Our most unusual plants

This year we were able to find some rather unusual plants to grow in our garden -- at least for us. Last year we stuck to the usual "garden" variety of plants but this year thought it would be fun to try a few new things.

One of the prettiest is the mesculun. It is a variety of lettuce with spiky leaves, usually mixed with other salad greens. This sure looks pretty in the garden. I think it looks like a low-growing bedding plant. I am sure it will be wonderful in our salads.

We have an even spiker-looking mesculun plant, too.

At the top of this photo, above, are the choy. I think it is bok choy but the tag said choy. I can't wait until we see what it turns out to be. I do know it is a chinese vegetable and I like how it looks in the garden. I think it is very pretty. Kind of like cabbage but with shiny leaves.

We still have the parsnips we planted in the fall. I am not sure we will have a good outcome with our parsnips but they are really growing large and green. I have read recently that they need to be harvested after cold weather returns but before they flower. I am very confused. I think they look good. Every few days I dig down a little to see if there is a parsnip on the end. So far I can't see anything promising.

Cold weather is supposed to make parsnips sweet. I love a good roasted parsnip but I am concerned that we planted them too early. Right now they are fine. I would hate to have to harvest them before cool weather. I might not like bland parsnips.

I guess a little uncertainty is part of growing new vegetables.