Christie C. “There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments.” —
Janet Kilburn Phillips
When I first started gardening, I envied all of the beautiful gardens out there with incredible yields and flourishing flowers. As I work with the small space I have, I’ve learned to appreciate what my garden can reasonably produce, even if I do not have the ideal amount of space and resources.
When May came through, garden life started picking up and the foliage got a little wild. I made the mistake of falling down the stairs the day before I wanted to clean her up a bit, and I ended up throwing my back out. But, I wanted to carry on worked through the discomfort because I was too excited to share some garden updates!
Where I am in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, the weather has been unpredictable with cool and hot spells shrinking and expanding in waves. In terms of comfort, this was nice, but it left my plants a bit confused, so they took longer than usual to sprout and grow. So far, the mints and lettuces have been the strongest crops.
Spearmint: My Love-Hate Herb
This spearmint has been with me since the dawn of my gardening adventures. I made the mistake of planting it into the ground years ago, and mint can be very invasive. Despite this, however, it hasn’t taken over my soil too badly, and it has become a welcomed friend along the fence of my garden bed. However, it did get a little out of control this season, so I have dramatically cut back on it.
If I’m being honest, I’m not the biggest fan of mint; it tends to remind me too much of toothpaste. However, I very much like the taste of spearmint. It is milder and sweeter than other mint varieties, so it blends well with both sweet and savory dishes. I use it the most in teas, Mediterranean, and North African inspired dishes. An old acquaintance of my mine from Morocco shared her mint green tea recipe with me, and I now use the spearmint quite frequently in this beverage.
Green Ice Lettuce: Good, but not sure if I’ll grow it again.
Not to be confused with iceberg lettuce, Green Ice Lettuce is a type of loose-leaf lettuce that has lumpy and curly leaves. It does not bolt as quickly as other lettuce varieties—which, honestly, has been beneficial during the hot spells this spring.
Although not my favorite lettuce (I prefer Red Sails Lettuce and Rouge d’Hiver Romaine), it still has delightfully crisp leaves and a refreshing flavor. I shared a leaf with my local delivery driver last week, and he was shocked that homegrown lettuce wasn’t bitter.
Hubby and I ate it with some fresh salmon and roasted garlic potatoes. It was addicting with sweet chili sauce. I don’t think I’ll grow this variety again. I liked the fact that it did not bolt quickly, but it just didn’t taste as nice as the Red Sails and Rouge d’Hiver varieties.
Marjoram: A tried and true favorite
Like my spearmint, my marjoram has been planted into the ground and comes back every season. Since oregano can be very strong and peppery, I typically substitute it with marjoram since it tastes similar, but has a richer and sweeter flavor to me. One of my favorite ways to use it is in my Fresh Italian Seasoning.
Lemon Thyme: Another tried and true favorite
I cannot live without Lemon Thyme! Normally, English Thyme is readily available at my local markets, and I will definitely use it in a pinch. However, I much prefer the sweet and lemony flair of lemon thyme. It adds a substantial amount of flavor to my dishes. I use it in my Pollock and Henbit Deadnettle Salad, Fresh Italian Seasoning, Chicken with Cream Sauce, and all of my pizzas.
Future Harvests
I look forward to future harvests. The Dragon Tongue Beans and Greek Mountain Mint are doing well. However, I’m struggling to get the Marvelette Blue Calamintha and Purple Hull Pinkeye Cowpeas growing. Wish me luck I get them healthy!
