This past weekend was a milestone for me. I ate my very first home grown zucchini! It was so tasty. Store bought vegetables all pretty much taste like nothing. This zucchini reminded me of what they tasted like when I was a kid. Such a fresh, true and amazing taste. I saw it growing for a week and was unsure of when it needed to be harvested. So I took to the internet and found that it should be picked when it's somewhere between 6 to 8 inches long. Any bigger than that and it will start to taste bitter.
I used cherry tomatoes from my neighbors garden, basil and zucchini from my garden and cage free organic eggs to make this frittata....so delicious! Even my son said it tasted so fresh and he had no idea I was using home grown veggies {happy dance}.
Now for the update on the garden.
Mint- It's doing beautiful. Growing healthy and quite robust. Smells delish too when I water it. Apparently, this plant will branch out under the soil and take over the area. I better keep a close eye on this one. I may transplant into a planter, and then place the planter in the soil to keep the under-soil branches contained. Frankly, as robust as it looks, I haven't had use for it yet. I guess mojitos will be the drink of choice for the "triple-digit" weather weekend coming up.
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| Mint and Parsley |
Parsley- Another beauty. Growing healthy and robust as well. This I have used in pasta sauce and wow, what a punch of flavor.
Cilantro- This it appears I may have planted a little too late. Once the flowers start to grow it's already on the back end of it's season. But unlike basil, these flowers have to be left to grow and dry, as seeds will be drop and prepare for next season. Once all the flowers are dry, I have to cut this baby down.
Chives- This one I guess is doing well. It hasn't gotten huge, or branched out, or anything wild and crazy. I also haven't used it at all, so I may have to find something to use it on this weekend.
Rosemary- The indoor rosemary I planted outdoors flat out died. Needs replacement ASAP.
Arugula- Wowza! This one really surprised me. I grew it from seeds!! I truly had no hopes for this one sprouting, let alone grow to this size!! I haven't harvested any at all...so what am I waiting for, right? I will cut these babies down tomorrow and use in my morning green smoothie, as well as a nice nutty salad for lunch. Can't wait {happy dance...again}!! However, because the "edible" flowers have already sprouted, this means this harvest is coming to an end. I need to start clipping at these fast, and pull them out in the next few weeks. This one can be replanted in the fall.
Jalapenos- This one is doing well too, and just starting to see tiny little buds growing. But it's being crowded by the zucchini plant its right, so it's a little hard to see.
Zucchini- This plant is just doing so well. I only had the one zucchini over the weekend. But already this week I see at least 5 more growing. It's amazing to see these sprout. The stem of the yellow flowers starts turning into a zucchini. Once it gets to a certain size, the flower dies off and the zucchini continues growing.
Next week we may be having zucchini spaghetti!! I can't believe how huge this plant has grown. Having not followed the proper spacing suggestions, I planted the jalapeno and red bell peppers too close and they're completely branched by the zucchini plant now. I hope it's not affecting their growth.
Red Bell Peppers- Aside from this plant being taller and branchier, there isn't much more
activity going on..meaning, there doesn't seem to be bell peppers growing yet. However, it does take about 80 days to mature. And, it is being crowded by the zucchini plant. I wonder if the zucchini is taking away it's air, or nutrients...I know sounds weird, but maybe it needs it's space. Or maybe I just need to be patient. I'l try the latter.
Basil- this one flat out died. A kind reader told me that you can't plant a basil in the same spot where it was previously planted. Being that I had a basil plant in that same spot two years ago and it did amazingly well {grew almost as tall as the fence, and had to give a ton away}, I thought it liked that spot and planted it there. But you're not supposed to do that. Basil apparently needs a new spot, and something else can be planted in the old basil spot. So I transplanted, but since it was already pretty much completely dead, it just completed it's death in the new spot. I also purchased a new basil plant and planted it next to the dying one. I think this one might do much better.
So, given that I'm having some degree of success with my culinary garden, I went out and purchased more.
Tomatillos- These I planted in the "old" basil spot. I planted two. One died, the other is doing well. But, I just read that you need at least two so they can pollinate and grow big. So I have to get a second one since the one died. And, since I use a ton of tomatillos, it's probably good measure if I buy at least 3 to 5 more. Plus, I have to get cages for these.
What do you all think? I welcome any suggestions, tips and feedback you may have. Feel free to comment on the Facebook page, or below in the comments.
I'm no expert on how to grow your own herb and vegetable garden. This is all a hands-on learning experience. You can read more about my culinary garden growing experience here:
Planting My First Culinary Garden
Culinary Garden- 2 Week Update
~Sonia
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