Edible Balcony Update - September 2009

Well it's been four weeks since the new herbs and vegetables went in. Thanks to record warm weather in Sydney they look like I've been feeding them steroids! We're already using the basil, rocket and young rainbow silverbeet shoots in salads. I've used the rosemary for my Roman baked lamb dish, curry leaves in a yellow lamb curry with fragrant basmati rice and mint in a refreshing mojito cocktail!

The baby carrots and mini-beetroots are doing well although as they grow I regret not putting them in a larger pot. They are not going to have the space to develop fully I fear.

This soft leaf rocket is absolutely moorish with a mild peppery taste. I think I may put some more in since we're eating it faster than it can grow.

The rainbow silverbeet is going off. I'm harvesting the leaves while they are youngish so we can eat them raw in salads. The multi-coloured stalks look like pieces of candy stick.

My two tomato varieties are flowering now. The bushy Tub Toms on the right are throwing off more flowers in a compact shrub. The cherry tomato variety on the left, the Tom Thumb variety, is sprouting wide leaves with only a few flower stems but still seems to be doing well.

The Curry Leaf tree has been lapping up the warm weather and has about 8 new branches of sprouts with many ornamental berry clusters just showing.

The parsley and mint are enjoying their little corner

Stay tuned for your next report from Farmer Naidoo in October.