While many of us associate cilantro with tomatoes, tomatilllos and hot chili peppers, this beloved herb does not like the heat like those other plants do. That means it is easier to grow cilantro in the spring and the fall than it is in the summer (when peppers and tomatoes are ripe). That being said, growing the beautiful cilantro you want from your garden is not out of reach!

One thing to know about peppers is that they truly love the heat! While we don’t have the hottest climate in the Pacific Northwest, we can still grow beautiful peppers here. It simply takes more care to get a productive pepper crop in this climate than a warmer southern climate.

When we start our first lettuce plantings at the end of February and beginning of March, I often get the question “Isn’t it too early to be planting lettuce?” Lettuces are cold sensitive and in our climate, and late winter is marked with frosty nights. Fortunately, if you follow a few simple practices, you can successfully grow early season lettuce, and start eating fresh salads from your garden come early spring.

Growing vegetables from seeds, or “direct seeding,” in your garden is one of the best things about growing food at home! It can be a challenge to find varieties that are easy to grow, well adapted for your garden, and delicious. So save yourself the trouble and get your hands on some tried and true varieties that we love!

Summer is in full swing! Spring greens have wilted away in the heat, tomatoes are starting to ripen on the vines, zucchini's broad canopy is attempting a coup of the rest of the garden, and a fruitful season is upon us. It can be easy, in the midst of such abundant harvests, to forget about the opportunities for planting at this moment. And yet there are many opportunities for planting that shouldn’t be missed, now and in the weeks to come.

These days, as we all find our way forward through this difficult time, I have been struck by the sense that we are at the same time both more intimately connected and more isolated than ever before. As we retreat to our homes and our families (if we are so lucky) and face the anxiety, fear, and uncertainty that Coronavirus has brought to all of humanity, we suffer together. No one, it seems, is spared from the reach of this strange and extraordinary virus.

Summer is nearly upon us, and that means it's time to plant those tomatoes! There are few veggies that are more beloved for home gardeners than tomatoes, and though you might be tricked into thinking that growing your own is some act of garden magic or sorcery, it's not true!!! Growing your own tomatoes can be simple and joyous, so why not join in the fun before the season gets away?

The blistering heat of Summer feels far away now. It's hard to believe it was just a few months ago that we were harvesting tomatoes to our heart's content from our vegetable gardens! As is our custom, we wanted to take a moment to look back on the year and remember some of the highlights of the work we do helping people grow organic food.