Tomato Guild

The permaculture concept of planting in communities or "guilds" has intrigued me ever since I first learned about it. Today I put together a permaculture-for-dummies installation including tomatoes (the tomatoes were already there) and a few of the beneficial companions said to enhance their growth: marigolds, basil, parsley, and nasturtiums. Whether the purported mutual benefits are science or merely lore, I do not know, but it makes an attractive grouping and I look forward to seeing how it fills out.

Here are the members of this guild, nestled together in a nine-foot-square raised bed:

1. Better Boy hybrid seedlings from Garden Crossing mail order nursery (Better Boys, B.'s favorite, are getting harder and harder to find. This is the first time we had to resort to online shopping to locate some.) The tomatoes are the lead plant in the guild. These were planted out May 9.

2. Queen Sophia marigold seedlings from Natural Gardening. The roots deter nematodes.

3. Genovese basil seedlings from Natural Gardening. Who could imagine tomatoes without basil! It's said to improve flavor not just in the kitchen but in the garden too. The flowers attract beneficial insects. It's edible. Being pesto lovers, we grow it as a crop in its own right. B.'s most frequent comment on the garden: "Not enough basil!"

4. Italian Flatleaf parsley seedlings from Natural Gardening. I'm not sure what parsley does but it's always on the guild lists for tomatoes. Edible.

5. Moonlight nasturtium seeds from Renee's Garden. Nasturtiums deter pests, draw beneficial insects, and are edible.

As I understand it, a true guild is based on perennials and ideally starts with trees, but hey, you garden with the plants you have, with the materials at hand, and with the time available. I've discovered that the best way to learn new things in the garden is to start some small scale experiments and see where they lead.

Tucked in with all the seedlings and seeds in this bed are two sunken clay pots filled with water and covered with the pot's own drip dish turned upside down to form a lid. This was an experiment from several year's back that has yielded good results. The pots provide a steady water supply close to the root zone as the water slowly seeps through the clay walls, responding to the moisture level in the surrounding soil. I think the plants like this system because when I pull the pots out at the end of the season the hole is lined with a thick netting of pale roots.

Here's hoping this tomato installation becomes a happy little cul de sac in the larger garden community.

Eat the Yard Update: A Touch of Rosemary

Our Eat the Yard Challenge began on New Year's, 2010: A resolve to eat something from the yard every day, even if only a sprig of parsley or a twig of thyme or rosemary. (Our little rosemary bush is shown above.)

I guess it has to be admitted that it's really my Challenge, since the participation of others who might be mentioned has consisted mostly of bemused tolerance. But never mind about that. At least the eating is shared, if not the fretting about what's ready to harvest and what could be part of a meal.

The Challenge was pretty successful -- in 2010 there were about ten days where the standard was not met. And it has continued successfully into 2011. So far there has been only one day when our garden did not contribute to our dinner. We got stuck in San Francisco during rush hour and had to eat out, a rare occurrence.

It's become a way of life to eat the good food of home, some of it grown by yours truly, most of it cooked by others who might be mentioned.






These roasted veggies were served March 3. Before roasting they were coated with olive oil and sprinkled with crushed rosemary leaves, gathered shortly before use. Bon appetit!

Cilantro Tastes Like Soap??????

Who knew? To some people cilantro has an unpleasant taste, akin to soap. Julia Child herself avoided this delectable herb. Fortunately, no one in our family suffers from this affliction.

But it is an important issue in our society, evidently, as evidenced by the #1 "most emailed" ranking of an article in today's New York Times that explains the controversy and details the chemical underpinnings of some people's aversion. There are fat molecules called aldehydes that form part of cilantro's complex flavor, but that also show up in soap, lotions, cosmetics, and -- adding weight to the pleas of the cilantro-avoiders -- some insects such as bedbugs. So let us be understanding and back off when someone eschews the guacamole and tells us: "It tastes yucky." All the more for the rest of us.

The photo above shows the current status of our cherished backyard cilantro, which has bolted and is putting out tiny blossoms.




The plants are two and three feet tall. They were grown from saved seeds and it looks like there will be plenty more to save.

Emergency Parsley

Parsley sprigs in a glass on the counter are a fail safe device for adding something from the garden to a meal when time is short and there is nothing on hand in the refrigerator. Last night we ran out of salad makings and winter greens and I didn't have time to run out into the yard.




But not to worry. A bit of chopped parsley sprinkled over the pizza at the last minute keeps alive the game of eating from the yard every day. And, it turns out, B. had already sauteed in some fresh rosemary with the mushrooms.

2010 Eat the Yard Challenge -- so far, so good:

February 2: mushroom sandwiches with garden arugula, garden salad
February 3: garden salad
February 4: chili with garden parsley, sauteed winter greens
February 5: garden salad
February 6: tacos with garden lettuce, guacamole with garden cilantro
February 7: spagetti with garden tomato sauce (freezer), garden salad
February 8: sorrel soup, garden salad
February 9: mushroom pizza with rosemary, garden salad
February 10: mushroom pizza with rosemary and parsley

Thyme for Soup!

Above: English thyme is on the left, rose bouquet thyme on the right -- each growing out of its private compartment in an old cinder block. This arrangement makes a cost-effective border for the very utilitarian black plastic raised beds that form our garden. So far there are only a few blocks lined up against a couple of beds, planted with thyme, cilantro, and alyssum.

Mostly the thyme is decorative, but on a cold, grey winter's eve the thyme becomes the harvest: just the right grace note for a big pot of French onion soup.



Three hungry people made short work of this classic dish.



The only accompaniment was a fresh garden salad.

So far we are meeting the self-imposed 2010 Eat the Yard challenge of having something from the garden every day -- mostly salad. The challenge has been a nice incentive to get out there and harvest something no matter how uninviting the weather.

January 5: garden salad (lettuce, baby spinach, miner's lettuce, arugula, cilantro)
January 6: French onion soup with garden thyme, garden salad
January 7: garden salad
January 8: garden salad
January 9: sauteed garden greens (kale, chard), with juice of Meyer lemon from the tree
January 10: quinoa with fresh garden greens and summer green beans from the freezer

And for tonight? More salad!

Everything's Frozen!

This morning, a little before eight, the backyard was a California version of a sparkling winter wonderland. All the greenery was still green but with a new and silvery aspect, stiffened by rhinestones of frost. The water in the birdbath was frozen solid with golden locust leaves suspended in the ice.



A dramatic seasons end for the pepper plants, also finally for the cherry tomatoes. Nasturtiums and basil were already on the way out.

The lemon tree, however, looked fine under its boxy blanket. I took the box off during the day and for tonight have covered the plant with frost protection cloth. We'll see how that works. Tonight will be just as cold.