Vegmonkey and the Mrs.

Thanks for all the comments on Diluting the growing blogs, i’m glad it isn’t just me! I’m really thinking about doing something to run in August, as a middling to end of season awards thing. It will probably take the form of a blog page ‘where nominations happen,’ rather than something tacked onto Vegmonkey.

I’d happily welcome any other ideas as comments on the blog, emails etc as to the format of the awards, scope, time and so on. I think categories can wait a while. It is also maybe that others of you are thinking about doing this and resources could be pooled…(particularly if you know how to make sidebar widgets!). I particularly liked Patrick’s idea about celebrating particular things about blogs rather than the ‘blog’ in general.

Anyway, enough rambling on that for now…but more soon…

I was hunting through my seed boxes for some ‘leaves’ to plant a few weeks ago when i came across a packet that i had received attached to Grow Your Own magazine. I always keep my eye out for the magazine when shopping (or Kitchen Garden - a fact found hilariously funny by my friends as they leaf through Nuts, Loaded and FHM - one day they will understand ;)) It was entitled ‘Mixed Salad Leaves’ and contained seeds for Mizuna, Mibuna, Mustard ‘Red Giant’, Greek Cress and Green Pak Choi. I’ve grown endive in the past but most of these are new to me.

I planted about 30 seeds in threes plugs (in a seed tray) and waited. As can be seen from the photo, they are coming on great guns and will be adding some much needed colour to the veg garden for this time of year. They will very soon be planted out in the Legumes bed, as i have a little room at the end next to where the Runner Beans will go. As soon as they go in, i’ll plant up another lot of seed trays ready for when we have eaten (or the slugs have) the first lot.

Either way, the leaves will taste a hundred times better - and be a hundred times better for us - than anything bought in a supermarket!