Before we get to this amazing dinner that we enjoyed last night, I thought I would update you on my vegetable garden progress!
Eric and I built the first of two raised beds for the veggie garden. Each bed is 4 feet by 8 feet. We used this step-by-step tutorial for a raised bed.
Our growing season doesn’t officially begin until Victoria Day Weekend (around May 20th), which is when most gardeners deem the risk of frost to be over. Some gardeners will plant before this date and then use a frost cover if there is a warning though.
Things I still need to figure out:
- Where to buy a 100% organic topsoil (do they exist?)
- Read up on Lasagna gardening method
- Build or buy a compost bin- research options/methods
- Make a list of what I will grow
- Read up on companion planting
- Draw a plan/diagram of where I will plant everything in boxes
- How to get rid of my black thumb!!!
Right now I am thinking about planting the following:
- Onions
- Lettuce
- Kale
- Zucchini/Squash
- Garlic
- Peas
- Beets
- Carrots
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Cucumber
- Herbs!
- Some type of berry (strawberries or blackberries probably)
What do you experienced gardeners think of this list? Is it too much for a 1st garden? Any tips?
In other news, my Mexican food kick rages on!
As does our cold and snowy weather…
When you can’t get warm, make spicy Mexican food, I say. :)
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Taco Chili with Nacho Cheeze Sauce
Chili adapted from Skinny Taste
Yield: 7 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, peeled and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1 cup dry kidney beans (or 2 cups cooked)
- 1 cup dry black beans (or 2 cups cooked)
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground chili powder
- One 5.5 oz can tomato paste
- 1 & 1/4 cup frozen corn kernels
- One 28-oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp homemade taco seasoning (or packaged seasoning, to taste)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh Cilantro
- heaping 1/4 cup Nacho Cheeze Sauce (below)
- To garnish: Nacho cheeze sauce, crushed tortilla chips, and non-dairy cheese
Directions:
1. Cook the beans if necessary. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the onion and garlic in a very large skillet over low-medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the cumin, chili powder, followed by the tomato paste and frozen corn. Cook for a few minutes on low.
3. Add the canned tomatoes and Cilantro and stir well. When the beans are cooked, drain them, rinse, and stir into chili. Slowly add the homemade taco seasoning (or store bought) to taste until desired taste is achieved. Simmer on low-medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, make your cheeze sauce (below).
4. Stir in a heaping 1/4 cup of the Nacho Cheeze Sauce and serve with crumbled tortilla chips, non-dairy cheese (I used Daiya), and Cilantro garnish. Makes 7 cups.
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I bought some frozen Cilantro cubes as a more economical way to buy herbs (I hope to grow some in the summer though). I wasn’t overly impressed when I added a couple Cilantro cubes into the skillet. The aroma was not the same! Maybe I didn’t use enough? I can’t wait until I can pluck some from the garden!
Cook your onion and garlic until translucent.
Add in your seasonings, frozen corn, and tomato paste.
Stir in the can of tomatoes and Cilantro.
When the beans are cooked, drain and rinse, and then stir into the chili.
Simmer on low for about 10-15 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.
Meanwhile, make your nacho cheeze sauce!
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Nacho Cheeze Sauce
Adapted from Ashley.
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup salsa (I used Medium heat)
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder* see note
- Shake red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Directions: In a food processor, add all ingredients and process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Note: Next time, I would use fresh garlic (1 clove probably) instead of the powder.
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Now stir in a heaping 1/4 cup of the cheeze sauce into the chili! It makes the Taco Chili sooo creamy and delicious.
I topped a bed of romaine greens with a huge scoop of the Taco chili and garnished it with a spoonful of cheeze sauce, crumbled tortilla chips, and Daiya cheese. I prefer the cheeze sauce a bit warm so I heated it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. It doesn’t heat very well though and it got a bit hard on the sides. It was nothing a good stir couldn’t fix though!
The Taco Chili turned out fantastic! A little spicy, a little creamy, and a ton of amazing flavours.
It was husband approved too…Eric gave it two thumbs up. :)
I’m so COLD this morning…need more tea!
Hey Angela!
I live in MN and have been gardening for about 5 years….I suggest planting a ton. Seeds are cheap, and its the best destressor! Lettuce is so fun to grow, so abundant. Same with herbs. We let our cilantro go to seed and evey year it spreads. We have a cilantro patch the size of my kitchen, it smells amazing. I would do strawberries for sure. They spread like mad, so if u want a lot, skip the raised beds and plant where they can spread. So excited for you! BTW, my first year garden was the most fruitful, good luck to you!!!
Rachel
Hey Ange, I will be planting my own garden for the first time, too, this year. I also live in Toronto, so I am looking forward to hear your own tips and progress!
I have a short-list of what I want to grow, and already ruled out garlic because that needed to be planted in the fall. Otherwise, you may also want to consider growing Swiss chard, since I hear that is easy to grow and tastes great! Kohlrabi and arugula are also on our list to try. I have been told to stay away from broccoli and cauliflower since they attract lots of bugs!
Rhubarb is also really easy to grow (it loves shade) but unless you get a plant, it can take a while to grow from seed.
Wow I didnt know that about garlic needing to be planted in the Fall…
You can plant garlic in the spring but you need to plant it early in the spring. Mine went in about 2 weeks ago. Garlic is a slow grower so it needs a lot of time. I also planted my onions at the same time.
Yum, this looks way good. The garden box looks like it is going to be great! If you can fit all those veggies in your box, I say go for it!
I’m super jealous that you have the yard room for that! Right now I’m trying to start a little garden on my balcony. I just started basil and cilantro, and if I can get those to succeed, I may venture out into some smaller, semi-easy veggies that I can do in a large pot.
BTW – once you find a completely organic soil, please do share with us!
I don’t have any experience with gardening, but I totally want to come raid yours! I’m hoping to have a yard that I can garden in by next year (2012, assuming the Mayans were wrong), so I’ll be watching your progress for tips and tricks :)
I was going to make “meat”balls tonight, but they may turn mexican after reading your recipe!
Those cilantro cubes are brilliant – I just bought the basil version at TJ’s.
That sounds like a wonderful first garden! That’s so exciting. Growing your own food is the best feeling ever :-) Good luck and have fun!
Swoooon! I love mexi food and this looks hearty, healthy, and fantastic.
Could you do a mexi cheese sauce starting with cashews???
Love the frozen cilantro cubes! Never seen them before- very clever! I cannot believe ya’ll still have snow. Boooo! :(
Miracle Gro offers an organic garden soil that has 100% organic ingredients and all natural mirco-organisms. Strawberries are a good choice I think because they yield quite a bit of fruit once they get going, but like others have said I wouldn’t expect much out of your first year. Also, I wouldn’t plant them in the raised beds with your vegetables because they spread and multiply, but also because you shouldn’t plant them near tomatoes/peppers because of that verticillium rot. Anyways, that’s my 2 cents! :)
That’s awesome! I’m so jealous- I live in NYC and it’s impossible to have a garden like that. I can’t wait to see your plants grow :)
ahh pressure is on now! hahah
I love the idea of the cheeze sauce in the chili – looks delicious!
That looks really yummy! Gonna have to add that to my list (LONG list) of things to make.
I would love to plant a veggie garden, but just don’t have the room for one right now. I have had a small one for the last few years where I grew cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, hot peppers and green/red peppers, and various herbs. The cherry tomatoes came out great (larger tomatoes I find get eaten by something before fully ripening). Same with the peppers. My neighbour gave me some raspberry plants a couple of years ago and they have since taken over what little garden space I had so it looks like no more veggie garden for me. I love me some raspberries, but I would like some other stuff too! I live in SW Ontario as well btw.
I have a question for you as well. Is Eric Vegan as well? I am starting to try and omit meat from my diet completely, but hubby (and 3 kids too) would not do the same so I’m having a hard time with meals and making things for them to eat as well as me. Any ideas?
Eric is not vegan, but I would say he reduced his meat consumption by about 80% after watching Food Inc. He also enjoys the vegan meals that I make, so that helps a ton. When he does want meat he usually fires up the BBQ!
Looks tasty! I love the idea of salsa in the cheese sauce!
Wow, that looks delicious!
I’m lovin’ the Mexican food! Good luck with your garden. My father has a garden and I love getting fresh tomatoes, zucchinis and squash from him. (I would love my own garden but we are in a condo which = no yard)
I’m excited to see your garden progress!
Garden peas are one of my favourite things about summer! And my favourite tomatoes to plant are the Sungold variety – they are so delicious and make summer salads look exciting and fresh with their bright colour. Be cautious with zucchini! I only plant 2 or 3 seeds and still get way more than I need!
I don’t think that list is too long at all! I went in full throttle and didn’t regret it a bit (and I didn’t have a green thumb when starting!). When you first plant you’ll have your doubts but by August you’ll be wondering why you didn’t start years ago!
I think we’re in the same zone (I’m in upstate NY). I’m not an expert, but just to give you an idea of how I would plant…
Plant your peas now. Mine went in ~1 week ago. They are hardy and can survive a frost. The summer heat will kill them, so put them in early to maximize production and then plant again in August for a fall crop. Plant the lettuce, kale and garlic together to help keep animals out of your greens. Most hate garlic! Plant more garlic in Oct/Nov and you will get spring garlic too (which is bigger). Consider adding leeks to your list and plant those with your carrots. They each repel the other plants pests. Start the leeks inside now to maximize your growing season. Plant basil in between the tomato plants, not only do they taste great together, but they love being planted near each other! Your squash will usually do well anywhere with a lot of sun. I stress a lot of sun because it helps prevent powdery mildew which is a common killer of the squash plants (consider throwing some pumpkins in too, they will climb all over but they are really easy and high producers). I’d plant the cucumbers and squashes apart from each other because if one get’s powdery mildew, it will spread to the other easily. Beets and onions will grow well in any well drained soil. They would be fine in a semi-shady place too. For your peppers, I recommend planting them all close together. I planted mine too far apart last year and they didn’t bear too much fruit. My father plants his so that the mature plants will touch and he has much better luck! I would put your herbs on the outer portions of the planters because some help to deter pests, if you run out of room; these will grow great in pots too. I almost prefer the pots because I bring them inside in the winter and eat fresh herbs all winter, some are even still around the next year to put back outside! Just be sure to pick the flowers off of the herbs to keep them growing, if not they will go to seed and stop producing leaves to eat!
I’m new to growing berries this year, but they are perennials and will come back each year. I’d plant them in a flower bed as opposed to your raised beds (fruitscaping ;) ) to prevent disturbing their roots when you turn your soil to plant again next year.
I hope that isn’t too confusing! Feel free to email me with any questions. I’d be happy to help. If I can’t answer the question, I come from a family of farmers so someone will be able to
It is way too early in the morning for me to be drooling over Mexican ;) But I must! I can’t wait to try your nacho cheeze sauce — hoping my Midwestern, cheese-lovin’ husband finds it a fitting substitute, because I would prefer it to even the organic types he eats… Fingers are crossed! :) Thanks for sharing!
Hi, Angela – I’m a professional gardener in Idaho, and my favorite thing about raised beds is that you can really crowd a large amount of plants into your raised beds, as long as you are committed to watering regularly. Someone else commented on the upside down tomato planters, I’m not a fan and think that a tomato will do the best if you use a metal tomato cage when you plant it in the ground, available at any home and garden store. Tomatoes are good to put in the corners of your bed as they will get fairly tall. If you are interested in berries, I would designate an area in your yard outside of your raised beds. Both strawberries and blackberries will spread. If you have a nice summer, you will get a few strawberries the first year if you plant little starts, but you will not probably see any blackberries the first year.
Bed are also nice because once you get towards the fall and potential freezes overnight, it is easy to cover your entire bed at night with a piece of plastic or an old bedsheet and then remove it in the morning. Great to extend your gardening season!
You will have some failures in the first year while you figure out what will do best in your garden spot, don’t be discouraged, because nothing tastes better than your own veggies, picked and eaten within 24 hours! Good luck!
I agree with the upside down tomato plant. I tried it last year with tomatoes and baby peppers and didn’t like them at all. They didn’t grow well. My tomatoes did great with a large planter and bamboo to grow up!
Thank you Kim!!