Sea kale babies

Crambe maritima 

I'm beyond excited that my Crambe or Sea Kale root cuttings sprouted!! 

Sea kale in the garden

A 'formerly common denizen of single banks' in N Europe and the British isles,sea kale is a delightful perennial wonder!

In Living in a Wild Garden,  British author Roger Banks wrote,  'there are still odd clumps of it,  .... at first you think you are looking at a distant line of breakers till you realize that it is neither rough enough for such a sea to be running nor can you hear it... 

'Then through binoculars, you see that your breaking line of surf is still - still as the great wave of Hokusai's picture - and that the lace-like foam flung up on its rearing green crest is as dry as the 17th century master's woodcut. ... you realize you are witnessing the flowering of SeaKale, Crambe maritima. If only people wanted to lift up their hearts, there would be special excursions to see such a miracle and of only they cared for their palettes, there would be a local cottage industry cultivating it...'

Sea kale in bloom

- Like other Perennial vegetables, Crambe's strong root system gives these lovely kale relatives access to deep minerals.

Their seeds have a corky coating, which allows them to float off and inhabit new shores! 

In the past, I've tried growing from seed a few times, then read that root and stem cuttings are much easier to start, and was able to get a few pieces of root last fall. There is an old population near a lighthouse on our coast, and these were exposed and so likely to break off in stormy weather and high tides. 

I simply tucked them in gallon pots of potting soil, putting a piece of garden fleece over each pot to keep slugs and other visitors out, and left then on my front porch over the winter.  

I was so excited to see each of the three cuttings beginning to leaf out. There was a nice root on the piece I just planted, and I'll give one to a friend who first introduced me to this long lived denizen of shingle banks!! 

Garden Goodness

This year during our time at home, my daughter and son-in love planted a big garden, and I've enjoyed the benefits! They have a large lot, and a lot of familiar crops. 

Last summer, I got a damaged wading pool from our local Toy Store, planning to use it for a raised bed garden ... I found a sunny spot between my garage and apple tree, planted some simple containers in it in June. I also moved in a couple of tomatoes and a Taro. 

I'm enjoying watching seedlings emerge Orach, okra, spicy greens and salad mix, carrots, purslane ...

I recently harvested seed from my perennial spinach and quinoa relative, Good King Henry - Blitum Bonus-henricus, and simmered some with quinoa for a tasty and naturally gluten free porridge. I've had my patch for over a decade, and appreciate it's carefree nature! 

It is in a corner that rarely gets extras water, is one of the first spring greens, and I'm still harvesting leaves to eat like spinach. I found the idea for porridge on a British blog. 

 Good King Henry

Pollen from GKH has been found in sites back to the bronze age in Britain and Western Europe. The author Alison also enjoys perennial herbs - which with their established root systems, are often more nutrient dense than their annual counterparts. 

She offered a recipe for Khoubiza, a Moroccan warm "salad" - or pesto - made with common mallow and purslane! I loved the idea, and those plants both volunteer freely in my daughter's garden! My younger grandson loves purslane, so I had him keep me gather the leaves. I used coconut oil, and gathered fresh Thai basil and parsley to add to a colander of the wild greens - yum!! 

 I sometimes forget how much flavor pesto adds to a dish - the small dark seeds in the quinoa are Good King Henry, and I added coconut milk yogurt and Khoubiza for a delightful lunch! What's growing in your garden?

T'is May!

As they often do this time of year, my thoughts and hands turn to gardening. It's been sunny the last week, and I've been digging ... 

My daughter and son-in law often have a lovely large garden, and we have two wonderful Farmers Markets, one year round, so I've not done much the last couple of years. There are always tomatoes, and I usually forget to harvest some of the garlic, so I divide and repent clumps in the spring! 

I've got a rather wild front yard (and am always surprised when someone stops to tell me how much they enjoy it! My camas blooms for a little while under a moss Rose and birch tree, a Rowan/Hawthorne cross is full of May Flowers (and produces delicious berries) Wallflower, primrose, flowering quince and calendula are blooming. 

Our local BiMart (NW chain, employee owned) has raised bed kits, and I decided to get one that's 3 x3' for the front, and some soil to fill it. .... There are front yard gardens sprinkled throughout my neighborhood, so I'm in good company! 

I looked up some YouTube videos, both on making and suggestions on filling the bed. 

• Dig out area under bed, remove roots etc
• Set the bed in place
• Cover the soil with Cardboard (barrier to roots, and worms love it)
• 2-3" native soil
• Next in layers: 2-3" potting soil, 1" compost/worm castings and 2" coconut noir (I've had this in bricks that you moisten and break down) and 2 C rock dust ... Mix a bit, add another layer till your bed is full enough. Add other amendments you like - kelp, bone meal, ...
• Water with 1/2 cup fish fertilizer in 5 gallon bucket of water, and let sit a bit

Camas and tulips

By adding nutrients, I re-use potting soil from containers, and will see what's ready to use from my compost bin. I've picked up several herbs, and may include some of those. I've already planted tarragon and thyme in one of the back beds.

What's in your garden?