Tomatoes – Garden Choices
For many of us, spring has arrived earlier than normal, and we’re are eager to start planting many of our favorite vegetables. Best to stick to the cold weather crops, such as lettuce, kale and spinach until the ‘last frost date’ has passed. However, don’t wait too long to start to select the tomatoes you want to plant in the garden. Have you been checking out some of the heirloom varieties?
‘Cherokee Purple’ has a distinct darker color with a slightly salty and acidic taste. Looking for a milder flavor. Try ‘Pineapple’ or ‘Orange Strawberry’ that have a sweet and slightly fruity taste. Do you want to grow a tomato that will cause some to raise an eye brow, as well as offer a sharp tangy flavor – grow the ‘Green Zebra’ variety. How about trying the ‘Great White’ tomato which has a mild flavor while ripening. It is white while young and turns a light yellow/pink color as it ripens.
Several companies offer these and other seeds, including Seed Savers Exchange (www.seedsavers.org), Native Seeds (www.nativeseeds.org) and, one of the oldest seed houses in America, D. Landreth Seed Company (www.landrethseeds.com).
Heirloom tomatoes bring flavor and interest to the table
Therapy and Creativity in Nature
Recent articles in the newspaper lead me to believe that creative ideas are often born in nature. Two articles in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) have focused on greenhouses and garden sheds as women and man caves, respectively. These are places where one feels comfortable among plants and garden settings. We are relaxed to dream and let the mind wander to create new ideas in these nature filled spaces.
The WSJ article “Where Ideas Can Take Root” talks about a retired architect who spends his time in his man cave (aka – potting shed) to start seedlings for his garden, read about new plants, explore gardening magazines and pot up new plants. I think we can relate to these settings and find them comfortable places to spend time. Why not plan on adding a green house, potting shed or similar structure to your home. It may become a sanctuary for you and a place to explore new ideas. We are more creative when we are in settings where we are free to daydream.
The WSJ article by Anne Marie Chaker can be found at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304537904577279573163112352.html?mod=ITP_personaljournal_1
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