As I continue to plant in the very limited space left in my garden, I must choose veggies that take up very little room. I can always find spots to seed in carrots, beets, radishes, lettuces and spinach. What works best for me are packages that contain blends. I find these in the full line of seeds we carry from Botanical Interests. They have a large variety of certified organic seeds and many heirlooms as well.

How can anyone resist the Gourmet Blend of beets that includes Detroit Dark Red, Golden and Chioggia, an Italian beet with dark pink and white rings? The Easter Egg Blend of radishes has red, white, rose pink, purple and bi-color (a red top and white bottom) varieties. I really like oak leaf lettuce – the blend has both red and green leaves. The Farmer’s Market Blend of mesclun contains Tango, Royal Oak Leaf, Red Salad Bowl, Black Seeded Simpson, Grand Rapids and Red Sails. How about orange, red, purple, white and yellow carrots all from one package – the Carnival Blend. I have no room for climbing peas. Instead, I planted Shelling Progress – it only gets 18″ tall. And everybody knows my favorite is the Micro Greens Spicy Mix. I plant these in succession all winter long in a colorful low bowl.

It really does not take a lot of room for fresh veggies. All of these would be great in containers as well. Give it a try…

One of the highlights each year in our small rural town in Ontario was, and still is, the Fall Fair. It was the ultimate mingling of farm families and city folk (all 920 of us). Tractors pulls, horse races, 4-H shows, a parade and a midway with rides including my favorite Ferris wheel were just a part of these weekend events. There were baking contests and an arena full of displays of various crafts, with ribbons galore. Because these fairs are partly a celebration of the harvest, the veggie display was/is most prominent.

It has been many years since I have been to my hometown fair. A couple of weeks ago I did spend some time reminiscing as my husband and I visited another local fair in southern Ontario. We watched young boys and girls proudly show their calves and horses. Children enjoyed the midway. And I was enthralled with the veggie displays! Giant pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, beautiful potatoes, corn, beans, apples, peppers and many, many more. What made this even more meaningful was the recent email I received from my cousin David, the great gardener in the Shetland Islands. They have an annual village produce show open to entrants from all of Shetland. He won a first prize with his courgettes, a 2^nd for his broad beans and third prizes for peas and two lettuces. He also sent me photos of some of the fun aspects of the show. There were also some of these at the Ontario fair, but I believe the folks from Shetland were far more creative.

I just visited my siblings the past few days in the Prince Edward County area of southern Ontario. Temperatures were in the 70′s and no rain. Most importantly, it was harvest time. Old memories flooded in. The first night there, I visited my college roommate (and Maid of Honor at my wedding). Dinner was pan-fried pickerel and bass caught the day before. It was so good – the pickerel was almost sweet in flavor. Fresh chard, potatoes, peppers – all from the garden rounded out the entrée. Dessert was the most incredible blueberry pie – the blueberries had just been picked. Breakfast the next morning included her homemade red currant-raspberry jam (I remember so well my mum’s red currant jam) and peaches from the Niagara Falls area. And that was just the beginning of many incredible meals we had, so many of them sourced locally.

We drove the area, passing PYO (Pick Your Own) blueberry, strawberry, apple and tomato farms. We stopped and ate apples straight from the tree. I had forgotten how crisp they could be.  We passed several organic farms. A highlight was a wine and cheese tasting at Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Company. Every other day, their own truck picks up the goat and sheep milk to ensure freshness. Their mechanical engineering system is Platinum LEED certified. The cheese itself – Bagel Chevre, Bedda Feda, Operetta, Nettles Gone Wild – I loved them all so much.

What a treat this was – I returned so inspired. By the way, in case you read this, I did so much enjoy my weekend with you as well, my dear sisters and brother!

It is almost Labor Day. Back in Ontario, everybody is busy picking and preserving peaches. In the back of their minds, they know they could have their first frost at the end of the month (or even before). So what are we doing here in Texas? Planting a fall garden!

It may be hard to believe, but we can still plant beans and squash by seed if done right away. Starts of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts can be planted – as long as we shade them from the hot sun. We can also start planting by seed, beets, lettuces, spinach, carrots, radishes, English peas, Swiss chard and turnips. Lightly sprinkle the seeds twice daily, if possible, until they have germinated. Don’t let our high heat dry them out.

There have been a few subtle signs that maybe our weather is breaking. The last few mornings have been delightful – the couple of mornings in the 60′s were heavenly. The hummingbirds are busier than ever and the monarchs are steadily increasing in numbers. So, rest assured, it will not always be in the 90′s and 100′s – cooler days will come!