I planted about a half dozen green bean plants this spring. They took up about 5 square feet and produced about a quart and a half of cooked beans. I had trouble with finding the beans for harvest and with beans spoiling while hanging in the dirt. Next season I will be planting pole beans. I'm told that these produce many more beans per plant, and the climbing vine is easier to manage.
The tomato plants are producing now, though most of the tomatoes are small, about 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter. I think this is due to the clay soil. I have made two batches of tomato bisque in one attempt to learn how to use them. I started with a recipe I found on the internet and have modified to suit my taste. It consists of about 8 medium sized and ripe tomatoes skinned, seeded and chopped. This is added to one large onion diced that has been sauteed in a splash of olive oil. I add two cups of water, two chicken bullion cubes (alternately, two cups of chicken stock) and a couple teaspoons of sugar. This is simmered for 20 minutes to reduce by about 1/4 and then blended in the blender until smooth (Target cares a hand-crank powered blender for $80). The mix is then strained to remove unblendable stuff and a portion of cream is added. The first batch was a bit tart or sharp, I think as the result of using tomatoes that were still a bit green. For the second batch I used only very red tomatoes and a little more sugar and I liked the result better, but I think it was a bit too smooth, more like soup. The tomato plants still have a lot more tomatoes to produce, so I'll get to make some more soup soon I'm sure.
All of the potato plants died off last month. Evidently this was the result of some sort of pest. They have started to come back now, and I can see that they have produced some potatoes in their mounds, so I may have something to harvest this fall after all. I didn't attempt any pest control on them this year, I wanted to try to establish a baseline level of performance so that I have something to compare against when I make an effort next year.
I need to do some more infrastructure work in the garden for next year. I'd like to work a good quantity of compost into the soil and install some tall posts with wire into which I can train the beans and tomatoes. I think that will make them much more manageable.
The tomato plants are producing now, though most of the tomatoes are small, about 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter. I think this is due to the clay soil. I have made two batches of tomato bisque in one attempt to learn how to use them. I started with a recipe I found on the internet and have modified to suit my taste. It consists of about 8 medium sized and ripe tomatoes skinned, seeded and chopped. This is added to one large onion diced that has been sauteed in a splash of olive oil. I add two cups of water, two chicken bullion cubes (alternately, two cups of chicken stock) and a couple teaspoons of sugar. This is simmered for 20 minutes to reduce by about 1/4 and then blended in the blender until smooth (Target cares a hand-crank powered blender for $80). The mix is then strained to remove unblendable stuff and a portion of cream is added. The first batch was a bit tart or sharp, I think as the result of using tomatoes that were still a bit green. For the second batch I used only very red tomatoes and a little more sugar and I liked the result better, but I think it was a bit too smooth, more like soup. The tomato plants still have a lot more tomatoes to produce, so I'll get to make some more soup soon I'm sure.
All of the potato plants died off last month. Evidently this was the result of some sort of pest. They have started to come back now, and I can see that they have produced some potatoes in their mounds, so I may have something to harvest this fall after all. I didn't attempt any pest control on them this year, I wanted to try to establish a baseline level of performance so that I have something to compare against when I make an effort next year.
I need to do some more infrastructure work in the garden for next year. I'd like to work a good quantity of compost into the soil and install some tall posts with wire into which I can train the beans and tomatoes. I think that will make them much more manageable.
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