Moving further to the east…
This bed still has a few items leftover from fall. There were peas on the far left. Those are long gone. Next is garlic. I suspect that will be harvested soon as the greens are drying out. Beside the garlic are a few remaining beets. Beets are harvested each weekend and pickled to be used throughout the week. Carrots are on the far right. I may harvest those to make some Basque carrots and clear out the bed.
Hot peppers will be grown here through the summer. From seed, I’ve started Serano and Black Hungarians. These peppers will be used to make salsa all summer long. Wonderful, delicious salsa to enjoy all summer long kind of takes the edge off of disliking summer so much. Another use for the harvest is pepper poppers. These are like candy to Farmer MacGregor.
I don’t believe the seedlings I have will fill the bed; so I would like to grow beans. Cannellini beans. Lidia’s Italy on PBS provided a nice recipe using cannellini beans. These would be superb to have on hand to add to soups and other dishes. I’m having a tough time finding a supplier; so that makes me want them all the more.
Meanwhile, here’s the plans for the final bed:
This eastern most bed has been planted with green bunching onions (04/18/10). They’ve already sprouted (04/29/10). 
The sprouts can be thinned soon and used like chives. Once the onions are about as thick as a pencil, they can be harvested and used in salads, on baked potatoes, and eaten plain.
A dozen metal stakes are now in the bed. These stakes will have the tomato supports attached to them. This is the 1st year I’ve strung tomatoes and Farmer MacGregor is blazing the way by constructing fine supports to showoff all the heirloom tomatoes in the garden. They will take up less space horizontally allowing for companion crops to grow along side and benefit each other.
The tomatoes are on standby ready to be planted as soon as Farmer MacGregor completes construction. I plan to chronicle how to string tomatoes showing the plans and construction all the way to threading the tomatoes up the twine.
That’s it. Four raised beds ready to produce a bounty this summer and all it took was a few packets of seed, a ton of labor, and Farmer MacGregor’s know how. Ain’t he great?
7 comments:
I love the blue flowers on the edge of your garden beds. What are they?
And I am a bit jealous that you are harvesting from your garden already, so far ahead of our farm in Canada.
*Missus - harvest is year round here in Bakersfield, California. That is the benefit of living where hell visits 6 months out of the year. The blue flowers are lobelia (Crystal Palace). Thanks for visiting.
Maybelline, I can't get over how immaculate your garden is!!! Absolutely gorgeous. My tomatoes are ready to go into the ground, too. I'm just waiting for this rain to let up. Our peas, beans and corn have come up nicely with all the rain. :) Melissa
*Melissa - thanks for the compliment. You certainly have had a lot of rain. Too bad you can't divert it toward the west. Hope you're feeling fine.
I can't wait to see your tomato support system. With 100 tomato plants going into our garden this year, we're looking for some creative ways to avoid buying cages for each and every one :)
*Maureen - I should have something to post after this weekend (maybe). Until then, try a search for "stringing tomatoes" to get some ideas. This heat is really going to get those plants growing faster.
Thanks!
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