We eat so many tomatoes that I can’t even imagine how much consumed on a daily basis in the world! Here is a quick snapshot of the healthy facts about tomatoes!
March's Garden
Spring is finally around the corner! And even though we are still having 30 degree mornings here in the Pacific Northwest, there are four main things to be doing in your garden areas now:
Weeding while weeds are small and barely growing
Start seedlings indoors and certain plants outdoors
Clean up garden beds, flower beds and landscaping areas
In February, you should have been pruning of roses, flowering shrubs, fruit trees and any tall grasses you may have. Do this right away if you didn’t do them last month.
March is when nature begins to bloom again and the days truly feel lighter. We see buds emerge on shrubs and trees. We see more birds come around and start their Spring business too. While the earth isn’t quite fully awake, March is the perfect time to weed your garden and flower bed areas. It’s so much easier to get rid of them while they are dormant and small. You might want to consider sending a sample of your soil into your local county extension so they can test it. This is the best, and only scientific, way to know for sure what your soil needs, if anything. And remember, different planting areas have different soil needs. Seasoned gardeners start to know what their soil needs as time goes on.
March is a good time to repair any damaged parts of your lawn. Perhaps you needs to de-thatch, rake or aerate. Thatching and liming should be done before you do any sort of Spring feeding should your lawn need it. This rainy and wet month is also the perfect time to pay attention to the parts of your garden, lawn or planting areas that are pooling water or not draining well. You can repair that by filling in low spots or creating channels for water to drain away. If you have evergreens, like we do, check under them to ensure they are getting enough moisture. Same goes for anything you have growing under a porch or awning around your home. Lastly, March is a good time to repair or build your arbors, fences or any trellis’ your might need for this year’s growing season.
We live on an acre and have a pretty good size garden, 32 x 32. There is only two of us but our goal is to grow 70% of what we eat. We do this because 1) we have a love for gardening 2) it’s a great way to save on your grocery bills throughout the year 3) it is simply the easiest and surest way to know that we have constant access to nutrient dense, organic foods all year long. We freeze some things and can other things. We have made applesauce, salsa, marinara sauce, pickles of all kinds, and kept chopped frozen veggies for year-round use in every recipe we know. I have four seed flats with seedlings already going. I started them about two weeks ago and there are green things beginning to pop through! We also have some big projects happening in the garden this week and I can’t wait to share that with everyone. Every Saturday I will post a garden update on how everything is growing and what is working well here at Keenan Gardens. Every year we change a fair amount of what we are growing so that as we fill our freezer and canning jars, we have a good rotation and variety of food year to year.
Here is the Master List of what we will be growing this year:
Vegetables & Legumes:
• Artichokes
• Okra
• Giant Sugar Peas
• Luffa
• Carrots
• Giant Cabbage
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Small Red, Yellow and Orange Sweet Peppers
• Cucumbers
• Mixed Greens & Lettuces
• Walla Walla Onions
• Garlic
• Spinach
• Black Beans
• Cannellini Beans
• Cranberry Beans
• Sweet Potatoes
• Arugula
• Purple Cherokee Tomatoes
Fruits, although most are young and may not produce a lot of fruit yet:
• Blackberry
• Raspberry
• Marionberry
• Dwarf Cherry
• Gala, Granny Smith and Wealthy Apples
• Asian Pear
• Prunes
• Small Grapes
• Rhubarb
• Strawberries
Herbs:
• Lavender
• Rosemary
• Oregano
• English & Lemon Thyme
• Borage
• Lemon Balm
• Parsley
• Chives
• Basil
• French Tarragon
• Sage
• Stevia
• Chamomile
• Spearmint
• Peppermint
• Calendula
Flowers, from seed:
• Columbine
• Delphiniums
• Shasta Daisy
• Canterbury Bells
• Poppy
• Cat Grass
• Giant Sunflowers
All of the herbs and flowers above, minus the sunflowers, are perennials, which mean they will come back year after year. That’s why this year we are trying to start them indoors from seed so that we can fill out all of our landscape spaces with beautiful, blooming things for us to see but also for the bees to enjoy!
Stay tuned for weekly garden updates every Saturday. And tell us below what you are growing this year or ask any questions you might have! Gardening, in pots, containers or in the ground, is a great way to completely nourish the mind, body and spirit. It involves thought, exercise, patience and the reward of yummy, nutritious goodies!
Happy Growing!
Tiff
