10.27.2008

These are Exciting Times






Who would have thought so much joy was here awaiting me. Today I crunched into a carrot that was so crispy and sweet that it tasted like a fresh coconut!




There are tomatoes just bursting off the bushes. They are almost ready to come inside and ripen on their vines. There are grape tomatoes and Grosse Lizzy. The carrots, oh boy, there are SO many carrots..... and beans...... won't be long and we will be drowning in them! I can't wait to supply friends with fresh produce. I remember my two Nannas exchanging things when I was a child. Do you remember, before plastic bags, things like fresh beans were wrapped in damp newspaper and had a rubber band wrapped around them ? I will be reviving this tradition FOR SURE! LOL




This picture is of one our our newer beds. They measure about 2 metres by 1 metre. We are a living proof that you do not need a lot of space in order to produce your own food. This is a highly productive little garden. There are loads of carrots, two tomato bushes and huge area for climbing beans. We thought that to produce some of our own food we would need to have a huge area, even maybe an acre of land and that we may have to move. This is such a myth! You can have a very productive garden in a very small space. Our first tomato plant was in a pot! You can plant three lettuces with leaves that you constantly pick in a pot about 40 cm in length. That will do you all summer!


Today I heard Maggie Beer talking on the radio about cooking. The presenter said that it was difficult for people to cook from scratch because we just don't have the time. I was so impressed by her answer. She said the idea was total rot! All it takes to be able to cook a meal is a little planning! She said with some planning and a well stocked larder it is actually quicker to cook from scratch than it is to drive to the takeaway, place your order, wait for your order and drive home again. I remember Jamie Oliver proving this by phoning for a Pizza whilst on stage and then making one and having it ready well before the delivery boy arrived.

So, I guess if it's not a time factor, it must be a "can't be bothered" factor! I know I suffer from it sometimes!
These are some other tomatoes that are growing up the side of the driveway. This spot faces west and is not a 'garden bed' as such. It is just an area that we used to have to pull the weeds out of from time to time. Now it is a wonderful productive garden.
Let me tell you ........ these are exciting times.

3 comments:

libby said...

Wow, your tomatoes are going great guns. We were a late putting ours in this year so they aren't even flowering yet.

Libby

Anonymous said...

Everything is looking absolutely fantastic. Can you please explain what you mean by bringing in your tomatoes to ripen? Do you not wait for them to turn red before picking? Thanks (new to vegie gardening)

Mammoth said...

If anybody reading this has a toddler or knows somebody with a toddler, may I recommend a variety of tomato>

It is called 'Sungold,' and it is a small golden tomato - very sweet & prolific!

We adopted a 2½ - year old girl from Russia in August, and she LOVES these - they are like candy (albeit healthy) to her! Andjust the right size for tiny hands & mouths to handle.

ALthough we are not big fans of hybrids (we are growing a total of 11 varieties of tomatoes this year, and ponly two of these are hybrids), Sungold isworth growing.

Regretfully, here in western Washington State, it is the end of the growing season and the plants will get pulled up soon. Wish everyone good luck with your gardens!

-Mammoth

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