We’re back with an edible garden update just a few short months since we planted it back in mid May. And the good news is that our little herb, fruit, and vegetable experiment was actually a success! Not only did everything live, but it thrived with very little labor on our part. Score! We were lucky to have a lot of rain fall in the late spring and early summer to establish everything, and whenever we had spans of hot dry weather we just used the rain that we saved up in our DIY rain barrel to keep things happy & green. That’s it!
We didn’t see the need to reach for any pesticides or even any fertilizer thanks to the nutrients from our backyard compost that nurtured everything since we used it to plant things back in May. So in the is-it-more-work-than-it’s-worth category, the answer is unequivocally NO! There’s really nothing like a fresh tomato or raspberry snagged in your very own yard. And our dinners are a lot tastier thanks to the homegrown herbs we now have on hand. Check out how tall our stalks of basil got (front right below). They’re practically up to my knee!
We also have more oregano, parsley, and swiss chard than we can even eat. And speaking of chard, we’re ashamed to admit that we haven’t even tried it yet! We’ve watched it grow bigger and leafier but don’t really know of any good chard recipes off the top of our heads. Do you guys have any suggestions for us? It’s a crime not to have tried our homegrown chard yet!
But lets move on to something we’ve eaten since the moment they appeared: our habit forming cherry tomatoes. We’ve been tossing them back like candy for the past month or so and we love that as soon as we pluck a few off our little plant buddy is already hard at work making new ones. It’s like a never-ending supply of sugary-sweet snacks. Here’s what they look like in the growing stage… not quite ready for eating.
And here’s where they end up right before we pop them into our watering mouths (which happened to this guy as soon as I snapped a few shots):
We actually purchased two different types of cherry tomatoes, so here’s the “golden” variety when it’s ripe. They get all vibrant and orange when they’re ready. Pretty, eh? And they look so great mixed with the deeper red ones that we also have growing nearby.
We love whipping up a super quick salad with some of our garden basil:
Just toss in a bit of feta and some italian dressing and it’s chow time…
But we can’t forget about our amazing raspberry bush that has us majorly whipped (we literally wait with bated breath for each burst of berries). There isn’t much in this world that compares to fresh garden grown raspberries.
So in summary, we highly highly recommend starting a little edible garden of your own. As long as you keep things watered while they settle in you should have a relatively easy go at it, and you can even grow oregano, basil and parsley in a pot on your windowsill or balcony. Easy peasy. Heck, speaking of peas, you can probably grow them too!
We’re also happy to report that we definitely got our money’s worth in the budget department. Our raspberry bush was just $9 at Lowe’s in the beginning of the season and we snagged all of our tomato plants and herbs for just $10 total at the farmer’s market! We’ve easily enjoyed at least $20 worth of basil alone not to mention all the other goodies we’ve eaten on a regular basis for the past few months thanks to our backyard before-dinner pit stop. Sweet.
But what about you guys? Have you been growing anything of your own this year? Do you have any pest problems or tips and tricks to share with fellow beginner gardeners like us? And what about those swiss chard recipe suggestions? Definitely spill those beans.
Amy says
Oh, and check out this website:
http://www.autumnridgenursery.com/
They have really good prices on fruit trees and berry bushes and such.
Tee says
You garden looks delicious! I loooove fresh strawberries and basil too. Has anyone ever tried Raspberry Basil Mojito, or Raspberry Basil Caprihana, Raspberry Basil Lemonade???? I know that combo might sound strange and when I made my first one I was like :-/ lol but it was really good and so refreshing!!! And they can all be made virgin too. :)
SavvyChristine says
I’m a big fan of chopping chard in the food processor with some spinach and tossing it in a vat of soup. It adds a great taste!
chacha says
I am on a greens kick lately (they are so good for you). I have found that chards and collard greens are great done simply.
1. Remove the ribs/stems (some people cook them but I don’t bother with them, they tend to be a bit fibrous – I just compost ’em :o)).
2. Chop them (or hand-rip – that’s what I do).
3. Warm some olive oil and butter in a skillet (until the butter is melted and oil is hot).
4. Throw in minced garlic (few cloves), stir it up a bit. 5. Throw in the greens. Salt, pepper. Cook until it’s tender (whatever consistency you like).
6. At the end if you have some lemon juice, throw some on. Or just eat it as is. Done!
Briel says
Wow, that looks great! Especially the cherry tomatoes. Yum!
alison says
I’ll be honest – the only time I eat chard is when my FIL brings it over from his garden… we just saute it in a saucepan with oil and lots of garlic until it shrinks down, and then eat it as a side…i killed my basil when i forgot to ask the dogsitter to water it!!! boo.
Jama says
This is my favorite recipe for swiss chard – so yummy!
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/gnocchi_chard_white_beans.html
Carrie says
Those tomatoes and raspberries look delish! Question–did you stake your tomato plants or use cages? For mine, I used stakes that apparently were not tall enough–the tomato plants keep growing like crazy!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Carrie,
We staked ours but they’re still growing a bit beyond them so we might need to get cages or taller stakes as the season wares on. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Powered by Tofu says
It’s my first year gardening, but we’re doing 3 container boxes and I’ve been so excited to harvest & cook with “my” food! So far: cherry tomatoes, golden cherry tomatoes, snap peas, lettuce, arugula, basil, cilantro, summer squash, cucumber, roma tomatoes, radishes. Ooh and and my first jalapeno last night!
Allison says
I make an omlet with swiss chard. You just slice the leaves in thing strips and saute in a little evoo or butter, then throw it on the omlet with some cheese. I also just throw it in to whatever pasta dish I’m having (like spinach). Again, just saute it first. You can also use the stems, but start cooking them a few minutes before you throw the leaves in — and the leaves just need a little bit of cooking.
Also, don’t be alarmed if you put it in your pasta and the leftovers have purple spots. I thought it was mold, but it’s just the purple from the chard bleeding onto the pasta!
Lauren B. says
We got a lot of chard in our CSA in May and June and the-very-best thing I ever made with it was Swiss chard, beet and goat cheese empanadas with spicy mint creme fraiche sauce. The Mister and I both actually liked them better than the more traditional chorizo-cheesey-peppery ones.
http://laylita.com/recipes/2008/05/07/swiss-chard-beet-goat-cheese-empanadas/
For something less time intensive, I often sauteed the chard and boiled some beets and threw those into some rice with goat cheese and other veggies.
Yum!
Tegan and Tage says
A garden has been on my “to-do” list for so long now. This is great inspiration to actually take steps to DO it! Thanks.
Kasey at Thrifty Little Blog says
Wow, I didn’t realize people did so much with chard until I read all of these comments!
Stephanie says
I’m going to offer another blog for you guys to check out!
http://kissofsun.blogspot.com/
Bonnie is so much fun and has quite the green thumb. Although we’re in Austin TX and our terrain is a little different, I think she will be quite helpful!
Happy Gardening!
stylefyles says
I just steam my chard. That’s it. Super simple. You should try it plain, like that first, and then see what you want to add to it.
But in my opinion, it tastes great with just a nice steam.
yansy says
I’m so jealous! I kill every plant I own, even cactuses and succulents. The tomatoes and raspberries look yummy. Again, I’m super jealous.
Becca says
I was literally at my friends house yesterday lusting after her garden(we live in an apt so no garden for me). Anyway she doesn’t know what to do with all her Swiss chard either it’s growing all over the place! I sent her a link to this page for some ideas. Your garden looks great!
Laura@JourneyChic says
Our new yard is quite shady, so I only have rosemary, parsley, and basil in a large planter. I’ve made pesto with the basil (and put it on pizza, too), and just used the parsley in a chicken souvlaki recipe. I tried growing cilantro, and it did really well for a while but by the time I got around to using it, it went to seed. Oh well!
erin taylor says
I was quite ambitious with a summer city garden this year…I had major issues with squirrels at first – they loved the basil, strawberries, even garlic…here’s a nifty trick though that really works – keep a fresh layer of cayenne pepper on top of the soil, and the squirrels will stay away…for real. happy gardening!
Eugenie Harris says
Here is my favorite swiss chard recipe. And did you know that swiss chard plants will grow for two years? They are beautiful and bountiful plants. Enjoy!
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/swiss-chard-chickpeas-couscous-10000001583602/index.html
Kevin M says
We inherited a couple tomato plants and a jalapeno pepper plant when we bought our home 2 weeks ago. No harvest yet, but they’re coming.
I also sowed some lettuce and squash seeds to test my green thumb and hopefully get some fresh produce before growing season ends.
r8chel says
Do you know what variety your red cherry tomatoes are? The plants look so tiny! My plants are ENORMOUS… and therefore a bit out of control. But! That means I’m eating tons of cherry tomatoes!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey R8chel,
Unfortunately we didn’t get the specific plant name of our tomatoes from the farmer’s market vendor (we realized there were no tags with plant names on ’em when we got home) so all we know is that one is some type of cherry tomato variety and one is a “golden cherry tomato” of some sort- hope it helps!
xo,
s
Nicole RJ says
Oh I’m jealous of your raspberry bush!
I’ve used chard in any {cooked} recipe where I’d typically use spinach. It does well in a soup or stir-fry!
Gretchen says
Chard is really good in an omelette. Saute in a small to medium skillet it with a bit of garlic and onion. Meanwhile, beat about six eggs in a large bowl adding some salt and pepper. Add the sauteed chard to the egg mixture so it partially cooks the eggs. Then pour it back in the skillet. Cook the eggs most of the way, turning the pan so the liquid egg runs under the cooked part. Top with cheese and finish in the oven under the broiler so it gets bubbly. Yum.
YoungHouseLove says
Mmmm. Thanks so much for all the swiss chard suggestions guys! We can’t wait to try them all…
xo,
s (& j)
Kelly Jo says
Love your updated pictures!
I just posted about my garden last night as well!
Here is a link
http://kjsstamppad.blogspot.com/2009/08/garden-vegetable-recipes.html
Laura says
For all of you with squirrels and deer eating at your tomatoes, here’s what I did to deal with the issue. Here in Tucson, the biggest culprit is birds.
Take a large tomato cage, turn upside down. Use a wire cutter to trim off the wire stake ends so you’re left with a cone. Wrap loosely in a couple of layers of plastic garden mesh (easy to find at any hardware store). Tie the ends of the mesh to the wire frame of the upsidedown cage. Pop over your tomato plant.
Because the mesh is so open, the plant will still get plenty of water and sunlight. You can even put a screen of mesh across the top of the cage if you’re afraid a squirrel will scale up the side and fall in. And when you’re ready to harvest, just remove the cage.
Here’s a link to mine in my blog. I didn’t bother to cut the wire stakes off the top of my upside-down cage, but that’s out of laziness.
lifeintheoldpueblo.blogspot.com/2009/07/tomatoes.html
erin says
Mmmm, I love Swiss chard. I saute chopped onions and garlic, toss in a pinch of red pepper flakes, and toss in the chopped chard and some red wine vinegar, cover, and let wilt. Salt and pepper to taste. Yummmmmy.
Amy Jo says
Those tomatoes don’t look real–they’re so perfect! Mmm…makes me so hungry!
Mary says
We grew squash, zucchini, broccoli (1st time), green and jalapeno peppers, corn(fail), onion and watermelon(still waiting on). I love all the zucchini for baking and have so much we have to freeze it. But it will be so wonderful to make some yummy zucchini bread in the dead of winter.
Tammy says
Here is a swiss chard recipe that my whole picky family loves:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/swiss-chard-recipe/index.html
It has bacon, red pepper flakes and balsamic vinegar! How could it be bad?
jodi says
found a crockpot recipe for your chard on another blog that I love
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/07/crockpot-swiss-chard-soup-recipe.html
Kim says
Young chard is awesome mixed in with your salad greens!! It has a little bite to it, kind of like arugula, but the baby greens are quite mild. Enjoy!
Melissa says
If you pinch off the tips of your basil stalks, they will branch at that point. If you do this frequently you can get more of a basil bush than a stalk. It’s a matter of preference but a bush is sturdier in case of hail.
kristin says
Canteloupe is the easiest thing in the world to grow! If you don’t watch out, it will take over your garden! We also grew tomatoes, hot peppers, herbs and purple grapes this year. We thought we had planted green grapes last year and got seeded purple on the vines this year instead. Surprise!
If you’re having bug problems on your tomatoes, try mixing some dishsoap with water and spraying the leaves. Don’t spray mid-day! It will fry your stalks! So far we haven’t had good luck with green peppers or squash.
Last year we staked off part of our yard for a garden. We built a 8-foot-tall arbor from wood and lattice we bought at Lowe’s. Now the grapes have grown over it and we can just reach up to grab one, and the dogs like to sit in the shade it now provides.
allison says
Great job on your first garden! I haven’t read all of the comments yet so I don’t know anyone else has posted anything similar, but some gardening advice… make sure you pinch back your basil plants! Yours looks so very healthy, which is good, but it’s sparse. You’ll have four times the amount of basil (meaning you’ll have enough to make pesto!) and a more attractive plant if you pinch it back to encourage more growth. It’s hard to describe – take a look here to see what I mean! http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2008/05/pinch_back_basil_to_boost_the.html
kristin says
p.s.s. It would be awesome if we could post photos on comments. I would love to show off the arbor! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kristin,
We love photos and would love to see your arbor! If you upload your pics to a photo sharing site like flickr or shutterfly you can include a link here for all to see!
xo,
s
Erin says
I made an awesome recipe with Chard almost by accident. I LOVE scrambled eggs and am constantly sauteing up whatever happens to be in the fridge, then tossing in the eggs. This time I sauteed up some onions in olive oil, tossed in some cut up chicken apple sausage, then the chard until it was wilted and then a pinch of nutmeg. The eggs went in last. SO good I didn’t even need cheese! I did the same again for dinner, but omitted the eggs (the bf doesn’t like eggs), and it was DELISH!
Madelaine says
Here is my quick, never fail chard recipe:
Cut leaves and stems and par-boil for a few minutes.
Drain well!
Heat olive oil in a pan, saute garlic. Add chard. Add parm cheese and scramble an egg into the mix. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And simple too.
Also the par-boiled chard can be frozen for use year long. I freeze in serving sizes and just pull out to thaw when I want a taste of summer. My mom and I plant a large patch for us to share and have it all year long.
Leah says
Youngsters- sorry to bring the snob foodie within – but its killing me that you’re dousing your fresh veggies with store bought italian. =) A dressing is so easy to make on your own!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Leah,
Ha! We were a little embarrassed that we didn’t use our fancy strawberry vinaigrette instead of the commercial yellow italian dressing for those photos. My mom actually makes her own honey mustard vinaigrette and it’s amazing. Time to get the recipe!
xo,
s
The Mrs says
Here’s a chard recipe I fondly recall an elderly babysitter making for us. It’s 50’s style cooking, but still tasty (not exactly in the healthy category, though). It’s a cold chard salad made of chard leaf pieces, a dollop of Miracle Whip, and crumbled bacon.
The Gardener's Eden says
I don’t know how I missed this post !?
Gardening is what I write about do for a living …
Keep going you two…. looks like you are having fun.
-M
Melissa says
The garden looks great! Thanks for posting an update – I’ve been looking forward to it. I would love to see another update later on about your raspberries and what you’re doing with them. We have raspberries growing along the side of our home and they have spread like crazy (just since last summer, when we bought the house) so watch out for that next spring! :)
Shelley says
Try a calzone chock full of swiss chard – it’s delicious! Here’s a recipe from Food & Wine for swiss chard and sundried tomato calzone: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/swiss-chard-and-sun-dried-tomato-calzone.
Shelley says
Oops, I messed up the link with an extra period. Here’s one that works: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/swiss-chard-and-sun-dried-tomato-calzone
Anita says
I must have missed this post. I was just wondering how your garden was doing.
Some Tips:
I noticed your basil just keeps growing taller and taller. Judging by your picture, half way up, do you see those little branches you’re getting? You can harvest the entire top part of the plant (if you need that much) and those 2 side branches will grow into full sized stems. So your plant will double up basically. 1 stem to 2 and 2 to 4, etc. You can keep on doing that all over your plant all summer long. It keeps your basil going all summer until fall and you’ll have young leaves to eat because the lower portions will get more and more mature (bitter and stiff) especially in the late summer. It will keep it from “going to seed”.
Personally, we prefer the taste of grape tomatoes over cherry tomatoes. But if you want more bang for your buck, go with the grape tomatoes (or even roma tomatoes). Next year, start the seeds yourself. The grape tomatoes simply grow more tomatoes per plant than does the cherry tomato. Also, it’s the perfect size to either top salads, make a tomato only salad or if you have too many, make tomato sauce for the winter!
Because we’re going with an organic approach, we do not use any pesticides. If bugs take over, we just know we can’t grow that. I haven’t had much of a problem to be honest but what someone suggestd to me was to intermix some bright colored flowers. That confuses the bugs. I found it works. I alternate my veggies with flowers and herbs.
Katy says
Looks great! I’m new to your blog, but this has me inspired! Our favorite part of our garden is currently the green peppers. So delicious straight off the plant! Though, have more than I know what to do with a lot of the time… Our trick for peppers is coffee grounds. GREAT natural fertilizer, and help deter bugs. Just dump ’em on.
Lauryn Galloway says
I agree with the above comment on the basil. I used to work at an herb farm (you should check them out Lavender Fields Farm) Anyway…you want your herbs to be bushy and round not tall and leggy so cutting them right above a “node”(right above where a stem is sprouting from the original stalk) will sprout the two more stems Anita is talking about. Also Im not sure how much you know about Basil but dont be sad if it doesnt overwinter. You can try bringing it inside to overwinter it, but its difficult even with a greenhouse. I would at the end of the summer-right before the first frost harvest the leaves and dry them and use them over the winter that way.
Cutting plants above the node will help them grow bigger. Like more rasberries, more tomatoes, more leaves in general and it will make them hardier and last longer. Again-not sure if you already know all this but just in case!
YoungHouseLove says
Loooove the idea of bringing the basil in to see if we can keep it over the winter. Here in VA we assumed it would die over the winter anyway (as most herbs do) so it doesn’t hurt to try. As for the bushy thing, we have two basil plants and took a photo of the tall one because we couldn’t believe how tall and spindly it got but the other one got bushy just like you guys describe so I guess we just plucked leaves off of that one differently. We’ll definitely start cutting things “above the node” for more yield and hardier plants. Thanks for the tips!
xo,
s
Danielle says
Hi there! I’m bumping this thread since it’s planting season yet again, and I (like many others, perhaps?) am hoping to start my own garden and have lots of questions. Most particularly, do you have any thoughts for edible items that don’t require absolute, full sun all day long? I noticed that your little plot of land has a lot of sun, while my own backyard is fairly shaded. The sun peaks through different parts at different parts of the day with only one section receiving full, 12-hr sun. So any thoughts that don’t require trimming a tree??! Thanks so much!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Danielle,
I wish we had more garden expertise to pass along, but we just read the labels and grab whatever says “full sun” since that’s how our garden is situated. Perhaps dropping by your local home improvement store or nursery and reading the labels or even talking to some experts will yield a much more thorough answer for you. Good luck!
xo,
s
Clarissa says
I love your blog and am wondering if you know of any great gardening blogs? Do you have any favorites? Thanks.
YoungHouseLove says
It’s not a blog but we love bhg.com for the free garden planning PDFs that you can download. They’re definitely worth checking out!
xo,
s
Ted says
Hello! I think it is wonderful that you guys are leading people back to growing edible gardens! I would love to send you a bag of our organic lawn fertilizer that works great on lawns and is loved by garden plants as well! It is also 100% child, pet and environment friendly, which I know are important to you. Please let me know if you would be interested in trying it. Thanks!
Ted
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Ted! We don’t take freebies or swag (we like to buy everything we use in our home, just to keep it real) but we appreciate the kind offer.
xo
s