Jul 9th, 2007
Garden update
We’ve been eating lettuce and salad greens from our little garden for several weeks now. The bean plants started producing flowers a couple of weeks ago, and the first beans appeared last week. “It’ll be a while before they’re ready for eating,” I thought. Silly me. I had completely forgotten how beans can grow like crazy, rivaling only zucchini in their ability to take over a garden, your kitchen, and eventually your entire house.
I was out of town for the weekend, and when I inspected the garden this morning I discovered that it had been very very busy during my absence. In addition to lots of purple beans (which will be part of tonight’s dinner–yum), there’s the first cosmos blossom. Something’s been chewing on it a bit, but Sylvia didn’t notice at all–she thought it was fascinating and wanted nothing more than to touch it. It’s surrounded by tons of buds, so it will soon have companions.
And how about those tomatoes? I do like a nice fried-green-tomato sandwich (using cornmeal for breading and provolone for, um, cheesing), but I’m going to spare these fellows and let them find their destiny as bright red, end-of-summer tomatoes. On my plate. Some smaller tomatoes have shown up on the plant, and there are still tons of flowers waiting to turn into tomato-y goodness.
Finally, here’s a view of the chard-and-lettuce section of the box. The lettuce has lasted longer than I expected (I can’t remember if I bought a bolt-resistant seed mix…I probably did), but the nine-million-degree temperatures we’re having this week will probably signal its end. The chard is looking good, and I’ll probably use some of it soon to whip up some pasta with goat cheese, raisins, and sauteed chard.
Ach, I am so jealous of your garden! Our one sad tomato plant has given us two tasty little tomatoes, but now the aphids have gotten to it…
(from VV Swap!)
Hi Marsha,
I’ve been busy slowly getting your package together. I have to admit it is mighty fun because I love to be a tourist in my own city! We will be heading on a day trip sometime soon and we’ll take you virtual along because we are going to a favorite museum of mine. Also to give you a very vague hint, we have beaches — real ones!
Your garden pictures looks gorgeous and very tasty. If my pollen allergies weren’t so bad I’d plant a huge veggie and herb garden. Yum, fresh zucchini, tomatoes, snow peas, snap peas, lettuce and more I’d be in heaven :-D I’m not a veggie, but I eat like one a lot.
Take care from your tour guide in an undisclosed location
Marsha,
I tried emailing you but it came back to me! I just wanted to say thanks for your nice comment on my blog. I appreciate it.
Happy knitting,
Kate
Pumpkins are worse than zucchini. We tried one last year, ignorant of how quickly and aggressively they grow. We harvested two before destroying the vines. (They’d threatened to choke my heirloom tomatoes, so it was self-defense.)
This year, there’s one growing three feet on the other side of the fence. It started from the seed of a pumpkin the neighbors threw in their brush pile last fall. Naturally, it made it through the chain link fence into the space which our garden occupied last year. (Our friend who has a tiller never made it over here this spring, so we don’t have a garden this year.) Since we’ve got space this year, we’re going to let this renegade vine do its thing in our rough, overgrown garden space. Will have to blog about it I supppose.
Congrats on the beautiful garden. Bet B3 is having lots of fun watching everything grow.