variety, LOL!

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  14. Congrats on that first harvest. I can only imagine (sigh) how good that tastes. I'm so looking forward to setting up the cold frames next month.

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  15. The fresh lettuce looks great. I trimmed my onions, but didn't save the clippings. I ought to, but sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. I guess I'm just fickle.

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  16. Sue, I keep talking about cold frames, but doing nothing. Maybe I can at least get a low hoop going for next winter.

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    Daphne, the onion aroma was amazingly strong for those tiny clippings, and I could (barely) detect the flavor in the salad. I usually have chives near the patio, but Mr. Granny tossed a small patio rug over them, and I didn't notice until it was too late. They are reviving though, now that the rug has been removed.

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  17. LOL, Mrs. Pickles! I'm on my way to the title of Mrs. Lettuce!

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  18. Nice lettuce harvest. I so miss lettuce. I don't know why I didn't think of starting some lettuce seeds under the lights. I am keeping my fingers crossed that your tomatoes begin forming fruit soon :)

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    1. I have a second seeding of lettuce growing, so a third will probably be started next week I'm finding it grows fine in the "plant window", so I'm saving my lights for the tomatoes and peppers.

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  19. I don't know how you never have any spilled dirt in the backgrounds of your indoor plant pictures. Even after doing that repotting in your bathroom a while back.

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    1. Laura, I did have spilled dirt, but it was all in the sink. When I pot up in the kitchen, it blends right in with the new counter! I can't even see where it is to clean it up ;-)

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  20. That is crazy about that tomato! Lovely lettuce harvest, and I love your header photo!

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    1. Thanks, Erin. I need to take pics of the four tomato plants together. One is such a runt, and two are clones, absolutely identical to each other.

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