Winter Harvest, Roger’s Gardens Tomatomania! & Spring Planting

The Laguna Beach heatwave continues to confuse me and my veggies! It was 80 degrees here last Saturday and my winter crops didn’t know what to do, so they bolted. Literally.

Just when the broccoli was actually producing beautiful clusters–without the mold problem I usually battle–it got so hot they went straight to flowers. So much for roasted broccoli.

And just look what happened to the bok choy before I even enjoyed one stir fry!

At least they all bolted at the perfect time–it was Roger’s Gardens Tomatomania! and I needed to make room for the 16 new tomatoes I bought!

The rainbow carrots were colorful and had lots of flavor–even though they looked a little strange…

…and the peas are abundant. I’m going to make pasta with peas and prosciutto!

I harvested to make room for the new spring crop and went to Roger’s Gardens for my third annual TomatoMania!

It was great to see Laura–she has recommended some of the best tomatoes I’ve ever grown! Last year it was the Pineapple and this year she had even more new names for me. (Keep reading and you’ll see them all).

David and Kimberly are always so knowledgeable and helpful!

But this will give you an idea of just how many tomato enthusiasts there are in Orange County! And why it’s called TomatoMania!

Of course, I had to have another Pineapple this year. I swear it was the tastiest tomato ever and they were huge!

Laura suggested this Blue Gold. And I swear by her recommendations.

I snuck in a few cucumbers….

This is another new name for me–Sweet Tangerine.

Last year this was Susan Ellena’s favorite. I must have had a million of them. Well, maybe not quite that many, but a whole lot.

I always plant a few San Marzanos. This is the Gigante variety, so we’ll see. These are the best for making home-make marinara.

And look! This is a “volunteer” from last year. It’s almost ready to eat. I can’t wait.

Here’s another volunteer from last year. I don’t even know the variety!

The rest of the garden is doing well.

I’m hoping to finally get Brussels Sprouts! But we’ll see.

The cabbages are coming along. I planted a tomato in the middle of them. I figured by the time they’re ready to harvest there will be enough room for the tomato.