Basement Beginnings - Plans for 2015 garden

Well, we've been buried in snow this February, so thinking about a garden and warmer temperatures seems like I'm pushing a boulder uphill! But, thinking of warmer days helps to look forward. So, I'll imagine...

June 2014

First, I'll set up my basement to prepare for seed germination. This includes moving the growing tables in place, and confirming that the growing lights are still functional, move my growing trays in place, have appropriate water containers, tools and soil in place.

Once this is setup, I'll finalize my seed list for this year. My initial thought is to purchase the following seeds: parsley, cilantro, dill, lettuce, peas, bush beans, plum tomatoes, early girl tomatoes. I'll plan to purchase small eggplant plants (it's easier to have a growing plant).



I'll also make sure the watering barrels are ready to act as the supply for keeping the beds moist. We spent no money on water last year - it all came from the rain that fell in our area!

Finally, once the snow is no longer burying the bed, I'll purchase manure and garden soil to refresh the garden.

But, before any veggie beds are planted, I'll start germinating the seeds in the basement.

Ahhh...warmer weather.

Sweet dreams...

Andrea

Basement Beginnings and Seed Choices - what worked?

So, I thought my seed choices last year were a match for the plot size I had, as well as my desires for consuming and freezing the produce, herbs, and pesto. They included: cherry tomatoes, early tomatoes, bush beans, peas, eggplant, basil, parsley, dill, oregano, thyme, sage.

*Lessons Learned*

                                                  We did learn a few things:

- Peas and beans are best planted directly in the soil. Peas must be planted late in the spring to get any type of harvest. I waited until cool temps were gone altogether, which is not correct. The peas were tender and delicious fresh or cooked, but timing does matter.

- Cherry tomatoes were tasty, great for cooking, but one plant is enough. We had cherry tomatoes every day, and they lost their appeal after 3 months. 

- Early girl tomatoes were a great palm-sized fruit, very sweet and great for sandwiches and salad, but were too sweet for a nice sauce. We had to add tomato paste to get a hearty sauce. And, we planted too many plants - they took over most of the garden, and shaded other plants from the sun which did not allow them to grow to their fullest state. This year we'll plant a few plum and (hopefully) heirloom tomatoes for variety and flavor. It really is nice to have the garden tastes of summer in these sauces as we hunker down in a winter storm.

- The bush beans, eggplant, parsley, dill, oregano, thyme and sage were great! We also planted cilantro which did not survive (my bad). This year we'll reduce the amount of parsley (we had 4 big plants), and add additional bush bean plants - they were delicious! However, we did make and freeze some outstanding pesto with the parsley that we use to season our sauce - even now!

- We planted no lettuce last year which was a mistake. Lettuce is very easy to grow, and does last for some time in a garden. We had grown some in 2013 and it was a delicious treat! 

All in all, we had a fun and productive garden in 2014. It offered enough produce to stay interested, and didn't require a lot of TLC and maintenance. We'll be back getting our 'hands dirty' in a few months! 

Next time, I'll look back and talk about lessons we learned about maintaining the garden.

Happy Growing!
Andrea

Basement Beginnings - What worked and didn't?

I began my last year of growing vegetables (1994) in the middle of a snowstorm. I was mentally finished with Winter, and wanted to get on with growing. So, I headed over to Home Depot and Lowes in search of vegetable and herb seeds, growing trays, soil and grow lights. I knew I wanted 'uncomplicated' plants - no vine plants, wide or tall plants, or plants that required an early or extended growing season. So my quick list was to purchase seeds for cherry tomatoes, early tomatoes, bush beans, peas, basil, parsley, dill, oregano, thyme, sage. Then, it was back to the house to clear out a space in our basement, and setup the tables and grow lights.

*Lesson learned* 

Looking back on this one year later, I should have carved out my basement space first. It would have created my initial 'growing environment' which I needed as a foundation. This would have eliminated all of the other gyrations I needed to go through after the seed and soil purchase that were essential to my growing plan: setup tables, hang grow lights, organize a watering strategy for seedlings, and fill trays with soil.

2015 - Growing Season Dreams...

As the winter begins its cold march through New England, I find myself dreaming of dirty fingers, muddy sneakers and the scent of newly mowed grass, the musky smell of soil and manure, the delicate tendrils of newly 'hatched' seeds, the immense pleasure and pride of new veggie plants in the garden, and the joy of tasting new herbs and produce - my garden of earthly delights...

But, reality places me here in Winter's season, so I'll limit my dreams to looking back on the last growing season, sizing up what worked, what didn't work, and adjustments needed for the next season.  Each week, I'll take a look back and comment on the positives and negatives of my choices last year, and a plan to maximize the pluses, and reduce the minuses as we move into the 2015 garden season. I'll also add a few thoughts on herbs and veggies we'll be adding or removing this year.

Of course, it all starts in the basement, so we'll start with that next week!

Happy planning!

Winter pending...

We're still continuing to collect tomatoes, eggplant, and cherry tomatoes from our garden. We're still lucky not to have had a hard frost yet, so the fruit is still sweet and delicious! Our freezer is full of frozen bags of roasted tomato sauce, and we're looking forward to tasting the flavors once the snows set in. All-in-all, it's been a very productive year for our little garden that started early this year when I decided to take a chance on growing seeds in my basement. It was never intended to be a money-saving, or money-making venture, but has resulted in lessons we've learned about planning the garden layout, using rainwater collected in our rain-barrels to keep the soil moist and the plants happy, celebrating the first vegetable flowers and fruit, harvesting the fruit of our labors and sharing with neighbors and friends.

We're still considering an expanded garden next year so the plants and herbs can stretch to their full potential. But, for now, we're enjoying this end-of-season phase of harvesting, canning, and sharing our bounty. A wonderful ending to these warm summer months.

Happy tasting!

Andrea

Corny? It works!

This corn on the cob recipe works, and makes no mess!

Enjoy:-)

Cobs of Wisdom!

Andrea

How does your garden grow?

Removing the peat pots was the best thing we could have done. Once they were able to establish their roots again, the plants took off!

With continued watering from our trusty rain barrel, and fertilizing, the changes were fast and remarkable! The garden produced healthy plants of dill and basil, plus tasty fruit of green beans, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and eggplant!

It was a great, productive summer in our little garden! So much so, that we're thinking of adding another bed next year to expand the variety of tomatoes, and add more green beans. In the end, we learned a lot about how to garden effectively, and how to enjoy the vegetable bounty that we produced.

Until then, we're enjoying the tastes of summer, and sharing recipes we discovered along the way, thanks to Food Network, and friends. Try them out! You won't be disappointed.

Slow-Roasted Tomato Sauce

Roasted tomato sauce, though it takes an hour, is the easiest way to make sauce for storing. The tomatoes are cored, tossed with oil, and packed into a roasting pan with salt, pepper, crushed garlic and basil. They nearly collapse in the oven, and release quite a bit of liquid. After they cool, place them in a blender and chop them till blended (or peal off the skins and crush them with your hands to break them up). Pack the tomatoes, and their liquid in plastic containers, or plastic freezer bags for storing in the freezer. To use as sauce, simmer for 10 minutes. The flavor is remarkably sweet and complex from the long roasting.

12 tomatoes, cores removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup chopped fresh basil
2-6 tablespoons chopped garlic to taste

Set the oven to 400 degrees. Have a roasting pan large enough for all the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes to the pan, drizzle the with oil, and shake the roasting pan so the the tomatoes are coated all over. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, garlic and basil. Cover he pan with foil.

Roast the tomatoes for 1 hour, or until they've collapsed completely. Remove them from the oven.

When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, place them in the blender, or peal the skin off and crush the meat of the tomatoes in your hands. WARNING: Do not place hot tomatoes, or hot juice in the blender - Wait until they cool completely! Chop on blender setting and pour into containers for freezing.

When cooking the sauce, bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning - add tomato paste and spices, as needed.

Bon appetit!