Here I My Garden On the First Day of Spring

Here I am going to show my garden on the first day of spring. I can't set my plants in the garden until at least the second week of May or they may frost. Here is what I have so far. Some of these plants I'll give away, but most of them will be put in my garden. I usually put in at least 100 tomatoes since we like to make several sauces, v6 juice, and other things. I also make hot pepper jelly with the jalapenos.
I only put one seed in each space. I have read that two seeds are what is recommended and then thin to the one strongest in each space. But since I am not selling my plants I only put one seed in and if a space or two doesn't produce it doesn't matter and I don't near use as many seeds.
Here is what I have so far:









Hope you enjoy seeing my garden. I'll take more pictures and post when I get them in the ground.

Looking good! It looks like your Wisconsin gold germinated well. Are those the Roma we sent you? I need to plant more Roma for our sauces and I want to try to make ketchup this year.

Yes, the Wisconsin Gold is doing well as are the Roma. I used to grow a few golden tomatoes but have not for a few years. So I was glad to get some to put in this year.
The Roma are the ones you sent me and they are doing well. We really like Roma for sauce and other things.
This year I hope to save seeds from all the different ones that I plant.
Have you made ketchup before? If you have how did it turn out and do you have a recipe to share?

I made it once. Ty wouldn't touch it, then I put it in an old ketchp bottle and he didn't notice the difference. I'll have to look up the recipe for you and will try to do that today. I didn't use homecanned tomatoe products to make it when I did though. I want to try it this year using our own produce.

Your seedlings look like they are coming along nicely Rohn. I'm with you on not wasting my seeds, I also only plant one seed per space too. Why waste the seeds and kill the other plant just because it is weeker than the other, if tended to it will grow just as well once they are seperated.

Looks great Rohn, my carrots are sprouting up, taters are in the ground, asparagus has sent up two shoots, and the blueberries have leaves now. Main garden spot is tilled lightly to turn under weeds. I have high hopes for a good growing season this year, and am looking forward to finish clearing out an area for my orchard that I hope to be planting next year.

Keith, what are you putting in your orchard?

I'll be putting two apple varities, two pear varities, two plum and two cherry, along with hazelnuts, and walnuts. Goji berry and grape vines at the western edge (across the "road" or driving area from the lower corn patch)

Actual tree count will be aprox 23 trees, 2 bushes, and 4 vines.

Rohn wrote:Yes, the Wisconsin Gold is doing well as are the Roma. I used to grow a few golden tomatoes but have not for a few years. So I was glad to get some to put in this year.
The Roma are the ones you sent me and they are doing well. We really like Roma for sauce and other things.
This year I hope to save seeds from all the different ones that I plant.
Have you made ketchup before? If you have how did it turn out and do you have a recipe to share?

Here's the recipe:
Items you will need: Water bath canner, Food mill or sieve, jar funnel and pint or half pint jars, cheesecloth
Ingredients
Tomatoes - about 25 lbs (yes, you need a big basketful - you remove the skins, seeds and a lot of the water, and then cook it down, so it takes a lot to start - UNLESS you are using a paste-type tomato (like Roma) that has little water - you can get by with 18 lbs of those.)
1 cup chopped onions
1 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup sugar (white or brown)
3 tablespoons celery seed
3 cups of 5% apple cider vinegar.
Optional variations:

add 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

and/or add 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Bring big pot of water to a boil and put tomatoes in for no more than 1 minutethen dunk them in ice water to remove the skins. After you have peeled the skins off the tomatoes, cut the tomatoes in half. Wash your hands then squeeze each tomato and use your finger or a spoon to scoop and shake out most of the seeds, don't worry about getting all of them. Toss the squeezed (Squozen? tomatoes into a colander or drainer, while you work on others. This helps more of the water to drain off. You may want to save the liquid: if you then pass it through a sieve, screen or cheesecloth, you have fresh tomato juice; great to drink cold or use in cooking!

Put the tomatoes in a large pot to start simmering. Add your spices to the simmering pot. Onto a piece of cheesecloth (about 12 inches square) put 3 tablespoons celery seed. Tie the corners of the cloth together to make a little bag (you can use a plastic twist tie - I use one from a oven browning bag) and put the bag into a small sauce pot with the vinegar. Let it simmer for 30 minutes while your tomatoes are cooking, you may need to add more vinegar so you end up with 3 cups of liquid.

Cook the tomatoes for about 20 - 30 minutes over medium heat to make them mushy enough to go through your food mill or sieve.
Run the tomatoe mixture through the food mill or seive, discarding any left over seeds or skin. Remove cheesecloth from vinegar mixture and discard, adding vinegar to the tomatoe mixture. Cook down the mixture to thicken it.

Put your ketchup into sterile jars 1/4 in from the top. Put lids on and put jars in water bath for 35 minutes. (if you decide to use quart jars increase time to 40 minutes.
Make sure jars are covered with at least 1 inch of water.

Take them out of the water and allow them to cool. If you have a finicky eater like mine, you can open the jars and pour them into old ketchup bottle and they will be none the wiser. Hope all this makes sense. It sounds more complicated than it is.

I typically do not like ketchup, but I'm gonna try that!!

Rohn, those tomatoe plants look great. I haven't even started my seeds yet. Up here I don't usually even think about planting much until the end of May (traditionally Memorial Day) or the first week-end in June. This year, of course, is really different. I will plant some peas on Good Friday andmaybe some Spinach and Lettuce. Maybe then I will feel at least like I'm starting to make progress around here.

Sonshine,
Thanks so much for that recipe. I will be making some this year.

Hope all of you that are planning on trying it let me know what you think. You can add or subtract from the spices to get the flavors you want, but this one works well for us.

12acrehome wrote:I'll be putting two apple varities, two pear varities, two plum and two cherry, along with hazelnuts, and walnuts. Goji berry and grape vines at the western edge (across the "road" or driving area from the lower corn patch)

Actual tree count will be aprox 23 trees, 2 bushes, and 4 vines.

That sounds great Keith. I would love to have some land to develop like that. I have lived in the country much of my life, but right now I live in the city. I consider myself a "City Homesteader". I have lived in places where I was able to raise rabbits, chickens, and turkeys; have had very large gardens. I now am glad that where I live I can have a fairly large garden. Someday the Lord willing I will be back in the country again where I can raise livestock and have a place to develop into a nice homestead.
In the meantime I enjoy reading

everyone's posts about how you are doing things at your places.
I also enjoy looking at pictures
So keep the posts coming and include lots of pictures and I'll to the same from here.

Rohn, have you considered doing some edible landscaping? How much land do you have. We only have 2 acres, but we have 2 apple trees, 2 peach trees, 2 pear trees, 1 fig tree, two pecan trees, multiple blueberry bushes, blackberries, raspberries, muscadine and scufidine plus a strawberry patch. The trees, blueberry bushes and strawberries are all in our front yard, well, the strawberry patch is actually at the side of the house. I'll get Joe to get some pictures after we get our spring weeding done in my herb garde (which is also in our front yard)

I have done editable landscaping in some of the places where I have been. One place we planted currant bushes and were getting some enough currants to make several batches of jelly each year. Then I moved and the next pastor evidently didn't like currants and out came my prized bushes.

The next place I moved I planted a grape harbor in the back yard. You could see it from the back patio and it was looking great. But then I move from there also. The places I live do not belong to me since I live in the church parsonage so I have to be careful about some of the landscape. I do think editable landscape is a great idea though.

Rohn, I wasn't aware that you lived in the parsonage. Guess that's similar to being in the military. The first land Joe and I owned in Texas I planted a little garden, and I do mean little. I didn't have a tiller or anything but a hoe. I worked fulltime, so I had to do this on my off hours. The garden was coming along fine, then we got orders for Germany. I don't know if the new owners did anything with it or not. We decided not to buy houses anymore till he got out, but we did eventually buy one in AL that we lived in for several years, he wasn't active duty at the time though. Then when we were in Florida we bought on, thinking it would be our last duty assignment. Now, here we are again, but he's only got two years till retirement, so even if he has to go away for awhile I think Ty and I will stay and hold on to what we now have.

Rohn, you have a deal, posts (and pics when I figure it out) will be forthcoming.

I lived on rented property most of my adult life. The 12 acres we bought are the first I could call mine, so I'm excited about growing as much as I can and trying to maintain the balance of woods, grassland, and garden that my grandfather used when he set up his place (though this place is considerably smaller). Hopefully the lord will lead you to a place like we have, where you can tend a section of "His" garden.

Keith, I started the forum and still don't know how to post pictures! Thank God for husband's that are tech savy, cause I'm sure not!