Every time I walk outside I think – Welcome to year two of the garden!
Oh, but year two? Year two is wonderful.
At least it is for us so far. Plants returned from last year and are producing more than we expected. We were able to evaluate what we really wanted to plant, what we could skip and pick up at the farmer’s market and what new things with which we wanted to experiment.
The garden feels more organized. We even built a trellis so the cucumbers could grow up instead of out, and threw in an official compost bin that looks a bit nicer in the yard.
What else do you think we should grow?
Asparagus
Peppers – Lilac, Merlot, Poblano, Cherry, Better Belle, Red Knights, Goliath Goldrush, Anaheim, Mandarin, Paprika, Mariachi, Pinata, Centennial, Scotch Bonnet, Thai Chili, Sweet and Hot Banana
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| I can’t wait to have purple peppers! |
Tomatoes – San Marzano, Mr. Stripey, Sweet Cherry
Tomatillos
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| Dealing with some early blight and bugs, but the plants are recovering nicely. |
Japanese Eggplant, Thai Perch Eggplant
Patty Pan Scalloped Squash, Grey Zucchini
Dwarf Pak Choy
Herbs – Sweet and Thai Basil, Lemon Verbena, Celery Leaf, Chocolate Mint, Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, Oregano, Chives, Thyme, Mint, Cilantro, Rosemary
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| I can’t wait to try this chocolate mint in a dessert! |
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| This celery leaf allows you to add a little celery flavor without adding large pieces. |
Fig tree
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| My dad gave us this fig tree. I hear they need special care, but can grow well in our area if given it. |
A few garden fresh recipes:
Sweet and Simple Tomato Pepper Salad
Patty Pan Squash Stuffed with Basil Orzo
BLT Pizza with Spicy Chipotle Mayo
Whole Jalapenos with Honey and Allspice
Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Tomato Chile Sauce
wow what an impressive garden 🙂 you will have so much cooking from it
I am always amazed how much 150 miles makes a difference…it’s still too wet to plant here.
We are growing the San Maranzo Toms this year…our first with that variety. Hoping for plenty to can.
Lori, I don’t grow hybrids but if I did I would grow the Yum-Yum pepper. They are little and orange and so sweet. Very popular at Lex Farmers Market.
Wishing you a great growing season.
This is year three of the garden for us & we learn more & more every year. Our space is quite small & each year we seem to do less & less variety. This year we are down to 4 kinds of heirloom tomatoes, 2 cherry tomatoes, 2 tomatillos, 4 kinds of peppers, kale & herbs. We always felt like we got too much squash & cucumber for 2 of us even from one plant!
Wow, that is very impressive! I love city-living, but feel twangs of jealousy when I see gardens like this! I’ve tried growing herbs on the balcony twice, but I think it is a little too windy for them. 🙁
What a wonderful start for this year’s garden, and such beautiful photos! I miss vegetable gardening a bit (ours has been taken over by chickens), but find myself going back to the advice a friend gave us when we moved to the country way back when: “You’ll do it for a while. Then you’ll realize the farmer down the road does it better and will start buying from him.”
Having garden envy everything looks incredible – I got a few plants to grow in my apartment, one is pineapple mint which I had never seen before, and does indeed smell a bit like pineapple
Wow! I’m jealous! I have a very small garden, but with two small children in the house, I often forget to tend it, so a bigger one will have to be down the road for me. If you have some room, how about some fennel or leeks?
I am so jealous of all of your produce! That is one amazing garden.
My parents have a fig tree and do nothing to it and it’s grown for the past 20 years of my life, so I’m sure yours will be fine!
Such an awesome garden Lori! Loved the little visual tour and can’t wait to see everything grow into delicious recipes =)
Wow, your garden is full of terrific produce, how wonderful!
year 2 is great indeed!! i can totally imagine you trying to exercise control in a place like that…id be wanting at least one each of everything there i imagine! 😉
didnt know so many varieties of peppers exist until now too! do you have onions, spring onions, chives? hmm how about some fruits?
Stunning garden! I think it is so cool that you grow your own food.
You are growing so many amazing things–great photos. I can’t wait to see more of what you cook from it. 😉
Rebecca – Thanks! I’m looking forward to the cooking too.
Joyce – It’s our first time with San Marzanos too. I hope they do well. Thanks for the idea!
kat – I know what you mean with squash and cucumber. Now that I’m back in an office setting for work, I’m hoping I can share a lot!
emily – I feel the same way about country vs city life. I think that is why we travel so much, so we can have a little of both. 🙂
Michelle – I’ve definitely come to that point with some things. Although, there is just something about picking from my own garden and eating for me that is so fulfilling. I am so thankful that we have the space to do it.
OysterCulture – I’m more impressed by people who manage to grow thing in small spaces or pots than those of us growing with a lot of space. We have it easy. That mint sounds so good. I’ve seen orange, but not pineapple.
Mindy – Great ideas. Maybe in a few years you’ll have two helpers to tend it. 🙂
Joanne – Thanks! I have high hopes for it.
Peggy – Thanks! I’m anxious for it all to grow!
5 Star – Thanks, I love the season.
Vivienne – I was so surprised to see so many varieties too! We have chives, but have passed the season for spring onions. I have considered some different fruit trees though. Hmmm….:)
Neil – Thank you!
Composting, gardening, it’s a life that sounds so cool and I am SO far from it! Never gardened a day in my life. This will be a post-children hobby of mine, I imagine.
Lori, how fun being able to have all this plants…I look forward to see the harvest…nice pictures and thank you so much for sharing it. They are beautiful! Hope you are having a great week 🙂
I want a garden my plants are all in pots and its not the same 🙁
Oh, how I miss our garden in MN! We didn’t plant anything last year before we left (would’ve been year 3) but previous seasons yielded such great bounty. I look forward to seeing your garden progress through this year!
I just found you site and wonderful garden. What is your fence made of? I have animals coming in my garden even though I have chicken wire around it. Please give details as I want my husband to duplicate it for my birthday gift this year.