After all my outdoor plants died in my kitchen during our upgrade, I was required to start anew. I diligently worked the soil, carefully planted beans and seeds, added plant food and hoped all would thrive. Spring can let me down and it has — again and again.
Lettuce leaves popped up, snow peas said hello, but not for the first time, green onions were a no-show. Observing the progress of my balcony garden is most exciting at harvest time.
Here’s what I got:
4 wispy shoots of dill
7-8 snow peas
20 little lettuce leaves (approx)
7 chives
1 tiny baby kale ***
***I grabbed the tiny kale leaf shown in the photo below before three little birds could get at it. They always arrive together, are smaller than robins and absolutely fascinating. They consider my kale ‘best in the neighbourhood’ and as soon as any dares pop up through the soil, whammo. All gone!
I’m happy as a lark watching this unusual trio and pondering their unusual sex-life. They devastate my pot of kale and make a mess on my new balcony floor, but they are certainly fun to watch.
Frankly, it looks like a menage a trois to me. That handsome male is full of himself, cock of the walk — strutting about with his magnificent scarlet head and posing this way and that as he watches over his two brown females like a stallion watches over his mares. Weird? True!
Wanna see the action? Seats on my balcony are available for lucky you at a reduced rate of $3 an hour to observe this unusual threesome. Everyone else pays $5.
View from Over the Hill 
Such a green thumb!
Green thumb? Not really, but ever hopeful.
Did you make a salad with it 🙂
Yes, but I need to add store-bought veggies to do so. No matter. I love picking those little lettuce leaves. The visiting birds don’t seem interested in them so they are all MINE! Yeah!
You are under-charging. The bird show is worth $10 or more!
Look Fella: You know I’m a good kid and willing to share the show. Take care…
Great post—glad to see that you’re being an “urban gardener”! Could the birds possibly be House Finches? The male does have a reddish head, while the females are a beige/pale brown colour. Also, the beigey ones could be youngsters, learning to eat your delicious kale:)
Thanks Val: I don’t know one bird from another but I do enjoy them. Youngsters? Maybe, but my own interpretation is so much fun, I’ll hold on to it. Chuckle…
So your kale seems to be quiet popular 😊
Yup! Those little birds just love it, but they turn up their noses at my lettuce, so I get to eat that myself.
How fun to watch our gardens grow…and to see a bird show at the same time. Wishing you well.
Absolutely. I certainly find the antics of the birds amusing and delight in adding home-grown lettuce to my salads. All the best back to you too!
Gardening is good hobby to consider to spend time with green👌👌
I totally agree even though our unusual heat this summer destroyed most of the hopes I had in spring. Such is life, right? Cheers, Muriel