Sea Kale, Turkish Rocket, Flowering Comfrey and Potatoes!

Two of the perennials we learned of only a couple of years ago - and planted last year Sea Kale and Turkish Rocket  came up early and are growing so fast.  They each are getting broccoli-like flowers. This is something I have never seen!

Sea Kale

Flowering Sea Kale

Flowering Turkish Rocket

 We had a good amount of red potatoes that grew and we canned last year - we were able to have them once a week throughout the winter.  This year, we wanted more control and put them into a 4x4 bed and will build up around them as they grow. There is also a horseradish planted here from another bed where there wasn't as much control of it spreading.  The goal is to grow and can enough potatoes to stop purchasing them for the whole year - until the next harvest in 2014.

Potatoes in a 4x4 Bed with Horseradish (top left corner)

Comfrey is another new addition to our garden and it is spreading and flowering. This makes me happy, because anywhere something useful grows, the grass can't. We are still working on a solution to the grass and are covering it over with mulch, cardboard, straw...whatever we can find that will limit it from coming back. We will have to deal with it in the autumn and really cover it so it doesn't take hold at all in the spring. How great it would be to have a yard of comfrey to walk on instead!

Flowering Dwarf Comfrey

More...Plants!

With the addition of so many plants, we are starting to define paths.
When they are definite, I will be digging to put the pine path into the ground to
make walking level and stable. 

Last Thursday the plants we ordered from Permaculture Nursery  arrived and we spent Friday and Saturday digging, planting, watering, etc.  The care in packaging and shipping was outstanding, I felt like a little kid at Christmas...needless to say, we are very pleased with the plants. Some are still adjusting, but just today the Sea Kale lifted its leaves off the ground and the spinach vine is not wilting.

Plants!

After the unwrapping

Alpine Strawberry

Sea Kale

Hazelnut Hybrid (bush)

Kiwi Vines

Goumi

Tea Bush

Turkish Rocket

Clove Currant

Dwarf Comfrey

Building a new bed

Arugula, Sorrel, Ramps, Horseradish, and in
the back - Spinach Vine ( all Perennials )

Mint Root

Concord Grape 

Not pictured:  Jostaberry, Chinese Yam, Pink Champagne Currant and Russian Comfrey. 

The work involved this year installing the perennials is just about complete. The fruit trees, vines and bushes. Nut trees and bushes, perennial greens, etc.

What is next? We wait for everything to grow....

Corn and Sunflower bed is happily growing!