The Veggies Are Taking Off

Does anyone grow Amish Paste tomatoes?  My plant is growing, but it is leggy and not producing very many blooms.  I have 5 other varieties planted, Celebrity, Big Beef, Sweet 100, Better Boy, and Roma.  All have blooms and/or tomatoes, and than there's the Amish Paste.  It's like I have nice voluptuous tomato plants on one side and than there's tall and skinny on the other side.  Update - I checked on my beloved plants this morning, and  the Amish Paste has a few blooms.  Applause, Applause!  I guess all I needed to do was start this post and not finish it for days to get this plant going.  I guess it didn't want to be the subject of my dismay in this blog post.     

All and all, the garden is looking good.   This is a shot of my Celebrity tomato plant (below).  It's blooming and has a few tomatoes.   I can't wait to slice this baby and smother a little mayo and pepper on it.  Yum Yum!  The thought of fresh veggies on a plate excites me. 

The Crook Neck Squash has really taken off.  I have 2 plants, I love fried squash and I have a great recipe for a Squash and Zucchini Casserole.  I'll be sure to post it just in case you're looking for a new, tasty recipe to try this summer. 

The bush cucumber plants (below) were a little slow in producing blooms, but they are progressing nicely now.  I companion planted them with dill, which I will use in potato chip dip this summer.  The kids love the dip.  I have 3 plants, so I'm hoping for a nice yield.  I love cucumbers with onions and vinegar on the side of a nice T-bone steak.  I'm a big pasta person and use them a lot in spaghetti and pasta salads.  I also discovered Cucumber Water in Las Vegas a few years ago.  The lobby of the resort I was staying in had gallons of it.  It was 100 degrees there at 8:00 in the morning, lol, so I decided to try it.  It's just thinly sliced cucumbers in ice water, but it is so refreshing.  I've been drinking it at home ever since.  It helps in getting those 8 glasses of water a day down too.   

My Chili and Jalapeno peppers are off to a slow start.  The Chili Pepper is being quite stubborn, it has grown very little.  The Banana Pepper is producing, I have 3 peppers on that plant now.   Maybe my expectations are too high.  They have bearly been in the ground a month.  I would love to hear from you seasoned gardeners on whether or not I need to exhibit a little more patience.  I've been working on this virtue over the course of the years, I may need more work.   

Check out the Zucchini plant above.  It exploded this week-end.  I'm going to grill and fry these babies all summer.  I love grilled squash and zucchini brushed with olive oil.  Nothing like a plate of fried squash, zucchini, mushrooms, jalapeno peppers, eggplant, and cauliflower.  Do you deep fry any of your veggies?  Not the most healthy means of cooking, but it sure is good.  I was visiting a blog, that sauteed radishes.  I would have never thought of it.  The dish reminded me of fried potatoes.  

I decided to plant Blue Lake pole beans.  They weren't on my list, but I want to can a few jars for homemade vegetable soup this winter and my green beans and corn are a big hit at family gatherings.  If I can hit a home run with store brought green beans, I'll know their socks with fresh beans from the garden.  The beans germinated pretty quickly after a few good waterings.  I'm hoping my homemade trellis will hold them.  I should end up with 12 vines of beans.   

I'm enjoying my time in the garden.  I'm looking forward to seeing the fruits of my labor.  Since this is my first garden, I visited my favorite nurseries for starters in the garden.  I decided to expand my garden a few feet next year and try starting my plants from seed next spring.  I've been looking for a pop-up greenhouse or cold frame to use.  I don't have a basement, so I don't have room for a lot of containers sitting around my house for months.  Besides, I think I have OCD.  I wouldn't be able to stand having containers all over my house.  Organization is a must for me.  Do you have a green house?  How do you start your seeds?