Time to Think About Gardening
I just took a walk around my slushy and muddy back yard and let my eyes wander toward my garden. It got me thinking about my gardening successes and failures over the last few years.
There are a few things that always do well. I always get a good crop from my peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos and of course, my garlic. Now that doesn’t mean we actually get to eat everything. The peppers tend to last most of the year since I like to dry my hot peppers or make hot sauce that goes into the freezer. Same goes for the tomatillos. We are almost out of last summers garlic but I can see that what I planted last fall coming up through the slush. My big problem is my gorgeous tomatoes. They always grow so nicely. At least the deer and squirrels think so. I make donations of my delicious tomatoes to uninvited critters every year and, to be totally honest, I’m tired of making donations that aren’t deductable! Last summer we put up high stakes (literally) and wrapped string around the them to make our fence look higher. It worked for a little while, then I think the deer figured it out. If anyone has any suggestions, we would love to hear from you!
I like to try something new each year. I’ve tried artichokes, cukes, squash, peas, snap peas, beans, egg plant, onions, broccoli rabe, fennel, I can go on, but I won’t. We had a great crop of green beans last year, so we will be trying them again and giving them more room. They were yummy! Tomatillos were my first test. I wasn’t sure if I could grow them and was excited how easy they were to grow. You just have to make sure you don’t put them in the ground too early. They don’t like it cold. Tomatillos and herbs have attained the permanent status. I’m still working on everything else.
I used to love the winter, but I’m really thining spring right now.
Daydreaming about a nice heirloom tomato salad…….