It is the time of year when the harvest of vegies makes you feel like you could eat forever and still have food. It has been weeks since I have been to the grocery, but it is only today when I finally feel like I need to go pick up some bread and milk and odds and ends.
As I write this, the roma tomatoes are on the stove, simmering into a mess that will become tomatoe/spaghetti sauce and the rest of the tomatoes await canning tomorrow. Some will get canned plain, but some will become cilantro tomatoes for a summer delight later when the snow is piled high.
Tomorrow will be a busy day, there is swiss chard and kale to pick and freeze, pickles to be made and late summer seeds to be sown... now all we need is just a bit of rain...
I planted hops this year, and if they survive, I'll have a bumper crop of two types of hops next year.
ReplyDeleteI think I'd also like to plant some veggies next year. Any tips on doing it successfully? Tomatoes and peppers (green , jalapeno, etc) would be good, I think, maybe even zucchini...
I just don't have much gardening talent or experience. I do have a big yard with a fence though!
I think I finally convinced David to plant Hops next year... which means I will also be able to convince him to start brewing again. Either that, or I will start brewing without him ;-)
ReplyDeleteTomatoes are really pretty easy, the biggest thing is SUN. Remember, they are a tropical plant, so they want as much sun as possible. Pick the tomato variety by the amount of space you have. They are also fairly viney, so caging the or tieing them up makes them much easier to deal with. You can also pick the variety based on what you want to do with the tomatoes- will you make sauce? salsa? can or freeze? or just want them for summer eating? Remember that tomatoes love to grow near basil or marigolds.
Peppers can be a little more tempermental. They like full sun, but hate to get their feet wet. But they also hate to dry out. Go figure. We had a wonderful crop of peppers last year, but tried them in a different garden location this year and they are awful. I am switching zucchini and peppers next year...
Other veggies that are easy: spinach, leaf lettuces ( if you are a salad person) radishes, also fresh herbs.. basil, cilantro, dill, etc..
When you start thinking about it next spring, let me know..