Garden Bed / 2013-2014 / Clothesline

Planted out Red Russian and Cavolo Nero Kale. Also Runaway Rocket. And coriander, protected from lying on the ground and the wind, by a milk container. Initially this bed under my clothesline (something I hear is illegal to use in other parts of the world), was covered in Oregano. Oregano tastes like pencil shavings by the way. If you don't have any oregano to put on your food, just sharpen a pencil over it. Don't worry, the lead in the pencil is graphite, not real lead.

8 days: Some initial obvious growth, even by this point.

44 days: Looking lush. At some point, a Chocolate Mint has been planted in front. And a Stevia in back. The disgusting Oregano is growing back. This stuff is a weed, and people say mint is bad..

69 days: The Kale at this point is producing more than I can eat. The coriander and rocket are flowering, and rocket seed pods are already present. I ended up saving the seed from both, and have since grown more of each from it this winter.

85 days: Just more growth. Some self-seeding tarragon I think, has popped up. Probably tastes like pencil shavings too.

141 days: The coriander and rocket were pulled out by now, and hung to dry. The oregano was pulled out, but it grew back later of course.

The bed now has some fresh rocket sown from the saved seed. It also has two Curly Kale planted, and the Stevia has gone to seed. If the seed is viable, which I am not sure about given it is my only Stevia plant, I'm going to make a vodka based sweetener from it, when I get enough growing. People talk about drying it, and sprinkling the ground dry matter, but it doesn't dissolve. So you get just get grit, and even then it doesn't sweeten anyway. I tried drying a few leaves and adding them to a pot of porridge. It didn't do anything.