Favorite Bulbs and Edibles

Good Morning,

Today in my garden series I'll be talking about my favorite Bulbs and Edibles.

Lets jump right in with Bulbs . . .

#1:  Tulips

Truth be told, it wasn't until last spring that I had a single tulip in my garden.  After they bloomed for the first time I wondered why I waited so long.  Tulips are very low maintenance.  You plant them, and they grow.  Simple, easy and very pretty.  After they finish blooming your supposed to wait to cut them down until the leaves turn brown.  More often than not they make it until the end of June until I go scissor happy on them because I can't stand to look at them anymore.

I have tulips planted in my front garden.  A mix of pale purple, pale pink and a hot pink.  I planted twenty more this past fall in white and pale pink.  I'm very excited to see how they look.  This fall I plan to add oodles and oodles to my backyard garden.

#2:  Hyacinth

Hyacinth are a gorgeous fragrant flower that makes me smile.  It's actually the flower that started my gardening passion.  You can find them in white, pink and purple.  They make a great cut flower that will fill your home with their amazing scent or you could force them indoors.  I prefer to grow them in the garden.  Just like tulips, these beauties are very easy to grow.

In my front garden I have both pink and purple varieties planted.  I still need to add some to my backyard garden this fall.

Next lets move on to Edibles . . .

#1:  Cucumbers

Cucumbers are by far the most easy veggie to grow.  I direct sow the seeds into my garden during the second week of May.  By July, I can't keep up with the harvest that last the rest of the summer.  It helps to have kids that love to go hunt for them.

I tend to start two "hills" with three seeds each.  When they have grown about four inches tall, I  thin them out to only two plants about four feet apart.

#2:  Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a useful plant to grow but they do require a little extra work.  They enjoy a steady supply of water to keep them looking nice and producing.

In the past I have grown everything from large tomatoes, Roma's and cherry tomatoes.  I think cherry tomatoes are my favorite.  I like the small size and they are perfect for salads or pasta.

#3:  Lettuce

Lettuce is easy to grow as long as the weather is helpful.  The past few years are springtime weather has been very hot and humid.  The lettuce didn't like it.  There are so many types of lettuce you can grow, you just have to pick a favorite and go with it.

I tend to grow the large leaf types like butterhead and loose leaf. 

#4:  Pumpkins

If you have never grown pumpkin you are missing out.  Once you do you'll never pay seven dollars or more on a pumpkin ever again.  You do need to have a spot to let them roam and plan to get 5 to 6 pumpkins from each vine.

I grow pumpkins in an out of the way spot on the side of my house.  It a spot that gets mostly sun all day and is long and narrow.  Normally I like to plant Jack O' Lanterns, Baby Boo's (small white) and a few Jack Be Little (small orange).  I plant in hills of three, four feet apart and thin to one plant by mid June. 

#5:  Snap Peas

Snap Peas are a favorite in my house.  I was very happy when I realized I could grow them very easily.  I direct sow into the garden in May and start harvesting my July.  I plant the bush variety, with a total of six plants.  Perfect for a family of five.

#6:  Basil

If you like to make fresh Pesto do yourself a favor and plant a basil plant.  They are easy to grow as long as you don't let them get dried out.  To use, you simply snap or cut off the leaves.  By mid-summer you'll want to pinch off the flowers to keep the plant producing more leaves.

I normally only plant on basil starter each year that I pick up at the local garden center.  It's enough for us to have Pesto over noodles once, sometimes twice a week.  Oh and throw in some cucumber and cherry tomatoes it's the best summer dinner - Yummmm!

#7:  Corn

I have a love / hate relationship with growing corn.  I love the taste of just picked corn - nothing beats it.  I dislike that it takes up so much space!  Not to mention, digging the cornstalks out of the ground is a major job come fall.  It seems like I plant corn every other year.  I have found that if I grow a single row on the backside of my garden beds then grow cucumbers (or some other small plant) in the front of the beds it seems much more manageable in the small confined space of my veggie/cutting garden.  I usually pick two beds to grow corn like this.  It gives me sixteen total cornstalks and typically thirty-two ears of corn.

Thanks for stopping by,

Robin

You can see previous post in my Favorite Series . . .

#1: Favorite Annuals

#2: Favorite Perennials

#3:  Favorite Shrubs