Savvy Eats

Outside, the garden has been oscillating between states. A few warm days, and the arugula, peas and radishes become lush and leafy, skyrocketing to nearly twice their size. Then it gets chilly again, and all growth stalls out. The new seeds verge on the longer end of the germination time range. And in the evenings, [...]

Things are finally starting to happen in the garden.  Check out what’s going on in the cold frames! I was concerned last fall when I planted my garlic.  Some creatures were clearly burrowing in the straw mulch I had thickly layered over the cloves, and I worried that they were gnawing on my future crop. [...]

Last year, our cold frames were filled edge-to-edge with lettuce and arugula.  They germinated early and grew back almost as quickly as I cut them down for salads.  I’ve been anxious to plant in the cold frames this spring, assuming we’d have the same success growing salad greens again this year. Because of our struggles [...]

For the past three days, I’ve been stuck on my couch, feeling feverish and like there is a basket of knives in my throat.  I’ve spent my time alternating between napping and gulping as much water and tea as I can stand. Let’s not even talk about the amount of TV and cheesy movies I’ve [...]

It’s that time of year again: time to start my garden from seeds!  I’ve changed things up a bit since that first year.  I found that keeping the seedlings on top of the refrigerator wasn’t nearly warm enough.  I now keep them in the spare bathroom, which is on its own thermostat. I also struggled [...]

For the past two years, the Savvy Garden has focused on tomatoes and beans (and basil, of course). It seemed logical: tomatoes are so versatile, and beans are my favorite summer vegetable to roast or grill. And they are both “pick and come again,” so I can make the most of my limited garden space. [...]

The backyard looks so empty now.  After the first overnight freeze last weekend, the basil, tomatoes and beans were shriveled and black.  Yesterday, we pulled up the plants and tossed them in the compost (the exception being the bean plants that we think were diseased…those went into yard waste bags to be hauled away).  The [...]

Though it isn’t quite fall yet, my garden is already making the transition to a new season. The beans were dying, so I yanked them out and replaced the top layer of soil with fresh compost. So it was out with the beans and in with the arugula, spinach and lettuce. Arugula peppers the basil [...]