Sorry I haven't updated in some time, as I have been pretty busy with life itself. I wanted to share with you all one of the things that have been keeping me busy for the past few months. Jonathan and I decided since we live in such a temperate climate, we should have a go at gardening. Many herbs and vegetables grow well in San Diego which helps with the cost in general of eating healthy. Because I have been out of work, one of the things I like to do to keep me busy is cook. We decided an herb garden would be something we could benefit from to spice up our healthy meals (pardon the pun!).
We started out with small seedlings of Beefeater Tomatoes, Cilantro, Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, and Catnip for our four legged friends. The ground here is less than desirable when it comes to gardening, so we decided to use pots to keep it easy. Here is a picture of the garden after potting all the seedlings.
I also decided to have a go at planting some flowers. In the past I have had a rough time keeping them alive, but I figured the climate here would probably help me out.
Within no time our plants started shooting toward the sky! We were able to pinch off bits of the plants to add to our meals and I have to say it was a million times more flavorful than anything I have bought in the supermarket. I don't think I will be able to go back to store bought herbs.
Also, the tomato plant started to get blooms to show the arrival of tomatoes!
Before too long the plants were HUGE and we could snip of bigger bits to cook with. Here is a picture of our first bushel of Cilantro.
Finally our Beefeater Tomato plant has started to produce tomatoes! Unfortunately some of them have been invaded by some bugs, so I quickly researched a homemade pesticide to spray on the tomatoes. For all your gardeners out there, here is the recipe for the pest repellant and also some pictures of the new tomatoes.
Ingredients:
1 head of garlic minced
1 tbsp dish soap (non-bleach)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups water
Prep:
Mince garlic and add to other ingredients.
Let sit over night.
Strain mixture and put into spray bottle.
Spray those pests away!
Today I started harvesting Basil and Catnip to dry and store. Fortunately, its a very dry climate and we have a big storage room I can hang them in. I couldn't figure out why I was saving my panty hose (I never wear them) and realized they would come in handy for hanging the plants to dry so they aren't damaged in the process.
Unfortunately, our Cilantro plant bit the dust while we were away on vacation. It just got too hot and it went into shock. Sadly, it was my favorite herb to add to my meals. On the bright side, the plant has started to flower; and hopefully I can put it into a bigger pot or flower bed where the seeds can come back next year as new plants.
The next picture is the garden as of today. There is still a lot more harvesting to do with the Rosemary, Thyme, and Oregano; and of course the tomato plant is thriving into a HUGE bush. My next goal is to figure out what I can do to keep the tomato plant upright with all these tomatoes flourishing and adding weight.
We are very pleased with how our garden has turned out, especially considering this is my first time growing anything! My latest indulgence is adding fresh Rosemary and Basil to red potatoes and red onions in a sauté pan and cooking them with extra virgin olive oil. I know I'm not the first to do it, but it is amazing and even more amazing with the fresh herbs.
Also, my flowers are growing quite nicely!
Thanks for reading and I promise to update with all our adventures of the last few months! Stay tuned! :)
Love,
Janna and Jonathan
