Grow Your Own Salsa Garden
MMMmmm We are planning our garden for the year and after playing with some homemade salsa a pico de gallo recipes we decided we have to put in a salsa garden this year for fresh from the garden salsa. While you can expect us to be enjoying homemade salsa all summer for a great snack that doesn’t heat up the house or to serve with dinner when we have guests its canning that has us the most excited. I love taking fresh goodies from the garden and canning them for the long cold winter ahead. I think we have a good plan for our salsa garden this year and because we have experience growing each item it will be a breeze to grow our own salsa garden for a unique flavor we can’t find at the farmers market.
What to grow in your own salsa garden.
When you plan your salsa garden you want to cover all of the bases of good salsa, fresh tomatoes, plenty of onions, a dash of garlic, flavorful peppers and your favorite herbs. Here is our checklist of great things to grow in your salsa garden.
- tomatoes
- spring onions
- onions
- garlic
- chives (garlic and onion)
- peppers
- cilantro
- parsley
- basil
- oregano
Making salsa right from your garden
Fresh salsa is packed with flavor right out of the garden is amazing and totally beats what you can find at the store. For the best flavor, you should put your fresh salsa into the refrigerator for a few hours. If you are making it for a cookout you can take advantage of this flavor enhancing trick and make the salsa the night before so you have one less thing to do.
When you grow your own salsa garden you can have a lot of fun with trying different verities of tomatoes, onions, and peppers to find a unique flavor combination. Don’t you just love having fun with your food and trying something new?
Try these homemade salsa recipes right out of your salsa garden.
Quick tips for growing your own salsa garden.
The most important plant to grow for your salsa is the tomatoes. The base of any salsa and many other favorite dishes from barbecue sauce to pasta sauce. When growing tomatoes don’t be afraid to try something fun. While I always recommend you grow a classic favorite like Roma tomatoes you can have a lot of fun with new verities like Brandywine tomatoes. I do suggest you avoid darker colored tomatoes like purple tomatoes that will leave your salsa an odd possibly unappealing color.
Growing peppers in your garden is easy. Have fun and choose a few verities of papers for your salsa garden. Peppers grow really well near tomatoes making it easy to maximize your garden space if you are growing a very small salsa garden and don’t plan to grow peppers for any other reason. We like to grow classic chili peppers, jalapenos, and some fun Chinese 5 color peppers in the front where they hold a role as an ornamental plant before they become part of our dinner. Peppers are so much fun because they give your salsa that special kick.
One of the most important ingredients in your salsa is the onions. I love to grow onions for their amazing flavor. We use onions almost every day when cooking and they are a staple for any homemade salsa. Grow a variety or onions in your garden. I love you use yellow and red onions in my salsa when I make it at home. The two have a distinct flavor from each other but play well together.
Regular onions won’t be ready to eat for several months. To get salsa early in the season plant green onions. These are just onions that are pulled at about 4-6 weeks old rather than left to grow into the onions you know today. This will give you onions early in the season but be sure to pack a lot of them if you ware planning to go this route or you may find yourself at the store buying onions.
Planting garlic is essential to a flavorful salsa garden. If you did not plant your garlic in the fall you have time to plant it fresh right along with your onions in the early spring after the ground is thawed enough to work with.
Chives are a great way to dive in and enjoy garden fresh salsa early in the season before the garlic is ready to harvest. Chives can be grown in both onion and garlic verities. Both are an amazing choice for your garden. Garlic chives give you a light garlic flavor perfect for salsa.
Cilantro is the most common herb used in salsa and pico de gallo. if you are a fan of cilantro be sure to grow plenty of it in your garden.
If you are like me and do not like cilantro you have a great alternative option. Parsley has a flavor that Paris well with salsa without the soapy taste many people find when they try to eat cilantro.
How to help your salsa garden thrive
To help your salsa garden thrive put your salsa garden in a sunny location where the plants will receive full sun. Each plant.
Take the time to build up your garden soil before your plant. Through the season be sure to use lots on organic fertilizer or fresh compost for the more demanding tomatoes and peppers to help you have a thriving garden. Tomatoes even enjoy it when you use leftover beer to fertilize your garden.
