Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

"Garden State"


Recommended Posts

Since this is still the 'Garden State', I was wondering what do egulleters grow? I've started arugula, spinach and lettuce from seed this year, and have just put them in the garden. Waiting in the wings will be zucchini, cilantro, and fresh basil (from seed). Although I'm not a fan of the hot weather, I am consoled by the thought of cooking for summer with the bounty from my garden.

So, what's in your garden?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We just have a townhouse with a tiny patio. Around the edges we plant: Tomatoes, rosemary, strawberries, pumpkin, some melon, but we can't remember what; I guess we'll see!

More Than Salt

Visit Our Cape Coop Blog

Cure Cutaneous Lymphoma

Join the DarkSide---------------------------> DarkSide Member #006-03-09-06

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have chives, garlic chives, and rosemary (it made it through the winter this time). My Greek oregano died off, so I'm replanting it this spring. I've also decided this is another year when I’ll plant tarragon and watch it fail to thrive. I also have to replant thyme. I planted it last year but then erected a Swallowtail caterpillar-rearing cage over it. Final score in the fall was Swallowtails over the thyme, 2 - 0. I hope to do better by both the thyme and the Swallowtails this summer.

I'll also be planting copious amounts of parsley, basil and dill, and 3 Carmello tomato plants. Few things are as rewarding as wandering out to the garden, picking a perfect tomato, and a handful of herbs at dinnertime.

Anybody else worrying about drought?

"A fool", he said, "would have swallowed it". Samuel Johnson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

you guys are awsome - and brave!! i have a black thumb and no sun to speak of up here in the hinterlands. plus we can have a frost as late as mid may. all the military families who are assigned here from further south don't believe us when we say don't put your pansies in until 15 may!!

havubg said that i couldn't help myself this morning and bought three herb plants - tarragon(my favorite), rosemary and thyme. i do get a goodly amount of afternoon sun outside my back door so thought i might put them in pots on the back porch. i want to relandscape that side of the house and add a small raised bed - definitely some italian parsley and maybe some oregano. our local farmstore starts out with plants and johnnybird wants 2-3 tomato plants so we will buy them there. thinking of staking them on that side of the house in a tub. if my backyard wasn't the consistency of heavy clay i might try some lettuces.

Nothing is better than frying in lard.

Nothing.  Do not quote me on this.

 

Linda Ellerbee

Take Big Bites

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oregano was the only herb that made it back. I no longer buy much but this year will be basil, rosemary and unfortunately thyme as none made it through the winter (my old plants lasted 10 years). My sag is great, 18 years and still going strong.

I no longer buy tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, squash, cukes or much of anything else. All my veggie 'trash' gets tossed into the garden during the winter, the seeds germinate and voila, i have veggies!

Also, I let some of the veggies rot and fall into the ground. Amazing what will grow back. I also let some herbs flower and I'll get a second crop.

Has anyone tried planting hydroponic basil?

yum, yum

http:/www.etuinc.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My two rosemary plants made it; one just barely. I have oregano, too, but don't use it so much because it doesn't taste as good as the dried bought kind. I guess the climate isn't great for it. I also do chives, sage, thyme, tarragon, basil, peppers, parsley and patio tomatoes. The thyme always comes back, the rosemary hardly ever. I have a real problem keeping basil from going to seed too quickly. Any suggestions would be appreciated. When they start to turn I try to pinch them off about three sets of leaves down.

We planted a handful of pencil corn last year, and the stalks were as high as the tops of the first-floor windows. We wanted the stalks for halloween decorations.

~ Ken P.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We want to plant corn! I think that all of the animals and birds here would eat it, though, no? The neighbors' kids decimated a number of our tomato plants last year, they though the flowers were pretty. :wacko:

More Than Salt

Visit Our Cape Coop Blog

Cure Cutaneous Lymphoma

Join the DarkSide---------------------------> DarkSide Member #006-03-09-06

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We haven't made any firm decisions about what other things we are going to grow this year, but definitely a few varieties of tomatoes, cukes, and zucchinis. That along with a number of kinds of herbs as well, including basil, parsley, oregano and thyme.

I think we'll do charantais canteloupes again. Perhaps some of the fancier lettuce varieties as well. Hot peppers too.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My neighbor grows a watermelon vine in front of his place. It IS silly looking, but you can bet we are happy to accept a melon!

Cherry tomatoe, beefsteak tomatoes, arugula, mesclun, cilantro, parsley, chives, thyme, rosemary. oregano, chamomile, and LOTS of basil. Last year, since I knew I was moving I planted it in pots -6 of them - and they moved with us. We are still eating pesto from the freezer.

Kape, pinch the plants frequently but after a while they will be determined to bloom. That's when I cut the plants way back and start making pesto. I don't know anyone who turns down fresh pesto! Or I drop it by the tablespoon on a cookie sheet, freeze it and then put the individual pieces in a freezer bag. Then I can thaw as little or as much as needed -for pasta, bruschetta, to season a pot of marinara....The plants will grow tall again and then the process starts all over.

Also, you need to use more of fresh herbs than dried, because the drying process concentrates the flavor.

Dana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We want to plant corn! I think that all of the animals and birds here would eat it, though, no? The neighbors' kids decimated a number of our tomato plants last year, they though the flowers were pretty. :wacko:

One year a local car wash planted corn in the largish planter in front of their busioness, and had some very healthy corn plants. You might end up with rats and raccoons, and squirrels along with all the grain eating birds going after your plants. A combined assault by all of the above can't accomplish what one bored neighbor's kid can do in a couple of minutes.

"A fool", he said, "would have swallowed it". Samuel Johnson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 tomato plants, all various heirlooms that I start from scratch

8 eggplants, of 4 different varieties including little green Thai

3 different cukes for pickling (cornichons), eatting (kirbys) and experimenting (a Chinese variety)

4 different hot peppers, plus piquillo peppers that I started from seed

Yardlong string beans

Sweet potato vine

Parsnips

A carrot grab-bag mix

Golden beets

Rainbow chard

Bok choy

Okra

Fennel

I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

NO: squash, melons, or anything else readily available from all of my neighborhood farmer's markets. And besides, these things take up too much room.

In my lettuce bed: a whole row of arugula, then two rows with six different lettuces and raddichios from seeds that a former employer smuggled in from Italy.

In my herb bed: tarragon, sage and two thymes come back every year. Then for annuals I'm doing 4 kinds of basil: genoa, purple, Thai and globe; a rosemary or two, lemongrass, a curry plant, and whatever else I can't resist from The Well Sweep Herb Farm and the Chinese nursery across the street from where I live.

That should be enough for a family of two, aye? I am into canning condiments and other things in a major way.

My garden faces south, so we get good sun, and despite the fact that my yard is tiny, I practice compact planting, meaning that I break every rule in the book, and always have an amazing bounty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Right now I have a windowbox full of Cayenne pepper plants growing in my kitchen, next to a pot of 6-week old lavendar plants grown from seed.

The only question I have is when should I move the pepper plants outside - any suggestions?

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My garlic has sprouted which is a pleasant surprise because I nearly forgot to plant them in the fall (it was getting cold and they were semi-shriveled). I'm also growing a Chinese edible bush that a friend gave. No clue what it's called but we make soup out of it. Haven't gotten around to it yet but planning on growing some basil but overall, the yard is too shady for much veggies.

I've done hydroponic growing (lettuce, spinach and herbs) in the past but again, the lighting wasn't optimal so it kinda bombed. Otherwise, it would have been awesome. I'm still contemplating a means to resurrect this project.

I've grown beets, radishes and beans too in the past but you couldn't feed a child with the paltry yields. =P Not quite a brown thumb, but maybe I should move away from starting from seeds until I get better. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my parsley came back. whatsupwitdat?

i'm going to put my thyme and ground-hugging herbs in a pot this year. when they're on the ground they just get all messed up with leaves and dirt and whatever.

i have no luck with cilantro. it's good for about 2 weeks and then it turns yellow and dies.

chives

basil

rosemary

parsley, apparently

thyme

sage (although i only ever use it in the fall)

some sort of oregano (for potato salad, generally)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my parsley came back.  whatsupwitdat? 

You might want to plant more to be safe. My parsley often returns for a second season, but it is usually leggy and the leaves look stringy. I've found that it is not very useful the second go-round, but if you have the space, I guess you can experiment with it and report the results.

Cilantro is incredibly difficult to grow. It goes to seed quickly when the ground hits a certain temperature.

~ KenP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Along the roadside and in my front garden there are some scallion looking plants growing, wild. We pulled a bit. There is a tiny bulb, and the cut greens smell oniony, but how do I know if it is edible?

More Than Salt

Visit Our Cape Coop Blog

Cure Cutaneous Lymphoma

Join the DarkSide---------------------------> DarkSide Member #006-03-09-06

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Along the roadside and in my front garden there are some scallion looking plants growing, wild. We pulled a bit. There is a tiny bulb, and the cut greens smell oniony, but how do I know if it is edible?

This? I used to have tons of them in my yard...don't know if they're edible, but I think they're generally considered weeds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Along the roadside and in my front garden there are some scallion looking plants growing, wild. We pulled a bit. There is a tiny bulb, and the cut greens smell oniony, but how do I know if it is edible?

This? I used to have tons of them in my yard...don't know if they're edible, but I think they're generally considered weeds.

ah yes. we call it "onion grass." my neighbors' yard is filled with it. much to my chagrin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Along the roadside and in my front garden there are some scallion looking plants growing, wild. We pulled a bit. There is a tiny bulb, and the cut greens smell oniony, but how do I know if it is edible?

rebecca - it is probably wild garlic. i just pulled some from my backyard to use in johnnybird's potato salad. you might like to check your library for a book on edible wild plants.

Nothing is better than frying in lard.

Nothing.  Do not quote me on this.

 

Linda Ellerbee

Take Big Bites

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just went out to the front walk, and picked a blade off of the plant by the door. It tastes like a mild onion, but not with a clean finish. An off taste, reminiscent of chewing on milky weed stalks as a child, is also present. Mildly unpleasant, but probably a wild onion. Shucks, I'm disappointed, I was hoping that it would be divine.

More Than Salt

Visit Our Cape Coop Blog

Cure Cutaneous Lymphoma

Join the DarkSide---------------------------> DarkSide Member #006-03-09-06

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my parsley came back.  whatsupwitdat? 

i'm going to put my thyme and ground-hugging herbs in a pot this year.  when they're on the ground they just get all messed up with leaves and dirt and whatever.

i have no luck with cilantro.  it's good for about 2 weeks and then it turns yellow and dies.

chives

basil

rosemary

parsley, apparently

thyme

sage (although i only ever use it in the fall)

some sort of oregano (for potato salad, generally)

Parsley's a biennial. For the first year it produces lots of foliage and stores up food in its tap root. The second year it puts up its flower stalk and sets seed. I always let a few parsley plants over-winter and go to seed since parsley self-seeds well. I don't know about cilantro, but parsley and dill both seem to dislike the heat and humidity. Once it gets hot my dill gets very scraggly looking and goes to seed. I also let the dill self-seed, and usually have a lot of dill coming up all over the place.

I have sage, but I tend to overlook it since I only use it to make sauteed butternut squash with sage, once or twice a year.

I also grow bronze fennel (which one garden writer I read referred to as an annual determined to be a perennial) and that self-seeds like crazy, frequently overwinters, and has to be kept away from the dill or it'll hybridize.

"A fool", he said, "would have swallowed it". Samuel Johnson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...