Backyard Botanical Garden Bloghttp://blog.backyardbotanical.com/The Backyard Botanical Garden Blog is a great resource for ideas, helpful insights, and lessons learned by gardeners like you.(c)2010, Backyard Leisure Holdings15Backyard Botanical Garden Pays For Itself!http://blog.backyardbotanical.com/blog/52/backyard-botanical-garden-pays-for-itself.aspxSat, 13 Feb 2010 07:23:51 GMTWe've now had our Oasis garden for one full year!  Our winter veggies are looking fabulous and the seedlings I recently planted are finally coming up. 

In another month or so, the garden should look full once again. 

So, after a full year of gardening (and blogging), here are some impressive stats.  We harvested 237 pounds of vegetables in our 8'x8' garden.  Had we bought those veggies at the supermarket, we would have spent $745.  If we bought them at our local organic market, we would have spent a whopping $945!**  Our Oasis garden actually pays for itself!  Plus, there's the fun and sheer satisfaction of growing your own vegetables--and that, of course, is priceless. 

This past month we harvested mostly broccoli, cabbage, cherry tomatoes and herbs.  I ate the last few cherry tomatoes yesterday and pulled the plant out.  Later this month, I'll start over with new tomato plants.

Even though we'd harvested the broccoli crowns from our two broccoli plants, both continue to produce.  After the crown is cut, the plant grows side shoots.  They look like miniature broccoli heads.

New strawberries are also on the way.  There are lots of flowers.  Now that the strawberry plants are established, we should have a  much bigger harvest than last year.

I was hoping the Brussels sprouts would be ready by now, but they still need more time.  The little heads are continuing to grow and should be ready soon.

We had so many cherry tomatoes, I spent hours looking for recipes to help use them up.  I found a great one: Pasta with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes (www.theperfectpantry.com).  I also found two wonderful recipes for the cabbage: Chinese Chicken Salad and Corned Beef with Cabbage (both from www.epicurious.com).  And, after cooking Swiss chard many different ways, at last I discovered what is now my favorite preparation: Swiss Chard with Garbanzo Beans and Fresh Tomatoes (www.allrecipes.com). 

After 12 full months, this is my last blog entry about the 8'x8' Oasis Garden.  It's been a great year of gardening and I hope I've encouraged others to give it a try.  Spring is just around the corner, so get ready to dig in!    

 

**Cost Comparison: Home-Grown vs. Store-Bought Veggies

Item

Price/lb

Total

Price/lb

Total price

Total

supermkt

price at

local health

at local health

Pounds

(non-org)

supermkt

food store

food store

(non-org)

(organic)

(organic)

Arugula

1.773

11.8

20.9214

12.32

21.8434

Basil

6.635

8.76

58.1226

50.88

337.589

Beans (green)

3.02

1.99

6.0098

2.99

9.0298

Beets

7.2

1.5

10.8

1.25

9

Bok choy

3.725

0.99

3.68775

2.69

10.0203

Broccoli

1.95

1.69

3.2955

1.39

2.7105

Cabbage

4.46

0.89

3.9694

0.89

3.9694

Carrots

1.19

0.6

0.714

0.99

1.1781

Cauliflower

2.41

1.99

4.7959

1.99

4.7959

Chives

0.367

53.12

19.495

48

17.616

Cilantro

0.91

2.64

2.4024

3.38

3.0758

Corn

6.4

0.86

5.504

0.99

6.336

Crookneck squash

1.23

1.59

1.9557

2.59

3.1857

Cucumber

12.56

1.83

22.9848

2.29

28.7624

Eggplant

16.98

2.12

35.9976

1.99

33.7902

Garlic

0.125

3.04

0.38

3.99

0.49875

Lettuce

14.07

1.79

25.1853

2.66

37.4262

Mesclun

0.144

11.8

1.6992

12.32

1.77408

Parsley

2.824

2.98

8.41552

5.09

14.3742

Peas

1.43

3.99

5.7057

6.99

9.9957

Peppers (bell)

11.926

3.4

40.5484

4.79

57.1255

Peppers (hot)

1.408

1.99

2.80192

4.99

7.02592

Potatoes

4.09

1

4.09

1.19

4.8671

Radish

1.33

2.65

3.5245

2.52

3.3516

Rosemary

0.28513

48.48

13.8231

48

13.6862

Scallions

0.79

8.9

7.031

5.16

4.0764

Spinach

4.26

1.99

8.4774

2.05

8.733

Strawberries

0.8

2.5

2

3.5

2.8

Swiss chard

19.25

1.99

38.3075

2.65

51.0125

Thyme

0.3695

53.12

19.6278

48

17.736

Tomatoes (Roma)

56.27

3.99

224.517

1.79

100.723

Tomatoes (Cherry)

25.589

4

102.356

3.58

91.6086

Zucchini

21.57

1.69

36.4533

1.19

25.6683

Total

237.341

$745.6

$945.386

 

]]>Eleven Monthshttp://blog.backyardbotanical.com/blog/51/eleven-months.aspxTue, 12 Jan 2010 00:42:32 GMTHere we are in January and our Oasis Garden is still producing cherry tomatoes!  In fact, we picked over 12 pounds of them this past month. They don't exactly look beautiful on the trellis anymore--most of the leaves have turned brown or fallen off.  But, since we're still harvesting about a handful of tomatoes each day, I didn't have the heart to pull them out yet.

It's now been eleven months since I initially planted our garden.  Right now, it looks barren in some areas and full in others.  The seeds that I planted last month have all sprouted, but the new plants are still on the small side.  Everything grows more slowly in the wintertime.
 
In the past month, we picked over 26 pounds of vegetables.  We've now harvested over 232 pounds of vegetables since starting the garden last February!
 
And here's another milestone: for the first time, I successfully grew cauliflower!  In prior years, I bought six packs of cauliflower at the nursery.  When they matured, the heads were small and deformed.  This year, I started the plants from seeds and they were perfect!  The first head I harvested was purple and the second one was green.

When I saw the green head forming, at first I thought it was discolored.  I was expecting white cauliflower.  But, I pulled out the seed packet and sure enough it contained a mix of three types of heirloom cauliflower seeds--green, purple and white.  The green head was more than twice the size of the purple one, but both were very yummy.

Meanwhile, the Brussels sprouts are finally coming along.  Tiny purple blossoms are forming along the axils of the leaves. 

 
Soon, each one will look like a mini cabbage.  In prior years, when I tried to grow Brussels sprouts, they were plagued by insects (aphids, I believe).  This year, there are no bugs-so far, so good.
 
We had friends over for New Year's weekend.  I served several dishes made from our home-grown veggies.  For lunch, I made "Dad's Stuffed Bell Peppers"  (www.simplyrecipes.com).  Even though I had picked the peppers in early December, they were still fabulous.  Home grown veggies last so much longer than the store bought stuff.  To accompany our BBQ dinner, I made "Angie's Dad's Best Cabbage Slaw"  (www.allrecipes.com).  I was looking for a coleslaw recipe that didn't have mayonnaise. Everyone loved it!  I had also planned on making bruschetta with the cherry tomatoes.  But, I placed the tomatoes on the counter in a large bowl.  My guests ate them raw, before I had a chance to cook them.  No one couldn believe we were growing such delicious cherry tomatoes in December!  Finally, last night, with the green cauliflower, I made "Baked Whole Cauliflower" (www.allrecipes.com).  It looked beautiful and also tasted great!    

Hopefully, by next month we'll be eating Brussels sprouts.  Maybe I'll find a Brussels Sprouts recipe to post.  Also, I'll be looking for recipes to use up those cherry tomatoes.   

]]>Ten Monthshttp://blog.backyardbotanical.com/blog/50/ten-months.aspxMon, 14 Dec 2009 05:32:46 GMTIt's now been 10 months since we first started our Oasis Garden.  The summer veggies are almost all gone and the garden is filling up with winter plants.

 

In the past 10 months, we've harvested 205 pounds of vegetables.  Last month alone, we harvested over 24 pounds--our fourth largest harvest so far.

Even though it's mid-December, we still have cherry tomatoes--lots of them!  The leaves of the plant are starting to turn brown, but the tomatoes keep coming and they are still so flavorful! 

All the other summer veggies are gone.  In the past month, I pulled out the last of the eggplant, peppers, squash, Roma tomatoes, bok choy and basil.  In their place, I planted peas, cilantro, radish, parsnip, scallions, spinach and lettuce.  I started all the new vegetables from seed, so the garden has a few spots that look empty at the moment.  I planted the peas against the trellis, so hopefully, they will soon fill up the space where the Roma tomatoes used to be.

I picked the first head of broccoli last week by cutting off the crown at its base.  It was so delicious!  Soon, side shoots will form (little broccoli heads) and we'll have a second harvest.  It's always a bit tricky knowing when to pick the broccoli.   I like to allow the head to become as large as possible.  But, if you wait too long, the head will turn into a bunch of yellow flowers.  I think our timing was just about right for this broccoli crown.

Soon, the purple cauliflower will be ready. 

We're also growing white cauliflower, but it's maturing more slowly.  I've never tasted purple cauliflower.  I wonder if it will taste any different than the white kind?   

Here are a few recipes I made within the past month.  For Thanksgiving, I served Creamed Swiss Chard (www.ebfarm.com) and Spinach, Arugula, Cranberry and Walnut Salad (www.lifeambrosia.com).  Last week, I used some Roma tomatoes to make Chicken Sausage Lasagna (www.tastebook.com).  All three dishes were very good and came from websites I just recently discovered.   I love it when I stumble upon a new website with great recipes to try.  

I'll put up another post in January.  Until then, Happy Gardening and Happy Holidays!

]]>Nine Monthshttp://blog.backyardbotanical.com/blog/49/nine-months.aspxSun, 15 Nov 2009 18:22:52 GMTHere's our Oasis Garden, nine months after we first planted it.

 

We've now harvested over 181 pounds of vegetables.  The top five producers in our garden have been tomatoes, zucchini, lettuce, eggplant and cucumbers.

The eggplant, which is on the right side of the garden, is huge- like a small tree.  Even though it's mid-November, there are still more eggplant on the way.  In fact, we've harvested nearly 14 pounds of it over the last 3 months.  I must confess--we're getting tired of eggplant.  I picked some the other day, sliced it, broiled it, and froze it.  I'm sure it will seem like a special treat when I defrost it in a few months to make some eggplant parmesan.  Soon, I'll pull the plant to make room for some lettuce.   

Over on the left side of the garden, the broccoli and cauliflower are also becoming very  large.  

Right in the center of the brocoli plant, the first head of broccoli is starting to form.  It should be ready to harvest in a few weeks.  Whether it's raw or cooked, nothing beats home-grown broccoli!

Due to the cool nights, the crookneck squash is just about done.  Next year I'll plant it earlier.  Even though we didn't get as many squash as I would have liked, I did find a wonderful recipe for it: Sauteed Summer Squash With Rosemary and Garlic (www.cdkitchen.com).  I'll definitely want to make that one again next year.  I used bell peppers and Roma tomatoes to make a delicious Jambalaya dish (www.allrecipes.com).  I also used some cherry tomatoes and basil for a tasty pasta dish called Jane's Pasta with Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes (www.culinate.com).

When I post new pictures next month, the garden will look completely different.  All the summer veggies will be gone and the garden will be full of fall and winter items.  I'm ready for the transformation and am looking forward to trying some new recipes.

 

  

]]>The Best Time For Gardeninghttp://blog.backyardbotanical.com/blog/48/the-best-time-for-gardening.aspxTue, 27 Oct 2009 05:36:20 GMTAhh...fall in San Diego.  This is definitely my favorite time to garden.  The summer bugs have disappeared, but the summer veggies continue to produce.  Although we still have tomatoes, eggplant, squash, basil and Swiss chard, our fall vegetables are also coming along.  The garden is full of green.  The broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and bok choy are all growing quickly now. 

Broccoli

Cabbage

Brussels Sprouts

Bok Choy

A few days ago, we harvested the first bok choy of the season.  It was beginning to bolt--a stalk with small flowers was growing from the center of the plant.  So, I quickly harvested the whole thing and served it with dinner. It wasn't the prettiest bok choy, since it had some bite marks on it.  I cut off the parts that had been bitten and made Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Ginger and Garlic (www.foodnetwork.com).  It was fabulous.  I also make Jalapeno Flank Steak ( http://bad-girls-kitchen.blogspot.com/2008/05/jalapeo-flank-steak.html).  I served it over homegrown arugula using a recipe called Grilled-Steak Salad With Worcestershire Vinaigrette (http://www.epicurious.com).  It was so delicious and just as good a few days later when I served it cold. 

Now that it's starting to cool off here, the garden will grow more slowly and there will be less to blog about.  So, from now until February, I'll add a new entry just once a month.  Look for the next one when the garden is nine months old. 

 

]]>Climbing Critters!http://blog.backyardbotanical.com/blog/47/climbing-critters.aspxMon, 19 Oct 2009 05:43:39 GMTThere were bite marks on the eggplant.  Big ones! Now, if I had to share something in the garden, it probably would be the eggplant.  I'm running out of ideas for how to prepare it.  But, still, I knew that whatever ate the eggplant would move on to other vegetables soon (when it got as tired of eggplant as I am).  So, I pulled out our Havahart Live Animal Trap.  I set the trap up inside the garden, and for bait I used peanut butter and sunflower seeds.  Within a couple of hours, my dogs were barking by the garden.  We had caught a squirrel!  

I put the cage in a large garbage bag and put it in my car.  Then I drove to a nearby park and released the squirrel.   

So, I wondered, how many of his friends and family also know about the garden? I set the trap up again, using the same kind of bait.  The next morning, there was a rat inside!

I went to the same park where I had taken the squirrel and released the rat. 

By this point, I was starting to panic.  How long would this go on?  I set the trap up again with more peanut butter and sunflower seeds.  Fortunately, it's now been about 5 days, and we haven't caught any more animals.  Nor have there been any more bite marks on our garden vegetables.  Mission accomplished--I hope!  

We did have one other garden visitor, but it didn't cause any visible damage.  I don't know it's technical name, so I'll call it a leaf bug.

I found it sitting on a cherry tomato branch.  By the time I put my camera away after taking its picture, the leaf bug was gone.

Despite all the unwanted guests, the garden is still producing lots of vegetables.  Check out these beautiful red bell peppers.

We used them to make delicious chicken fajitas.

This past week we also harvested lots of tomatoes, eggplant and basil.  I made Roasted Tomato Basil Soup and Eggplant Gratin.  Both of these awesome recipes are from Ina Garten and are posted on www.foodnetwork.com.  I also harvested Swiss chard to make Lean Lasagna (www.epicurious.com).  The recipe called for tomato sauce which I made from our homegrown Roma tomatoes.  Yum!

]]>Eight Monthshttp://blog.backyardbotanical.com/blog/46/eight-months.aspxMon, 12 Oct 2009 03:27:39 GMTAfter starting our garden eight months ago, our Oasis is still thriving. 

  

It's now in transition from a summer garden to a fall garden.  The raised beds are full with a mixture of vegetables from both seasons and the trellis is packed with tomatoes. 

Here in San Diego, the days have been warm (low 70s) and the nights have been cool (mid-50s).  It's perfect weather for gardening.  However, once it drops into the low 50s, the tomatoes will start to die off.  Today, I cut the tomatoes way back.  I removed the branches that didn't already have any tomatoes growing on them.  That way, the plants will put their energy into the tomatoes that are left.    

We've now harvested 151 pounds of vegetables and herbs.  For the past 6 months, the only veggies I've bought at the store have been onions, potatoes and garlic.  All the rest of the vegetables I've served came from our garden. 

This past week, we continued to harvest lots of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and chard.  Here are three easy and wonderful recipes that I made: Roasted Cherry Tomatoes (www.foodnetwork.com); Spicy Swiss Chard with Lemon (www.find.myrecipes.com); and Eggplant and Chive All-Day Omelette (www.nibbledish.com). 

There are lots of peppers waiting to be harvested--both red bell peppers and Serranos.  I hope to find some delicious ways to cook them, so stay tuned for some more great recipes next week.  

 

]]>Boxers vs. Squirrelhttp://blog.backyardbotanical.com/blog/45/boxers-vs-squirrel.aspxTue, 06 Oct 2009 03:30:12 GMTFor as long as I can remember, we've had squirrels in our yard.  But, they weren't bothering our garden, so I didn't worry about them.  In fact, I hadn't applied the Critter Ridder powder for the last 4-5 months.  (Critter Ridder is a non-toxic pepper powder available at Home Depot and most garden stores.)  Generally, I sprinkle the powder around the perimeter of the garden and in the wood chip walkway about once a month.  Everything was growing so well that I forgot all about being proactive by using the powder.  Well, now I'm paying for it.

A few days ago, I found bite marks in one of the Roma tomatoes.  At the time, I wasn't sure what type of critter had dined in our Oasis.  Then, the next afternoon, I strolled out to the garden to pick some cherry tomatoes.  My two boxer dogs came with me.  They always come romping along whenever I go to the garden.  I opened the gate and saw a squirrel inside the garden bed.  I'm not sure who was more startled, me or the squirrel.  Anyway, a wild chase began within the Oasis.  One dog came in the garden while the other waited outside.  Both dogs were trying to catch the squirrel, which was running wildly throughout the U-shaped raised bed.  Plants were trampled and cherry tomatoes were flying.  Eventually, the squirrel ran out through the open gate and the two dogs followed.  The boxers chased it into the bushes and I haven't seen the squirrel since.

I sprinkled Critter Ridder powder all around the garden and in the wood chip walkway.  Hopefully, that will deter any future squirrels from visiting.  I'm still waiting to see which plants will survive and which were killed off during the chase.  I'm pretty sure the spinach that I recently transplanted is history.  It's so disheartening to see a plant that you've started from seed and nurtured for weeks, be mutilated in a matter of a seconds.  The Brussels sprouts, bok choy and broccoli plants were also damaged, but with a little luck, they might pull through.

On a positive note, the cauliflower is looking good.

The whole left side of the garden (where the giant zucchini plant was) is filling up again.

Also, the peppers are doing great.  We'll have to make more salsa and other spicy things.

Speaking of spice, I used Serrano peppers and bell peppers to make some delicious Spicy Chicken Tacos (www.tacorecipes.net).  With the Mesclun, I also made a spicy Arugula Salad With Lemon-Parmesan Dressing (www.epicurious.com).  Another good recipe I tried is Sauteed Baby Vegetables (www.cooks.com).  This recipe called for seven different ingredients, including peppers, that are growing in our garden!  I love finding a recipe that uses a variety of veggies and herbs, which are all available right in our backyard.       

]]>First Touch of Fallhttp://blog.backyardbotanical.com/blog/44/first-touch-of-fall.aspxTue, 29 Sep 2009 05:20:35 GMTFinally, the first touch of fall is in the air.  Although it's still hot during the day, it's getting into the low 60s at night.  Whew...what a relief!  I moved most of my fall starter plants from the Styrofoam cups, which were sitting on top of the barbeque, into the garden.  This past week, I planted cabbage, spinach, onions and Brussels sprouts. 

Cabbage
 
Brussels Sprouts

Meanwhile, the cherry tomatoes are going wild.  There are hundreds of them.  And, the good news is the worms and grasshoppers seem to be gone.  The tomatoes are even popping through the back of the trellis.

Although I hate to talk about my failures, I must confess, the pumpkins were a complete bust.  There were a couple of pumpkins that had started to form, but I found them a few days later several feet from the vine.  I had planted the pumpkins outside the garden, so they were unprotected.   I don't know if my dogs got into them or some other critters.  It's also possible that the soil wasn't very good.  While the soil inside the garden beds is rich and wonderful, I'm not so sure about the soil around the garden.   Anyway, I'll probably stick to planting inside the fenced garden beds from this point on.  Everything I've planted around the structure (a variety of flowers and pumpkins) has failed.

While I'm at it, I'll confess that I've never before successfully grown cauliflower or Brussels sprouts.   So far, they both look very healthy and are growing well.  Hopefully, this year will be different than prior years.  I'd hate to blog about another failure! 

On a brighter note, I did cook some great dishes this past week.  I made Crispy Rosemary Chicken and Fries (http://www.allrecipes.com; Penne With Eggplant and Mozzarella (www.cdkitchen.com) and Balsamic Roasted Vegetables (www.epicurious.com).  I also sautéed some crookneck squash.  I just cooked it in a little bit of butter with a dash of salt and pepper.  It was simple and delicious! 

 

]]>Garden Soil is Alive!http://blog.backyardbotanical.com/blog/43/garden-soil-is-alive.aspxSun, 20 Sep 2009 21:52:47 GMTThis week, I decided it was time to finally pull out the zucchini plant.  I had picked the last zucchini and it didn't look like any more were on the way.  One little seed had produced almost 22 pounds of zucchini.  I didn't go for size; I went for farmer's market quality.  They were perfect and delicious!  Anyway, as I yanked out the giant stem, I noticed the soil was moving.   I got out my trowel and dug in.  The soil was full of wriggling earthworms! 

I'm not sure how they got there.  I had thrown in about 5 or 6 worms several months ago when I planted flowers near the garden.  Each time I found a worm, I tossed it in the garden soil.  But now, there are hundreds of worms, maybe thousands.  Perhaps they came with the soil.  Regardless, I'm so excited to have them.  Worms are great for the soil.  They dig lots of tunnels, which keeps the dirt soft and loose.           

Meanwhile, there are still unwelcome visitors trying to devour the cherry tomato plant.  I found another three hornworms and a grasshopper.  Like the hornworm, the grasshopper is well camouflaged.  Its color matches the tomato plant leaves perfectly.   He let me get within a few inches so I could take his picture.  Then I got out my scissors and made sure he would not be eating my tomato plants again.   

On a more pleasant note, I got to pick the first couple of crookneck squashes.  Like the zucchini, these are best when they're small.  I generally pick them when they're about 4-5 inches long.  That way, they're nice and tender and have very few seeds.

With the zucchini out of the way, there was room for some fall veggies.  So, I transplanted some of the plants that I'd started in Styrofoam cups last month.  Here are broccoli, cauliflower and bok choy.   

This past week, I searched for ways to use our Serrano peppers.  I made Crispy Jalapeno Honey Chicken with Tomato-Corn Confetti (www.allrecipes.com).  I substituted Serrano peppers for the jalapeno peppers.  It had a pretty good kick to it and we all enjoyed it--especially my husband.  I also made Zucchini Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce (both from www.nytimes.com).  For this dish, the zucchini is sliced into long thin strips, so it serves as the pasta.  It was a yummy low-carb meal.  I couldn't decide what to do with our last zucchini of 2009.  So, I shredded it and froze it.  That way, when I start to miss zucchini, which might take a few months,  I can bake one last dish.     

]]>