The Constant Gardener

Three months ago I planted a garden and the results have been impressive. We’re inundated by tomatoes, which is hardly a bad thing. The yellow boys have been awesome, and of course the cherry and yellow pear tomatoes just explode in your mouth. I was worried about my eggplant, but they are so succulent that to create a dip or salad out of them would be heresy—pan-frying them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper are the way to go.

We haven’t bought salad greens in over 2 months, and I don’t know if I could ever eat store-bought lettuce after having greens fresh from the backyard. They have more water, are more savory, and just explode with flavor. The arugula has taken over: it’s already flowering, so I assume it will just keep growing wild over the next several years if I let it.

The peppers have been a bust: for the yield we’ve reaped, I think we’re better off just buying them at a farmers’ market. We’ve had plenty of zucchini, but I think I’m going to try a rare heirloom variety that you don’t see in markets or stores. I’ve enjoyed our “purple green beans,” but again, I think I want to try a more unique variety that offers a different taste.

The verdict is not quite out on my melons . . . the vines sprawl all over, and I have two baby ones now, but the one we did pick (well, it fell off the vine), was just okay. And as for the cucumbers, the Armenian variety are delicious, the standard breed, not so much . . .

I’ve learned a few lessons: don’t overcrowd, which I didn’t think I was doing but everything took to the soil and grew like mad. I bought too much:  most of the squash plants went into pots, which really wasn't as success, though I do have a huge pumpkin growing on the hillside.  Make sure you have large enough cages for your tomatoes—some almost collapsed from their growth and weight of all that fruit. And overall, neem oil as an insecticide is the way to go: I’ve noticed a reduction in bugs without the nasty side effects of chemicals.

The benefits are numerous. We, and the dog, are outside more, we’re more connected to food, we get more sun (and vitamin D), and I feel as if I get great exercise. Next time I have an hour, I’m going to the nursery and pick their workers' minds over what to plant for the winter!