(Our newsletters are all copyright The Tasteful Garden 2003-2006 if you would like to reprint any of this information please let us know by email.)
October 2006
Pumpkins are everywhere!
There is one sure way to know that Fall has arrived and that is the appearance of pumpkins. As kids, this signaled the countdown to Halloween and weeks of trying to decide what to dress up as. For us here on the farm it is a time of harvest and an abundance of vegetables that are working hard to finish off the season. In the garden we are squeaking out the last of the Roma Classica tomatoes and hope to get the final green beans harvested before first frost kills the vines.
Cucumbers are coming on in the greenhouse and we are excited about a new Armenian cucumber that is light green with a very smooth skin. We also have Spinach planted in a big box in our unheated greenhouse where we can get about 20 lbs. of wonderful fresh leaves over the winter months. With the spinach scare recently, we thought a short article about this timely issue is in order for this month.
Growing herbs indoors is what we get so many questions about this time of year. Following is a brief article about how to do this successfully.
Gift season is coming up and we have lots of great gift products for sending to dear friends and family. Our beautiful 
Fall dried floral wreaths are in stock now and can be sent as gifts or buy them for your own fall decorating. 
We have gift baskets with herbs, romantic picnic baskets for two, lovely carved wooden planters with herbs to bring the garden indoors and hanging planters with Rosemary. Crates filled with herbs, soaps, cookbooks too! Gift certificates make wonderful gifts which can give again with a garden in springtime. Please call us if you have something special in mind. We are glad to help you create something unique.
NEW! Our own harvest products can be ordered including Pumpkin Butter, Peach Jam, Marinated Oven Roasted tomatoes, Habanero Pepper Jelly (this stuff is addictive) and wonderful Organic stone ground Corn meal and Grits, Basil oil, even fresh Goat cheese! We can combine these items with our fresh produce baskets upon request. (Please give us a week's notice for fresh produce orders.) Click here to order
Scary Spinach
What happened to make spinach so scary? Well, the answer is likely in the handling and not so m
uch in the growing practices although this hasn't been determined yet. It is believed to be either from irrigation water that was contaminated by E-coli or from food handlers not properly cleaning tools or hands. It has been determined that it was not from the "organic" spinach but the conventionally grown spinach supply at the plant. These large processing facilities have a high risk because of the sheer volume of produce which is processed and it can be quickly distributed all over the country.
When we purchase our produce and meats from huge corporations that distribute over a wide area including overseas, Canada and Mexico, and much of our food comes from South America (having the opposite seasons of the U.S., we take a great risk. Food storage creates the perfect moist cool conditions for growth of bacterias. Refrigeration over long periods of time, for weeks in many cases, creates perfect situations for bacteria to spread.
What to do? Always wash your produce that comes from the supermarket. Make sure you follow "best by" dates and buy as fresh and as local as you can. Produce is supposed to be marked with its country of origin in the produce section but if it is not, ask someone to find out for you. Always buying in season will assure that you do get the best quality and food that has been stored for the shortest time. Farmer's Markets are goldmines for produce and other items such as fish and eggs as most everything has been harvested within one day of sale. Freshness directly coincides with the amount of nutritional content of fruits and vegetables and as foods are held in refrigeration, the vitamin content deteriorates over time.
Growing your own assures the best quality and the best freshness, every time.
Growing Herbs Indoors:
Growing herbs indoors is relatively easy if you keep in mind that it is a short term proposition. Herbs really are not houseplants and do not thrive indoors because of lack of sunlight, humidity, and root space. In fact there is more opportunity for the plants to become stressed out and develop pest problems, yes even indoors.
To begin, make sure you allow enough pot space for each plant and don't overcrowd them. Use containers which will be able to dry frequently, good drainage holes are very important. Choose a location which is very bright and away from heater vents and fireplaces. Use good potting soil and include a little bit of compost such as worm castings or black cow which will help the potting soil consistency. Make sure you let the soil become dry in-between watering, not enough to wilt the plant, just don't ever water a plant with wet soil.
Pick the herbs frequently but keep in mind that they will be growing much slower than in springtime so only clip about 1/3 at a time giving them time to grow back before cutting them again. Some summer herbs such as Basil and Dill may not thrive indoors in the winter months as they can actually tell that it is not summer, even inside. Assume a short life span and don't worry that you "killed" them. Some of the most successful herbs to grow indoors will be Parsley, Chives, Thyme, Tarragon, Mints, Marjoram, and Sage. Start them inside in Fall and they should stay alive until they can be transplanted outdoors in spring.
NEWS: Our Produce subscription program Session 2 begins November 1st
We are excited to announce our new Produce Subscription Program for Fall called The Tasteful Harvest! Our second session will provide a box shipped right to your door of the freshest Farm Produce available, all grown naturally by our local small farms. This new program is designed to help small family owned farms by marketing this wonderful produce to people who value the best quality, freshest taste, and above all, flavor.
Similar to a CSA (or Community Supported Agriculture), this is an opportunity to get quality food, fresh from the farm, delivered right to your door within days of being picked instead of refrigerated in a store for weeks. We select the best of the harvest, every week from our own garden and greenhouses as well as from a few carefully selected local farms in our area. Most farms grow organically although organic certification is prohibitive because of the cost, they grow naturally with organic fertilizers and minimal organic pesticides. This program helps keep small farms in business by providing a market for them during the fall season.
Healthy vegetables, full of flavor, our boxes will include a selection of the freshest seasonal vegetables and
may include Lettuces, Squash, Greenhouse tomatoes, cut Herbs, Broccoli, Greens, Carrots, Cabbage, Peppers, Onions, Potatoes, Beans and more! We also include farm fresh eggs with your order.
Subscriptions for this program are available in our catalog and can be a Half order, about 5 lbs. of produce per week for 6 weeks, or a full order, about 10 lbs. per week. The cost for subscription is $47.95 per week for a half order and $67.95 per week for a full order. Pricing includes shipping to the yellow and brown areas on this map. (green, red and orange areas will require Air shipping and will cost an additional $15.00 per week.) Click map to enlarge.
To read more about this program or to order, just click this link: http://www.tastefulgarden.com/NEW!+The+Tasteful+Harvest-cat-21.html The Tasteful Harvest
Fall Gardening:
Time to pull out those spent Tomato plants and replace them with our nutritional fall vegetables! Our Fall vegetables will continue to ship until they are sold out. We still have lots of plants including Cabbages, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Spinach, Arugula, and Lettuces.
View our full selection of Fall Vegetables.
Fall Bulbs, Garlic, Shallots and Saffron are shipping now along with a large selection of herbs!
Click here to read more about Fall Gardening.
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a recipe from our Tasteful Harvest subscription program: Quiche with Fall Greens, Bell Peppers and Goat Cheese *1/4 lb. Fresh fall greens (turnip, mustard, kale or chard) chopped coarsely * 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion * 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter * 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped (or roasted and peeled, then chopped) * 2 extra large eggs * 2 extra large egg yolks * 1 cup heavy cream or half and half * 1 - 9-inch pie shell For the topping: * 4 oz. mild goat cheese * 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves or a mixture of lightly flavored herbs optional items: * cooked ham or prociutto, diced finely * 1/2 small tomato diced, optional * chopped roasted pecans Preheat oven to 350F. Melt the butter over medium heat and add the onions and chopped greens. Sauté onions, peppers and greens until onions are translucent, about 5-10 minutes. Beat eggs and yolks adding the cream until smooth. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Bake pie shell for about 10 minutes until very lightly browned. Place partially baked pie shell on a rimmed baking pan. Fill shell with the onions, greens and pepper mixture along with the egg/cream custard and carefully place in the oven. (Note, it is helpful to fill only 2/3 full until the pie shell is slid mostly into the oven. Then with a measuring cup, pour the last bit in and gently slide it into the oven which will prevent major spills). Bake 30 minutes and when the filling is almost set, sprinkle the goat cheese, herbs, and other optional items on top and bake for another 5 or 10 minutes until cheese is melted.. Remove from oven and allow to rest 5-10 minutes. Serve very warm. |
| Shop for Kitchen and Garden items in our catalog! We have wonderful products for the upcoming shopping season, we can always design a custom basket or selection of gifts, books and plants for the kitchen gardener. Look for an article in Southern Living magazine's Nov. issue all about the Thanksgiving herbs which we contributed to. |
We love the fall and harvest time as the best of the season reaches its crescendo at Thanksgiving with the cornucopia of wonderful bounty. Making soups, baking and roasting just fills the home with scents as well as flavors and lots of love too. Share it with friends and make time for family.
Cindy & George Martin
September 2006
Fall is just around the corner!
My absolute favorite time of year is the fall. I get so excited when the days are shorter, nights are cooler and everything just breathes a sigh of relief after the baking heat of summer. We noticed that the huge old oak trees in
our yard are so happy after a long dry summer. The welcome rains these past few weeks have made their leaves dark green and full of life and the pastures are growing more grass than our small herd of cows and horses can eat. 
We have had new additions to the cow family, two of the cutest little girl cows you have ever seen. This one is named Saffron! They frolic in the pasture as they follow their parents around all day long. A new kitten named Missy has found its way to us and is now in charge of greenhouse patrol. Sadly, many people who have not spayed or neutered their cats will "drop off" litters on the side of the road here in the country. Many do not get noticed and do not survive or become wild. Missy and her brother were lucky and found homes. She has a big job ahead of her scouting for mice that like to eat our newly planted seeds! Sage and Sandy, our dogs, will take care of her like two very big sisters.
Fall dried floral wreaths are in stock now and can be sent as gifts or buy them for your own fall decorating. They are huge, over 20" in diameter and are very high quality wreaths. We also have lots of great products in our store for the kitchen and the garden. Our Organic fertilizers for azaleas (or blueberry plants), vegetables and tomatoes, and worm castings! In our catalog are products that control pests biologically such as Milky Spore for those nasty Japanese beetles and BT spray for fall caterpillars. Black cow compost and our own fertilizer blend made from Chicken litter will help you get ready for spring planting.
This month we have a featured article on the herb, Rosemary. One of the most versatile herbs it is very important in the medicinal herb garden as well as the kitchen. We focus on how to grow this beautiful plant successfully and provide a very tasty easy recipe too. For those who responded to our survey, you can also learn more about our Produce subscription program that starts Sept. 20th!
NEWS: Our Produce subscription program
We are excited to announce our new Produce Subscription Program for Fall called The Tasteful Harvest! Two sessions of 6 weeks each will begin on September 20th and will provide a box shipped right to your door of the freshest Farm Produce available, all grown naturally by our local small farms. This new program is designed to help small family owned farms by marketing this wonderful produce to people who value the best quality, freshest taste, and above all, flavor.
Similar to a CSA (or Community Supported Agriculture), this is an opportunity to get quality food, fresh from the farm, delivered right to your door within days of being picked instead of refrigerated in a store for weeks. We select the best of the harvest, every week from our own garden and greenhouses as well as from a few carefully selected local farms in our area. Most farms grow organically although organic certification is prohibitive because of the cost, they grow naturally with organic fertilizers and minimal organic pesticides. This program helps keep small farms in business by providing a market for them during the fall season.
Healthy vegetables, full of flavor, our boxes will include a selection of the freshest seasonal vegetables and may include Lettuces, Squash, Greenhouse tomatoes, cut Herbs, Broccoli, Greens, Carrots, Peppers, Potatoes, Beans and more! We also include farm fresh eggs with your order.
Subscriptions for this new program are available in our catalog and can be a Half order, about 4-5 lbs. of produce per week for 6 weeks, or a full order, about 8-10 lbs. per week. The cost for subscription is $43.95 per week for a half order and $63.95 per week for a full order. Pricing includes shipping to the yellow and brown areas on this map. (green, red and orange areas will require Air shipping and will cost an additional $15.00 per week.) Click map to enlarge.
We also are able to provide delivery of this subscription to the Birmingham area so if you are interested in picking up your produce at a central location in Birmingham or here at our farm, you may choose one of those options. Please let us know if the location or time is not convenient for you and we will try to accommodate. Because of the large area and logistic problems with delivery to Atlanta, we are not able to offer pickups at this time. We would like to talk to you about possible locations if you have an interest, please email us.
To read more about this program or to order, just click this link: http://www.tastefulgarden.com/NEW!+The+Tasteful+Harvest-cat-21.html The Tasteful Harvest
Herbs: Featuring Rosemary
Rosemary is one of the easiest herbs to grow however we hear from so many people that they "kill" their plants and can't figure out what is going wrong. We always ask, "Did you water it?" and they respond, "yes" and that is very likely the one thing they should not have done. Rosemary is a "upside down" plant. The roots must have lots of air and the leaves love humidity. Imagine rosemary growing in the dry coastal areas of Spain, Greece and Italy with almost no summer rainfall and very rocky soils. This plant is much happier collecting the moisture it needs from the air, instead of the ground. Full sunshine is best, even in very hot summertime, it can take the heat.
Give this plant lots of room as mature Rosemary bushes can grow to over 6 feet in diameter. They are hardy to zone 5 but older plants may survive winters even colder if covered and protected from bitter winter winds. Plant near a brick wall and protected on two sides from prevailing winds. Water only during periods of drought and never water a plant already starting to turn brown. This is a sign of drowning, not lack of water. Indoors rosemary should always be in bright windows with good draining potting soil and always let the soil become dry before watering again. They may need occasional misting to provide moisture to the leaves. Keep them away from heat vents and fireplaces.
Flowers appear in early spring and some varieties will bloom all summer long including the prostrate type which grows as a ground cover. Our favorite variety is Barbeque rosemary which has a wonderful strong flavor and long upright branches which can be used in many ways at the Barbeque grill. Skewering meat or vegetables onto branches imparts a nice flavor to the food as it cooks. Or when smoking meats, add some branches to the coals to add flavor to the smoke. Harvesting rosemary often will stimulate new growth and prevent the plant from getting dry and spindly. A good fall pruning, trimming back about a third of the plant is great for new spring growth.
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Fantastic Rosemary, Lemon and Garlic Chicken in cream sauce 4 boneless chicken breasts |
Shop for Kitchen and Garden items! We have wonderful products for the upcoming shopping season, we can always design a custom basket or selection of gifts, books and plants for the kitchen gardener.
Our herb and flower snips make fast work of harvesting from the garden. |
Sleek, stainless steel pepper grinder works great with the touch of a button on top. Handy for one handed grinding. |
Our rasp or Microplane is the best for hard cheeses, lemon zest, nutmeg, cinnamon, and more. |
I never have enough stainless steel bowls. Useful and durable as well as beautiful. |
The gardening season is far from over. Fall weather is the perfect time to get outdoors, rake some leaves (put them in the garden!) and prune everything for the coming winter. We hope cooler weather comes to you early this summer and chases the heat away.
Cindy & George Martin
August 2006
"Putting Up" the Harvest!
My fingers are blue from the blueberry jam, burning from the peppers in the pepper jelly, and I am going to buy stock in the Ball jar company! Corn, Basil Pesto, and Peppers in the freezer, Tomatoes and Beans in jars, Apples in pies, and Marinara made and ready for the winter. While it is always a big job, putting up is a tradition that ties us to the pioneers and old timers that survived every year from their summer harvest. The Victory Gardens during the war were a reality, if we had enough food put up for the winter, more could be sent to the troops overseas. Of course we don't have the problems of the past today, but putting up the harvest is still a wonderful way to continue the nutrition from your garden year around.
This month we offer some fantastic recipes for preserving tomatoes we hope you will try. Most vegetables can be frozen easily with just a quick blanching and canning is easy to do with just a large stockpot.
Herbs: Featuring Scented Rose Geraniums
This fantastic Geranium plant really smells just like a rose! It can be grown in containers or in the ground but unfortunately it is not cold hardy so you will have to bring it indoors or take a cutting to root for indoor growing before the weather gets too cold. Little fuscia colored flowers will appear on this plant but nothing like the huge blooms on standard geranium varieties. The scent is where this plant really shows off. Use the leaves for cakes (place leaves on the bottom of your cake pans), jelly or syrup flavoring, or even in ice cream. Your desserts and cookies can all smell like roses! Other heavily scented plants that are wonderful for desserts are Lemon Verbena, Chocolate or Orange Mint, Lavender, or Lemon and Lime Basil. Not all herbs are savory!
Fall Gardening:
Our Fall vegetables will be ready to begin shipping on August 14th and will continue until they are sold out. We will have plants of 6 varieties of Fall tomatoes along with Sweet and Sugar Peas, Bull's Blood Beets, Collard Greens, and Savoy Cabbages, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Endive, Spinach, colorful Lettuces and Rainbow Swiss Chard.
View our full selection of Fall Vegetables.
Collard greens are a staple of the Southern diet. Because they are so easy to grow, they are one of the most reliable vegetables to grow in cool weather. An old member of the brassica family which includes cabbage and broccoli, these plants survive our winters here in Alabama which can dip into the teens on a regular basis. Collards can be harvested frequently through the fall, winter, and early spring because cool weather makes them sweeter and taste less bitter. Their huge leaves are chopped and cooked for a couple of hours, usually with pieces of ham or pork and a touch of vinegar to diffuse the slightly bitter taste. Try some this fall, they are full of Vitamin C and A, Calcium, Iron and other minerals.
Bulbs such as Garlic, Shallots and Saffron are also best for planting in Fall. Ours will be ready to ship in September, order now!
You can schedule delivery of your plants for the best time for planting in your area. Northern areas should order for early delivery so plants get a good start before frost hit. Southern areas can wait until early September and Coastal and extreme South should wait until mid September for temperatures to cool down. Click here to read an article about Fall Gardening.
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"Putting Up" Recipes Marinara with herbs: No exact recipe is really needed which is part of the fun of marinara. Add what you like the best and taste as you go along. Here are my measurements but feel free to add or change. 4 lbs. fresh ripe tomatoes, peeled and squeezed gently to get rid of the seeds, then diced. Roasted Tomatoes with herbs: This recipe will make your house smell wonderful as it cooks! 4 lbs peeled whole Roma or San Marzano type tomatoes, drained, halved and seeded Roasted Red Peppers: Roast whole peppers over a gas burner or under a broiler until skin is bubbled and somewhat blackened. Cool thoroughly in closed paper bag or Ziploc bag for about 30 minutes. Skin, core and seed. Cut flesh into strips and place in sealable one-half pint glass canning jars. Prepare brine: To 1 cup (250 ml) water, add 1 level tablespoon kosher salt and 1/2 level teaspoon Citric acid monohydrate, food grade, also known as sour salt. Add enough brine to fill jars. Process in boiling water bath 25 minutes and allow to come to room temperature. Check seals and store in a cool place. Read more about canning tomatoes and pickling peppers here http://www.tastefulgarden.com/canning_tomatoes.htm |
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NEWS: Our Produce subscription program
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| Note: Our store hours have changed! Because of the Farmer's Market we attend, we are unable to open on the weekends. Our greenhouses and store will be open Monday-Friday from 9-5 and Sundays by appointment only, call 866-855-6344. |
Shop for Kitchen Gadgets!
Our herb keeper is great for keeping herbs fresh in the refrigerator |
A Provencal Garlic Keeper |
This salad dressing bottle has fresh dressing recipes on the sides! |
Use this food mill to crush your tomatoes into sauce and remove the skins and seeds. |
We also have several gift baskets and planter kits available as gifts for Birthdays and gifts. For the cooks or gardeners on your list, check out our Herb Planter kits and Herb Hanging Baskets.
Cooking from the garden is such a pleasure, nowhere else can you get that fresh flavor of herbs, and vegetables at their peak of ripeness. Just when you think you can't eat even one more tomato, you can discover a new recipe for roasted tomatoes which brings a whole other level of mouthwatering taste. Enjoy!
Cindy & George Martin
July 2006
The Tomato Garden!
Tomatoes of all shapes, sizes and colors are everywhere in our garden. After 6 full weeks with not even a trickle of rain, we finally got a 1/2" last week and the tomatoes responded nicely. The corn suffered badly and the blueberries are a bit dry but will make a nice jam. The peppers love this hot weather and are growing very well but the cucumbers just don't care for the heat and seem to just give up. We are watering with our soaker hoses to fill in during our drought and hoping for good results as the summer continues. So many others are suffering with heavy flooding we hope that gardening isn't too much of a challenge for you all this season.
This month we offer some helpful tips on summer maintenance of the vegetable garden. Don't forget to fertilize and mulch!
Fall Gardening:
We know everyone is still exhausted from all the planting this spring but we start getting ready for fall gardening this time of year. Our
selection of Fall vegetables has grown this year to include Sweet and Sugar Peas, Bull's Blood Beets, Collard Greens, and Savoy Cabbages along with Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Endive, Spinach, Lettuces and Rainbow Swiss Chard. View 
our selection of Fall Vegetables.
Best for planting in Fall, our Garlic, Shallots and Saffron bulbs will also ship in September. order now.
Fall tomatoes are also available for shipping during August 14th through September 15th. We have chosen 6 varieties which we expect to grow well in this shorter season.
Gardening in the fall is the best time of year as there are fewer bug and disease problems and the weather is so much cooler! Most of the fall vegetables produce very quickly and Lettuces can even be harvested as it grows. The nutritional value of green vegetables is staggering and everyone should try a few new things to spice up your meals.
Plants for fall vegetables will be available for shipping beginning August 14th and will continue until September 15th. Order early as our plants sell out quickly. You can schedule delivery for the best time for planting in your area. Northern areas should order for early delivery so plants get a good start before frost hit. Southern areas can wait until early September and Coastal and extreme South should wait until mid September for temperatures to cool down. Click here to read more about Fall Gardening.
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Maintaining the Vegetable Garden Fertilizing is one of the easiest tasks to forget as the weather warms up. Depending upon what you used at planting time, you may need a boost of fertilizer for your plants. Using organic fertilizers prevents overfeeding and gives the nutrition the plants need in low doses. Diseases are a fact of life in areas with heavy summer rains. Blights, fungus, wilts and other diseases are difficult to avoid although some can be prevented with sprays. If you think you have a tomato disease, click here to identify common problems and learn about solutions. A new product called Serenade is a OMRI certified organic disease treatment which works well for blight and other problems. Fungonil is another great product for preventing fungal growth. Weeding is the worst job in the garden and sometimes it feels like they are going to completely take over! The fastest way to get rid of them is to dig or pull the weeds but mulching with good heavy layers of hay straw, pine shavings or needles can shade out most of the weeds and is beneficial to the plant roots creating a insulation layer from the heat. Pulling the weeds is much easier in mulches, they pop right out! Picking the fruits is important to do early and regularly. Even though one more squash may send your neighbors into a revolt, it is no surprise to find that a huge award winning squash is buried under the leaves. Keep picking small ones for the best flavor and texture. Tomato hornworms, aphids, Japanese beetles, and several other insects and worms are invading now so be on the lookout for their damage. Read more information about insects in the garden here. We have some excellent low toxicity solutions in our catalog and a new concentrated form of Neem II which can be mixed with water making up to 16 gallons. It is safe to use on vegetables up to the day of harvest but works great on Roses and other ornamentals as well as fruit trees. |
The Best BLT starts with the best tomatoes! Here are a few ideas to dress up or stack up with your BLT's:
Roasted Sweet Bell Peppers
Fresh Farmer's Market Goat Cheese
Arugula (I know, it is a BAT, not a BLT)
Marinated Artichoke Hearts
Prosciutto or other great Italian cured meats
Smoked Provolone or fresh Buffalo Mozzarella cheese
Sweet Basil leaves!
Grilled, Crusty Ciabatta Bread from the local artisan bakery!
Check out our Bookstore for lots of new titles and our Kitchen Gadgets for several cool new kitchen tools. We also have several gift baskets and planter kits available as gifts for summer Birthdays and Hostess gifts. For the cooks or gardeners on your list, check out our Herb Planter kits and Herb Hanging Baskets. Let us know how we can help you design the perfect gift.
Our store hours have changed! Because of the Farmer's Market we attend, we are unable to open on the weekends any more. Our greenhouses and store will be open Monday-Friday from 9-5 and Sundays by appointment only, call 866-855-6344.
The rewards of gardening are apparent with the first tomato sandwich of the year, knowing that the fruit is available literally because of your labors and then beating out the squirrels makes it all worthwhile.
Cindy & George Martin
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June 2006
June is Basil time! There is just no better time to cook with Basil than early summer. It reminds us of the flavors to come as the first tomatoes begin to ripen. For those lucky enough to have planted Cherry type tomatoes, you should be eating them soon! Slice a bowl full and chop some Sweet Basil and drizzle olive oil for the ultimate summer salad, or hollow the grape tomatoes and fill them with goat cheese mixed with fresh herbs. Under the broiler for a minute or two and they are divine!
A Tasteful Basil Garden!
Here at The Tasteful Garden, we don't limit ourselves to just one basil. Variety is the spice of life so we grow several great ones for flavor versatility as well as color. Sweet Genovese is probably the most familiar variety to most of us but check out some of the more interesting flavors of these other types.
Lime Basil--One of the most fantastic scents you will ever smell is the combination of Lime and Basil contained in this plant. More subtle than Sweet Genovese, the citrus overtone is bright and crisp and accents salads perfectly. Lemon Basil is distinctively citrus but the Lime has another level altogether. Great for Salsas, especially fruit salsa, potato salads, green bean salad, dips, dressings and so much more. Even the flower petals are edible!
Siam Queen Basil--Full of anise flavor this basil has the complexity for Thai and Asian cuisine and is used extensively in all types of Middle eastern foods as well. Known as Thai or Persian basil, one of the best things about this plant is its beauty. The purple flowers are in clusters and the pointed leaves and stems have a slight purplish color. Slightly peppery, this basil works well with Lemon grass, Cilantro, Coconut milk, Ginger and Garlic. Good for any type of stir fry this basil also accents vegetables bringing out their flavor.
Spicy Greek Basil-- has a tiny form but a big flavor. When you want boldness, use this one for a slight kick. Good for strong flavored Mediterranean dishes and makes the most excellent Greek Chicken. With or without tomatoes this spicy basil is strong and full and will hold up well in Salsa as a replacement for hard to keep cool Cilantro. Plants stay small and are good in pots too!
Mammoth Basil--Our favorite basil for pesto and for sandwiches this is considered a lettuce leaf basil not just for its size but for the firm texture of the leaf which holds up well in salads as well as on your favorite Italian sub. Leaves grow as big as your hand and can be filled with shrimp and grilled or use them for lettuce wraps! Treat them like spinach in a lasagna, layer them with tomatoes and mozzarella, or just make the best pesto ever! Grows great in a pot in the kitchen or in the garden. The bold slightly anise flavor combines with the flavor of sweet basil and packs a punch.
Cuban Basil--One of the easiest plants to grow that we carry but not short on flavor at all. These plants will grow to 2-3 feet across in full sun or part shade. The spiciness is similar to Spicy Greek but not quite as strong and the leaves are a little larger. Hardly ever flowering, the plant produces an abundance of leaves all season long. Try it in any dish, especially with Mexican and South American cooking and it is perfect for soups and salsas too.
Opal Basil--Best color for salads and for coloring vinegars or oils. Try a Purple Basil Aioli or mayonnaise! Similar in flavor to Sweet Genovese, it has a slightly deeper flavor along with the addition of "purple" nutrition. Toss leaves in with baby greens or garnish plates with flower tops. Also makes great purple pesto!
Can't decide? Order our Tasteful Basil Garden and let us pick out 6 of our favorites. Also, don't forget African Blue Basil for fantastic landscape potential and to attract bees to your garden.
Also, check out our new DVD on growing and using fresh basil.
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Fresh Corn Risotto with Basil, Tomato and Lime Pesto Cheese Roulade with Sun dried tomatoes Visit The Tasteful Kitchen for more recipes and cooking tips! |
This month in the vegetable garden...
The tomatoes are beginning to turn white which is a sign of ripening. Definitely the earliest tomatoes we have ever had, we are thrilled for the early season. Since Spring was so warm and mild this year, we have seen the fruit set early and huge tomatoes are on the plants. We are currently working on a pipe system that will bring us the rain the Northeast has had as we are dry as a bone. Short of rain dancing, 
we are using our soaker hose to water deeply so the roots will grow down deep where it stays much cooler in July. Already our temperatures have risen into the 90's and it has been weeks since we have seen a drop of rain. (I know, careful what you wish for...) 
The peppers got in before the heat wave and are responding nicely. Many also have fruits set too! This has been the year for peppers with all varieties as happy as they can be over the warm growing season. Our corn has already silked at only chest high and we can't wait to taste the sweet Peaches N' Cream bicolor variety. Our Italian red torpedo onions have been picked and the Shallots will come out this week.
Our adding compost to the garden over the years has made the soil nice and dark and has lightened our red Alabama clay to a nice fluffy easy to dig topsoil. Although still a bit hard in very dry weather, we are seeing great improvement every year so don't lose heart. Even the worst soils will get better over time with a little effort.
Japanese cucumbers are already being picked and taste wonderful. Nothing like the full flavor of backyard cucumbers, just like tomatoes, their flavor is intensified by the richness of the soil. George planted Peanuts this year and the Charentais cantaloupes and Moon and Stars watermelons are coming along nicely. We can't wait for our Muscade pumpkins to start fruiting!
NEW! Olive Trees Now you can grow your own olives from our Mission variety olive trees now available in our catalog. HURRY~ Rhubarb roots for zones 3-8 are still available for shipping this week only!. Order these quickly as we will only have a small supply for a limited time. Read more about growing rhubarb here.
Tomatoes will continue shipping until quantities run out and keep in mind that early planters may want to put a second planting in for later tomatoes. We have an excellent selection and our Peppers are still in very good shape too. We have beautiful Quadrato peppers in Yellow and Red, Orange Sun bells, Topepo little bells, Habanero, Jalapeno, Serrano and Cayenne and our favorite Ancho peppers too. Order now and add some Herbs to your garden for great summer flavor!
gardeners on your list, check out our Herb Planter kits and Herb Hanging Baskets. Let us know how we can help you design the perfect gift. Check out our Bookstore for lots of new titles and our Kitchen Gadgets for several cool new kitchen tools. New Garden Markers! This is the most fun way to mark your rows! A set of 6 wooden branches hand carved and varnished which come with a marker to write on them. These are large, about 12" and about 3/4" thick. Very tasteful!
Our store hours have changed! Because of the Farmer's Markets we attend, we are unable to open on the weekends any more. Our greenhouses and store will be open Monday-Friday from 9-5 and Sundays by appointment only, call 866-855-6344.
We want to take the time to thank you all for supporting us through this busy time of year. Your patience with us was greatly appreciated when certain days got so busy and hectic for us. We know that you can always go to the Big Box stores and that you choose to come to us for our service and quality. We strive to live up to that trust every day. For those who have been with us for years, you are priceless friends and we thank you for the continued support and the word of mouth which helps our business grow.
Cindy & George Martin
May 2006
Spring days full of color and scents from Honeysuckle and fruit tree blossoms fill the air. Here at The Tasteful Garden our azaleas have bloomed and the blackberries are forming on the vines. Pineapple Sage and Lemon Verbena are coming back from last year and our Lemon grass is turning green. Sage and Lilac are in bloom and the vegetable garden is almost all planted. Corn has grown to about 15" tall already and the peppers are going in this weekend.
Pepper SALE!
We love the sweet bell peppers which ripen to such beautiful colors and the Ancho and Anaheim's will make the best Mexican enchiladas and chili. Pepper jelly from Habaneros is the best and Jalapenos filled with cheese and fried golden are spectacular. Our Kung Pao heats up stir fries and the Cayenne is classic for hot vinegar sauce. All of our peppers have grown so beautifully this season we are having a SALE! You can receive a discount of 30% off by entering the code peppers at checkout then recalculate your total for the discount. Ordering online is easy and always secure or call Lois at our order desk for help. Please note that because of this very busy time of the year, there may be a delay of up to a week or so before your order can ship. This should be only temporary until we get past Mother's Day. Any Mother's day gift orders should be ordered now so we can make sure they arrive before May 14th.
NEW! Blackberries and Blueberries are available in our catalog under Fruits & Citrus trees! We have Rabbiteye Blueberries and Kiowa Blackberries for you to grow your own! Sold in sets of two, they are in 1 gallon containers and can be shipped now. They will grow all over the US. Also new are Rhubarb roots for Northern gardens. Order these quickly as we will only have a small supply for a limited time. Read more about growing rhubarb here.
New Herbs
Spicy Orange Thyme is new in the Herb department. It is a low growing tiny leaved thyme with a spicy orange flavor. Prostrate Rosemary flowers prolifically all season long and is beautiful in hanging baskets or as a ground cover on a dry slope. Another new plant this season is 
Cilantro Delfino, a beautiful plant that seems to hold up much better than regular Cilantro. The flavor is 
exactly the same as cilantro although just a bit milder. The finely cut leaves are so pretty and we haven't seen it bolt yet! Try it, you'll like it. Both kinds are growing beautifully in our greenhouses right now but we will not be able to ship them for very much longer because of the heat in transit.
African Blue Basil grows to over 4 feet around in just one season. Unfortunately, that is as long as it lasts in about 3/4 of the United States. The flowers are amazing and its purple color is even better with a little shade. You cannot kill this plant...not even if you try. Fragrant and an excellent Bumble Bee attractant to your garden.
Pineapple Sage smells so sweet and becomes a 4 foot tall bush very quickly. In warm climates it is perennial and goes into full flower around mid September. It literally is covered in bright red tube shaped flowers which attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Fantastic plant! Par-cel is a plant that grows similar to Curly Parsley however it has a strong celery flavor which is good for soups and salads when you don't want the texture of celery. Grows in cool, shadier locations and gets about 2 feet across.
This month we have an article on vegetable gardening and getting inside the plant to find out what makes it grow!
| The Secret Lives of Plants
The two most important things that plants need is sunshine and water. Plants can grow without everything else for a certain period of time but without water, they will die and sunshine allows them to produce Chlorophyll which keeps them alive. Air and Carbon dioxide are also very important to allow them to breathe. (They are living creatures after all.) They transpire, or breathe through their leaves and also some through their roots so air is also important in the soil. Moisture is taken up by the plants through their roots as well and moves through the "blood" system to distribute over the entire plant. Wilting is caused by lack of moisture in their "veins" and cells. Sunlight provides not only vitamin D but also allows Chlorophyll production which makes the plants able to produce sugars for their fruit. Nutrients that plants require such as Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus as well as others are necessary for the plant to survive. In nature, these nutrients are naturally produced in the soil by rotting leaves and grass, rocks and minerals already in the soil and even the bodies of dead microorganisms. When we feed them with chemical fertilizers, we are artificially trying to create those conditions and over feeding can become very dangerous for the plant and even burn the leaves when they are sprayed. Vegetable plants roots want to have nice soft loamy soil with dark organic material. When they are fed at their roots, the distribution system works to bring the proper nutrition to all parts of the plant. Spraying high nitrogen fertilizers on the leaves interrupts that natural feeding and can weaken root systems. More feeding does not produce more fruit and can actually prevent fruiting by encouraging too much vegetative or leafy growth. Dark soil, rich in manures and compost may require no additional feeding at all! Trace minerals and calcium are generally present in the soil and are not usually necessary to be added. The key to all of this working well is the proper Ph level so that the chemical reactions can happen which allow the roots to take up the nutrients properly. Every time we spray a chemical to kill an insect, we have to be careful that we are not causing damage to the plant. If some chemicals would burn your skin, of course they will burn plants "skin" too. Remember that plants have pores that breathe air and moisture, blocking those pores can create serious damage. When a plant becomes stressed by its environment such as extreme heat, dry windy conditions, or even dirty air it can be very detrimental to the health of the plant. If roots cannot move through the soil and take up nutrients, they will become stressed and will not produce fruits. Compost and mulching protects tender root systems and makes for healthy plants. Worms and other microorganisms live underground in harmony with the roots digesting organic material and producing perfect nutrition for the plants. Slow deep watering allows water to penetrate down to the lower levels of soil where it is cooler and moisture doesn't evaporate as quickly. Thinking of plants as living organisms helps us understand their needs and keeps them in good health so we can enjoy the benefits. |
We have several gift baskets and planter kits available for gifts for not only Mother's day but Father's day, Birthdays, Graduation and Hostess gifts. For the cooks or gardeners on your list, check out our new items in Gourmet Kitchen Gadgets, our Herb Planter kits, Handmade Soaps, and Herb Hanging Baskets, or just send a basket of Heirloom Tomato plants. Let us know how we can help you design the perfect gift.
Working in the dirt is so satisfying to the soul
. The age old tradition of starting your food crops for the growing season connects us to our ancestors and makes us proud of our ability to bring abundance to the table. We hope you enjoy the digging as much as the reward.Cindy & George Martin
April 2006
A new baby calf was born this week! She is a little puny but cute as a button and very curious. We have been struggling with fencing in our bull Bruno as the grass hasn't come in full enough yet and a 2000 lb. bull gets pretty hungry. For some reason our broccoli plants were most appealing and were eaten down to the ground. The animals all love the warm spring weather we have had and the new baby has them excited too! We also had to say goodbye to our black furry Kitty this month as she suffered some kind of injury and died at the hospital. We will miss her very much but we know that the full cycle of life is a big part of living on a farm.
The primary reason for gardening, in our opinion, is to produce the best food possible! This month we offer some fantastic simple recipe ideas using fresh garden tomatoes, just to get you in the mood, as well as a baby greens salad with warm goat cheese, mmmm...
Herbs, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Squash, beautiful Peppers, and even Pumpkin plants are literally up to our eyeballs here at The Tasteful Garden. Some of the more exciting and dramatic plants are the Fennel which is growing huge, Stevia which is just blooming with tiny white flowers, Pineapple Sage which can grow an inch or two a day, Rosemary (which made the most delicious Foccacia bread), and Lemon Variegated Thyme bright and colorful among all the green. We wish you all could experience it first hand!
Our store hours are 9-5 Monday-Saturday and 12-5 Sundays, Central Time. Click here for a map and directions. If you can't come visit, you can always order our wonderful plants which are all in stock now. Ordering early assures that we always have your plants in stock when it is time to ship to your area. Ordering online is easy and always secure or call Lois on our order desk for help. If you need to know your last frost date click for our recommended date for shipping in your area.
We have been traveling all over the Southeast in the past few weeks. We visited the Festival of Flowers in Mobile, AL and Callaway Gardens Spring Plant sale is going on this weekend at Pine Mountain, GA. Next week we pack up and travel to Franklin, TN to the Bloom n' Garden Expo on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Ag. Expo center.
Our annual Spring Plant sale and Farmer's Market is April 22nd from 8 am -12 Noon in Birmingham at Pepper Place. We have some fantastic vendors bringing Roses, Native plants, Perennials and more as well as lots of fresh spring produce and Goat Cheese from Bulgar Creek Farms that is the perfect compliment to tomatoes. Stock up and freeze some for your summer tomato recipes! We always bring a huge selection of plants to these events and we love to meet our customers face to face! If you live nearby, please come by and see some of our products in person. For more information about any of these events, please email us at mail@tastefulgarden.com
Featured Recipes:
These wonderful recipes feature heirloom and fresh garden tomatoes which are great for springtime outdoor meals and are easy for entertaining.
Caprese Salad (Tomato & Basil salad)
2-3 fresh ripe tomatoes, sliced approx. 1/4" thick (Try this with Green Zebra tomatoes for a real tangy treat!)
6-7 fresh basil leaves (marjoram or oregano can be substituted)
1 lb. Fresh mozzarella cheese in water, sliced to same thickness as tomatoes.
Extra virgin olive oil
freshly cracked black pepper
Layer all ingredients on a serving platter. Sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Chill 10 min. or more and serve. Drizzling balsamic vinegar can help the taste of "store bought" tomatoes
Serves 4-6
Tomato Goat Cheese Bruschetta
2 Fresh Ripe Garden Tomatoes, diced small
3-5 fresh Basil leaves, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. fresh chevre goat cheese (or cream cheese)
2 tbsp. Extra Virgin olive oil
6-8 slices crusty Italian or French bread
In a skillet warm olive oil over low heat. Add minced garlic and cook very gently for about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add a pinch of salt and 2 grinds of fresh black pepper. In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes and fresh basil together and add the olive oil & garlic mixing well.
Toast bread slices on a grill pan or under a broiler until just crisp. While still warm, spread goat cheese in a thin layer across the toast. To make ahead, just before serving, pop the toasts back into the oven with the cheese until warm. Top with bruschetta tomato mixture. Drizzle lightly with balsamic vinegar for extra flavor. Serve immediately!
Goat cheese & Baby Greens salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
2 logs of Goat Cheese, Chevre or Montrachet
1/2 cup bread crumbs
olive oil
Fresh herbs chopped fine: Basil, Oregano, Marjoram, Garlic Chives, Italian Parsley
Baby Greens & Lettuces
Slice cheese into 1/2" rounds and coat with herbs and olive oil. Press cheese rounds into bread crumbs to stick well, coating completely. Chill for approximately 1/2 hour in the refrigerator. Heat small amount of oil in a non stick skillet over medium heat. Add cheese rounds and brown lightly on both sides approximately 1-2 min. per side. Drain on paper towels for 1 minute and serve immediately with dressed greens.
Dressing for Baby Greens:
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil
2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese grated
Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over greens tossing well. Serves 5-6
Summer Garden Fast Marinara Sauce
2-4 Large ripe fresh garden tomatoes, chopped coarsely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped or sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs such as Oregano, Marjoram, Basil and Parsley
1/4 cup Olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
Optional: 1/2 jar of Roasted Red Sweet Peppers, chopped
Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add onions and cook until almost clear or transluscent, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes and herbs and simmer for 5 minutes more. Add optional peppers and serve immediately over Angel Hair or any other favorite pasta. Grate fresh Parmigiano over top of pasta at the table.
| Growing for the Kitchen By Cindy Martin of The Tasteful Garden Vegetable or herb gardening has become much more popular in the United States in the past 10 years. The focus has been on growing more flavorful, nutritious, and fresher produce than can be found in the local grocery store. Television cooking shows make our mouths water with fresh herbs, garden ripened tomatoes, spicy ethnic peppers and veggies of all kinds. Growing your own produce is easy and fun as well as more flavorful for your cooking To get started, just go through these basic steps: 1. Choose a location. Ideal locations for kitchen gardening have some area of full sunshine for tomatoes, peppers and other fruiting vegetables as well as some areas that may be shaded in the afternoon for annual herbs such as basil and dill. Lettuces and other greens thrive where mid day heat is blocked by trees or large plants and herbs love the drainage that a raised bed provides. Soil conditions do not have to be perfect but good draining areas are always best and having your garden near the kitchen encourages you to harvest as you cook. 2. Plan a layout. Based upon what you think you will use the most, plan your kitchen garden with your needs in mind. When you are hungry is no time to plan your garden, just like at the grocery store there is a tendency to overdo. Try to grow just a few plants each of your favorite vegetables and herbs that you use most frequently. Avoid large items like watermelons and squashes, although they are easy to grow, you can be overrun with the size or quantity. 3. Organize the garden for working. Plan to have walkways and planting beds which are narrow enough for easily reaching to pick or pull weeds. Plan to have taller plants towards the back and shorter plants towards the front. Make sure your hose can reach all areas of the garden and avoid tree roots and other obstructions. 4. Work the soil. Adding compost is the most important thing you can do for your garden. Composted manures or leaves will add organic material which breaks down and improves the texture and nutrient content of your soil. Hard compacted ground will stunt root growth and prevent growth above ground as well. Rototillers and digging forks are the best for breaking up hard packed soil. Soil testing is necessary as Lime may be needed to correct the Ph in areas with heavy rainfall. 5. Containers can be great gardens. If you are limited on space or mobility, use large containers and plant combinations of herbs, vegetables and strawberries. Use deep containers for best results and always add compost to the potting soil you buy. Regular potting soil was designed for commercial greenhouses that water daily, adding compost helps retain water and nutrients for the roots. Organic or slow release fertilizers also help with keeping you from having to feed your containers weekly. Make sure you allow enough room for each plant to grow to about 2/3 of its normal size in a garden. 6. Plant good plants at the correct time. Make sure you are planting everything at the proper time for your area. Last frost dates are guidelines for tender vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers, but many cool season plants do best while nights are still nippy and cool. Herbs can be planted early but most will do best as the soil warms up in late spring. Basil is very cold tender and will not grow at all if night temps are below 42. Choosing healthy plants at their peak is key to good results. 7. Don’t over water or over feed. If rainfall is regular (about every week or so) it may never be necessary to water. If you are having a very dry season or your area doesn’t get much rainfall, use slow deep waterings of about 1 hour with a trickling hose or drip irrigation to get the water down deep. This will get the roots down low and provide a good strong root system. Feeding should always be done with the motto that less is more. When plants are stressed from extreme heat or drought, feeding will not help them. Bugs may attack plants that are stressed but again, feeding does nothing to help. If you are not concerned with growing a 20 pound tomato, don’t use quick feeds such as Miracle Gro. The best feed is an organic type which will slowly break down and feed as the plant requires it. A schedule of feeding every 6 weeks should be plenty. 8. Harvest frequently. Spend time with your garden and see what is happening to the plants on a daily basis if possible. It does them good and it’s good for you too! Picking fruits and herbs often stimulates new growth and makes everyone happy. 9. Add a little more every year. Experiment with something new each season and try adding fruits or nuts, Asian or Italian types of produce such as Lemon grass or Arugula and spice up your kitchen garden for the best flavor possible. Remember that no one is more of an expert than you are about the plants that you grow. Watching their progress will help you to understand their needs and the environment around them. Just because a bug is spotted in the garden, doesn’t mean that a catastrophe has occurred, there is likely a larger bug around the corner that wants to eat him! Always spray food plants with caution and make sure the product is approved for vegetables, don’t use Raid on something you are planning to eat. There are many organic type pesticides which are very safe not only for you but for those good bugs too. Compost is the key to good garden soil and Mulch is a nice blanket that protects plants and keeps their roots moist and cool. For the best success, always add both every season to your garden beds and clean out debris to prevent bad insects from moving in to stay. Whether you plant a large kitchen garden or a small container garden, everyone can find room for a few vegetables which add so much to our lives. |
Featured Herb: Mammoth Basil
One of the most potent herbs we grow is called Mammoth Basil. Mammoth refers not only to the size of the leaf but also to the flavor. Considerably stronger in flavor than Sweet Basil this plant is fantastic for adding to recipes that need real oomph. Grilling shrimp or fish wrapped in a mammoth basil leaf stuffed with roasted peppers or spicy corn would be delicious. It would also make a great wrapper for Thai lettuce wraps. This basil is firm like a lettuce leaf and will hold up well in sandwiches providing a little crunch. 
Easy to grow, Mammoth Basil is somewhat smaller than Sweet Genovese Basil but the leaves will actually grow as large as your hand. Keeping the soil cool and growing in part shade in hot areas will make this plant produce in abundance.
Outdoors the plant will be happy with the temperatures between 50 and 90 degrees. To grow all Basils, the daytime temperatures must be warm but not too hot (around 75-90 degrees) and it must get at least 3-4 hours of sunlight a day. It can be grown with filtered light all day such as under a tree or in a bright window indoors.
Learn more about growing and cooking with Basils on our new DVD available now in our online store.
Spring Gardening season is always exciting and fun and even though we don't get much sleep, we
are inspired by all of your enthusiasm for growing these wonderful plants as we wait for the abundance of Summertime.Cindy & George Martin
March 2006
It is always so amazing to see our greenhouses fill up with tomato plants. It is like a huge field growing and the plants grow nearly 3 inches a week! You can feel them stretching towards the sun and breathing out pure oxygen. It is a beautiful sight I wish you all could experience. We are now officially open for the season for those who would like to visit our greenhouses. Our store hours are 9-5 Monday-Saturday and 12-5 Sundays, Central Time. If you can't come visit, you can always order our wonderful plants which are in stock and have now begun shipping.
Southern states such as California, Arizona, Texas, Florida, Nevada, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina and New Mexico are all getting ready to hit their last frost date soon. Ordering early assures that we always have your plants in stock when it is time to ship to your area. Ordering online is easy and always secure or call Lois on our order desk for help. If you need to know your last frost date click for our recommended date for shipping in your area.
Our herb selection is stunning right now as well. We have gorgeous plants ready to ship to you just about anywhere in the US. Basils may need to wait a few weeks more just to insure that they don't get damaged in transit by cold weather. We also have colorful lettuces, asparagus, potatoes, onions and strawberries ready for planting before your last frost date if you just have to get something in the ground!
Here at The Tasteful Garden, we live for spring, it is a busy and exciting time for us every year. We hope the "fever" catches and you get excited too!
Growing Tips: Growing Bell Peppers (all over the country):
Bell Peppers can be challenging to grow for gardeners in hot Southern Climates as well as Northern areas where the summers can be too short to ripen them to full color. Here are some tips for growing bell peppers that will help with both problems:
Most peppers begin green. There are exceptions such as Purple Beauty which starts purple and then ripens red. Once the green fruits are fully formed, the plant begins making sugars for the fruit and the skin and flesh start to turn these wonderful bright colors. When we eat green peppers, they are actually unripe fruit and sometimes have the effect of green apples on your stomach! Once they ripen, they fill up with vitamins and nutrition as well as a sweet flavor. This process naturally happens in mid summer when the weather is warm and summer rains cool off the roots. The challenge for Southern gardens is to keep the roots cool enough to make the plants
think they are in the North. This can be achieved by using heavy mulch to shade the roots and protect them from our hot sunshine which can bake the soil. In the North, the challenge is to keep the soil warm and not too cool for the fruits to form and the ripening to occur. The best solution for this is to add a dark colored plastic mulch to warm up the soil and get the fruit setting early. Also, you can pick fruits as soon as you see even the slightest amount of coloring and they will finish ripening in your kitchen.
Hot peppers grow very well in the South and generally Bells do well in the North. It is a good idea to add some extra compost and a little bit of epsom salts to the soil to add the nutrition that makes them thrive. Just an ounce per plant is plenty. Pests are not generally a problem but watch for rotting areas on the fruit in very wet summers and sun burn on the fruits in very hot weather. A good healthy leafy plant will shade its own fruit and prevent the burning. Always water deeply and infrequently to encourage the roots to dig down for moisture and coolness. If roots cannot get deep in the ground, the fruits will be small and have thinner walls. Lots of good leaf compost will help break up hard soil conditions and sweeten the fruits too!
Our recipe this month uses peppers of all kinds!
Chili Rellenos stuffed with Cilantro, Corn, Peppers, Shrimp and CheeseNew items in The Tasteful Kitchen!
Featured Herb: Cilantro
(or Coriander)
Growing Cilantro is easy and it is one of the most flavorful of all of the culinary herbs. Most people have trouble with this herb because they expect that it will grow and live for a long time like basil or oregano. Unfortunately, Cilantro is a very short lived plant which will only produce leaves for about 4-6 weeks. It likes temperatures around 70-75 degrees however it is cold tender at 32 degrees. Once the seeds germinate, the plant grows and makes lots of leaf stalks like Parsley. These leaf stalks should be harvested as soon as the first ones are about 6" long. Remove the oldest outer leaves and the new ones will continue to grow from the center of the plant. Eventually the leaves will give way to a tough stem which grows straight up and get get up to 2 feet tall! This stem will produce finely cut leaves and then flower buds will form. The flowers are edible and can be used for salads!
The seeds are produced after the flowers die off and actually are called "Coriander" which is used in curry powders and as a spice in many cultures. In some situations, the seeds will then drop down on the ground and then germinate creating a "bed" of Cilantro which can produce continuously through the summer. This requires almost perfect conditions of part shadiness and sunshine with moist cooler conditions.
Used in many cultures all over the world, Cilantro is most well known for use in Mexican salsa, Thai salads, soups and many South American dishes. The distinct flavor is loved by many and absolutely hated by a few. We have a new variety of Cilantro this season called "Delfino" which has beautiful cut leaves and a good strong flavor. Delfino will be available April 3rd.
Order Cilantro to grow indoors until after your last frost and then put it outside for the flowering! We have beautiful plants available now.
We hope the North warms up soon and we hope the South gets nice dry summer weather this season. Every year, the blooming of the first of the fruit trees signals the anticipation of the best season ever! Please contact us if we can help you get your garden started this year.
Cindy & George Martin
February 2006
Wow, such warm weather this year! We can't believe the daytime highs have been in the 60-70 range and nights although still cool have been mostly mild. Lots of sunshine and just enough rainfall, we hope this trend continues! After several years of too wet or too dry 
weather, our garden would really appreciate a nice normal year.
Our first batch of tomatoes is almost ready and although we cannot ship them too early, because of the risk of freezing weather in transit, we can sell them from our greenhouses and at the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta. We will be there on February 8-12th at the Georgia World Congress Center. Show hours are 10am-8pm except Sunday which is from 10am-6pm. We hope to see as many of you there as possible, we will have our Asparagus crowns, Seed Potatoes, Garlic, Onions, Strawberries, most of our culinary herbs, about 10-12 tomato varieties and our organic gardening products.
At the Flower Show, we will be featuring our herb baskets and planters which are just beautiful and ready to grow indoors (or outdoors if this weather keeps up)! We have a new Hanging Basket of Herbs 
and our Huge Herb Planter Bowl which come overflowing with our most popular herbs such as Sweet Basil, English Thyme, Italian Parsley, Greek Oregano, Rosemary and more. Come to the show and let us plant one for you, or if you cannot attend the show, take a few minutes to browse our online store in the category "Planting Kits" to see these great items on the web.
We are also introducing our new Tasteful Vegetable Garden Kit which comes with everything you need to have a small, easy, backyard garden, even the plants and fertilizer! On sale now! If you are interested in a completely self contained hydroponic planter for tomato plants with Free Shipping, check it out.
New Pepper and Vegetable Varieties:
This season we have added some fantastic new peppers and our vegetable selection is larger than ever! Topepo sweet little peppers are just as sweet as the jumbo Italian Bell peppers but are single sized for adding to a salad or stuffing with cheese and herbs for a light snack. The plants produce loads of bright red fruits all summer long. On the other side of the spectrum, our Super Red Pimento pepper is huge, over 4" across and has thick meaty walls for excellent soups, perfect round slices for pizza, stuffed peppers or your favorite recipe. We love this pepper!
Purple Asparagus is rare but we have it this season! Chock full of antioxidants and wonderful flavor you should really try some this year. 
Our green asparagus Jersey Knight are truly 2 year old crowns and are huge. Easy to grow and the plants can last up to 20 years once they are established. Read more about growing asparagus. These will begin shipping on February 6th so order yours today while supplies last. We also have bare root
Also new this season is Pumpkin plants. Our beautiful
Muscade de Provence pumpkins have a deep orange flesh that is so sweet and cooks down beautifully to a soup that you will love! See our new Winter Squash Soup recipe in the Tasteful Kitchen! Pumpkin pie will never be the same when you make it from your own pumpkins. We also have French Charentais melons and a huge rainbow assortment of beans and summer squashes. Make life easy and order transplants that just pop into the garden ready to grow.We always allow you to order as few plants or as many as you want without having to order in groups of 6 or 12. Our plants are guaranteed to thrive in your garden and we believe you cannot get a better quality plant from anyone else! Specializing in just edible plants and kitchen gardening allows us to grow a healthy, naturally grown transplant.
Growing Tips: Heirlooms vs. Hybrids, Open Pollinated, GMO's, Organically grown, what does it all mean???
We get asked these questions frequently by people concerned about tomato taste as well as health issues related to growing organically and GMO or Genetically Modified varieties. There is lots of confusing information out there and we hope the following FAQ will shed some light on what all this means.
This is an excerpt of the full article which can be read on our web site here.
What is an heirloom?
An heirloom is basically like an old piece of treasured furniture that has been in a family for generations. Valued enough to be passed down, these tomato seeds have been saved and collected over the centuries. They are old varieties that have excellent flavor and vigorous growth so they are able to be planted again year after year. These days the term "heirloom" is used very loosely to describe any tomato that has interesting characteristics and has been grown over the last 50+ years most being open pollinated varieties. Hybrid tomatoes such as Rutgers and Yellow Pear which have been grown for many years are generally also considered "heirlooms".
What does Open Pollinated mean? What is a Hybrid?
All tomato plants require pollen to make fruits. This pollen can come from a second flower on the same plant, another tomato plant in your garden, or from your neighbor's garden as much as 50 or 100 feet away, usually distributed wind or by bees. Once the flowers are pollinated, the genes from both the mother flower and the pollen combine to create seeds inside the new fruit for a future plant. As with people, the genetic makeup is determined by the parents. If the pollen and the flower are of the same variety, the "baby" fruits will be a consistent variety of tomato. This is called an open pollinated tomato and you can save the seeds of these plants to produce the variety next season. In order for the tomato to come true from the seeds it is important to try to keep cross pollination from occurring by separating plant varieties.
Hybrid tomatoes are specially pollinated under controlled conditions to make sure that a mother flower is always combined with a particular father pollen to produce a consistent "baby" tomato. This is done to incorporate certain traits of disease resistance, size, color, shape and height to the "baby" plants. This has been commonly done by seed breeders for well over 50 years. No matter what tomato pollinates these flowers, they will not become the same named hybrid again because of the absence of the father pollen. The seeds may produce the mother variety or have traits from both the mother, the baby or a neighbor plant therefore hybrid seeds are not saved from fruits in the garden.
Natural cross breeding has always occurred and actually contributes to the survival of the species by culling out weak plants. Natural crosses occur and new tomatoes are frequently "discovered". Much crossing of heirlooms is currently being done to create even more colors and flavors which is why there are more and more named varieties every year and what are called "new heirlooms". It takes years to make sure these varieties stay consistent and can be "stabilized" for future plantings.
The anticipation of the spring season keeps us up at night. We worry about the seeds so you don't have to! Our greenhouses are filling up fast with fragrant herbs such as Orange Mint and Lemon Verbena as well as that distinctive tomato plant smell. We can't wait to get them to you.
Cindy & George Martin
January 2006
A new year brings lots of exciting planning for the future (in addition to lots of diet commercials on TV.). We are working diligently to come up with lots of improvements for next season. Along with plenty of new tomato varieties and new products, we are hoping to expand our business this year and hope to be even more efficient with customer service, organization in the greenhouse as well as our shipping procedures.
The Tasteful Garden is scheduled to attend the Atlanta Flower Show and several other gardening shows in 2006. There is a listing of the sales and dates below. Traveling to these garden shows allows us to meet many more of our faithful customers and introduce ourselves to several new ones too. Save the dates and come and see us at the shows! Farmer's Markets are also a large part of our summer and we are hoping to be able to attend some new ones this year. Pepper Place Saturday Market in Birmingham will be bigger than ever this year and we hope to participate in the Piedmont Park Farmer's Market in Atlanta. Supporting your own local farmer's market is the best way to guarantee that good quality produce will continue to be grown locally. So many of you tell us that you are so successful with our tomato plants that you may want to open your own booths at the farmers markets!
SAVE THESE DATES:
Atlanta Flower Show February 8-12, 2006 www.flowershow.org
Callaway Gardens Spring Fiesta, Pine Mountain GA March 2-5, 2006 www.callawaygardens.com
Bloomin' Garden Expo, Franklin TN April 7-9th http://www.wcmga.net/
Our own Plant Sale in Birmingham, AL tenative date April 22nd stay tuned for more info
Green Market at Piedmont Park May 6th-October 16th website
Pepper Place Saturday Market April 29th-October website
One of our main goals is to get beginner gardeners some helpful information that assures success with backyard vegetable gardening. As we learn more ourselves, and there is a lot to learn, we pass it along to you and hopefully this keeps getting easier. With severe changes in weather, it is always a challenge but hopefully this year will be milder overall and we will have a great season. It seems that we were all combating too much rainfall in 2005 so we have a few helpful tips to improve this situation if it occurs again this year. On nice days this winter be sure to get outdoors and start working your garden with compost, manures, Lime or gypsum to fix the pH. Adding eggshells or crab shells for additional calcium, leaves to break down into humus, and any old manures you can get your hands on will improve the texture and nutrition in the garden and by the time you are ready to plant, your soil will be in great shape. Read more below...
New Tomato Varieties:
2006 will bring several new tomato varieties to our collection. We are featuring some new varieties in this newsletter to introduce these fantastic flavors. Cabernet is a round red cluster type tomato that is a little larger than the "on the vine" tomatoes in your grocery store. These tomatoes are actually designed for greenhouse growing but they are even better flavored when grown in the garden. Cabernets have a nice round shape and the flavor is spectacular! They are full of a nice bold tomato acidic flavor yet resistant to almost every disease too. You can expect good early production on these plants and good salad flavor.
Purple Calabash although not new for 2006, we thought we would mention it to you as a "new" tomato because frequently we had sold out of this one last year. They have a ribbed shape to the fruit but they are really worth growing for the exceptional rich wine type flavor. These are the exact opposite of the "grocery store" tomato as they are so tangy and delicious they just melt in your mouth. The texture of Heirloom tomatoes is firm but juicy and rarely has a hard core that can ruin slices for a sandwich. (think of a tomato from Burger King when you get to the middle of the burger) We hope you will try this great variety this year, we are planting lots of them!
Box Car Willie is one of the few just nice large round red heirloom tomatoes. Many heirlooms are huge pink globes that are sweet but not as acidic as the red or black ones. This tomato is the exception to that rule since it has great flavor as well as being productive. You can be sure to get a good crop almost every year of large red round tomatoes that really taste like a "tomato"! Similar in size to Carmello which is a French Market favorite, Box Car Willie will not disappoint you for an excellent fruit to use for canning, sauces, salads and sandwiches.
Lastly, Sweet Baby Girl is a new variety that allows a cherry type 
tomato in a small space. The leaves or branches are closer together than most tomatoes which keeps them compact but they drip with chains of small fruits that are perfect for snacking or salads. Cherry tomatoes store well in the kitchen so if you get thousands of fruits, you still should be able to eat them all. Sharing with the neighborhood is always appreciated. Try this one in small spaces, containers, earth boxes, and just about everywhere! Even upside down! (What's up with that anyway?) If anyone wants to try them that way, here is a link to a homemade upside-down hanger.
If you just cannot decide, let us do the choosing for you and save a little money too! Our Easy Order Combos are grouped to show off particular attributes of the tomatoes and make ordering easier. Pick from our Deep Purples and Blacks, Bowl of Cherries, Colorful Collection, Red & Delicious, Our Italian combo, or just choose an Heirloom Tomato Combo and let us send you some really unique but delicious varieties.
Please note: If you are an existing customer our new ordering system has reset your password to tasteful. Please log-in with "tasteful" the first time and then change to your own password by clicking Modify Personal Info.
Here are some new items just added to our store.
A new very high quality set of Kitchen shears are padded in the openings to cushion your fingers while you cut through every thing from chicken bones to rosemary stems! Our 11" X 15" Silpat will make baking so much easier and never burns the bottoms of cookies. Use it for all types of baking and foods just slide right off! We have also added some new stainless steel kitchen bowls sets! For a limited time get
Free Shipping on all orders over $25.00 from our Gourmet Kitchen Gadgets, Video and Bookstore, or our Garden Tools categories. Enter code "saveship" at checkout.
Coming soon!
We are working on bringing you some Olive trees and Avocado trees that can be grown in containers and brought indoors for the winter. Most Olive trees are hardy to about 25 degrees and Avocados grow similar to citrus. Our goal is to find the best varieties for growing in all areas of the United States and the easiest to grow for fruit production. Watch future newsletters for more information.NEW Purple Passion Asparagus! 
In addition to our huge 2 year crowns of Jersey Knight asparagus we have been able to locate some
Other new varieties:
Pumpkins Musque de Provence are a really spectacular variety from Southern France and are very popular all over Provence. Terra cotta in color, they almost look antiqued but the inside flesh is so sweet and deep dark orange colored. Perfect for fall pies or soups they can be stored in a cool place all winter long. Try it in your garden today but allow plenty of room.
Our "One Ball" squash is the sister to the "Eight Ball" squash that has become so popular in recent years. We are offering both this year to change the shape of squash forever! No longer will we be forced to only grow long zucchini and crooknecks that we can't seem to cut into the proper shapes. These wonderful round types can be stuffed, sliced for a better version of eggplant Parmigiano, or just chop them into salads. For those who prefer long slender fruits, we have Gold and dark Green Zucchinis too.
Our Rosa di Bianca eggplant, although not new this year, is so delicious and productive we wanted to mention it again this year. The fruits are beautifully striped pale lavender and vary in size from the size of a baseball to a softball and slightly larger. A truly excellent variety.
Growing Tips: Getting ready for Spring
Many of us are enjoying very nice mild winter weather right now and it is the best time to get out into the garden and start prepping for spring. (Our temps here in Alabama today are hovering around 72!) Adding leaves, compost, manures, and other organic material should be done now to allow time for the bacteria to break it all down in your soil It will also give worms time to digest it and by the time you are ready to plant your soil will be ready and waiting. Careful not to dig too much and don't rototill yet as this can actually cause compaction if the ground freezes. Just layer it on and let it sit, nature does most of the work. Then about 3 weeks before planting, rototill or mix it all together for a nice loamy soil.
Improving drainage is very important to successful vegetable gardening. Compaction is the enemy as well as having clay heavy soil with no organic materials added. Adding leaves every fall is the best way but second to that would be adding composted clippings from your yard or a commercial mix that is already broken down for you. Many cities that have recycling programs for Green Waste offer inexpensive composted material made from that waste. Once you have added this material, loosening and digging your hard packed soil will do more for your plants than almost anything else. Tests have shown that corn plants root systems will reach down over 6 feet deep in soil that has been lightened with compost and dug deeply. Nothing will make for a healthier plant than this step. You can dig with a good digging fork if you want the exercise or just rent or borrow a good rototiller and dig the soil about 12" deep. (Make sure you return the tiller in clean condition so your neighbors will allow you to use it again next year!) You won't be able to dig much further down than 12-15" but over time, the organic material will be carried lower and lower by worms and insects and nature really will do all the hard work. In just a few years, you will have improved your soil down to 2-3 feet deep! There is no need to replace all the soil in your garden with "topsoil" which may not be any better than what you have.
The other important step is to check your pH to see if you will need to adjust to grow vegetables. pH should be between 6.0 and 6.8 ideally for best results. Gypsum brings down pH and Lime brings up pH. To raise it up just 1.0 point, you will need about 1# of lime per 100 sq. ft. (or a 10X10 area). Lime and Gypsum are available at local garden centers but if you need help we can always special order these items for you. Just give us a call.
Soil PH testers are available from our catalog which are easy to use (with basic high school chemistry, just kidding). More elaborate tests will show you exactly how much Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium are in your soil but adding good compost every year with a little organic fertilizer generally means you don't have to worry about the exact breakdown. The pH of your soil is very important to the health of your vegetable plant and correct levels can prevent blossom end rot problems.We also have our own
Worm castings available along with Live worms and worm eggs which can be distributed now if you don't have too much freezing weather in your area. Our castings are finely screened, real castings, not just compost, made for us by a local worm farmer. They resemble dark coffee grounds and have perfectly balance nutrition for plants. They literally make your plants grow better and larger, no kidding. This is a fantastic way to instantly improve your soil mix. Call us for more information or if you need large quantities, we can arrange local delivery.We hope that 2006 brings great joy, peace and prosperity to all of you. A new year is a time to look back at old memories, reflect on our lives currently, and make changes for our future. We shouldn't let another day go by without considering what we can add to our world in a positive way.
Cindy & George Martin
December 2005
Whew! What a busy time we have had recently. This fall brought so many projects that we missed a newsletter issue or two. We traveled to Provence, France in October, rebuilt our kitchen over September and October, before we knew it Thanksgiving was here and house guests were arriving! During all of that time, we have been working extensively on our online shopping cart and have made changes to our system which make your life easier when ordering from The Tasteful Garden.
Provence was absolutely beautiful! We had a great time although driving was a challenge. (How do they drive on those tiny roads in all those old towns?) We visited Paris, Avignon, Gordes, 
Cassis and many towns in between. The highlight was a fantastic Farmer's Market in Cavaillon where they are famous for their melons! The produce was amazing and the cheeses and meats, seafood and spices were literally mouthwatering. George and I loved Paris where we visited the wonderful street shops. We now know the difference between a Chartucerie, Poissonerie, Boulangerie, a Brasserie, and particularly a Patisserie!
Our Kitchen remodel was all consuming but we had fantastic results. Eating from the microwave for several weeks was almost unbearable but we haven't stopped cooking since construction was completed. An exciting, exhausting project but we love our new kitchen!
Changes to our Web site:
With web site development comes a constant need to upgrade. Many people have let us know that they had difficulty with our shopping cart functioning so we have worked very hard on developing new software for our website. We believe our new ordering system will be much easier to use as well as secure and safe. Since all passwords were encrypted, when you log in for the first time, you may log in to your account with your email address. Your password has been reset to tasteful using all lowercase letters. Changing your password to whatever you like is easy by clicking on "Modify Personal Information". You may also manage your shipping addresses for gift shipments once you are logged in. Contacting us about your orders will also be easier by just viewing your order and posting a message from that screen. We will then get an email from you and customer service will reply with an answer. All of these messages will get added to the order and be available to be viewed online by you or by our customer service staff at any time to more easily provide quick answers and to make changes more efficiently.
The Tasteful Garden catalog has been reorganized a bit but we think you will be able to easily find what you are looking for. If not, use the easy "Search for It" box on the front page. If you have any problems, please feel free to call us anytime toll free at 866-855-6344 for assistance.
Our new gift items for the Holiday season are now online and we are currently finalizing our heirloom tomato varieties for the Spring season. The tomatoes should be online by December 15th and the peppers and vegetables should be completed by January 1st.Right now you can still order live herb plants, for yourself or as gifts. Our gift certificates can be sent by email or by snail mail and are good for any of our products or for plants to be sent in the Spring at the proper planting time. If you need a customized gift, please call us anytime and we can help you design just the right gift.
New Tomato Varieties:
2006 will bring several new tomato varieties to our collection. The old favorites will stay but we love to try new ones every year. An interesting addition will be "Copia" which is a cross between Marvel Stripe and Green Zebra. The colors of red with stripes and the tartness of the green zebra! Another variety new this year will be Watermelon Beefsteak which is huge (up to 2 lbs) and has sweet dark pink flesh. We will also add another black tomato called "Black Pear" which is a large plum type tomato with that rich dark acid flavor of the blacks. Some old varieties that needed to be grown again are Marglobe and Rutgers as well as the Tommy Toe cherry tomato. A wonderfully rich flavored Italian Giant Beefsteak and prolific Box Car Willie's will also be new this season. Most of our peppers will return and a full line of vegetables will be available as always.
Our Gift Suggestions: 
Just a few special gift suggestions from our catalog include our
Galvanized Herb Planter which comes with 6 live herb plants, a nice large planter, soil mix, and growing information. Your gift message is also included. This is a nice gift to send because it just smells so wonderful when you open the box! Our favorite book Herbs & Spices, The Cook's Reference will get your cooking ideas running wild with some of the most unique and interesting flavors from all over the world.
Our new DVD Growing & Using Fresh Basil stars us and can be stuffed in a stocking for herb growing beginners or experts. Baskets overflowing with fresh herbs and Kitchen gadgets galore can be combined for the cook on your list and our Handmade Soaps are perfect for the gift exchange at work. A Space Saver Garden Kit is easy to get them started with a mini kitchen garden or our greenhouses to start seeds in is on every gardener's wish list. Our Lemon and Lime trees are also still available and can be sent to most states and our Garden gifts can be combined into a basket or planter or a tote bag to take to the garden.
Holiday recipes: Here are our favorite recipes for the holidays, easy and delicious. Our Chicken Tortilla soup is the best for a large crowd and you may need to double the recipe if you want to have leftovers! Brie en croute with cranberries and pecans is classy for holiday parties and it just melts in your mouth.
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Chicken Tortilla Soup - Great for a crowd of hungry people.
If you prefer a thicker soup, make a paste of 2-3 tablespoons Masa Harina corn flour (or fine ground corn meal) and 1/2 cup water mixing it up well. Add to the boiling soup and cook for about 5 minutes more. The soup will become much thicker.
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Brie en croute (in crust) 1 puff pastry crust 1 cup dried cranberries or other dried fruit diced 1 cup diced pecans, walnuts or pine nuts
This recipe is great with all kinds of dried fruits or even sun dried tomatoes and prociutto!
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Growing French Tarragon:
French Tarragon is easy to grow if we keep in mind that the root system of this plant is very different from the other herbs. Tarragon, the true French variety
which has the best flavor, grows on roots which are large and thick like corms or bulbs. Drowning the roots will rot the fleshy roots and the plant will die if this occurs therefore good drainage is imperative. Many people with heavy clay soil plant Tarragon in large containers for improved drainage. There are many other varieties of Tarragon but none are in the same family Artemisia as the true variety. Some are actually more closely related to Marigolds which makes for a very different flavor although they still have a vaguely anise taste, the French is a much more complete flavor of licorice. One of the most difficult herbs to propagate because it does not produce seeds, it is usually hard to find in garden centers. Once this plant is established it is perennial and even though it goes dormant during the cold winter months, sprouts come back up every spring around mid May.
The overall size of this plant varies from 12" and can grow up to 3' feet in diameter after only a couple of years growth. A few fresh leaves can be harvested by snipping with scissors. Two large harvests can generally be taken in the second year. The first large harvest is possible when the plant reaches 8-12 inches tall. Cut the entire plant about 2" above the ground and it will regrow within a few weeks. Go lightly when using French tarragon in cooking as the herb can easily overpower other flavors and can be somewhat bitter. Use fresh leaves in salads or as a garnish. It makes a delicious vinegar alone or in combination with chives, lemon balm, shallots, and garlic and goes well in creamed soups and sauces, and with cheese, eggs, sour cream, and yogurt. Vegetables which are complemented by Tarragon include potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions, artichokes, asparagus, mushrooms, cauliflower, & broccoli. Just remember to go easy as the flavor can be quite strong when cooked. Our favorite use for Tarragon is in tuna fish salad made with Italian tuna packed in olive oil!
Plants are available for French Tarragon now as well as Rosemary, Oregano, English Thyme, Sage, Parsley, Chocolate Mint, Spicy Basil & Lavender Also, Bay Laurel trees are great for indoor growing and can be sent as gifts through the holiday season.
We absolutely love getting to look through the seed catalogs for our tomato selections every December. The names and shapes and colors really get us excited about next spring's growing season. Here at The Tasteful Garden we hope you have a peaceful and joyful holiday season filled with good food and even better friends.
Cindy & George Martin
August 2005
Just as the tomatoes are in full swing Mother Nature can really do a number on the garden. Heat waves of high 90's are brutal on our plants. Drought conditions in some areas and more rain than you can believe in other places make gardening a challenge. This is the reason we are so adamant in our recommendation to add compost, mulch heavily and use drip irrigation. We never know what our conditions will be so the Boy Scout motto "be prepared" is the rule.
Compost which is decomposed leaves, grass clippings, and other organic materials such as manures, breaks down into fine soft particles which create air pockets and allow soil to drain well in times of heavy rainfall. It also creates ideal living conditions for lots of tiny critters and good bacteria which break down the soil further and allow deep penetration of nutrients and water, down to where the roots are. Compost actually contributes some nitrogen but this is far outweighed by its other benefits and its ability to make a nice home for earthworms which digest organic matter and excrete the perfect plant food. Adding compost to your garden should be a regular routine every fall and early spring.
Mulch is the blanket of coverage, kind of like insurance, that protects the lower half of the plants underground. Many people don't realize that plants should have almost as much roots in the soil as they have top growth! The only reason you get this good top growth is if your roots are healthy and happy, cool and moist, and well fed. If your plants do not grow very large, 9 times out of 10 it is due to soil problems. Mulches need to be about 6" thick and a material that will eventually break down into organic matter in the soil, such as hay straw, leaves, wood chips, rice hulls, peanut hulls etc. Protecting the roots from extreme heat is the main purpose but it also helps the soil remain evenly moist on a daily basis even when weather becomes extreme. In the winter mulch is just as important for your perennials. A thick blanket of mulch protects the roots from freezing.
Drip irrigation (or a drippy hose) is the best watering method, period. Assuming you aren't washing away like us, you will need to give your plants a deep watering of approximately 1" per week. How do you measure 1"? Good question! I don't really know...but usually an hour of slow dribbling at the base of the plants will percolate about an inch of water deeply into the soil. Irrigation kits can do the science for you or just use the hose method which also works fine. Inadequate water will cause splitting, blossom end rot, small fruits, stem splitting and stress to the plants which brings the bugs. Over watering can cause the same problems so go easy and try to water the roots deeply. This is better than watering the leaves daily.
Just a note about pH...fall is the time to correct pH to neutral for the vegetable garden. If you have had lots of rain this year, it is likely that you will need to add Lime. Lack of rainfall in other areas may require adding Gypsum to bring pH down. A simple soil test kit will tell you which you need to add. Adding these in fall gives the soil time to correct before you plant again in spring.
We have a new Windowbox herb planter kit which is perfect for those with limited space or for indoor herb growing. It comes with 5 of our best culinary herb plants, growing instructions, and our magic soil mix to make anyone a success. All that is required is bright light for about half a day.
We have added our own exclusive Lettuce, Mild Mesclun, and Spicy Greens planting kits to our online catalog. You just fill the planter with the soil mix provided, sprinkle the seeds, and then water for an explosion of baby greens and lettuces. These can be harvested frequently and they keep growing back. They come with two packets of seeds for two complete plantings. Our Lettuce planter kit includes 3 lettuce plants with your planter and soil mix to grow full sized heads of lettuce which can be harvested for months. Fresh salad greens are fun to grow and easy to keep in a bright kitchen window through the fall.
Fall Vegetables:
Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage Cour di Bue, Cauliflower - Violetta Italia, Endive, Kale, Radicchio - Rossa di Treviso, & Rainbow Swiss Chard are available now for your fall garden! Order them for shipping now. Note, Spinach, Leeks and Bunching Onions will be ready on Sept. 5th. The best time to plant is while it is still warm but you can plant many types such as Lettuce, Radicchio and Kale anytime before your first frost date.
Click to read more about Fall Vegetable Gardening.
Order now from our new batch of Fall tomatoes which will be shipping September 5th. We will have a limited supply of only the following varieties available: Black Prince, Rose de Berne, Carmello, Early Girl, and Momotaro. These have been chosen for their ability to produce during the shorter fall season and will only do well in warmer climates or try extending the season in a greenhouse! Our portable greenhouses are on sale now. Italian Red Pear tomato plants are available right now which are great for canning, drying or freezing for winter use.
NEW PRODUCTS! 
The change in season brings lots of new items to The Tasteful Garden. Here are just a few which can be found in our catalog.
Milky Spore Powder is a disease which only affects Japanese beetles. It comes in a powder which is distributed in the grass and stays in place for 15-18 years. The Japanese beetles digest it when they are feeding on grass roots during the fall, winter, and early spring. Milky spore kills only the beetles and doesn't harm any other critters or any plants. Because Japanese Beetles don't fly very far, it is a great way to control infestations. Place the spore near all their favorite plants such as roses and plum trees for results you will definitely see next season. We have the 10 oz. cans which cover 2500 sq. ft. in our catalog, but large 20 lb. bulk sized bags can be special ordered, just email us.
Jungle Growth potting soil is one of the few organic soil mixes we have found. Miracle gro and other soil mixes have a chemical fertilizer which can actually create too much feeding for young herbs and seeds. When planting in containers, we like to control what type of food our plants get and use natural fertilizers whenever possible. We have this item in 20 lb. bags in our catalog.
Mud Gloves are the best thing since sliced bread. Extremely durable with their latex coating they stay dry and give you a great grip for your fall gardening chores. We have them in three sizes, small for kids and small hands, medium for most ladies, large for most men. Order our fantastic pruners, a kneeler pad, and a garden tote bag and you are all set for the fall clean up. Check out all of our great gardening products.
Our Greenhouses and our Space Saver Garden Kits are on sale now! Order one today for season extending and you can grow your entire fall garden under cover. Most fall vegetables do not need heating so a simple protection of our greenhouses will warm them on sunny days and give you great results. Then start your seeds and seedlings early in the spring to get a head start on the growing season.
New Soaps! We have added some fantastic new soaps to our catalog. Tomato soap with actual tomato juice in it and our Summer Salad soap remind us of the garden all year around. We also have a great Coffee soap for the kitchen, Lavender for the bath, and Gardener's soap for tough cleaning. Rosemary Sunrise is so fragrant, it makes a wonderful gift. Read more about our new soaps from Sunrise soaps.
It is time to order Saffron! We are taking pre-orders of Saffron, Dutch red Shallots and Lorz Italian Garlic for fall planting beginning now. These items always sell out quickly so order early to insure we have enough for you. Fall is the time to plant these bulbs and we will be shipping them just in time in late September. If anyone is interested in fall potato planting, please let us know, we can order seed potatoes for you.
Blueberry plants! Order them now and we will ship them to you for fall planting. Fall is an excellent time to plant these wonderful fruits. We sell Rabbiteye blueberries which are very large and flavorful and can be grown just about anywhere. Try them in your own garden this year but allow lots of room because they grow to about 6-8 feet. Citrus trees are also available for growing indoors during the cold winter months and outdoors the rest of the year. They grow very nicely in a sunny enclosed patio. All types of fruits can be special ordered for you and shipped at the perfect time for planting in your area. Grape vines, Apple trees and more, just ask us.
When we get discouraged by bad weather conditions the thought of a new garden encourages us to keep going and to try to work with nature instead of against it. Fall is just around the corner and you can be sure of only two things, the weather will change and something about death and taxes...
Cindy & George Martin
Contact Us toll free 866-855-6344
July 2005
The flavor of the first Heirloom Tomato of the season is priceless. There is nothing like the anticipation and joy of that unique flavor of a sun ripened tomato as nature intended it to 
be. It makes me wonder why we even eat them from the grocery store at all. We hope you have plenty to share with all of those folks who just can't find the time to garden, so they will know what they are missing!
Wet weather in early summer wreaked havoc as usual in the south. Blight tried to take hold first but our weather dried up some and that prevented it from getting worse. Then we started hearing reports of Blossom End Rot from folks who didn't get much of a break from the rain. To read more about this problem, which is caused by heavy rain or lack of rain and prevents calcium from being taken up by the tomatoes, visit our Blossom End Rot page. This is generally a very short term problem and once the heavy rain clears up for warmer weather, it usually goes away all on its own. If not, liquid calcium or "Blossom End Rot" Spray is available in our catalog.
It clears up just in time for the tomato hornworms! These mean looking characters can really eat the leaves of a tomato plant fast so do not ignore their damage. They can be found by carefully watching for their droppings, then look up! Pulling them off is the most cost effective treatment but there is an organic spray which kills them at a younger stage if you want to prevent the damage. Click here for BT Worm Killer spray. Also, if you haven't fertilized your tomatoes and vegetables since you planted, you will need to give them a good mid season feeding. We have worm castings and organic fertlizers in our catalog that will feed slowly and steadily for about 6 weeks. Also, be sure to harvest your tomatoes early, just as they begin to show pink color. The heirlooms will ripen up quickly and it is better if they do so in your kitchen, away from the bugs and birds.
In our garden, horse manure and worm castings along with the crab meal we added this year did wonders for our eggplant and peppers. I have never seen these plants grow to 3 feet tall before! Even our Habanero pepper plants which are always very small are huge this season and are dripping with fruits. Around here folks all make hot pepper jelly from these wonderful extremely hot peppers. The sweet and hot combination is unforgettable. Here is a recipe from Pepperfool.com if you want to try making your own. Just make sure you use rubber gloves to handle the peppers and watch out for the steam too!
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Sterilize 8 half pint jars; keep hot until needed. Prepare lids as manufacturer directs. In a large kettle, combine minced peppers, sugar and vinegar. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Using a metal spoon, skim off any foam. Increase heat to high. Return kettle to heat and bring back to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Stir in pectin and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and ladle into hot jars, leaving 1/8 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and seal with hot lids and screw bands. Invert jar 30 seconds, then stand upright to seal. Makes about 8 half pint jars.
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For many people who started early with Basils, it may be time to replace your plants with fresh ones now that the tomatoes are coming in. Basil can really get too hot and the leaves will get smaller and bitter. Replacing them will give you a whole new flush of nice tender leaves again. Our fragrant collection of Sweet Genovese Basil, Lime Basil, Mammoth, Red Rubin, Spicy Bush, Cinnamon, Siam Queen, Lemon, Lime, and Cuban all have fantastic flavor and colors. Try our Tasteful Basil Garden for a combo of 6 plants or purchase a basket of basils for a nice gift item.
We also have a new Windowbox herb planter kit which is perfect for those with limited space or for indoor growing. It comes with 5 plants, instructions, and magic soil mix to make anyone a success.
Fall Tomatoes and Vegetables: 
Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage Cour di Bue, Cauliflower - Violetta Italia, Endive, Kale, Radicchio - Rossa di Treviso, Spinach & Rainbow Swiss Chard are available now for your fall garden! Order them for fall shipping which should be between August 15th and September 12th depending upon where you are located. The best time to plant is about August 15 for areas in the upper 1/3 of the US, August 29th for the middle 1/3 and September 12th for the warm climates in the bottom 1/3 and for mild coastal areas.
Click to read more about Fall Vegetable Gardening.
Order now from our new batch of Fall tomatoes which will be shipping in August. We will have the following varieties available: Black Brandywine, German Giant, Rose de Berne, Cherokee Purple, Sioux, Arkansas Traveler, Black Prince, Carmello, Creole, Early Girl, Isis Candy, and Italian Red Pear for canning or freezing. These have been chosen for their ability to produce during the shorter fall season and heat tolerance.
NEW PRODUCTS! 
In our Kitchen tools department we have added several new items such as our Provence Garlic Storage jar. This will keep garlic at the optimum temperature. We also have a new gorgeous stainless steel Mezzaluna knife for chopping herbs in a rocking motion or in a shallow bowl. Another stainless steel item is our Pizza set with a 11.5" pan and pizza cutter to match. Our large Spanish Paella pan is fantastic for cooking that special dish or just use it to fry chicken! Microplane graters, Garlic presses, Meat pounders, and so much more are available in our Tasteful Kitchen along with recipes and tips on using fresh herbs and vegetables in the kitchen.
A juicy ripe tomato, a little balsamic vinegar, virgin olive oil, a couple of basil leaves and a slice of fresh mozzarella is all we need in life, everything else is secondary. Enjoy your harvest with your friends and family!
Cindy & George Martin
Contact Us toll free 866-855-6344
May 2005
What a season! Thanks to all of you for your patience with us during this very busy time of year. We hope your gardens are growing well and all your plants are happy in their new homes.
The weather has been cool this spring with late frosts hitting us here on April 25th even though our normal last frost date is supposed to be April 1st! We replanted the vegetable garden on April 28th and all of our tomatoes are growing very nicely now and are about 18" tall. The improvement of the garden soil has been a long process for us. We moved to this farm in late summer of 2000 and all of the topsoil was in the pond at the bottom of the property. Every year we have added barn composted manure, chicken litter, worm castings, lime and even cover cropped with clover to improve the soil. Finally this season we see the results of all that work. The soil is becoming light, fluffy and well drained. The earthworms are prolific and our plants look wonderful!
We wanted to show you the before and after photos of our new Basil bed. You may remember in the last newsletter we had just planted. Now look at the results! Mulching with old wood chips made the basil so happy it just seemed to explode! All of the varieties have nice tender leaves and the lemon basil is flowering and beautiful. Even the opal basil which generally likes a bit of shade is doing very well in this bed with full sunshine and the mulch makes the difference. African Blue basils, planted from our 4 1/2" pots this year have already grown to 2 feet and we expect them to double in size before July! Their color is so fantastic and the blooms are amazing. We love it as a nice tall border planting.
Our other new herb bed is also thriving with Parsley in full sun as well as lettuces and fennel. The most gorgeous plant of all is the Lemon Verbena with its graceful fragrant leaves and open form. Our Fennel and Sorrel are huge and we are impressed with the Pineapple sage and Rosemary in this bed. We also grew collards and Broccoli in with our herbs along with Daylilies which are also edible! Truly a Tasteful Garden!
It was great to meet so many new folks at the special plant sales we attended this year. The new Franklin, Tennessee Bloom' n Garden expo was great! The Birmingham Pepper Place Farmer's Market opened two weeks ago and it was fun to see all of our old friends again. There is going to be a new Market opening up at the end of June in Lynn Park, in Birmingham. It will be on Wednesdays from 11-2. More details will follow as it comes closer.
Tomatoes and Vegetables: A new tomato! We planted some late seeds of Box Car Willie. We are trialing it for next season and have some extra plants available. We will have Box Car Willie available for shipping beginning Tuesday May 31st along with Cherokee Purple, Sioux, Sun Gold, Sweet Million, Roma Classica, Purple Calabash, Bush container tomatoes, and Isis Candy.
Order now from our new batch of tomatoes which will be shipping in June. We will have the following varieties: Aunt Ruby's German Green, Black Krim, Brandywine, German Giant, Hillbilly, Grape, Red Rose and Rose de Berne. Peppers will be available for the next several weeks and varieties include: Cayenne, Orange Sun, Serrano, Thai Dragon, Pepperoncini, Pizza Peppers, and the Hottest Habaneros. We also have Zucchini, Cucumbers, and French Filet Beans still available for a limited time. Order Now while supplies last!
NEW PRODUCTS!
Fung-onil Spray is a ready to use spray fungicide which is odorless, water based and safe to use 0.087% chlorothalonil. For use on Vegetables, Roses and any type of garden plant. Prevents Blight on tomatoes. Neem 2, Blossom End Rot Stop, Crab meal and BT worm killer are just a few of the great organic products which can be ordered in our catalog.
Live Worms! We are now selling live worms and worm eggs. A great addition to the garden or compost pile. Our supplier of worm castings is now offering us these wonderful products which have previously only been available to the wholesale market. Eggs will hatch within 2-3 weeks and are sold by the pound. Live worms are shipped direct from the grower to you and are guaranteed to arrive in good condition. Order 500 or 1000 and go fishing too!
Jungle Growth is a great new organic potting soil. We don't like to use potting soil with Miracle gro type fertilizer in in so we have purchased 25# bags of Jungle Growth for our customers. You should add some good compost with it such as Black Cow or Worm Castings to give it extra water holding capacity for the hot summer months. Also a good organic fertilizer or some Osmocote should be added for herbs or vegetables in containers.
In our Kitchen Tools department we have a fantastic new stainless steel Food Mill. This is great for making smooth tomato sauces. This mill is a mini size which is easy to use and holds about 2 cups. We also have just found a new Pepper Grinder which operates with the push of a button. It comes with a nice little funnel to help with pouring in peppercorns. It can also be used as a salt grinder for coarse salts.
Herbs for Flavor!
Basil plants are in stock now! Our fragrant collection of Sweet Genovese Basil, Lime Basil, Mammoth, Red Rubin, Spicy Bush, Cinnamon, Siam Queen, Lemon, Lime, Cuban and African Blue all have fantastic flavor and colors. Try our Tasteful Basil Garden for a combo of 6 plants or purchase a basket of basils for a nice gift item.
Mints are some of the most versatile plants in the garden. We carry Sweet Peppermint, luscious Chocolate mint (great on strawberries!), Orange mint with a smooth flavor perfect for tea, and Savory Spearmint which makes a fantastic dressing for a Salad with Steak Tips and Blue Cheese.
Here is our recipe!
| Steak Tips salad with Blue Cheese and Lime Mint Vinaigrette 1 head of nice flavorful mixed lettuce greens in bite sizes Make dressing and assemble salad. Toss well with dressing just before serving. Great with homemade garlic croutons or good bread from the Farmer's Market! |
French Sorrel, Perennial Chamomile, Pineapple Sage, Lemon Thyme, Dill, Fennel and Stevia are just a sampling of the interesting culinary herbs available now! Click here to browse our catalog.
Now comes the time to watch the wonder of nature and see the results of the hard work of getting your garden planted. Measuring their progress gives us such a sense of accomplishment!
Tomato Plants are everywhere!!! We are literally up to our eyeballs in tomatoes! We begin shipping on Monday and our plants look better this year than ever before.
This is a very exciting time for us as our greenhouses fill up with every kind of plant. Our over 45 different varieties of tomatoes are all chosen for their fantastic flavors and colors and the anticipation of their fruit is what gardening is all about. Except for a few mice in the greenhouse that seem to love our cucumber seeds, things are going along just great this year and we wish all of you could see everything coming to life!
Broccoli Plants, Lettuce and our cool season herbs are ready for shipment and can be growing before your last frost! Cilantro just loves cool weather and is exploding now with new growth. This Lolla Rossa lettuce is perfect for growing in pots or in the ground. Transplants can survive frosts and just need a bit of protection from very cold nights. There is so much to show you, and so little space here!
Shallots, Garlic, Onions, Potatoes, Asparagus crowns and Strawberries are all in stock and ready for shipping now! Get them planted early for best results. Check out our growing tips page for more information on how to grow these wonderful bulbs and roots.
Our asparagus crowns are huge 2 year old plants that make large tasty spears. They come in bundles of 10 and are easy to plant. Heavy mulching is required to keep the weeds down but the plants will produce for up to 20 years! Onions should be planted early in the southern states, they bulb with short days so they do best when planted in early spring. Up north, you should plant in early spring also but your best dates are in mid-late April.
Our store and greenhouses are now open every day (except this Sunday) and we have tomato plants ready for pick up along with broccoli, onions, asparagus & lettuces Most herbs are ready except Basils which should be large enough in about 2 weeks. Call us if you need more information at 256-253-3300 or 866-855-6344.
Don't forget to test your soil and correct any Ph problems!
Lime or Gypsum is key for correcting Ph problems. Heavy rainfall makes soil become more acidic every year and Lime will bring the ph back up to normal. Read more about our natural soil products such as worm castings, organic fertilizers, crab shell meal, test kits and compost.
Check out our Weed Prevention Plus, made from Corn Gluten, which kills the roots of germinating weed seeds. This product is very safe to use in vegetable gardens however it must be used before the weeds get started.
We also have a new Garden Space Kit that makes a nice 4 X 8 foot garden with trellises for plant supports and everything you need to build a simple raised kitchen garden. All you add is the lumber. Order yours today
Herbs for Spring
Our Rosemary is in bloom now! The plants in the herb gardens here are blooming with the most beautiful blue flowers and the new growth is dark green and fragrant. Remember that perennial herbs such as Rosemary, Oregano, Sweet Marjoram, Chives, and Thyme are best planted early so plan to get them with your tomatoes.
Fennel is a cool season grower and needs to be planted early so it will bulb when the weather gets warmer. It's wonderful anise flavor makes a fantastic addition to salads, especially with a citrus vinaigrette dressing.
Cilantro, Dill and Parsley need cooler weather also and can really be productive when temperatures are in the 60's & 70's. Cilantro can be tender but with some protection on cold nights can be grown best in early spring. Try some in your mixed greens salads for extra zing!
We will be excited to hear from our old friends and hope to see as many of you as possible in person this year. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call.
Well, we don't get blizzards here in Alabama, what we do get is freezing rain. Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico collides occasionally with cold air from the North and instead of soft fluffy snow, we get a coating of ice on everything! Power lines too! Thank goodness for our trusty generator that worked overtime this past weekend to keep your baby tomato, basil and pepper plants nice and toasty warm. The ice was beautiful but what did folks do without electricity and computers in the old days? Of course the ice melted the next day and our weather continues to fluctuate from 60 degree sunny days to cold miserable and wet.
We are looking forward to a fantastic 2005 season and have increased our growing area to accommodate more plants. Last year we shipped about 20,000 plants and we expect to ship at least 25,000 this spring.
Getting your Garden Ready
Even though it is cold outside there are some things you can do to get your garden ready for Spring plants. The most important thing you can do is add compost. There are several different kinds but all will help improve the texture, water holding and air capacity of your garden soil. Compost made from leaves is rich and sweet and studies have shown that it can actually add sweetness to tomatoes and other vegetables.
Worm castings are made from different types of bedding material but the result after worms break it down is a material that produces nutrients in exactly the form that plants like it. This stuff is truly black gold and there is something those worms do that make a huge difference to all types of plants. Studies have shown growth actually doubles when worm castings are used as opposed to a regular fertilized soil mix. Our worm castings are grown for us by a farmer near Auburn, Alabama and are the richest we have ever seen.
Composted cow manure or "Black Cow" brand is rich and dark and will add a small amount of nitrogen to your garden. Or make your own compost by mixing leaves, kitchen vegetable waste, eggshells, coffee grounds, grass clippings (careful not to use too much), and other garden waste. A good combination is what makes it so nutritious. The microorganisms, good bacteria, centipedes and worms will show up and do the rest of the work. You do need to keep the compost pile moist but not too wet and aerate it occasionally to make air pockets to keep those little critters alive. Any type of container will do as long as it drains well and lets air in.
Keep in mind that you may have to add some additional fertilizer or more compost to the garden about 6 weeks after planting and again every 6 weeks to keep enough nitrogen in the soil for your plants. Using natural organic types will prevent overfeeding. Watch out for ones with high numbers such as 21-12-6. Look for numbers closer to 6-3-2 or less. Yellowing of the leaves is a good indication that more nitrogen is needed but don't wait to see it before you add fertilizer.
Lime or Gypsum is key for correcting Ph problems. Heavy rainfall makes soil become more acidic every year and Lime will bring the ph back up to normal. Lack of rainfall, climates that have no rain all summer, will likely need to add some gypsum to bring ph down to normal range. Most vegetables like to grow in soil which has a Ph from 5.5-6.5 and tomatoes will develop blossom end rot when ph is below or higher than this range. Use a soil test kit to make sure of what you need to add. Work in the lime or gypsum as directed on the package and let it work for about 2 months. Then your garden should be ready for planting. Read more about our natural soil products such as worm castings, organic fertilizers, crab shell meal, test kits and compost.
Compost should be added at about 25% or 2-3" on top of the soil, and mixed in well. You can't really add too much but if you do add a heavy amount, be sure not to add nitrogen high fertilizer as well which can make for a nice green jungle with no fruits at all. Also, begin looking now for good materials to use to mulch the soil around your plants. Pine straw, hay straw, leaf mulch, wood chips and other materials may be more plentiful now than in springtime.
Strawberry plants, Onions, Potatoes, Garlic, Shallots and Asparagus are beginning shipping this month. These plants prefer to get planted before your last frost date and some actually need a bit of chill before warm weather sets in. Order yours now or read more about growing them at our Growing Tips page.
Herbs, Heirloom Tomatoes and Peppers can be shipped as early as Feb. 28th but should not be planted until after your last frost date as they can easily be damaged by temperatures below 34 degrees. Click this link to see our suggested shipping time for your area.
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Herb Planting Timeline:
Cilantro is a early spring plant along with Parsley, Dill, Fennel, Thai Parsley (Culantro), Sorrel, and Thai Celery. These herbs can be planted as early as March 1st in warmer climates and they prefer temperatures around 70-80 degrees. They cannot withstand freezes but will thrive with a light protection of a sheet or bucket on very cold nights. Lettuces also like a cooler season and will grow well with your herbs in pots or in the garden.
Perennial herbs such as Rosemary, Oregano, Sweet Marjoram, Chives, and Thyme are also best planted early but should go in the ground around your last frost date for best results.
Sweet Basil and other summer herbs will need to wait until the soil is warmer,
usually around 2 weeks after your last frost date. They can be grown in pots before that time and transplanted at a later date. For most areas, we recommend planting in April and again in June or July for a later crop of young tender leaves. Basils produce young leaves for only about 3 months in the ground and even less time in containers so plant several over the entire season.A quick winter salad recipe:
Cook bacon slowly until crisp but still chewy. Remove bacon drain and break into bite sized pieces. Add vinegar to drippings in the pan on low heat. Add sugar and salt and pepper stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add onion slices and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Toss in chives and spinach leaves and turn over gently to coat the leaves with dressing. Remove from heat and serve immediately with bacon sprinkled on top. Add hard boiled egg slices if desired. |
Getting ready for spring and planning the garden makes our mouths water with anticipation. We hope your winter blows away soon and brings daffodils and cherry blossoms to your garden before you know it.
| November 2004 News from the Farm The leaves are beginning to turn after a cold snap this past week. Our tomato plants in the cold frame are doing well and we are getting ready to build another greenhouse this fall. Our business grows by leaps and bounds every year, thanks to you, and we ultimately run out of room every year in the greenhouses so we have to expand our capacity by at least 40 percent every season. We are excited to begin planning for spring with new vegetable and tomato varieties as well as new herbs to add to our regular selection. Our fall herbs are beautiful right now and are ready to be grown in your kitchen window or sun porch. Many of these herbs can be grown outdoors too! Read more about some new ones below... Many of you have asked about our kittens, so here is an update... The mother cat disappeared one night when the kittens were just 4 weeks old and still nursing. Unfortunately because we live in the country, there are many terrible fates for cats including coyotes and barn owls. We had to hand nurse the kittens until we could get them on solid food but all five are doing well and thriving. Three have a new home in Georgia and two have gone to keep our son company at college at Clemson in South Carolina. I am told one is actually an unofficial mascot due to its tiger stripes. Now Shipping! Seed Garlic is still available in the Lorz Italian and Silver White varieties as well as the huge Elephant garlic. We also have bunching onions which are like huge chives, some lettuces, spinach and fennel for a limited time. New this month is Thai Celery! This wonderful vegetable is much easier to grow than regular celery with smaller stalks and a stronger flavor. In the Herbs department our Arugula, Dill, absolutely gorgeous Spearmint, Italian and Curly Parsley, English Thyme, Sweet Marjoram, Oregano, Sage, Chives and Thai Parsley or "Culantro" are now shipping. Thai Parsley tastes and smells just like Cilantro but it is easier to grow. It is very well known in Asian and South American cultures and it is used for salsas and all kinds of dishes, just like cilantro. Lavender bunches are shipped to us from the Provence region of France and are so fragrant you just can't believe how great they smell! They can be kept in a bedroom or bathroom just to add their fragrance or use them in your drawers or even in a bath to relax naturally. We also have dried Herbs de Provence, also from France, in clay pots for adding to olive oil to dip bread or to flavor butter for steaks. Add them to your soup pot! Lavender soap and balm is also available in our catalog. We are offering our Herb Growing Unit again this season which provides supplemental lighting for more growing success indoors for those with insufficient sunlight in their kitchen. They are great for starting seeds too! Our folding greenhouses are also available to over winter plants or to start seedlings for Spring. These make great Holiday gifts. New Gift Baskets, Cooking Gadgets, Books and more! As we gear up for the holidays we have added many new items...browse our catalog today. Herb Planter Kits are available which come overflowing with our beautiful, fragrant culinary herbs. We can ship on any date you request and enclose a gift card with your personal message. Custom orders can always be arranged and gift certificates are available for spring shipping heirloom tomato plants or herbs! Soups are perfect for fall. Nothing says "I love you" like a simmering pot of soup on the stove. From Chicken Noodle, Vegetable Beef, Chicken Tortilla and Clam Chowder they are low in calories and very nutritious. Add some good homemade bread or biscuits and a salad for the perfect movie rental night or a get together with lots of friends. Our favorite soup recipes are listed in The Tasteful Kitchen! Fall is a wonderful time of year! The slowing down and making time to be together before the rush of the holidays is rejuvenating and peaceful. A warm fire, a good bowl of soup and the company of friends and family, what else could you want?
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| October 2004 News from the Farm Well we survived our first hurricane! Ivan the Terrible blew through here last Thursday and gave us a scare but thankfully caused very little damage. We are located about an hour east of Birmingham and an hour west of Atlanta and being on the east side of the storm we got a considerable amount of rain and gusts of wind over 70 miles an hour. Greenhouses are the most susceptible to damage and we were very worried. We made frequent ventures into the storm to inspect the structures and plastic coverings as well as our dogs and cats and 5 new baby kittens which have just opened their eyes. Minor damage to just one greenhouse made us glad that we had built them to be sturdy and withstand high winds. It was scary but not as frightening as the Earthquake of 1994 in Northridge, California which we also lived through... Now Shipping! Our Saffron Bulbs and Seed Garlic are almost sold out but we have plenty of huge Elephant garlic as well as French Shallots! Milder than garlic and onions, shallots are sweet and can be used in so many recipes such as salad dressings, and sauces. Herbs In the Herb department our Arugula, Dill and Fennel are now shipping. The Fennel is a beautiful bulbing type and will grow into large bulbs which can be sliced into salads like celery. The fennel leaves can be snipped during the fall season and the bulbs can be harvested before your first frost. New is our Thai Parsley which is sweet and full of flavor and will grow well indoors or out during the winter months and into next spring. Most of our herbs can be grown indoors with proper lighting although they do go somewhat dormant during the dark months of January and February and don't grow much. Herbs such as French Tarragon, Parsley, Chives, Rosemary, Lavender and African Blue basil do very well in bright light conditions. We are offering our Herb Growing Unit again this season with supplemental lighting for more growing success indoors. Growing Tips -- Indoor Herb Gardens Growing herbs indoors can be tricky, especially summer annuals such as basils. Perennial herbs will live for several years, going dormant during the winter although many stay green, they slow down their growth considerably when the weather cools off. Rosemary, Oregano, Marjoram, Thyme, Chives, and Mints all will grow indoors if you give them a sunny warm location in your kitchen. It is really hard to fool basil into thinking it is summer but if you have a nice warm place that gets sunshine all day long and plant into a large enough container you can be successful at over wintering this hot season plant. Parsley is technically a biennial which grows leaves for only one season, can be started in the fall, grown through the winter months and will continue through the spring. If you have a mild climate, grow some outdoors too as it does very well with frosty weather and can develop stronger flavor. Tips for indoor growing: Make sure you grow in large enough containers, begin with a 8" pot for each herb. The most common problem for herbs is being pot bound and under watered because of it. Use good potting mix and add some compost to it to help feed and add organic matter. Plenty of sun, even on dark days there is still lots of light coming into windows so give them as much as you can. Supplemental lights do help but they must be close to the leaves. Watch out for cold areas near windows where drafts can chill the plants down too much. Wrapping your pots with an old towel helps too. On especially warm sunny days, give them a treat outdoors. Gradually move established outdoor plants to the inside, to prevent shocking them. Over watering is the worst thing that you can do indoors. Never water a wet plant and misting the leaves will add humidity without adding to a wet feet problem. Blowing heater vents and fireplaces can really dry out the leaves even though the soil is wet. Mist about once a week with a spray bottle. Harvest only what you need, it may not grow back until spring. At times of great stress, our strength is derived from our family and friends. We meet the challenges that come and are grateful for all that we have. After the storm, we feel like wagging our tails like Sandy or jumping into the cold pond like Sage and enjoying this beautiful clear day. Thank you for subscribing to The Tasteful Garden Monthly Update.
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| September 2004 As the weather starts to cool down, we are getting excited about gardening again. There are so many things to grow during the fall and preparing the soil for spring is so important. So many of you have asked us about growing organically so we would like to share some tips on using the fall and winter for correcting soil problems using organic materials. Read more below on Fall Garden conditioning. New Fall Vegetables Fall Gardening time is here! In addition to Cilantro, Arugula, Fennel and Dill, we have some fantastic gourmet varieties of Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, Brussel Sprouts, Radicchio, Spinach, and Rainbow Swiss Chard! Click here to read more about growing these members of the Brassica family. We also have lettuces, perennial Bunching onions, and Belgian Endive. Shipping will begin on August 30th and continue through September as supplies last. Browse our catalog for these colorful and delicious vegetables for the fall season. They are easy to grow and great to eat so don't let your garden go dormant this fall. The cooler weather makes gardening a pleasure and helps to sweeten these wonderful greens. Our Saffron Bulbs and Seed Garlic bulbs can also be ordered now and will ship beginning September 15th. We are offering 5 varieties of Garlic including huge Elephant garlic as well as French Shallots! Milder than garlic and onions, shallots are sweet and can be used in so many recipes such as salad dressings, and sauces. News from the Farm Here on our farm, some of you may have heard that Cindy broke her arm trying to ride Cherokee our 3 year old gelding horse. She is mending well and hopes to have full strength back soon. Cherokee hasn't had much training since we are so busy around here. Thanks to a friend we are beginning a new training program this fall for both he and Rocky so they can be taught the finer points of riding. Sometimes we wonder if we need more training than they do! Our baby chicks that hatched this spring are beginning to lay eggs and you won't believe the colors! The Cuckoo Marans from France, and the Barnevelders lay extremely dark colored eggs which are just beautiful. The Ameraucanas lay blue to green eggs and have some great golden feather colors. The Salmon Favarolles are white with brown markings with beards and feathers on their legs which look like pantaloons! Baby Lucy (our calf) is almost weaned and is growing quickly. She hangs around with daddy Bruno all day long. We are picking French filet beans because of the unusually cool weather and are preparing to plant tomatoes again in our cold frame experiment. This time we will try to create more air circulation and we plan to run kerosene heaters on very cold nights. Our fall plants are being planted for harvest before winter comes, and garlic and shallots plant now for spring digging. Herbs In the Herb department our Cilantro, Arugula, Dill and Fennel are now ready for shipping. The Fennel is the bulbing type and will grow into large bulbs which can be sliced into salads like celery. The tops have great anise flavor too and are great in soups. We also have beautiful basils available Lemon, Lime, Thai (Siam Queen), Red Rubin, and Mammoth as well as Sweet Genovese Basil. Grow them in pots which can be brought into a sunny window when the weather cools to below 42 degrees. Most of our herbs can be grown indoors with proper lighting although they do go somewhat dormant during the dark months of January and February and don't grow much. Herbs such as French Tarragon, Parsley, Chives, and African Blue basil do very well in bright light conditions. We are offering our Herb Growing Unit again this season with supplemental lighting for success indoors. Growing Tips -- Fall Garden Conditioning Preparing your garden for next year is very important. If done properly it allows you to use less chemical fertilizers and create a more loamy, light, soil with lots of microorganisms that will dig and digest organic material all winter long. This adds fertility to your garden that would have to be added in next spring at a slower and more expensive rate. For example, adding dead leaves to your garden makes for sweeter tomatoes next spring and provides better drainage at the same time. Here are some other mulching materials which can be added to your soil to improve the consistency and fertility: Dead Leaves (the more the better, pile them on!) Old Hay straw (watch out for seeds in hay) Compost from grass, kitchen and garden clippings (half dried and half green, not too much green stuff) Worm Castings, good black compost made rich by worms Pine needles (make sure you add lime to correct the Ph as these can make your soil more acidic) Cottonseed meal Egg shells (these add calcium which is needed by vegetables) Manures (horse, cow, chicken or ?, no more than a inch or two) Green Manures** Lime (to correct Ph in heavy rainfall areas, lime is almost always needed every year) **Green manure is actually just plants which grow well during the off season and dig down deeply with their roots, then are turned under in spring to breakdown before planting. This type of composting creates organic material in the soil, does deep digging for you, and can even add nitrogen if you use bean type (legume) plants. Even Rye grass will grow in the winter months and when turned under, will release nitrogen as it breaks down. Most importantly, old gardeners know never to leave the soil uncovered for the weeds to take over and soil to compact. Use natures direction and get those raked leaves back into the soil or compost heap and out of those plastic bags! The Tasteful Garden is most concerned with making sure you are successful at growing our plants. We have lots of information on our web site about growing, harvesting and storage of our culinary herbs and vegetables. The herb encyclopedia has individual pages which help you with growing herbs as well as cooking with them. Fall is our favorite time of year as the harvest is celebrated with family and friends. Take time to experience the wonder of nature as it closes down its machines for the winter and beautiful golden and bronze colors fall to the earth to rejuvenate the soil for spring.
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| August 2004 Many of you may wonder why we are called "The Tasteful Garden". The short version of the story is that we love to cook, mainly because we love to eat! Gardening allows us to have the freshest, most flavorful foods to cook with as well as access to unique varieties of tomatoes and other vegetables that cannot be found in grocery stores. Many of our customers are professional chefs who understand the difference between foods from Walmart and the high quality produce they are supplied at their restaurants. Of course our gardening customers know that backyard grown and locally farmed produce has the best flavor and you just can't get any fresher. Even though when we originally started we had planned to sell only to restaurants, we have evolved into something very different. Our goal is to provide you with flavorful, healthy, easy to grow plants and the knowledge to be successful so you can grow your own high quality produce. In addition to our greenhouses full of plants for your garden, we grow our own vegetables and herbs and we also work with a network of small sustainable farms to provide local restaurants and farmer's markets with high quality specialty produce. Click here to learn more about this Farmers' Fresh network and sustainable agriculture. In The Tasteful Kitchen, you can find many recipes for using fresh herbs and in our catalog we have quite a few useful tools that are restaurant quality. From our Chef's knife to our Stainless Steel garlic press to our new Rasp hand grater, we choose high grade 18/10 stainless steel tools that we use ourselves and are indispensable in our kitchen. Items such as our Fresh Herb Keeper, Herb Spinner, and Herb Mincer make using fresh herbs easier to use and store. We also have our own varieties of herb & spice mixtures such as Thai Spice, Cajun Citrus, and Zesty Italian which add terrific flavor to your cooking. New Fall Vegetables Fall Gardening time is just around the corner! Here at The Tasteful Garden we are very excited about our new cool season vegetable varieties. We have chosen some fantastic gourmet varieties of Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, Leeks, Radicchio, Spinach and Rainbow Swiss Chard! We have three types of lettuces, perennial Bunching onions, and Belgian Endive. Shipping will begin on August 30th and continue through September as supplies last. Browse our catalog for these colorful and delicious vegetables for the fall season. These vegetables are easy to grow and great to eat so don't let your garden go away this fall. The cooler weather makes gardening a pleasure and helps to sweeten these wonderful greens. Our Saffron Bulbs and Seed Garlic bulbs can also be ordered now and will ship beginning September 15th. We are offering 5 varieties of Garlic including huge Elephant garlic as well as French Shallots! Milder than garlic and onions, shallots are sweet and can be used in so many recipes. They are great for salads, dressings, and sauces. Tomatoes for Fall We have planted Arkansas Traveler, Cherokee Purple and Marizol Purple tomatoes which will be ready to ship on August 2nd for those who have a long enough season to grow them. Keep in mind that if your first frost date is Nov. 15th or later, you can still plant these tomatoes now and harvest this fall! Supplies are limited so please order early so we can be sure you get them. Herbs In the Herb department, we are currently seeding fall herbs such as Cilantro, Arugula, Dill and Chervil. These herbs are not heat tolerant and cannot be planted out until the weather cools off. They can be ordered for shipping with our Fall Vegetables. We are also trialing some exciting new herbs such as Thai Parsley, Florence Fennel, and Thai Celery and will update you on these items as they become available. Our Sweet Genovese Basil is still in stock and growing just great, order several for enough to make pesto! New Baskets & Lavender! Our special gift Picnic Baskets are new and come with kitchen gourmet gadgets, live herb plants, and a cookbook, perfect for wedding or housewarming gifts! We have two sizes available but we can always custom design one for you. Dried Lavender bunches of the Grosso variety which has very long 18" stems and a wonderful fragrance are arriving from Provence in two weeks! Order now as we only have a limited supply. We will ship as soon as they arrive. Dried lavender wreaths are ready to ship now and make wonderful gifts.
We all love the wonderful flavors of the garden and we hope you enjoy them to their fullest! Prepare a fabulous meal and share it with your friends.
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| July 2004 Our harvest is coming in faster than we can pick it! Cookbooks are addictive for us when we start picking the harvest from the garden. It is too hot to do anything else but sit by the pool reading some great new cooking and gardening books. We recently got the new Tomato Festival cookbook in stock and there are 150 recipes just for tomatoes by famous chefs such as Alice Waters' Gazpacho and Rick Bayless' Tomato-Chipotle Sauce! We also have a couple from Rosalind Creasy's Edible series including The Edible Heirloom Garden and the Edible Herb Garden. Absolutely Mouthwatering! As if that isn't enough...The Mediterranean Herb Cookbook is stuffed full of fabulously inspiring recipes for summer vegetables and herbs. This month we have included our catch-all Summer Vegetable recipe for some inspiration. These books are not only cookbooks but they have lots of information about growing tomatoes, herbs and vegetables. Other favorite gardening books such as Herb Gardening and Vegetable Gardening both by Derek Fell are easy to follow and have terrific information for beginners or experienced growers. Some new titles are "Growing Tomatoes" a primer with all you need to know for great tomatoes and Kitchen Gardens in Containers for those limited on space. Our garden has peppers producing like crazy and we planted many Anchos so we can use them in Salsa recipes and stuff them with cheese for Chili Rellenos. Their heat is mild but they are full of flavor. Many of our pepper plants are still available for shipping including Anchos, Bulgarian Carrots, Jingle Bells, Habaneros, and Jalapenos. There should still be plenty of time to get them going this season and they love hot weather! New Fall Vegetables and More Now that the tomato season is dwindling down, here at The Tasteful Garden, we are getting ready for fall vegetables and other plants which love cooler weather. Our Saffron Bulbs and Seed Garlic bulbs can also be ordered now and will ship beginning September 15th. Other fall vegetables this year will include Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Cauliflower, Cabbages, Endive, Lettuces, Leeks, Bunching onions, Radicchio, China Rose Radishes, and Rainbow Swiss Chard. Our lettuce varieties include beautiful Lolla Rossa, Forellenschluss, and Craquerelle du Midi. Fall vegetables will be ready for ordering beginning next month and shipping will begin August 30th. Herbs In the Herb department, all of our culinary herbs are just beautiful right now! We have Rosemary (our variety is called "Barbeque"), "Provence" Lavender, Horseradish plants, and gorgeous Lemon Verbena. Lemon and Rose Scented Geraniums are in stock as well as our edible Nasturtiums with mixed colors and the solid red "Empress of India". French Tarragon is growing fantastic right now as well as Pineapple Sage, Peppermint and Lemon grass. We are also one of the few nurseries that sell Bay Laurel plants. Our basil is growing just beautifully right now and goes so well with the tomatoes that are finally ripening! We grow over 6 types including Lime basil which is great on seafood or in salads! Our new Tasteful Basil Garden contains all 6 of our favorites. New Gifts! We have a new combo of Basils called the Tasteful Basil Garden with 6 of our most flavorful varieties. These make great gifts for gardeners or cooks! Our special gift Picnic Baskets are new and come with kitchen gourmet gadgets, live herb plants, and a cookbook, perfect for wedding or housewarming gifts! We also have Fresh Handmade Culinary Herb Wreaths. (This item must ship overnight UPS.) Tracking down bug problems Detective work is the best way to determine what is eating your vegetables and herbs. First look to see if there is a bug visible, sometimes that may not be the one that is doing the eating, just an innocent bystander. Other times, that bug may actually be dining on the bug that is doing the damage! These are valuable predators that are wonderful in the garden. Look for droppings. Yes, they are the best way to find a caterpillar or worm, find the droppings, then look up above and you will likely find the culprit, munching away. Make sure you don't grab the spray before you know what you are trying to kill. Tomato and Vegetable sprays are likely either insecticidal soap, which is very mild, or pyrethrin based, slightly more toxic but still organic. We recommend using Organic Neem II which is a spray of pyrethrin combined with Neem oil, a natural pesticide from the neem tree. Neem has been proven to kill many insects, prevent fungus, and deter many insects from even coming to your plants but it is safe to use on all vegetables and herbs. Worms and caterpillars can be handled by using BT, or Bacillus Thuringiensis, an organic biological insecticide for worms. Summertime Catch-All Recipe!
The Garden Harvest is the reward for all our labor these past few months, celebrate with friends and loved ones! Have a garden party to show off!
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| May/June 2004 The latest addition to the family around here is our new baby calf! She has not been named yet but we think she is just adorable. During this incredibly busy time of year for us, she popped out one day and gave us a well deserved diversion. This season has more than exceeded our expectations again and we thank you all for your support of our company. We hope your tomatoes, vegetables, and herbs are growing well and are soon to provide you with the fruits of your labors! There are still several tomatoes and peppers available in our catalog. We have Black Brandywine, Tigerella, Japanese Momotaro, Rutgers, Sweet Million and Matina as well as our hot season varieties Sunmaster and Mexico which produce fruits when temps go over 95 degrees! Almost all of our peppers are still in stock and are just beautiful right now. The Blushing Beauty has a colorful range that starts out ivory and "blushes" all the way to deep red. Corno di toro Italian roasting peppers are fast growing and prolific! Check out our most current availability. In the Herb department, new this year is Lime Thyme! We have always wanted to try it and now we know how great it is! The Lime Basil was great but the Lime Thyme is also a terrific scent and just makes us think of all kinds of new recipes. Lemon Scented Geraniums are also ready now as well as our edible Nasturtiums with mixed colors and the solid red "Empress of India". French Tarragon is just beautiful right now as well as Stevia, Salad Burnet, Pineapple Sage, Sweet Peppermint and Chocolate mint. Our basils are all in stock from Sweet Genovese to African blue, opal "Red Rubin", Lime, Lemon and Thai "Siam Queen". Try some new exciting flavors today!New Recipe! Fresh Tomatillo Salsa This recipe comes from a customer, Thank you!
The Tasteful Garden is most concerned with making sure you are successful at growing our plants. We have lots of information on our web site about growing, harvesting and storage of our culinary herbs and vegetables. The herb encyclopedia has individual pages which help you with growing herbs as well as cooking with them. Our Growing Tips page has information on many other edible garden plants. You can also email us with your growing questions any time, we will answer as soon as we can. Watch out for those nasty intruders! From deer to rabbits, squirrels, hornworms, and lawn mowers your garden is always at risk so make sure you check it often for nibbling.
The kitchen garden is a place of wonderful joy from when the first squash is picked to the taste of your first ripe tomatoes with basil and mozzarella. Enjoy the flavors of the season!
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| March 2004 Snow on the ground one day, 65 degrees the next, this is a very difficult time for gardeners but not so very hard for dogs. The time waiting to plant seems endless but we also know from experience that planting at the wrong time can be detrimental to your plants. A late frost kills quickly and can ruin all your hard work. This month we thought it would be fun to look at some of the old gardener's lore about when to plant. Keep in mind that these come from all over the country so they may not be appropriate to your area. We also have a chart to show the last frost dates in cities all over the country but it is a good idea to wait even an additional week or so before getting tomatoes in the ground or make sure to cover them on cold nights with a sheet or with plastic and remove it in the morning.
This year consider adding Fruits to your kitchen garden! A dwarf apple tree, a potted orange tree, or some blueberries are fun to grow and tasty as well. We have Apples, Cherries, Peaches, as well as Kaffir Lime, Blood Oranges, and Meyer Lemons. Strawberries and Blueberries are also available in bare root plants. Onion plants -- Sweet Yellow, Reds, and Cippollini varieties in bunches are ready to ship. Seed Potatoes -- Bright red, Purple & White skins, Fingerlings and beautiful golden fleshed potatoes are ready to ship now and can be planted in early spring 2-4 weeks before your last frost. Asparagus crowns -- Our two year old crowns should also be planted early for best results. Seed Garlic Bulbs Gourmet Heirloom varieties such as Lorz Italian, Nootka Rose, Polish White, and Silver White are ready to ship. Our Tomato plants are almost ready and will begin shipping on March 8th, depending upon your last frost date. Our tasty heirlooms with their beautiful colors and flavors are all listed in our catalog. You can purchase each plant individually or check out our Easy order combos such as our "Bowl of Cherries", our "Colorful Collection", "Deep Purples & Blacks", "Old Fashioned Pinks" and the "Italian Combo". We also have Pepper combos, Herb Plant Combos, and a Container combo for those short on space. These make great gifts! Don't forget our seed growing kits for growing your own beans, corn, carrots, squashes, pumpkins, cucumbers and more from seeds. Read about the following subjects and more on our Growing Tips page: When do I plant? Tomatoes in Containers Blossom End Rot - What is it & how to prevent it. Garden Designs & Layouts Save the Dates! Callaway Gardens Spring Plant Sale will be April 1-4 Our own Annual Spring Plant Sale in Birmingham April 17th at Pepper Place
The Tasteful Garden is most concerned with making sure you are successful at growing our plants. We have lots of information on our web site about growing, harvesting and storage of our culinary herbs and vegetables. The herb encyclopedia has growing pages which help you with growing herbs as well as cooking with them. Our growing tips page is available for information on many other plants. You can also email us with your growing questions any time, we will answer as soon as we can. May the sun warm your garden soil and bring its great bounty to your kitchen. |
| February 2004 Winter seems to be lasting longer than usual this year especially since we are anxious to start our Spring gardens. For some of us this Winter has been the coldest in decades but never fear, Spring is just around the corner! Daffodils are sticking their leaves out of the ground here and Camellias are blooming as well. Since we have been stuck inside we have been able to update our web site with many new articles and growing tips that we want to let you know about so you can plan your herb and vegetable gardens. A new page on planning your kitchen garden is available with tips on sizes and spacing of plants. Our garden plan has interactive links to growing pages for vegetables and culinary herbs. Alabama Gardener magazine will print our article Planning a Kitchen Garden so check it out in the March issue. Also look for us in Southern Living's special gardening supplement coming out soon. Every year we hear from so many growers about their tomatoes rotting on the vine from the bottom up. This problem is called blossom end rot and we have added a new article about correcting the soil conditions which cause this rotting. Most of the time Ph is the culprit and a simple soil test can tell you if your Ph is too high or too low. We have added several products to help you out including a soil test kit, hydrated lime, and crushed crab shells which add calcium to the soil. Don't get caught with rotting fruit this year. Many new instructional pages have been developed for growing Potatoes, Garlic, Asparagus, Berries, and other Vegetables. Click here to visit our Growing Tips page to view the variety of topics available. This year consider adding Fruits to your kitchen garden! A dwarf apple tree, a potted orange tree, or some blueberries are fun to grow and tasty as well. Our Fruit trees have been chosen to do well in most areas of the country and will begin shipping in early March. We have Apples, Cherries, Peaches, as well as Kaffir Lime, Blood Oranges, and Meyer Lemons. Strawberries and Blueberries are also available in bare root plants. A bed of strawberries is a great idea for kids and a planter filled with plants make a nice gift. Onion plants -- bunches of onions are now in stock and ready to ship. We have sweet large yellow onions and rich red spicy ones for both Northern and Southern areas to grow successfully. Onions must be grown in consideration of when they will form bulbs. "Long day onion types" are for Northern climates that need the most daylight hours to form. "Short day onion types" are for Southern climates where most of the bulbing happens during shorter days. We also have Italian Cippolini onions coming in very soon! Seed Potatoes -- Bright red, Purple & White skins, Fingerlings and beautiful golden fleshed potatoes are ready to ship now and can be planted in early spring 2-4 weeks before your last frost. Asparagus crowns -- Ready for shipping this month, our crowns are Jersey Giants which should also be planted early for best results. Seed Garlic Bulbs are back for spring planting for those that missed planting in the fall. We have Gourmet Heirloom varieties such as Lorz Italian, Nootka Rose, Polish White, and Silver White ready to ship now. Our Tomato plants are available now for pre-ordering. Our tasty heirlooms with their beautiful colors and flavors are listed in our catalog. You can purchase each plant individually or check out our Easy order combos such as our "Bowl of Cherries", our "Colorful Collection", "Deep Purples & Blacks", "Old Fashioned Pinks" and the "Italian Combo". We also have Pepper plants and combos, Herb Plant Combos, and a Container combo for those short on space. These make great gifts which can be sent a gift card now and the plants will ship at the best time for planting.
Don't forget our seed growing kits for growing your own beans, corn, carrots, squashes, pumpkins, cucumbers and more. The Tasteful Garden is most concerned with making sure you are successful at growing our plants. We have lots of information on our web site about growing, harvesting and storage of our culinary herbs and vegetables. The herb encyclopedia has growing pages which help you with growing herbs as well as cooking with them. Our growing tips page is available for information on many other plants. You can also email us with your growing questions any time, we will answer as soon as we can. New recipes for you this month to celebrate the Salad in all of its glory:
We hope food brings you joy in the preparation, peace in the consuming, and love from the sharing. Thank you for subscribing to The Tasteful Garden Monthly Update. Cindy & George Martin
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| January 2004!
Happy New Year! Many new exciting things are happening here for 2004. We have been planning and organizing to get ready for the rush of things to do once seeds are planted. Our first seeding of tomatoes is next week and it seems to come earlier every year. Here are a few new things for those of us who are impatient for tomatoes...many of them can ship as early as Feb. 1st depending upon your location. Onion starts -- This season we are offering bunches of onions for the first time. We will have sweet large yellow onions and rich red spicy ones for both North and Southern areas to grow successfully. Onions must be grown in consideration of when they will form bulbs. Long day is for Northern climates that need the most daylight hours to form. Short day is for Southern climates where most of the bulbing happens during shorter days. We will help determine the best type for you. We also have Italian Cippolini onions! Seed Potatoes -- Also new this year are potatoes! We are very excited about offering these wonderful garden treats to you for an easy plant to grow which provides such great results. Bright red, Purple & White skins, Fingerlings and beautiful golden fleshed potatoes can be planted in early spring. Strawberries -- This year our strawberries will be available bare root or potted. We have also added an ever bearing type called Ozark Beauty that will produce up to frost! Asparagus crowns -- Ready in February, our crowns are Jersey Giant and should also be planted early for best results. Artichokes -- New this year Green Globe artichokes for one season production need to plant early. Southerners can keep them going for years. (limited supply available, order early) Seed Garlic Bulbs are back for spring planting for those that missed planting in the fall. We have Heirloom Lorz Italian, Nootka Rose, and Silver White varieties available Feb. 1st. Here at The Tasteful Garden, our greenhouses have ideal conditions for starting seeds but it can be difficult to recreate that in your home. We are now offering Cucumbers, Corn, Beans, Squashes, Melons, Pumpkins and Carrots available in our new seed kits which are easy to grow in most kitchens and will produce transplants within 3-4 weeks. Kits include a seed tray, magic soil mix, tags, seeds for 1-3 gourmet hybrid or heirloom varieties, and very easy to follow growing instructions. We also designed a light unit for growing 6 of these seed kits, if you don't have enough sunshine and we discovered that it is also perfect for growing herbs over the winter months indoors. It can be difficult to grow herbs indoors but with this unit, they can get extra light until they can safely be grown outdoors. Check out this item in our catalog. Greenhouses are also available now! Each year we like to try new varieties of Tomatoes and here a some of the new ones (to us!) that we will offer this year. German Giant, a large dark pink which is full of flavor, Elfin, the first dwarf grape tomato, and Red Rose a cross between Brandywine and Rutgers for the best features of both. You can purchase each plant individually or check out our great Easy order combos which include a "Bowl of Cherries", our "Colorful Collection", "Deep Purples & Blacks", "Old Fashioned Pinks" and the "Italian Combo". We also have Pepper combos, Herb Plant Combos, and a Container combo for those short on space. These make great gifts which can be sent a gift card now and the plants will ship at the best time for planting. Our first ship date for Tomatoes will be March 1st for our Florida and other far South customers. We hope to have most varieties ready for you early so you can plant before it gets too hot! For the rest of you, please don't plant too early, late frosts break our hearts. Let us ship your plants when the time is ideal for planting. For our pepper lovers and Chili heads, we are offering 20 great varieties with many new ones this year such as Black Hungarian, Pizza Peppers and Thai Dragon. View our pepper varieties. Our Eggplants this season are wonderful. We have added a new variety called Bianca di Rosa which has great colors. Japanese long eggplants and Italian Black Beauties will also be available. Green beans, lettuces and all of our culinary herbs are now available for ordering and we hope you enjoy browsing through our catalog. Try some new plants this spring! The Tasteful Garden is most concerned with making sure you are successful at growing these plants. We have lots of information on our web site about growing, harvesting and storage of garden vegetables as well as our many culinary herbs. Our herb encyclopedia has growing pages which help you with growing herbs as well as cooking with them. All the vegetables in our catalog have a link to a page that has growing instructions to make it easy and fun to learn to garden. W e hope 2004 brings you closer to the things you care about and brings joy and purpose to your life. Thank you for subscribing to The Tasteful Garden Monthly Update.Cindy & George Martin
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| December 2003
Winter weather has finally arrived, just in time for the holiday season. As we move into this time of year it is important to remember that there is a reason we celebrate during this time of year. The harvest season is over, and as cold settles in we can take some time to share with our family and friends and appreciate the past year and hope for more peaceful times in the future. Indoors is comforting and warm but outdoors is wonderful, too, for falling leaves, snow, and icicles... at least for some of us, anyway. This is the season for showing our appreciation to our loved ones by preparing food and offering gifts either handmade or store bought. I am sure that most of us appreciate the handmade ones the best. Here at The Tasteful Garden, we have been thinking about seeds...lots of seeds. We scan our catalogs searching for the best new varieties to add to our favorites. We had so many requests for vegetable seeds last season that we have decided that we will offer our own seed starting kits this year. Our reluctance has been that few people are successful at starting seeds because they don't have the materials and information they need. Our greenhouses have ideal conditions for starting seeds but it can be difficult to recreate that in your home. We decided to compile an extensive information sheet for growing each of the vegetable varieties that would be quick and easy to grow from seed. Cucumbers, Corn, Beans, Squashes, Melons, Pumpkins and Carrots are all available in our new seed kits which are easy to grow in most kitchens and will produce transplants within 3-4 weeks. Kits include a seed tray, magic soil mix, tags, seeds for 1-3 gourmet hybrid or heirloom varieties, and very easy to follow growing instructions. The seed kits make great stocking stuffers! We also designed a light unit for growing 6 of these seed kits, if you don't have enough sunshine and discovered that it is also perfect for growing herbs over the winter months indoors. It can be difficult to grow herbs indoors but with this unit, they should grow fine until they can safely be grown outdoors. Tomatoes, Eggplant, and Peppers are only offered as plants because of the difficulty in growing for 10 weeks with low light. Greenhouses are the best places for these sun loving plants and that's why ours thrive. Finalizing our selection of 45 tomato plant varieties was a challenge this year but we think we have chosen some great new ones you will love. Just a few to whet your appetite are Creole, Louisiana's version of a nice red tomato--best for hot humid conditions, Black Brandywine, a darker richer Brandywine, Pantano Romanesco, an heirloom from Italy, and Orange Strawberry, great flavor, color and shape for a fun addition to the garden. Click here to preview a list of our 45 varieties for 2004. We begin taking orders on December 15th and our first ship date will be March 1st this year for our Florida customers. For our pepper lovers, we will offer 20 great varieties with many new ones this year. Eggplants will be Italian and Japanese with possibly one or two more unique varieties thrown in. Holiday Gifts and Gourmet Products Many new gift baskets have been added to our catalog for holiday shopping. We can custom design gifts for that special person in your life or design herbal gifts for your office staff. Our catalog also has cooking and gardening books, gourmet kitchen gadgets, wreaths and garlic braids, soaps and candles, and Gift certificates too. Browse our online catalog today or call us toll free 866-855-6344 for more information. We have found a new type of portable greenhouse which we are now offering in two sizes in our catalog. Once you put it together (like a tent) you can fold it up for the summer and it just pops open each year as you need it, and when folded it lays flat to only about 4" wide for easy storage. They can be heated and have vents that zip open. Order one today to grow your herbs and vegetables year round or to start seeds in early spring for the first tomatoes on the block! They also make great Christmas gifts. An update on our greenhouse project...we had a light freeze about 2 weeks ago after a warm sunny day which created a lot of humidity in the cold frame. When the air outside froze, the humidity inside also froze creating a frost inside of our cold frame. Our plants outside of the cold frame survived just fine! Oh well, back to the drawing board. Adding a fan next time might help draw the moisture out. We did lose all of the plants, but were able to save most of the tomatoes that had formed. Many are still green and we are now working to get them to ripen off the vine.
November 2003 Fall is here but we are still over 80 degrees every day! We have had very little rain here but our tomato plants are very happy! Our biggest problem has been keeping the plants cool enough. Tomatoes are slowly ripening and we are very pleased with the results. Japanese Momotaro tomatoes have proven to be the earliest (and very sweet), along with the Sun Golds which are a cherry size. Our newest greenhouse is in the process of being built and we just finished a new chicken coop. Click here to view photos of our tomatoes growing under a cold frame and other photos from our farm. Our herbal vinegars are ready and they are delicious! Try our Lemon Verbena and Tarragon (a spectacular combination), Rosemary Garlic with Chilies, or our Mixed Herb which includes Cuban Basil, Garlic Chives, Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary and Thyme. Save if you purchase all three! We are working on several exciting new things for the 2004 season. A wonderful local source for mushroom compost has come our way and we will be offering bags of this beautiful product as soon as early February. We feel this will be a great addition to our organic fertilizer product line. More fruit trees such as apples, plums, peaches, figs and blueberries, raspberries, and bare root strawberries will be available in February. Also available at that time will be onions, potatoes, and asparagus crowns for early spring planting. Brand new this next season will be our gourmet seed starting packs. So many of you have asked for large seed items such as corn, beans, cucumbers, squashes, pumpkins, watermelons and cantaloupes. Because these seeds grow so quickly, it is difficult for us to hold the plants for very long, therefore we will be selling seed packs with a gourmet variety of each plant type. Soil mix, a seed starter, and detailed instructions will be included in these special seed kits. We hope to have them ready for Christmas gifts. Several new heirloom tomato varieties will be added this year as well as more pepper types. Our new listing should be ready in December and we will let you know when you can begin placing your orders. New this year is our recommended planting date chart which should make choosing a ship date easier for you. Keep in mind that the date we suggest is the estimated last frost date for your area. It is recommended that you wait a week or two after this date by keeping the seedlings indoors or in a greenhouse at night or if you plant, protect your young plants from late frosts by covering plants that are already in the ground. We will have "Wall of Water" coverings available this spring as well as tomato cages and new organic pesticides made from herbs! Holiday Gifts and Gourmet Products Many new products have been added to our catalog for holiday shopping. We can custom design gifts for that special person in your life or design herbal gifts for your office staff. Our catalog has cooking and gardening books, gourmet kitchen gadgets, wreaths and garlic braids, soaps and candles, and Gift certificates too. Browse our online catalog today or call toll free 866-855-6344 for more information. Herbal Recipes for Thanksgiving Here are a few selections for Thanksgiving dinner and tips on using fresh herbs to dress up your menu items. try this recipe for a holiday open house:
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| October 2003
It is fall and there are pumpkins everywhere!!! Days are getting shorter and nights are getting longer and cooler. As the leaves fall, we think of compost. Pruning of our shrubs, cleaning up in the garden, and the last grass mowing for a while reminds us that this will be like black gold by springtime if we get it all in the compost heap and let the bugs and bacteria do some digestion to break it down. This month we have a brief article about how to compost, without much effort. Here at The Tasteful Garden, we have broken ground for our third large greenhouse and will be busy building before winter comes. Our tomatoes are growing great in the cold frame as we battle the worms for control, we dream about ripe heirloom tomatoes in November and December. Herb plants will remain available from now until Christmas and Lettuces are shipping now. We still have Lemon Verbena on sale and our Parsley, Cilantro, Salad Burnet, and Dill are all ready to plant! Indoors you can grow a little Rosemary, Sage, Chocolate Mint, Thyme, Parsley & Marjoram for a nice window herb garden We have many types of gift baskets and herb sets as well as Gift Certificates for winter merchandise, spring heirloom tomatoes, or culinary herb plants. Our Bookstore and our Kitchen Gadget shop have lots of great new items too. Look for more seasonal items as the Holidays approach. Composting: The best thing you can do for your garden is to add a good layer of compost every season to help add nutrition and to create that wonderful loamy texture that we all strive for. Adding compost and worms to your garden protects them from many diseases and insects and gives the soil air and helps it hold moisture in during the hot dry season. Any experienced gardener will tell you that the only way to correct poor soil is by adding compost year after year. An easy way to create your own compost is just to begin piling up yard waste in a section of your yard that is out of the way but still gets rained on. You can use all types of bins which help keep it tidy but none of them are necessary. Hay bales work fantastic to contain a pile and they actually break down along with the composting material to make even more compost. Layer more materials, a few inches at a time to feed the compost pile. You will be amazed when your full pile compresses to only a few inches in a short amount of time. Compost happens no matter what but it helps to speed things along by occasionally turning the pile, and aerating the pile for the worms, bugs and bacteria. This also helps break down all of the material well. What to put into the pile:
Keep in mind that an ideal compost mix is 50% green (or still live items) and 50% brown (or dead items). This makes for a good blend of microorganisms to break everything down evenly and assures a good amount of nitrogen in your final compost. A good compost pile will be moist but not too wet, algae and slime will form if there is too much moisture. If this happens, just turn the pile more frequently until it dries out some. If your weather has been very dry, watering is a good idea, like you would shrubbery. You can tell when the compost is ready by the color, it should be black and there should be a consistent texture which resembles dark rich dirt. We have found a new type of portable greenhouse which we are now offering in two sizes in our catalog. Once you put it together (like a tent) you can fold it up for the summer and it just pops open each year as you need it, and when folded it lays flat to only about 4" wide for easy storage. Order one today to grow your herbs and vegetables year round or to start seeds in early spring for the first tomatoes on the block! They also make great Christmas gifts. |
| September 2003
Autumn is an amazing time of year. The cool crisp nights are the first sign, followed by the drifting of leaves from the trees. Soon the array of fall colors will appear everywhere. We take this time to pick the last of our tomatoes, clean up the garden, and prune everything! Composting all the good leftover stuff and saying goodbye to those weeds that have been plaguing our garden beds all summer long. This time of year is a great time to plant an herb garden. There is still time to get plants in the ground and for them to establish a healthy root system before winter. Even annual herbs such as basil, cilantro, dill, and chervil will produce well if your cold weather comes in late or if you live in milder Southern climates. In cooler climates, plant in containers that can be brought inside for the winter and grown in sunny kitchen windows. Make sure you allow at least 8" of pot space per plant. We have lots of new exciting items for the fall. Gourmet seed garlic bulbs available in our catalog which should be planted from now through November for harvesting next summer. We have chosen what we feel are the best varieties to grow for flavor and adaptability to all climates. These are not grocery store bulbs, they are huge and have been hand picked to produce the largest garlic bulbs you have ever grown. Citrus trees are also new this season to The Tasteful Garden. Meyer Lemons, Navel Oranges, Blood Oranges and Red Navels are all available as 3 gallon, 3 year old trees which will be able to ship beginning Nov. 15th. These make great gifts or just get one for yourself to grow indoors this winter. (Sorry we cannot ship to citrus producing states such as California and Florida) Lavender in bunches or in beautiful fragrant wreaths are available in our catalog under "Dried Wreaths". Our bunches of dried "Grosso" lavender have great color as well as a terrific scent. We have also found a new type of portable greenhouse which we are now offering in two sizes in our catalog. Once you put it together, you can fold it up for the summer. When folded it lays flat to only about 4" wide. Order one today to grow your citrus trees and herbs year round! Or grow tomatoes in it like we are... Our garden has been planted with over 20 varieties of tomatoes in this structure which will hopefully produce tomatoes through December. This frame will become an unheated greenhouse once the weather cools off here. The hay and black plastic will warm the soil to trick the plants into thinking that is is summertime! The covering will prevent frost from damaging the plants and if our luck holds out, prevent early freezes from killing them off. The posts hold fencing which will make a trellis system for tying up the branches of the tomatoes. Harvesting & Preserving Fresh herbs: One of the most frequent questions we get asked is "How do I save my herbs over the winter?" Here are some ways to preserve your herbs, one or two you may have heard of and some may be completely new. Try experimenting with one or two and let us know which work best for you. Harvesting: Leaves should be harvested when they are at their peak, during a cool part of the day so they will not wilt before you get them into the house. Cut off no more than a third of the plant during the growing season and only cut off more if you are finishing the season for annual plants such as basil, dill & cilantro. Chives should be cut completely across the base of the plant, never across the tips, so they will regrow. Rosemary, Oregano, Sage, Thyme and other perennials should also be cut not more than a third of the plant. Freezing: This generally works well for tender leafy herbs such as basil, chives, parsley, cilantro, dill, and mints. Three techniques work well and depending upon the amount you have to preserve, you can choose between them. The easiest way is to paint the leaves with some light olive oil or vegetable oil and place them into ziploc bags to be frozen. Some may turn black when they freeze but the flavor is held very well and they taste almost like fresh when you take them out to use them. The other technique is to make a paste or "pesto" with oil and herbs in a blender or food processor. You then freeze the pesto in a ziploc bag or on waxed paper. Once it is frozen, store in freezer and cut off pieces as needed and thaw in your hot recipes. One other way to freeze herbs is to chop coarsely, fill ice cube trays with herbs, add water to cover and freeze. Thaw them and drain well. Chop finely to use in recipes. Vinegars, Oils, Butters, and Salts: One of the best ways to store herbs is to add them to vinegars, olive oil, fresh butter, or sea salt. The flavors of the herbs are infused into your favorite oils and vinegars and these make wonderful gifts as well as cooking ingredients. For safety, refrigerate tightly closed containers to keep them fresh. Click here for recipes: Herb Flavored Oils & Vinegars. Drying: The oldest way, due to lack of freezers, is to dry your herbs. Keep in mind, using this technique evaporates the flavors of the herbs very quickly so I recommend drying and then freezing or refrigerating the herbs that you will not use in the near future. Drying works well for Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Oregano, Marjoram, and Savory. You can use your microwave to make short work of it. Just place the herbs in between paper towels and cook on high power for 1 min. at a time until they are crisp and dry. Food dehydrators work great too for large quantities. This is an amazing salad recipe! Try it, you will love it. Goat cheese & Baby Greens salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Slice cheese into 1/2" rounds and coat with herbs and olive oil. Press cheese rounds into bread crumbs to stick well, coating them completely. Chill for approximately 1/2 hour in the refrigerator. Heat small amount of oil in a non stick skillet over medium heat. Add cheese rounds and brown lightly on both sides approximately 1-2 min. per side. Drain on paper towels for 1 minute and serve immediately with dressed greens.
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| August 2003 We are approaching the end of summer and we hope you have had better weather than we have. The challenge of growing tomatoes in very wet or very dry conditions makes it both interesting and difficult sometimes. The South has been extremely wet while the Northeast had a very late start and hasn't really caught up yet. Very high temperatures in the Southwest can be just as challenging. We hope you all have had good luck and are enjoying the fruits of your labor.
Our favorite varieties for production this year have been Rose de Berne, Eva Purple Ball, Momotaro, and Cherokee Purple. Sunmaster has also done very well as a late tomato and our Red Brandywines have been huge with all the rainfall. Most all varieties are larger this year and splitting has been a problem because of the extra wet conditions. The tomatoes keep taking up water and their skins cannot hold it all which causes splitting. Ripening has been very different than what was indicated in the seed catalogs, a 90 day tomato may be a 75 and vice versa. Blossom end rot has also been reported frequently this season. All of this caused by the wettest season anyone around here can remember. We are building our third greenhouse this fall to keep up with our growth and are planning to extend our tomato season with a hoop structure in our own garden. Mostly experimental this season, we hope to be able to grow and ripen heirloom tomatoes through December. A large greenhouse type hoop structure will be set up over our fall tomato plants and covered with clear plastic. We will plant our tomatoes with black plastic over hay which should warm the soil and the plants will be trellised on fencing. Over 20 varieties will be trialed to see which has the best production. We will keep you posted on our results. With fall just around the corner we are busy planting seeds again. Fall vegetable gardening is great for Lettuces, Cabbage, Broccoli, Carrots, Chard, Spinach, Collards and Turnips. It is also a good time for many regions to plant onions, garlic, and shallots as well as potatoes. We hope to have most of these available by about September 15th.
Coming Soon, Fruit Trees! This year we have plans to offer fruit trees of all kinds for shipping at the appropriate time to your area. We will have Meyer lemons, Blood oranges, Navel oranges, Key limes, and Kumquats available for fall shipping which will make wonderful Christmas gifts for gardeners. Put one on your wish list today! Bare root trees, grapes and berry canes will be available for shipping beginning in February. We are searching out the best varieties for flavor in addition to compact growth so they will fit in containers and in small back yard gardens. These exciting new additions to our products will hopefully give all of us a new way of producing our own wonderful fruits to go with our vegetables and herbs. Growing Herbs for Fall Herbs grow very well in the fall months. A break in the heat is a bonus for growing annual herbs such as cilantro, dill and basils that have struggled or died in the hot summer heat. You can plant them with lettuces for great fall salads. September, October and even November are perfect for planting perennials in most areas allowing them to establish themselves before cold weather sets in. By next Spring, they will be vigorous and much larger than if you plant at that time. In cooler climates, plant in containers that can be brought inside for the winter in sunny kitchen windows or in sunrooms. Make sure you allow 8" of pot per plant. |
| July 2003...Lots of new things are happening here at The Tasteful Garden. We are now offering Fresh Heirloom Tomatoes from our farm that you can order shipped to your door! Our delicious, sweet tomatoes with those old fashioned flavors are now available in a well packed 4 lb. box that contains about 8 heirloom tomatoes. We ship them slightly under ripe, using 2 day air so they will arrive ready to eat on the weekend! Please have them delivered to a location where someone can sign for them as they are perishable and cannot be left on your front porch for very long.
We also have fresh herb wreaths which make great gifts or as a gift to yourself! These beautiful 20" wreaths are filled with Rosemary, Pineapple sage, Lavender, Sage, Thyme and more! Let them dry hanging in your kitchen and use them for cooking all year long. Gift cards are always available upon request. Here at The Tasteful Garden we have had so much rainfall, one storm brought 5" alone! Blossom end rot, early blight and other diseases can be a big problem this time of year. Because of this we have found a few tricks which can help prevent these problems. We lime every year to correct the Ph and add eggshells to the planting holes when we plant our tomatoes. Both add calcium to the soil which can help with blossom end rot that is caused by wet conditions. Wet, muddy soil prevents calcium from getting to the fruit through their root system. Mulches, especially black plastic or newspapers, covered with hay when the weather heats up, prevents splashing of water back up onto the lower leaves. Without mulches the splashing water can send fungal spores back up onto the plants which are the cause of most diseases. Also good plant spacing will help get plants leaves dry quicker which also makes a big difference with fungal growth. If your garden has the opposite problem, no rain at all, make sure you water your plants deeply and infrequently. A dribbling hose for 30-40 minutes, twice a week under dry conditions will soak water down deep where the roots are located. Short sprinkles from a sprinkler only wet the leaves and hardly get enough water to the roots. Most tomato roots want to grow as deep as the tops grow tall! That's a long way for a sprinkler to reach. Soaker hoses are great also. It is very important to be consistent with watering to keep fruit from cracking and over watering can be worse than under watering when fruit is forming and ripening. Select herb varieties are now on sale in our catalog.! Check out the following coupon:
Our favorite recipe for Fresh Garden ripened Heirloom Tomatoes:
Visit our Bookstore for Herb Growing Books and Great Cookbooks for cooking with fresh herbs. Our favorite books for getting started are "Cooking with Herbs" and "Herb Gardening for Beginners". If a certain bug is creating a problem, check out our Insect Information page and our catalog for pest controls to prevent pests. We feature Neem oil concentrate for Herbs and vegetables which is very non toxic to plants and works great for pest and disease control. If you haven't fed your plants since you planted them, it is time to fertilize again and we recommend Harmony Organic Tomato fertilizer which is a very easy to use product that will not overfeed or burn plants. We also carry "The Real Poop" made from Chicken litter, and Milorganite made from recycled sewage sludge (a great way to reuse!). Our worm castings are fantastic for feeding and adding great compost to your garden as well.
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| March 2002 Welcome to our Monthly Update. We love Spring! As our fruit trees begin to bloom, we find the days longer and warmer and the nights no longer need a fire going. We generally spend all day long in the Greenhouse getting everything planted and ready to ship to all of you. Click here to see photos of this exciting time of year!
We begin shipping most of our plants on Monday to Southern California, Southern Texas, Florida and other warm climate zones. Keep in mind that it is not safe to plant until after your last frost date, late frosts can kill tomato plants overnight. If you need to know what the last frost date for your area is, just let us know. We refer to The Sunset National Garden Book for very specific information to your town or city. Our Tomatoes and most Herbs are ready to ship now with the exception of annual Basils which always wait to start growing until the weather is nice and warm. Cuban Basil and African blue Basil are ready for shipping now. Peppers and Eggplant will also need some more time so we will schedule all of these for shipment after April 8th. Tomatoes, Herbs, and your Health: There was lots of publicity this month about the health benefits of eating tomatoes, especially the concentrated tomatoes in sauces and cooked tomato dishes. The Lycopene in tomatoes can actually reduce the risk of Prostate and other Cancers by 25%! Fresh tomatoes grown in your garden actually have more Lycopene than those cardboard tomatoes at your grocery store. The ruby red color indicates the quantity of this wonderful natural ingredient. Click here to read about Lycopene in Tomatoes. Fresh herbs are also full of antioxidants, click here to read more about the health value of culinary herbs. NEW in our Catalog: We added Strawberry plants to our catalog this year and we chose a wonderful variety, Honeoye, a medium to large sized juicy fruit. They are in deep 4 1/2" pots and are ready to ship immediately. Order yours today! Cuban Basil is a wonderful spicy type of basil that grows only about 1 foot tall and stays very compact. This is an easy to grow plant and it tastes wonderful! Try it, you'll like it. Get your garden ready for planting by adding our worm castings as an amendment to your soil. We sell this wonderful natural fertilizer in gallon sized bags for shipping or come see us at our garden store for bulk sized bags. Read more about worm castings and see photos of how our castings are made and harvested. Our magic potting soil contains 25% worm castings to get your plants off to a great start in containers. Order both in our catalog. Great Tomato Varieties to try: One of our favorite tomato varieties is the Rose de Berne, a European Heirloom. It has a very meaty texture which makes it a firm but juicy tomato. It has a light pinkish-red color which makes it very sweet and its size is a perfect 8 oz. It grows in clusters and is an indeterminate plant which means it will produce all summer long.Another great tomato is our Roma tomato, these are one of the best producers of great canning tomatoes which are also great sliced on sandwiches or chopped in salads or salsas. They are the best sauce tomatoes and every garden should grow one of these beautiful tomato plants. |
This is much more natural to the plants and allows for strong slow growth. Worm castings can be top dressed or added to the top of the soil around the roots and watered in for the quickest and most natural feeding. See our catalog for ordering these products. 
Plants are living organisms just like us and although we study our own biology endlessly, what do we really know about plants nutritional needs and the environment that keeps them in the best health? Plants have many of the same systems we do such as a respiratory system, a cardio vascular type system, breathing pores, and roots which are a feeding system. They produce oxygen for us as well as edible vegetative growth and fruits which can provide us with nutrition and vitamins, anti-oxidants, beta carotene, minerals, calcium and all the building blocks for us to be healthy and have strong immune systems. It only makes sense that we should provide them everything they need to provide us with nutritious food. 