At this time of year it is hard to find some fresh crops to eat - April and early May are not called Hungry Gap months for nothing! Leeks, Parsnips, Potatoes, Cabbages and some other brassicas etc are coming to the end of their life, stored veg begins to sprout/soften/go off and sometimes it is nice to have something fresh and green, rather than root or stored veg.
I grow some Kales and Purple Sprouting Broccoli, some outside and a also few plants inside the polytunnel for when the weather is really foul and I can't face harvesting from the outside veg patch.
All of these can be sown now, to harvest either soon ish or in the winter months.
Stuff I grow which I am still harvesting
Asparagus Kale, from the Heritage Seed Library (HSL) . Soft buttery flavoured leaves which I like to nibble on, raw, straight from the plant. Wonderful picked and cooked immediately.
Nero de Toscana Kale - ditto slightly stronger flavour and an interesting , crinkled texture.
Purple Sprouting Broccoli - I have 8 outside plants, started harvesting the shoots in Feb and have finally just finished picking the last crop of shoots!
The hens get the tough leaves, still attached to the stems, to nibble on - finally they are allowed to eat it!
Broccoli Raab, I am growing 40, 60 and 90- day varieties from MoreVeg seeds and the 40 day variety is ready in the polytunnel now - I have sown more as we are eating the first lot I sowed in March. Another plant I eat raw when in the polytunnel. A spicy version of Purple Sprouting Broccoli I think, but not as strong flavoured as Mustard Greens - something else I grow as a salad leaf.
I still have a thriving patch of Perpetual Spinach which I planted seed for last April, the plants are still going strong and giving me lots of tasty leaves.
We are also now eating Rocket, Mizuma, Mustard greens and Asparagus Lettuce (seeds from HSL) Again an early planting in the polytunnel but you could grow them on a windowsill inside and get good, early crops.
Something I am very pleased about this year is my sucess at growing Watercress "Aqua" - never tried this before as I thought it needed clean flowing water ( like the watercress beds in Hertfordshire near where I grew up as a child) but no! you CAN grow it in a pot! and it is lovely!
Some of these can be grown on a windowsill or in a conservatory, even if you do not have a greenhouse or polytunnel - so why not try something new this year?