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 