Gobo, Daikon, Blue Shiso Japanese Vegetables

Gobo, Daikon and Blue Shiso and some more conventional sowings!

My friend, Wali Hawes, a potter in Japan, sent me some seeds last year but I did not have chance to sow them when I found the marestail all over plot 29.

So this year I will see what happens. It’s a bit difficult to make out the instructions on the packet as my Japanese is nonexistent but I think the daikon is at 30cm spacings.

Gobo is burdock – as in dandelion and burdock – but I’ve never heard of Blue Shiso so more to come. I can see 30cm in the instructions so assume it is thin to that.

The instruction I had was ‘March’ but like the English veg, they’ll have to be late. Sowed on plot 29, deep bed 5.

I also sowed a patch of Carrots, Early Nantes 2 on deep bed 1. Just scattered the seed and raked over. No sign of germination of the other carrots I sowed.. give them chance!

On deep bed 4, the salad bed, the radishes are popping up but no sign of the white lisbon spring onions yet.

Sowed a few North Holland Blood Red spring onions.

Then to plot 5.

Sowed 3 rows of Chantenay Red Cored 2 – a stump rooted variety. Hope they will do OK in the heavier soil. although I have added a lot of leafmould to this bed. I drew a shallow drill and thinly scattered seeds, then covered with sharp sand.

After this I made a narrow path with turkey litter just to separate them and allow some walking room.

Finally sowed a patch of spinach, Samish F1. Since this will be successional, I’ll leave this 3 foot strip bare and sow some more next month.

Still lots to do and bad weather forecast – the gardener’s lot!