Companion Planting
Posted: 5/18/2009 1:47 AM
Last week, I harvested most of the veggies on the right side of the garden. I pulled all but one beet, about half the carrots, half the potatoes and the rest of the arugula. Finally, there was plenty of room for new plants. I added some Miracle Gro Organic Garden Soil, since the level of the soil had sunk a bit. Then, I brought out the plants that I'd started from seed a few weeks ago. Everything had germinated, other than the cherry tomatoes--but at the moment, there's no room for them anyway. I placed the eggplant at the front of the right side, and planted the cucumber in the back right corner, by the trellis. Next, I planted six corn plants in a triangular pattern, close to the soaker hose. Corn is a heavy nitrogen eater and will suck all the nitrogen out of the soil. However, beans and beets are nitrogen givers. So, I planted seeds for both in between the corn stalks. By growing all three vegetables in the same general area of the garden, the soil will remain balanced.
Corn
There are tons of beans in the garden right now--green, yellow and burgundy. I need to harvest them daily, before they get too large. Once they start to bulge, they get tough and just don't taste as good.
String Bean Harvest
So, if you're wondering what burgundy beans taste like-I know I was-well, they taste a lot like green beans. I tried the three varieties of beans with my eyes closed. The flavor of each one differed just slightly and all three were delicious!
Soon, I'll be picking basil and tomatoes--yeah! There are small green tomatoes all over and there is almost enough basil to make our first batch of pesto.
Basil and Tomato Plants
Yesterday, I noticed some black round stuff on the tomato leaves. Although I didn't see any worms or bite marks, something's been leaving its droppings there. So, I got out the Dr. Earth Organic Home & Garden Insect Spray and applied it to the tomato plant. Tomato worms are the ugliest creatures I've ever seen and they can quickly decimate a tomato plant. The last thing I want is for my garden to become their home. So, with the help of Dr. Earth, I kicked them out (I hope).
The first Serrano pepper is almost ready and my husband will be thrilled. He loves spicy peppers-the hotter the better. Hopefully, we'll have a good crop this year.
Serrano Pepper
In order to keep up with the garden, we're eating home more often. It's amazing how much you can grow in just 64 square feet! Here are the top recipes of the week: "Creamed Spinach in the White House," New York Times Times (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/creamed-spinach-in-the-white-house/); Chimichurri (a fabulous sauce/marinade that calls for lots of flat-leaf parsley www.epicurious.com); and Avocado, Beet and Arugula Salad with Chevre Tartine (http://www.allrecipes.com/ ). I also made red potato french fries. I cut up the potatoes and cooked them in canola oil. My kids said they tasted just like the fries at In and Out Burger, which is a tremendous complement!