Q: What looks like a tiny pumpkin but is really an eggplant? A: ‘Goyo Kumba’ Solanum aethiopicum The orange fruit in my hand is not a tiny pumpkin: it’s a tiny eggplant! I came across the seeds for this unusual vegetable, Goyo Kumba eggplant, several years ago, and I had to try it. If nothingContinue reading “Pumpkin Eggplant Riddle”
Tag Archives: Vegetable Gardening
It Beets Me! – Making Borscht
It’s National Homemade Soup Day—plus Valentines Day is coming up—so I’m posting my Ukrainian family’s recipe for borscht, a beautiful red soup. I first shared this recipe with my newsletter readers a couple of years ago in mid-November. In the course of putting my kitchen garden to bed that fall, I had finally harvested theContinue reading “It Beets Me! – Making Borscht”
Sow What about Seed Swapping
January 30, 2021, was National Seed Swap Day. Don’t worry if you missed it because there are many seed swapping opportunities throughout the year. Gardeners have, of course, been swapping seeds for ages. And we certainly don’t limit this activity to one day a year! I wrote about making your own seed packets in my newsletterContinue reading “Sow What about Seed Swapping”
Simple Seasonings
Now that folks are harvesting tomatoes and cucumbers in my area, I’m going to tell you my favorite seasonings for eating them fresh.Cucumbers — Halve them lengthwise and sprinkle them with salt-free lemon pepper. This is exactly what I did on one of our Shakespeare picnics (shown above).Tomatoes — Cut them in wedges and sprinkle a little fleur de sel. NotContinue reading “Simple Seasonings”
Watering Tips
When we don’t get enough rain to keep the garden producing goodies for my table, I have to water it. Here are some general watering tips for gardens. Water from below. Never spray water onto the foliage or flowers. Remember that the roots need the water, not the leaves. Here in the humid Midwest many plants are susceptibleContinue reading “Watering Tips”
Dealing with Tomato Diseases
GROW — practical gardening tips I may earn commissions for purchases made through any Amazon links in this post. See disclosure here. Tomatoes, alas, are not the easiest vegetable to grow. Here in the midwest and most of the U.S.A. our growing season is not long enough, so we have to buy seedlings and transplantContinue reading “Dealing with Tomato Diseases”
Best Tasting Tomatoes
ENJOY — garden style living I love gardening—from my head TO-MA-TOES! Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable to grow in a home garden–and for good reason. This is where your tongue gets the most bang for your gardening effort. The dramatic difference in taste between homegrown and store-bought tomatoes is often what drew us foodContinue reading “Best Tasting Tomatoes”
Harvesting Tips
Practical Gardening Tips from my newsletter archives Now that most of the planting of the kitchen garden is done, I’m hoping to settle into a routine of harvesting, watering, and weeding. I also have some pruning (tomatoes), deadheading (flowers), and thinning (squash and Swiss chard) to do. It’s exciting to be harvesting snow peas nowContinue reading “Harvesting Tips”
Fight the Blight
GROW — practical gardening tips Everyone knows that I love tomatoes, but not everyone knows that for a long time I have been dealing with soil borne diseases on my tomato plants. Despite various preventative measures I’ve tried, this year is no different. Early blight has hit several of my tomato plants. After I posted a picture of themContinue reading “Fight the Blight”
The Gardener Wife 