#13 The Chef’s Garden

 When we bought the condo three years ago, the patio was small, tired, and lacked privacy. After finding a contractor and getting HOA approval, we completely redid the patio last year and not only is it a great place to grill and sit outside, it is where I plant my herbs, vegetables and a few flowers. In spite of the patio being on the north side of the condo, it gets quite a bit of sun as we are an end unit on the east side. In addition to planting the usual herbs - basil, chives, oregano  just to name a few, I also planted tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons, and peppers. It was the first year I planted cucumbers in Litchfield as I was afraid they would take  over the patio. However, by putting the container next to  a fence and using poles and string, I got them to grow up, not out. The peppers are banana peppers named so due to their shape and color. They are sweet and tangy, not hot (0-500 Scoville Heat Units) and great for salads, pizza topping or sandwiches. The watermelons are growing slowly and I  may have to take the container to Jocelyn if they haven’t matured by the time we leave in September. 

In spite of having a summer where it has been either hot or raining, the garden is doing quite well. I have been enjoying fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers on a regular basis and the basil has done so well that I have made extra pesto and froze it into cubes.  This will allow me to enjoy pesto long after the fresh basil is gone. 

Interesting note: the Scoville  heat scale  for peppers was created in 1912 by a pharmacist and the heat units (SHUs) are based on the concentration of capsaicin in the pepper. Bell peppers have 0 SHUs,  jalapeños 2,000 - 10,000, and  the very hot habaneros 100,000-350,000. Some peppers have over 1 million SHUs so you might want to avoid them!