Now harvesting ….
- Heirloom tomatoes
- Carrots
- Lettuce
- Beets
- Green Beans
- Swiss Chard
- Kale
- Arugula
It was hard waiting and being patient to harvest my carrots. Although, I must admit, I cheated and pulled a couple of them early to see the colors! Finally, my patience has paid off and I pulled the carrots to discover colors of yellow, purple, white and orange … just beautiful!
My heirloom tomatoes are going crazy! The Italian heirloom tomatoes are the largest tomatoes I have ever seen and the plant itself grew over 6-1/2 feet tall and had to be topped. The winner for best flavor goes to the Hungarian Ox Heart tomato and Yugoslavian tomato. They are big and beefy, very little seeds and a taste that is out of this world. I have saved the seed and will try my hand at starting them inside for next season – another first for me! My last count, about 1 month ago tallied 114 tomatoes formed … I’m sure that count is even higher now.
A Learning Process – What I’ve Learned
This is my first vegetable garden, and a learning process.
- I’ve learned that I need to thin my beets and carrots better next year so that they grow larger.
- I’ve learned that I don’t like my lettuce in the middle of the garden and I want to plant it at the edge of the garden shaded by a larger plant.
- I’ve learned that I love Swiss Chard! I never tasted Swiss Chard before I planted it and I absolutely love, love, love it! I’ve sautéed it with garlic, olive oil, lemon and a pinch of red pepper flakes and I’ve made a salad with it … oh soo good! I’ve dubbed Swiss Chard as my new favorite green!
- I’ve learned what heirloom seeds are. What are Heirlooms? Seed Savers Exchange defines an heirloom as any garden plant that has a history of being passed down within a family, just like pieces of heirloom jewelry or furniture. Some companies have tried to create definitions based on date, such as anything older than 50 years.
- I’ve learned that if I soak my seeds they germinate faster! I did two plantings of green bush beans and the first planting I did not soak and they took forever to come up. The second planting came up in a few days and shot up like jack in the beanstalk! (Of course, I’m sure the warmer soil had much to do with that for my second planting.)
- I’ve learned that I really don’t want to plant broccoli and cauliflower – they take up too much space and I’d rather enjoy more of some other vegetables.
- And most important of all, I’ve learned that I love vegetable gardening!
Pasta Princess and More 
Beautiful vegetables (I LOVE those colorful carrots!!) and great tips, thank you! Sounds like you’ve had an extremely successful first vegetable garden!
Thanks so much! Yes, I am so happy with the success of my vegetable garden … and lots of help from mother nature! 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Love it! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you and thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. Have a great weekend!
Swiss chard is my favorite vegetable too! Try it tossed with garlic, olive oil and roasted potato cubes. Toss it with pasta (pigs ears work best), a little pesto and parmesan cheese. Or just lay some pan-seared scallops on top of a big pile of cooked chard. Luscious any way and so good for you!
Hi 🙂 Thanks so much for the other suggestions – they all sound wonderful! I planted more swiss chard the other week so hopefully I’ll be having some in the fall. Fall??? Yikes … can you believe how fast time is flying?!
A PS…where do you get those exotic tomatoes? They are exactly the type I like — beefy with only a few seeds.
I purchased these as small tomato plants locally. But seedsavers.org has a nice selection of heirloom tomatoes and I also googled my variety and came up with reimerseeds.com. You should try them – they are sooo good! Some are so large that they actually extend beyond the bread!
What a rainbow of carrots! I grew up with gardening, so I always love to hear about people’s first experiences into the hobby. :]
Thank you Linda and thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment! I too grew up in a very rural area and my Dad had a huge garden. I’m not sure why I waited so long to try my hand a vegetable garden but I’m sure glad I did!
I currently live in an apartment and can only do what fits and works on my balcony…My goal is to eventually buy a plot of land and have a large garden and an orchard/berry patch and whatnot. Can’t wait until I get back to my roots!
I love your goal/vision! You’ll have it! 🙂
Thanks! I work towards it everyday! :]
Love the tomatoes! They look amazing and like tomatoes I’ve had in Spain. We once bought a tomato that was lunch for two with just a bit of bread (plus evoo, s&p obviously).
Thanks! I can believe a tomato large enough for lunch for two! Mine extend beyond the bread for a sandwich and they are so good! Enjoy your weekend! 🙂
Thanks! You, too!
So exciting! Love the color of the carrots – next year, when you thin them, use the small ones, as they can be so yummy! Speaking of learning, we planted cucumbers for the first time this year, and learned they are BIG growers. Had to train them to grow UP instead of our & all over the place. But 2 small seedlings have yielded big results. Congratulations on becoming a Gardener!
Thank you! I’m so glad you had great luck with your cumcumbers. They are on my list for next year. Was it hard to train them to grow up? I mentioned to my husband that he’d be building me something for my cucumbers and squash so they could grow vertically.
At first, the cukes were a bit stubborn…until they realized that I was serious about them not growing on the ground.,used the “green tape for tying them up on the poles, and then they cooperated. You have to keep cutting off the cukes as they mature, or else they stop producing new fruits.
Beautiful vegetables!
Thank you! I love the different colors.