This week I planted one small area with peas, lettuce, spinach and green onions. The days are getting long enough and our weather here is warm enough to get started.
I planted peas along the fence, and the rest in the middle in unorganized rows. We got a lot of rain over the weekend, so I didn’t even need to water.
I also planted four blueberry plants two Jubilee and two Misty varieties. These are replacing hedge row bushes and once they get bigger I want to keep them pruned to look neat and nice in our front yard. Blueberries have a few requirements for good production. You will want more than one type because they pollinate each other, also, you need to get varieties that are suitable for your climate. Blueberries plants need a certain amount of cold hours in order to produce. There are different varieties that are better for different climates. And, in addition, some produce early, middle and late season so you can combine them to get blueberries throughout the growing season. If you wanted to plant some, now is the time, but make sure to do a little homework and get plants that are best for your region and get a combination of varieties.
My next task is clearing out the giant broccoli plants in the backyard. I got a few Purple Sprouting Broccoli seedlings that were leftover at the garden. These plants are an heirloom that is meant to grow in the summer and then is frost tolerant, so if you were in a cooler climate you would leave it in through the winter. These plants are huge, and way too big for my small space, but they produced tons of leaves, that are all edible. So I have been using them like kale in the kitchen.
I ran out of garlic, so I picked one of my sprouts to use in this recipe.
Kale or Broccoli Green Pesto
- 4 cups fresh chopped broccoli leaves
- 1/2 cup toasted nuts
- 1/4 cup grated cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (I used 2 pieces of preserved lemons here)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup water
- Salt and pepper as desired
Blend all ingredients together and enjoy as a topping to beans, rice, bread, meat or pasta