Wow we are sure going green around here! I'm so excited about all my garden starts. It does take some planning ahead but I can't believe how much money we are saving because we started our own seeds instead of buying the plants this year. Not only that but we are going to have more plants then we have garden for. So if you are nearby I'll let you know after we have planted all that will fit in my garden and I'll happily give you some leftover starts!
Would you like to know what we are planting? Well when it stops raining maybe I'll give you a tour of my garden! We have carrots, beets, onions, spinach, lettuces, Kale, radishes, and peas coming up. Squash, pole beans and a few other seeds ready to plant. And then just look at these plants that are ready to go in the ground. I hope it will warm up so we can transplant them!
Cabbage!
Cauliflower! Can you tell it's related to cabbage?!
Chamomile! I'm very excited about this one, the cutest little flowers and oh such a wonderful herb!
Echinacea also known as Cone Flower, love it like I do Chamomile!
Hyssop! Another wonderful, beautiful, tasty, healing herb!
Lobelia! Again awesomely medicinal! So excited to have this one!
I also have comfrey, yarrow, evening primrose, sage, cilantro, parsley, anise hyssop, and oregano comming back in my herb gardens. I'm so excited to add these others! Along with some Basil seeds, Licorice, Calendula, and Purslane! Oh I just love herbs! But of course you know that!
Oh and we can't forget about all the lovely tomatoes! I have high hopes for lots and lots of tomatoes this year! We are going to try letting them vine up this years instead of doing cages hoping to be able to plant them closer together so we can maximize the little space we have.
And you can't have tomatoes without peppers right! Mmmm fresh salsa! I did learn one thing though, the germination of pepper seeds is quite a bit longer then most other seeds. Note to self.....Next year start peppers a good 2 weeks before everything else!
What about your Garden? What are some of your favorite things to plant? Are you already harvesting yours like my
Sister Emily is? Do you start your own plants from seed or do you buy your plants? Where have you found is the best place to buy garden starts? Do you have tricks that help you maximize your harvest?
We started an indoor garden this year in our apartment. We don't have sun coming though our window til evening so I am doing mine with a full spectum light. It is so exciting and I think our green onions are the first thing to be ready next week!
ReplyDeleteI really want to grow more fruit, I found a website to compare organic bluberry bushes, sizes and lbs of fruit produced http://backyardberryplants.com. We'll get one in July. I think raspberries will have to wait til we have our own place!
Planting and harvesting food is addicting!!
It seems like we're always planting and harvesting. I love herbs. I've found with the herbs that if I harvest and plant my own seed, I end up with better herbs.
ReplyDeleteMy garden wishes you guys lived closer so you could use up some of the space and we could plant and harvest and fix meals side by side. Sounds dreamy...eh?! Until July and August come along.
ReplyDeleteI am so proud of you for maximizing your small space and for working so hard on bein' green. 'Cause you know what they say...it ain't easy...bein' green. ;)
We plant a lot from seeds...and a lot from starts. The St. George area has some great places to get strong starts. And good old Star Nursery isn't bad either.
My favorite things to plant AND to harvest AND, most especially, to eat are...tomatoes, for sure!
Keep up the amazing work!
Love you loads, Em
Your plants look wonderful, Tam ! I love it that you are gardening and having success. Mighty proud, I am! Love, Mom
ReplyDeleteThis has nothing to do with gardening but I was so excited I just had to tell you about it! I was trying to make a cinnamon roll frosting to substitute for my unhealthy one, and ended up making non-dairy, egg-free pudding. And it was so fast and easy, especially compared to real homemade pudding (which I've done before). Here's the recipe:
ReplyDelete"Diane's Vegan Pudding"
1 can coconut milk (about 13 oz.)
2/3 or 3/4 Cup Sucanat
whole wheat flour
Melt the milk and sucanat on medium heat until smooth. Add wheat flour to desired thickness. It will thicken more as it cools, so don't go overboard. Whisk gently until there are no more lumps. That's it!
You could easily add a little carob powder to make it be "chocolate" pudding, or maybe (I haven't tried this yet) use raw sugar instead of sucanat and add a little vanilla.
This was almost the color of chocolate pudding, and had a mild, not-too-sweet, molasses-like flavor. . . very yummy! I thinned it with a little water after it got so thick, and it did work out great for my cinnamon roll frosting. You could also add a little cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg to make a non-dairy "cream cheese" type dip for apples slices.
Sorry for such a long comment, but I was so excited to tell you about it. You and your modified recipes have been a great inspiration to me! Keep up the good work, and let me know if you like this one. You're the best!
--Diane
Wooo hooo way to be a creative healthy cook Diane! That's one of the main intents of my blog is to help inspire others! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe we will have to give it a try! I love pudding!
ReplyDeleteWe haven't started our garden yet, but i do have plans to grow herbs and tomatoes on our balcony. There is nothing more satisfying than eating your own home grown produce (or so i imagine!!)
ReplyDelete