edible yard

The garden is doing pretty good this summer. Last year we had long stretches of mega-heat and no rain. I was out of town for a lot of those days so I wasn't able to keep up on the watering. So I had sickly tomato and pepper plants with no or little fruit (except the habanero plant; that did well.)

This year I've been watering everyday. And so I've been able to eat a lot more of my yard.

We've had a steady stream of tomatoes.





I've got a couple dozen plants going, so there are a lot more to come.

Lots of beans, too -- some of which are purple! I planted two plots, so we've been having fresh beans a couple nights a week. They're delicious when fried with garlic and soy sauce.


(purple beans)

I decided to do a mid-summer plot of radishes. They're always easy to grow. And they're good on toast with hummus. And on salads, of course. I have a lot of delicious radishes in submerged in water in the fridge. I'm eating about two a day.


(ginormous radishes)

I've also got four eggplant plants, and Allie and I have eaten a few and they've been delicious. I've also got about ten pepper plants that are starting to bear fruit. I planted two habaneros and they're both among the most productive. Which is great, because they're so flavorful. But a few habaneros go a long way. They're mega hot!

Oh yeah, basil. I got about six of those plants and they're all enormous bushes. We have pesto a couple nights a week, but it doesn't even put a dent in the supply. I need to get a freezer so I can make up a bunch of batches for winter.

Soon I'll be planting for the fall. I ordered a bunch of greens, including purslane and mache, which are new for me. I also plan to try the late fall spinach planting trick, so I'll have nutricious greens in early March. And I think I'll try beets this year. After two years of frustration with root veggies, I amended the soil last year with phosphates and bone meal, and I planted a bunch of turnips, which did real well. Turnips are nice, but they're not beets. Beets kick ass.

Bottom line: Allie and I have saved a lot in groceries over the last couple of weeks. And we've been very well nourished.

Moral: Edible yards pay.