Tomorrow I am headed to a garden and patio show at the civic arena in St. Paul. I have decided that this week I am going to plan out what I want in the way of garden plants and flowers this year.
I only had a few plants last year, since we moved into our new house in mid-summer, really past the time when I could put plants in the ground and successfully gather a harvest.
I am hoping to create a raised vegetable garden this year. I would rather construct than dig, and this will allow me to control the soil that I grow in. You never do quite know what lurks around neighborhoods of very old homes like mine. There are many great web sites with information about how to build raised gardens, nut I particularly like this one from The Backyard Farmer Blog.
I am hoping to raise some heirloom varieties of tomatoes, and I particularly love the unusually-colored tomato varieties, which include Tomato Tye Dye Hybrid and the Golden Mama tomato.
I also have a huge fondness for Bibb lettuce, which is usually so expensive when buying heads at the store, so I hope to grow a whole mess of it to tuck into sandwiches all summer long.
I also want to try growing nasturtiums at home. Last year I was part of a children’s gardening and cooking group, and the nasturtiums that we grew were beautiful. Since they are edible, we used the flowers in salads and to garnish dishes. They taste peppery, sort of like watercress, and are remarkably beautiful.
What tastes of summer are you dreaming about?