Blooming Lettuce

Before I ripped them out, I thought I'd show everyone what happens when lettuce goes to seed.  It isn't something that most people are aware of.

Seeds result after flowers are pollinated.  Doesn't matter if that flower is an ornamental or edible.  If you buy a plant seed, its parent had to flower.  Blooming broccoli is quite pretty.  Just doesn't taste good.

Everything is blooming early, after the heat waves we've been having in this La Niña year.  I got an enormous first artichoke out of Artie.  The stevia is already bolting and needs frequent trimming.  The celery, parsley, and oregano are holding their own.  I thought one kale was going to go, but it was just having trouble in the heat.

I'm planting my spring seeds and hoping it stays cool enough for them to do well.  I'm supposed to have three more months of temperate weather before summer sets in.  Instead, I'm already getting cherry tomatoes.  Just one volunteer in the box.  I'm not putting much in the Pond this year, so the calendula can finish killing the nematodes.

One last shot of the Pond before I got around to weeding and pulling out the watercress.  It was also going to seed and tough from the heat.  The planter box was refilled for turnips.  Without competition, the calendula are finally starting to flower.