What’s Growin’ On

OVF Tomato Tasting

Ocean View Farms (OVF) organic community garden hosts a tomato tasting for its members and guests each year. I've never been able to attend in the past, but this year I was on site to sample over 65 tomato entries (such hard work!).

It's a blind taste test, and all varieties are places side by side, so this is strictly a "tasting" rather than an overall tomato competition. Prizes, however, are still given out for the tastiest tomato.

Signs welcome visitors to the tasting
...

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The End of a Garden

Summer comes to an end each year, as does the warm season vegetable garden, but gardening magazines rarely, if ever, show what that looks like. Why don't we celebrate the end as much as we do the bountiful beginning and mid-season garden?  There is beauty in it as much as any garden when it is flourishing.  

We took a walk through the end-of-summer garden to snap a few pictures to showcase the beauty of death and decay. It sounds corny, but there really is much to rejoice about the end of a ...

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Read more about the article Summer Vegetable Frittata

Summer Vegetable Frittata

In the never ending quest to find new and tasty ways to consume zucchini, this week we're featuring another great recipe from Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Fast Food. It's the Summer Frittata, which uses asparagus, zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, eggs and Parmesan cheese.

Not only does this dish showcase zucchini, but it also gave us a chance to feature our home-grown asparagus. We've been collection spears each day through summer and although it's hard to resist the urge to just serve home-grown asparagus plainly cooked, this frittata does a nice job of highlighting the produce. ...

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Read more about the article New 2011 Fall FantaSeed Collection

New 2011 Fall FantaSeed Collection

As summer winds down, the excitement for fall crops is building. Not sure what to grow?  Gardenerd is here to help. We've picked out a special selection of veggies we have been dying to grow - and we're pretty jazzed about it.

Color is the name of the game this fall. Purples, yellows, reds and greens take the stage this fall to brighten up your garden. Check out this beautiful lineup for fall:

2011 Fall FantaSeed Collection

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Read more about the article Fall Garden Planning with Gardenerd

Fall Garden Planning with Gardenerd

Planning out your garden each season is more than just fun - it gives you the chance to plant new varieties and experiment each year. What are you going to grow this fall? 

In warm winter climates, fall gardens thrive. In cooler climates, you can still plant a fall garden with protection. Using cold frames, insulated floating row cover, and greenhouses, you can grow cool weather crops all winter long. Here's what to grow:

Root crops, broccoli (Italian broccoli shown left), kohlrabi, peas, chard and ...

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Read more about the article Growing Watermelons and Melons

Growing Watermelons and Melons

I've never had much luck growing watermelons in our coastal climate. The plants usually succumb to powdery mildew before they really get going and the result is little melons or no fruit at all.   This year I tried something different and have seen great results. Apparently, it's all about timing.

Watermelons like hot weather to mature, in fact according to the University of Ohio, they need daytime temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees, and nighttime temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees. (While we're at it, soil pH is preferred between 6.0 ...

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Read more about the article Black Coco Beans – An Heirloom Surprise

Black Coco Beans – An Heirloom Surprise

The Three Sisters garden is a Native American planting technique that consists of beans, corn and squash. The corn is planted first, and when it reaches 2 feet tall, pole beans are planted around the corn. The beans use the corn as a trellis to climb. Then squash (usually pumpkins) are planted around the base of the corn and beans to provide shade so the sun won't dry out the soil. It's been done for centuries... let's see how I can screw it up.

The corn part went well. It's the beans that ...

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Read more about the article Tomato Tasting Party – Everybody Wins!

Tomato Tasting Party – Everybody Wins!

We have a tradition with a longtime friend in which we gather together, bringing our best tomatoes each season, to share in the bounty of the summer harvest. We slice them with care and taste each variety to determine our favorites. There is olive oil and salt, a little basil, and very good bread on hand. Each time we've done a tasting we have come away with a new favorite. This year was no exception.

We gathered in the garden with our contributions and began with show and tell. My husband and ...

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