What’s in my garden.
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone: 6b (but more accurately in a zone 5 microclimate)
Sunset Climate Zone: 1A
I live in the Central Oregon high desert, where the frost-free growing season miiiiight extend to 70 days, if I’m lucky! (Usually it’s more like 50 days in the tricky microclimate where I live.)
Most of my plants are started from seed. (I usually save my own seeds or buy from my favorite seed catalogs each year). I gravitate toward growing unusual plants and can’t resist “ugly” vegetables and odd-looking things with warts, scars, and cracks—what I see as interesting features but others may view as flaws.
I like growing vegetables that come in unconventional colors, especially purple (unless it’s eggplant—purple eggplant is boring 😁 and mine are always white, green, or striped). I love seeking out rare varieties and plants you’ve probably never heard of—and neither did I, until I started growing them.
I follow a few permaculture principles and teach lazy gardening techniques, so I grow lots of low-maintenance edible perennials and strive for a closed-loop, regenerative garden on our 1 ½ acres of land.
Some of the herbs and fruits below are not hardy to my climate, and that’s because they moved with me from Southern California and are now living happily inside our house or in the greenhouse.
Favorite plant 🌱
Purple tomatoes. I’ve grown dozens of varieties, but my all-time favorite (and the first one I ever grew) is Cherokee Purple.
Weirdest plant I’ve grown 🍃
Oyster leaf. The leaves of this perennial leafy green tastes like fresh oysters and earthy seawater. (It’s better than it sounds!)
