Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Gardening in Tn so far this year



My garden has done so well this year. This is a record of what works and didn't from May to August for me in Tennessee. The crops that did well: peppers (bell and jalapeno), cucumbers, tomatoes, spaghetti squash, cantaloupe, basil, zucchini, yellow squash and we've gotten a few acorn squash. I'm not really impressed with acorn squash...I mean the taste is good but it doesn't yield much fruit at all. I think I'll pass on this next year and just buy it at the store...cause man it is good. I've not had luck several times with cilantro. My peas and beans did ok but lost out to the taking over of the squash, might need to move the squash next year. I did leaf lettuce and got one meal off of it. Kale has done ok and cabbages are still growing. I'm ready to replant where my squash and cukes have died off. I think I'll try spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, more lettuce and kale and maybe sweet potatoes and onions.

I've already put up 5 pints of salsa,4 pints of spaghetti sauce, 6 pints of tomato sauce, 6 quarts of pickles and I've frozen zucchini and squash. It's been a good gardening season so far. :) How does your garden grow?

I've often thought during the summer when I buy very few fruits and veggies what people must think when I get groceries. lol We eat healthy I swear. :P

Here's something I made with dinner last night. It's called a caprese salad. I had basil and kale from the garden added tomatoes and mozzerella. You're supposed to add balsamic vinagrette but I added ranch and cucumbers. My family wouldn't touch it because it didn't look like a normal salad. Sigh. Two years from now they'll be eating it...right? It was a really good salad.

3 comments:

  1. dina - this was very informative for me. we are moving back to tn (crossville) in may and i have a huge garden area there. have been wondering what does well in tn and what doesn't. thanks for the tips! p.s. i LOVE caprese salads. the balsamic vinagrette is delish. it's such a simple salad, yet so full of flavor.

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  2. Yes Lisa I thought if I gave them ranch and cucumbers maybe they'd try it. But nooooo! That's ok more for me. Somewhere I read that cilantro does well here. But I might need to move mine. Have a great day~

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  3. Oh my, hearing about planting makes me want to try it too, but I'm not sure I'm that brave--always had a black thumb, ahem! Sounds like fun though!
    --New follower from VB!

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