The Salsa Garden

Even though store-bought salsa is good, home made salsa is sensational!- Especially when you start with the freshest home grown ingredients!

The best part is that everything you need can be grown in a 9 square foot plot.

     The secret to excellent salsa is really no secret at all. To get the freshest best tasting salsa you begin with a garden of Tomatoes, Peppers and other prime salsa fixings.

TOMATOES-

   When choosing tomato varieties, be sure to look for ones that bear fruits that are meaty, with the best texture and flavor (varieties like Big Beef, Early cascade or Viva Italia are some examples).

You can even add some pizzazz to the garden by growing some colored tomatoes like Italian Gold or Black Plum.

PEPPERS-

    Spicy peppers make salsa sizzle, so be sure to have at least two varieties of peppers in your garden.

For heat with flavor, you can try Serrano or Garden Salsa with the milder Fajita Bell, Anaheim or Corno di Toro for the perfect blend.

ONIONS-

    
HERBS-

    Herbs can add a distinctive personal kick, so you can choose whatever suits your taste.

Some people may opt for the flavor of fresh basil or the aromatic, bold bite of cilantro.

If parsely is your preferance, try flat-leafed Italian for more intense flavor.

Famed and Framed:: Susan Spears - Tomato (Fine Art & Sculpture)
Famed and Framed:: Susan Spears - Tomato (Fine Art & Sculpture)
The How To's of Growing a Salsa Garden -


    After you have decided which plants you are going to grow you can start planting your garden....

You can plant seeds directly into the ground, or buy plant starts for a six week jump on the season.

    Choose a well-drained area of your garden that get's at least 6 hours of sun a day .

  Measure out a 3-foot-by-3-foot area and work a 2- to 3-inch layer of aged manure or rich compost into the soil.

  Make sure you run your plantings east to west, with tomatoes (staked or caged) on the north edge, about 18-inches apart. Peppers go in the middle and your basil in front, both spaced 12-inches apart.

Tuck in parsley and chives around one edge.  Be sure you wait anothr month before growing cilantro on the other edge, because it grows very quickly.

  Water well and keep the soil evenly moist while growing.

Usually you can start harvesting in about 90 days from seed, or 60 days from plants.

TIP: Harvest basil and cilantro frequently to delay flowering.
-Suggested Plants to Try- (top)
Tomato-
Gardener's Supply Company:: Tomato Success Kit, Green (Other Gardening Supplies)
  • Golden Tomatillo- Otherwise known as Cape Gooseberry, it has a mellow and sweet flavor. A low growing plant that produces paper husks with tiny (cherry tomato sized) yellow fruit which drop off the plant when ripe.


  • Evergreen- A great all around garden tomato, juicy and flavorful. This is an unusual and stricking tomato that is green with yellow highlights when fully ripe.


  • Yellow Pear- A mild sweet and juicy, almost lemony flavored, tomato. They are small, pear shaped fruits.





    • Peppers-
    Sweet
  • Tequila Hybrid- This pepper has thin walls and a juicy, mild crisp pepper flavor. You can serve a kalidiascope of colors with this unusual pepper, which initially turns purple, then displays a desert sunset of warm tones: cream, yellow, violet, orange and red-all on a single pepper at the same time!
    • Walter Drake:: Space Age Green Pepper Plant (Vegetable Plants)

  • Hungarian Spice Hybrid- A fresh, sweet and juicy pepper that is delicious raw. Large 7-inch fruits are very thin-walled with deep green flesh that turns dark red early, and is only mildly hot.


  • Robustini Hybrid- A thin walled pepper with a mild and tangy zing. They are best picked when greenish-yellow.


    • Hot
  • Ancho 101- A hint of apple flavor distinguishes these mild, 4-6-inch peppers. Tapered fruit are deep green to red on a bushy plant.


  • Purple Serrano- A very hot pepper that turns deep purple at maturity.


    • Herbs-
  • Thyme Winter- Aromatic leaves widley used fresh and dried. This is often used as a salt and pepper substitute.
    • Smith & Hawken:: Salsa Herb Garden (Herbs)

  • Basil Fino Verde Compatto- A very refined Basil with clusters of tiny, sweetly scented leaves that have a pungent spicy flavor.


  • Garlic Chives- A chinese leek, this plant adds onion-garlic flavor to any dish.


  • Lemongrass- The leaves have a lemony-citrus tang. It forms a dramatic clump of lime-green foliage 3 to 5 feet tall.


  • Catalogna Parsley - Known to be the true flat leafed parsley. Renowned for it's strong flavor and vigerous habits.


    • More Suggestions-
    BookRun an Ecofabric Company:: Salsa Hard Cover Book (General Cookbooks)
  • Try adding fruits like apple, pear or pineapple to your salsa to give it a fruity twist.


  • Don't be afraid to try new ideas for your salsa, you may be surprised with the results.

    • Site Map    Terms of Service    Privacy Policy    eMail
    MayhakGardenCorner© 2000-2005.

    This site best viewed at 800x600 resolution or higher.