April 14, 2008A source for heirloom tomato plants
Apparently, owner Bruce Feldberg noticed the rising popularity if heirloom and specialty tomato varieties in gardening magazines and on food shows and local plates. As a result, he has not 10 or 20 varieties for sale at his store, but 90!! Feldberg also has 40 different kinds of peppers, so head over and check those out, too. So far, my vegetable garden consist of two cherry tomato seedlings in paper cups that I got from a co-worker. I'd also like to get a few Better Boy plants, but my plot isn't quite ready for anything yet. I've also purchased some seeds for rainbow chard, yellow squash and zucchini. I guess I've got some work to do!
March 27, 2008Garden, Part IIThanks to everyone for their great garden tips following yesterday's blog entry! -- Don't plant too early. My next question has to do with controlling pests of the smaller variety. I know bugs can be a big problem with a home garden, but I don't want to use any harsh chemicals. If possible, I'd love to be able to use organic methods. Does anyone have any suggestions on that front? Conveniently, I just received a big, beautiful cookbook in my mailbox called "Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes: Recipes from a Modern Kitchen Garden" by Jeanne Kelley. I'll attach a recipe after the jump. March 26, 2008How does your garden grow?
I can't believe it's taken me so long. As tempted as I am to go whole hog, planting row after row of tomatoes, green beans, squash and peppers, I think I had better start small this year. So I plan to spend this weekend tilling up a small square in the corner of my yard -- a patch just big enough for a beginner. After my family relocated to Virginia from Colorado in the early 1980s, my parents always had a garden in the back yard. It was barely half the size of my grandparents' garden, but it still turned out all of the veggies I mentioned above, along with spring onions, asparagus, corn, lettuce greens and much more. My father has a green thumb. When he ran out of space in his own backyard garden, he borrowed a big plot on a friend's farm and planted enough green beans to feed five families for a year. I doubt if I'll ever get to that point of infatuation, but I know I have it in my blood to at least grow a few Better Boys. In light of the tanking economy and the burgeoning slow food movement, I figure it'll save money and help the environment if I can do at least a portion of my produce shopping in my own backyard. How many of my faithful blog readers out there are gardeners as well as foodies? What are your favorite vegetables to grow? If you've got any tips to share with a beginner, bring them on. |
Related linksFrom the Roanoke Times
Other food blogsGood food/recipe sitesFind me here.....Advertisement.....
|
...Advertisement...
...Advertisement...
