My garden is fantastic! This week we’ve used quite a bit of basil, parsley, some radishes, lots of lettuce and the big news is . . there are baby tomatoes!
Did I tell you how many tomato plants we have? Last time I counted, we had 88 plants. That is way too many but every time we saw a variety we didn’t have, we bought it and some of those packs have 9 plants so they added up more quickly than we realized. Next spring I’ll have to be more careful about buying tomatoes or else I need a bigger garden.
The little kitchen garden is going great too. This is mostly lettuce and radishes. I plant the radishes anywhere there’s an open spot. They make and are gone so quickly, they won’t interfere with anything. I’ve been pulling the outer leaves off the lettuce to use in salads and on sandwiches. We use the tops of the radishes in salads too.
The only problems so far are (1) the cucumbers don’t look so good. I looked at the garden center yesterday and what they had looked as bad as mine. They told me it’s been a rough spring for cucumbers so I’ll just see what happens with mine. And, (2) the only spot I had for the fennel is way too sunny and I think it’s going to struggle, if not just give up and die in the full sun.
Everything else is going fine. I love being able to run out and snip parsley or basil or grab a few leaves of lettuce. We can hardly wait for tomatoes and I’m betting by the time they’re all done, I’ll be very sorry we planted to many!
Kelly E says
And to think I thought I overdid it with tomato plants in 3 different varieties!! Sounds like you will be VERY busy canning this summer.
Diane says
You may need to contract with the local grocer to sell some of your tomatoes or you won’t get to quilt for all the canning you will be doing! LOL
I do love a good tomato! I have two plants and both are FULL of blooms and I am the only one who eats them. I will be giving them away too. LOL
Cindy From California says
And I thought I was crazy with 22 tomato plants in eight varieties!! Last year I canned 50 quarts, dried lots, ate tomatoes with mozzerella cheese everyday and still had boxes to give to the local food bank!
Dirt Road Scrapper says
Have you heard the song, “Homegrown Tomatoes”? I have it on my sidebar on my blog and here’s the accompanying post:
http://dirtroadscrapper.blogspot.com/2009/03/ive-got-tomatoes-on-brain.html
With all the tomatoes ya’ll planted, you’ll be singing this one all year!
Pat says
And I am on the opposite end of the spectrum…when we moved here and downsized on a yard, we had to cut way back and so we only have 4 tomato plants. *sigh* We are usually lucky with them, though, and get almost more than we can eat (but not, of course, enough to can). Your garden sounds wonderful….but 88 tomato plants is a LOT!!!!
Penny says
Gosh, the weather must be a lot warmer there then it is here in little old England. We haven’t even planted tomatoes yet alone got baby fruits! All I’ve managed to pick is a bunch of mint and chives today. Tomorrow I plan to sow some French bean seeds but even those will have to stay inside for a little longer.
Jackie Hicks says
concerning the tomatoes – my motto is put them up when you got them. Some years are just bad for gardens and we did not have any to put up and the over abundant years have made up for it – canned tomatoes last for several years if they are sealed.
Melinda says
Why don’t you have Vince build a little shed or umbrella for your fennel? 😀
Holly says
The only vegetables growing around here are the herbs from last year! Parsley, thyme, and chives. We have had rollercoaster weather;yesterday was 80 and this weekend we might get snow! Blah.
pdudgeon says
just make notes about your tomatoes like you do your quilts and you’ll know first hand which varities to buy next year.
don’t forget to freeze some too. those fresh frozen tomato chunks taste great in Winter soups.
Carol says
Freeze chucks of tomatoes…I’ll have to try it when the crops come in. Thanks for the idea.
Liz says
One year I had a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes – I would clean and halve them. Marinated them in olive oil and herbs. I froze some and also them fresh, then tossed in pasta, than cooked them into a soup. Then, more were ready and I started all over again. I agree that the tomatoes were great in the winter.
I just finished the first of 4 raised veggie beds today so I went and got 3 tomato plants and 2 cucs.
I am so looking forward to fresh homegrown tomatoes.
Deputy's Wife says
I am seeing a lot of canning in your future!
Evelyn says
I think you probably could send some through the food processor and freeze it – then use that as a base for some soups and pasta sauces over the winter. It kills me what the grocery store will charge for ONE tomato. And they are weird too- almost plastic – if I set one from my friends garden on the window sill with a store-bought one… the garden one gets ripe very, very fast. That store-bought one will look exactly like the day I bought it for at least a month – you have to wonder what they do to our foods to keep them looking that way. So, plant away and enjoy your bounty and if you have extra – you always can share! I know someone who has almost an acre of blueberry bushes (under nets, no less) and he lets people come pick – he just asks to know how much was picked so he can record it in his garden journal! Cheers! Evelyn