Guest post by Ellen Isaacson
This fall, alongside the traditional and Moroccan Cilantro, we grew a 'Sweet Greens & Reds' Farmers Market Lettuce Blend and red 'Rudolph' Radishes in the community garden. Originally, we planted Buttercrunch Lettuce and Hungarian Landrace Parsley, but they unfortunately did not sprout. The Lettuce blend and Radishes were grown in the same conditions as the Cilantro, with the addition of a cover cloth once the colder months arrived.
Although there was a minor time setback due to the lack of growth from the Buttercrunch Lettuce and the Parsley, once the green-and-red Lettuce blend and Radishes were planted, it was smooth sailing. Every week, after our intern meeting, we would walk over and check in on the garden and our small plot. There was always a little bit of weeding that needed to be done each week around the two seedling rows, but the cool-season weeds were not too aggressive.
It took a couple of weeks until we
saw some Lettuce sprouts, but once they emerged from the soil, they grew very
evenly, filling their entire row. The green was vibrant, and the red of the
Lettuce blend reminded me of the classic colors that accompany the fall season.
The Radish’s bright pink was a lovely, colorful addition to my salad bowl. I decided
to prepare a salad with these two freshly harvested vegetables. I topped it off
with a cilantro salad dressing from Trader Joe's, staying on theme with our
plot. It was incredibly fresh and delicious.
Growing these vegetables alongside
the two varieties of cilantro made me realize how differently vegetables grow;
some are eager to sprout, while others need a little bit more encouragement.
Nonetheless, sometimes the best things in life take more time, so I was happy
to see that time paid off when it came to the green-and-red Lettuce blend and
the red Radishes.
Abour the Author: Ellen Isaacson is an intern this fall semester with Washington Gardener. She is double-majoring in journalism and French language and literature.
About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 14th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).
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