Hey, Mom

I can always tell when spring is here. I buy seeds and plan my garden layout. This year I am also going to buy a small electric tiller. My garden is fairly small, so it should do a good job. I tossed a lot of nice compost into the garden last fall, and it needs to be tilled in before I plant. I am also going to add two or three new grape plants this year. I bought seeds for peas, pole beans, spinach, and baby romaine lettuce. I saved seeds from my butternut squash, so I’m curious to see if I can start new plants from those. I previously had no luck with that and had to buy plants.

As always, I will start my tomato plants indoors. I save some seeds from my favorite pink beefsteak tomatoes and they are good producers year after year. I also bought some heirloom seeds that will be fun to try. I love garden tomatoes. Nothing I can buy in a store comes close to their taste. Tomatoes take time, energy, and patience, but they’re worth the effort. We’re still enjoying the tomatoes I canned last summer.

Over the winter, I discovered a tip for keeping the blight off my tomatoes. When I plant my tomatoes, I need to plant them deep, up to the leaves, but then prune off any leaves that touch the ground. Also I need to mulch well to keep the soil and the plant from becoming too close. Blight spores live on in the soil. Continued pruning should help.

Of course, I know that I should rotate my crops by planting the tomatoes in a different spot than I did the year before. Tomato blight is a huge frustration. I do not like to put chemicals on my garden, so finding organic ways to deal with pests, both critter and otherwise is my choice.

As for the rabbit problem we had last winter (they nibbled nearly all of our raspberry canes to the top of the snow), our new fence seems to be very successful. While our poor, fenceless neighbor’s garden was a salad bar for the neighborhood rabbits, ours was not. We should have a lot of wonderful raspberries this year.

By the way, the best rabbit repellent is a roaming cat or two.

Planting fresh herbs in even the smallest sunny soil near your house is well worth the effort. One of the most simple and easy herbs to grow is parsley. Cutting during the summer encourages more growth, so use it often. Chop and add to stews, sauces, even salads. Fresh parsley potatoes are wonderful.

For me, nothing beats fresh basil. Basil is a very tender herb and won’t withstand a frost, so cherish it in summer while you can. Add fresh basil to the very end of cooked recipes for the strongest flavor. But also, don’t be afraid to use it raw with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese.

This year I will plant thyme, mint (for some homemade mojitos), and basil. My parsley came back from last year, a pleasant surprise. And my perennial chives can always be counted on to add a gentle onion-y flavor to many dishes.

Herbs are easily grown in containers on a sunny deck or patio, too. So even if you don’t have a great big garden, grow your own herbs and add wonderful flavor to your cooking this summer. Oh, and I forgot to mention that you will also be saving a lot of money by not buying packaged “fresh” herbs in the store.