I have to say this year's garden bounty has been the best ever (but historically I have had a low bar). As always some of the success has been due to luck, but not entirely, because at Destination: Books not only do we sell gardening books, but we follow the written word.
It begins with soil and all the veggie gardening books that we sell emphasize the need to amend your soil ahead of Spring planting. This year I have amended it with compost from the local Food Alliance and then added some Alpaca manure from my daughter's private herd. I also spaced my tomato plants better allowing for improved air flow and avoided getting the leaves wet while watering in order to reduce the chance for the cursed Blossom End Rot (known as BER) or damage from various fungi. Throughout the growing season, I kept consulting Craig LeHoullier's Epic Tomatoes.
I tried growing Cherokee Purple heirloom, but it died from tomato wilt, which LeHoullier reassures me that "as a rule tomato diseases are stubborn and often fatal and attempts at treatments for the vast majority have been met with little or no success." See it's not my fault. Fortunately, my Better Boy tomatoes (a hybrid) were more resilient.
Oriental eggplants are more tender and tastier and do not require the soaking to remove the bitterness that is common with large eggplants. I followed some of the premises set down by Jessica Walliser in her book Plant Partners: Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden where I planted radishes as a "sacrificial plants" to attract flea beetles away from the young eggplants. I did something similar by planting marigolds next to the tomato plants. I was also cognizant of keeping my eggplants and tomatoes separated because these members of the nightshade family are not compatible.
The best part of my good fortune was that my partner Denise found a great recipe for eggplant and tomato casserole. She is great cook and cookbook connoisseur. I am only the sous chef and dish washer, but I can attest that the fresh taste of that casserole was something you'd expect at a good Italian restaurant.
These books and more will be available at our next popup bookstall at the Freedom Farmer's Market at the Carter Center scheduled for Saturday morning, July 30th or they are currenty available at our Gardening How-To online store.
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