Gardenblog 2004

The gardening has been good this summer. I had some great mesculun salads coming in May through mid-July. Since July, the lettuce has bolted, but I'm still kept in carrots, green onions, and the tomatoes and peppers are finally ripening on the vine — just in time for my trip to Europe for ISEA. In the tomato department, the most pleasant surprise this summer has been the yellow brandywine, an heirloom variety native to North America that offers a bright yellow color, few seeds, and surprisingly sweet succulent flesh. Mr. Stripey has been a good performer for salads. I have several productive cherry plants and one “Big Beef Boy” that has yielded a couple of fruits which aren't as tasty as the heirloom varieties, but have produced tomatoes the size of a small child's cranium. This summer I also managed to plant some herbs that I actually use regularly in cooking — dill, cilantro, tarragon, and lots of sweet basil. The hot peppers are also having a banner year. I have a bolivian red rainbow, serrano, long red slim, and purple flourescent plant — all are doing well. I also have a couple of strawberry plants (“berries galore” variety from Home Depot) that are producing about a dozen berries a week.