Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Missy's Homestead: Dreaming of Spring

Dreaming of Spring

Sad Winter Garden
As you my have gathered this winter I have been away from my little homestead.  I got a job back on the east coast for a couple months so I have been living vicariously through updates from my husband.  As I mentioned last week the chickens have slowly begun to start laying eggs,  However, I did get an update that my little winter garden has not done very well.  I got some leeks still going from the summer (They are pretty big) and some parsley and baby bok choy, but everything else has really stalled out.  Also, Greg just doesn't have the time to tend to the garden these days since I am out of town.  Things look a little sad right now.   I am eager to get back and start my indoor seedlings and clean out the dirt beds.  Maybe add some extra fertilizer and Chicken poop to help build back up the nutrients.  

I have had some time to consider my seed choices this year, and I think I have finally figured out what I want to attempt to grow this year.

Zucchini and a couple different types of squash:  I love zucchini.  I love it in all forms and as I found last summer it takes no effort to grow.  I said last year that I might not plant as many this year but to be honest I actually might.  I loved trying different recipes in order to use up my zucchini and I actually think that because we did have it a bunch that my husband actually really started to enjoy it.  (he is not the biggest squash fan)

Tomatoes:  I loved having the tomatoes although I really didn't choose the right varieties for my purposes.  I loved the tiny little yellow shaped tomatoes that I had, they were delicious.  But the grape tomatoes were too small to really do anything useful with, and I had some weird long red tomato that was always mushy inside.  I also had a darker tomato that also didn't really taste very good.  This year I have decided to plant larger heirloom varieties.  I hope that they will have a much better texture and be easier to break down into soups and sauces.  I also plan on trying to not water the tomatoes too much.  Dry farming Tomatoes is suppose to make them much more juicer.

Carrots:  I love whole carrots and I adore carrot juice.  Last year I tried to grow some carrots in between some of the other veggies.  So this year in effort to get more yield I am going to devote a larger and more open part of my garden to those delicious veggies.

More Sad Winter Garden
Cucumbers:  Last year I planted a bunch of lemon cucumbers and I really didn't use them very much nor did I particularly love the flavor or taste.  This year I am not going to plant any of them.  They had very large seeds and not a lot of meat.  Instead I will focus my efforts on planting more regular  cucumbers.  This way I might actually get enough to make some pickles!!

Chard:  This is a no brainer.  I love having it in the garden and I plan on planting a ton of it this season.  It is always a go to for a great green in a dinner.

Lettuce Mix:  Honestly I hardly ever used the lettuce I grew in my garden and it actually got out of control.  This year I don't think I will be planting any of it.  I will leave lettuce to the real farmers and buy it locally at the farmers markets this summer. Unfortunately it is just not worth the water consumption or the space in my garden

Various herbs:  I loved having basil, cilantro, dill etc.  Last year I didn't have very many herbs, so this year I plan on planting a bunch. Especially basil.  Making homemade pesto sauce for the freezer is something I really enjoy.

Beets and Bell Peppers:  I was kind of skimpy on these items last year and I love both of these items.  I plan on planting a lot of them.  Beet juice is delicious and who doesn't love a stuffed bell pepper for a great dinner?

Potatoes:  I didn't try growing any of these last year and my husband and I eat a lot of potatoes.  This year I am going to get a few types of potato starters and try my hand at growing some.  

Okay that is all for now.  Are you planning your garden already?  If so I would love to hear your plans.

Until Next time, Consume More, Buy Less, Plan your garden.

Missy

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