Showing posts with label Heirloom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heirloom. Show all posts

Monday, September 10, 2012

Falling for Winter Veggies

Yes!  The weather cooled down a touch this weekend so we were back outside pulling weeds, clearing crops that have run their course, and planning for the fall, excited to try our hand at growing heirloom spinach, radish, and turnips.  We're going to try to grow carrots as well, but it may perhaps be a bit too late in the season to get anything out of them this year.

Since we're on the topic of "not getting anything out of them this year" I am disappointed by our lack of tomatoes in the garden this year.  We have four giant-sized plants (6 foot plus), with some flowers, but so far just ONE tomato has been plucked from the vine.  Yes, it is September, so things are not looking good.

For sure, planting location is one of the biggest problems -- too much shade.  So yesterday my husband, tired of hearing me lament the lack of bright red fruit on the vine, took out his chain saw and got to work.

My husband and a chain saw can be a frightening combination.  


He has been know to go a little overboard.  Midday yesterday, a sudden visitor to our yard would have been sure the weekends tornadoes in New York had hit our backyard -- or that a minor hurricane had come through.  Lots of branches were brought down meaning more sunlight for our garden.  We're hoping this will coax a few of these beautiful heirloom tomatoes off the vine before fall is truly upon us.

The pear tree also now has room to grow and won't have to work so hard stretching and bending to get to the sun.  Removing impediments to growth -- good stuff inside and outside the garden walls.

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you. 
 ~Maori Proverb


Sunday, January 30, 2011

To Heirloom or Not to Heirloom? That is the Question.

So my seed catalogs have not yet arrived and with another snowstorm looming for the east coast, it is a bit difficult to stay focused on gardening. Of course, enter my adorable husband and his penchant for cooking up homemade tomato sauce (gravy to my Italian friends) on a cold day to get me thinking about a bountiful harvest of tomatoes from the veggie garden (plans are getting big!) along with parsley, oregano, and thyme.

For some reason, I want to avoid BURPEE seeds. I have no idea why -- just seems so commercialized -- I was hoping for some heirloom tomato seeds and organically produced herbs rather than what I can pick up at Home Depot. Is there a difference? I have no idea -- but I'm sure to be inspired by the catalog cover artwork alone!

Just wondering -- In our search for organic are we really looking for something else? A return to simpler times perhaps. Too bad we can't buy that in the supermarket...