Out With the Old

With the sweltering summer heat, we have decided that our backyard garden has called it quits. The three tomato plants that valiantly produced over 40 pounds of tomatoes since May were now gangly, weed-like walls of uncontrollable vines. They continued shooting tiny yellow flowers out into the hot Houston air, only to shrivel and collapse back into themselves.

After consulting with several farmers at the market, and hearing of their own inability to coax tomatoes from their plants, we realized it was time to reset our own expectations. This weekend, the plants came out of the ground and our backyard once again took on the appearance of something in the ‘burbs. We’ve still got two fully loaded lime trees and a patch of basil doing very well. But given how busy we’ve become with our training, none of us has volunteered to tend to the next crop of outdoor goodness.

...In(doors) With the New

Though we’ll wait for another opportunity to step outside and break soil, our gardening experiment continues with seed sprouting. Since discovering the fresh crunch of sprouted lentils, mustard, chick peas and other beans, Maggie has learned both jar sprouting and tray sprouting techniques. The process is reminiscent of those long-ago elementary school lessons where we witnessed seed springing to life, and the results are delicious. Sprouts have become a central part of our meal planning, and they are an economical way to consume protein-rich, biodynamic foods that are full of nutrients.

How is your garden growing?

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