One Way to Beat Garden Boredom

Garden boredom?  This may seem like a strange topic in February, but as a "long-time" (20 year) gardener, sometimes the reality of garden work hits home.  I remember years when seed catalogs would come in and I would quickly put them somewhere out of sight so I wouldn't stress out.  Weird right?  Not really. 

It's not difficult to get burned out on the things we enjoy...especially when we feel like we HAVE to do them, anything can become a chore.  

And this brings me to my post...one way I personally beat garden boredom.  It starts now, in January/February, when I have time to think about what I liked growing last year and what I'm growing this year.

Because it's making gardening fun that keeps me coming back.  Even having a large harvest can only satisfy me creatively for a short amount of time.  

I need variety...and that's where my one boredom buster comes in...

Every year I plant different and unusual varieties of vegetables and flowers that draw me back to the soil and inspire me to explore the world of gardening again.

I know.  It's not rocket science.  Chances are you're already doing this.  And if you're new to gardening, everything plant is new.  But this principle has resurrected the love of gardening in me so many times I lost count.

So, here's a short list of some garden veggies I plan on growing this year.  New and different to me, giving me alternative colors, sizes, flavors and textures that compel me to have fun and play in the garden.

Tumbling Tom Yellow Tomatoes

 1. Tumbling Toms: Okay.  I admit I am fascinated by any weeping variety of plant.  And to think I could eat from a hanging plant is even more exciting.  Since I'm so cramped for space, this is a great way to grow a vegetable from a vertical space. I chose the yellow variety thinking the birds won't think these are strawberries and leave them alone...or something like that.  I don't think these will blow me away in the taste department, but they'll do for roasting or throwing on a salad. 

Sweet Pickle Pepper

2. Sweet Pickle Peppers: These type of ornamental peppers have been around for awhile for sure, but I have always encountered the hot variety so this sweet one has reeled me in.  It's colorful, compact and cute...in other words, this plant is perfect for my suburban yard.  I read about these peppers from another person's blog and it convinced me to give these little beauties a try.  These would be great if you have young children..they could eat these as a snack on their own.  You can also pickle the leftovers...

Summer Green Tiger Zucchini and Small Wonder Hybrid Squash

3. Space-saving Zucchini and Squash: Well, no need to go into detail here.  These are pretty mainstream veggies but the fact that they can be grown in large containers or in a small garden space make these tempting to grow in my garden this year.  The zucchini is described as having a "delicate, nutty flavor." Sounds amazing.  The spaghetti squash is great because each squash can make one meal.  I usually cut these in half and put them in a skillet filled with some water, cover, simmer gently until done.  

Dragon Tongue Wax Bush Bean

4. Fresh eating and Shell Bean: This plant just screams "Plant Me!!"  You put this in your garden and all your friends will think you're a genius and gardener extraordinaire! Another way to keep me from being bored for sure.  It's beautiful, it's an heirloom, and it's a dual purpose bean...love!
I am thinking that I will want to save some of these seeds for next year and maybe even gift some to other gardening friends...I think this one is going to be a winner!

Well, there you have it.  These are just a few of the different plants I'll be growing this year.  Some Asian greens will also be included as well.  Plant your own unusual and exciting varieties of veggies and the garden "hum-drums" will be a thing of the past.  

Colorful, flavorful and interesting... this year's garden promises to be very interesting indeed. 

What are you doing to beat any garden blues?  Growing anything different or exciting?



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My Top Four Garden Vegetable Picks for 2012!

I really don't like to share garden photos this time of year because the garden itself looks REALLY overgrown and wild...however, this is a sign of lots of vegetable activity and this year was a bumper year for produce.  It was the perfect gardening summer; lots of sun, hot weather and decent rain (supplemented by our rain barrels) made for all around great growing conditions.  I always try new vegetable varieties every year, and this year I found four stellar performers that will definitely be making it back to my garden next year...

These plants were chosen because of taste, ease of growing, and how much it produced.  

My first fave is the Hot Hungarian Wax Pepper (the yellow peppers pictured in the middle.)  It's a garden classic, not a new variety, but that doesn't stop this plant from putting out pepper after pepper!  It's tops in productivity and taste!  It's a medium-hot pepper, the heat is anywhere from 1,000 to 15,000 on the Scoville rating list.  We found them to be hot enough for our eating tastes; they were great in chicken fajitas, quesadillas, chilis, tacos...you get the idea.  If the heat isn't enough for you, you can certainly bump it up to jalepenos and such, but this is a great beginner hot pepper for anyone.  We froze all the ones we didn't eat.  I may possibly pickle the last of the lot as they are excellent for canning and drying as well.  Any way you dice it, this pepper is a winner.

Next on my list is the Japanese Eggplant.  Now, I've grown eggplants for over a decade.  However, mostly in the the traditional egg shape.  I like the larger eggplant for parmesan and to grill up for an eggplant panini, but to be honest, my other eggplants didn't fare to well in the garden this year.  It could have been the location, but thankfully, these two Japanese plants gave us LOTS of delicious eggplants and in a compact size we could use up faster.  So, for a quick growing, versatile variety, you may want to give this kind a try.  Try these sliced up in a stir fry for something a bit different.  This plant was a favorite.

When it comes to zucchini, I'm a bit picky.  I don't like the type of zucchini that is really watery, I prefer a dryer, meatier variety and this heirloom round zucchini is perfect.  It grows ideally to about a softball size or smaller for the best eating quality, but of course, we would inevitably miss some or not get to the garden and ended up with bowling balls.  However, if you cut out the seeds in the middle and peel the skin, this zucchini was still tops to eat.  Nice firm flesh and mild flavor made it a great squash to have on hand.  I stuffed half a dozen of these and roasted them in the oven...fabulous!  The extras, I grated, drained and froze.  AND I managed to dehydrate many more as well for mid-winter soups and stews.  These are a great zucchini to have on hand and they keep a long time in storage if they've gotten bigger.  I've stored them in the pantry for a month and was able to use them after peeling.  Try this one out...it's a Spanish heirloom variety  and I found the seeds in a local grocery store, but you can find some here.  Oh, one more bonus, these plants keep a nice bush form which makes them a space saver...perfect!

Yes, I'm on a squash kick and if you know winter squash, you'll know these are the basic butternut type.  The big difference with this one though is the fact it's a bush variety, more specifically called, "Burpee Butternut."  I have a very small garden space and bush varieties are of vital importance if I'm going to grow squash.  So, this one was perfect for us.  Relatively small plants put out many large squash with a sweet full flavor.   We got about a dozen from only a few plants.  A nice amount for us and these will be perfect diced up in our winter beef stews, pureed in soup and diced and roasted in the oven.  I love this variety and if you are looking for a space saver, this one will satisfy.  I found these seeds in our Walmart, but you can find them online here.

Well, there you have it, my top four faves!  Hope this is helpful!  If it is, pin this so you can plan for your garden next year.  I know these lovelies will be growing for us in 2013.

What were some of your top garden favorites this year?  Blessings!

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