This year I was enticed by photos of multicolour Easter egg radishes in the West Coast Seeds catalogue and recipe inspiration from my favourite cookbook. I read the seed planting instructions carefully, and did a first sow mid-February, then again early of March, two rows each of Spanish black radishes and the Easter Egg variety. Everything came up, the radishes were well watered by the rain, and appropriately spaced. Last week I pulled a few bunches of the Easter Egg ones (they come in purple and pink),  briefly considered taking a photo but ate them instead. The Spanish black radishes are now all leggy and bolting, but without any radishy bits. Boo.

This is the third year in a row that I’ve tried the Spanish black radishes and I have no idea what I’ve done wrong. If you know, don’t bother telling me, because I am not planting them again. I was chatting with my ultimate green-thumb friend Brian and he doesn’t even grow radishes anymore as he hasn’t had a lot of luck either.

Other garden things:

• The weather is unseasonably hot and so we are watering all the time. Some plants like the lilacs, lilies and poppies are loving the heat, while the peonies are suffering.
• It feels like mid-July and I am wearing my matronly Mediterranean Villa wardrobe every day because it is so hot.
• Last year’s kale has gone to seed. The yellow flowers were very popular with bees and am hoping to harvest some of the seed pods for late summer plantings.
• Last year’s Italian endive overwintered and then went crazy this spring before bolting. We enjoyed the last leaves in an over-spicy “magic crockpot creation”; we currently have no kitchen so are alternating between barbecuing and bad crackpot recipes. Tip: crockpot pasta is a bad idea.
• Peas and fava beans are doing fairly well.
• Last weekend I planted half a bed of tricolour bush beans and half pole beans.
• This weekend I am hoping to plant all my “June” seeds: cucumbers, squash, cilantro.  I will have extra space for it this year as the only spring seeds to really grow were the lake storm: endive and fennel didn’t germinate, but if it did, the slugs got it.
• Last weekend my West coast brother and I visited family in Edmonton and planted my Albertan brother’s vegetable box for him. I set up a daily outlook reminder so he will get into the watering habit. Mannix: beans should be up!