9/4/2011:

Summer arrives!

Hot weather is hitting the Pacific Northwest just in time to ripen my green tomatoes. The cucumbers, squash, peppers, eggplant, green beans, onions, and strawberries growing in my yard make it easy to follow the MyPlate mantra to "Make half your plate fruits and vegetables."

Ripe, sweet tomatoes at last – worth the wait.

A close-up of eggplant, a beautiful veggie, in my opinion!

I have a small patch of ever-bearing strawberries. Each day, I pick enough to put on top of my cereal or blend in a smoothie.

This container garden has a hybrid tomato, eggplant and pepper plant. Did you know that these three plants are compatible? I used a good quality organic planting mix and organic tomato fertilizer in this container.

8/11/2011:

Slow but Sure

The cool summer weather in the Pacific NW continues. I'm not complaining though – I've visited some hot, hot places this summer! The good news is that greens such as lettuce, spinach and arugula are slow to bolt. But it's looking more and more like September/October for ripe tomatoes, eggplant and sweet peppers.

6/25/2011:

Progress

Even though the weather in the Pacific NW continues to be unseasonably cool, even a few days of sunshine have made a big difference. There are signs of life and hopes for a harvest … in September, perhaps.

This is the same tomato plant as the one below (June 1st). I wasn't sure it would survive!

I like to garden in containers as well as beds. The soil warms up quicker and it's easier to control pests. Here I have peppers and one eggplant plant.

The spinach is coming along nicely. This is the second planting. The entire first planting was devoured by slugs and snails!

The same eggplant as the June 1st picture below – color is better and it has buds.

The peapods are setting on heavy. I love these raw or in stirfry dishes.

Beautiful organic lettuce – we've been eating LOTS of salads!

Week of 6/1/2011:

Plants asking for a blanket!

I set out a few tomato and eggplant plants, perhaps too early. They aren't dead but they sure aren't thriving. I swear they are shivering. Hot weather forecast this weekend so hopefully, these "before" pictures will be followed with robust "after" pix!

Week of 5/23/2011:

Beginning Summer Garden

In spite of a long cool, wet spring, there are signs of life in my garden. As of today, all of my "hot crops" are crowding my south-facing indoor windowsills. I try to wait until the outdoor overnight temps average >50° F to plant tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers and squash. I hope that's soon!

This Red Russian Kale survived the winter! I just planted a new row, since these mature plants are starting to go to seed..

Summer squash growing in my office window. It's starting to flower! Needs to go outside.

The blueberry bushes are flowering heavily, promising a bumper crop later this summer. Nets are standing by to ward off the birds.

My pot of perennial chives. It' always nice to have a ready source nearby when cooking.

The strawberry patch is looking good. I remembered to add organic fertilizer back in February.

Organic lettuce is up and growing rapidly. The crushed eggshells help to deter the slugs.

Week of 4/25/2011:

My indoor winter tomato experiment

Last fall, I decided to see if I could grow tomatoes indoors in the winter. I planted a compact Roma hybrid and put it in a south facing window. Occasionally, I would jiggle the leaves in an attempt to get some pollination going (I was trying to be a bee). Here are the results -- ripe, red tomatoes in April (in Western Oregon!). The taste is not that great, though. It could be the variety I chose or perhaps the soil. Next year, I may use a bigger pot and grow some juicy beefsteaks!

Week of 1/21/2011:

Grow a window herb garden

Grow an indoor herb garden, even in the chilly winter months. As long as you have a source of light, you can have a ready source of delicious herbs that add flavor and fun to your favorite foods. I am growing basil and parsley in my kitchen window. Both are rich in antioxidants.