In many areas of the southwest and beyond we are lucky enough to be harvesting fresh veggies from our gardens as early as June and much of July. I happen to be one of them. So far this season I ve picked well over 100lbs of tomatoes, tons of jalapenos and chiles, corn, beans and a seemingly endless amount of cukes. There s more there – I just haven t gotten to it yet!

I tried some varieties this year that were new to my garden and I am very excited about them! I planted Mr. Stripey tomatoes this year and all I can say is WOW! They are big and pretty and juicy! I also tried Sungold which is a yellow cherry tomato that is to die for, in fact it s the best small variety I ve ever had. I had fun with white icicle radishes, multi-colored carnival carrots, the very impressive mammoth jalapenos and I m still waiting for the moon and stars watermelon to ripen. I m now getting ready to do a fall planting of an Asian greens mix from Botanical Interest, red-veined spinach, another round of carrots and radishes and peas.

The most important thing to keep in mind about vegetable gardening is even if you live in an apartment, a nice bright window and a good sized pot is all you need to have some sort of crop work for you. And if you really are intimidated by veggie gardening, support your local farmer s market for some great local, untreated fresh veggies. You ll be surprised at what you find, and how inexpensive it is to eat well.

We Want To Hear From You
Let us know about this year’s harvest, and the new varieties you’ve tried.
It’s really pretty simple to get involved. Find out more on Contributing Comments.