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.

With the abundance of snow and ice recently here in the Portland area, it is hard to imagine just a month or two forward to the time for planting our Spring vegetable gardens! But that time will come sooner than we know it and our seeds will take to the dark earth and grow into these ever longer days.

Well that just about does it for this year's planting season. Hopefully you had the foresight to plant Fall and Winter vegetables in August and September. Our Fall vegetables are just coming into their prime as we settle in for the rainy season. Arugula, Kale, Lettuce, Broccoli, Cabbage, Radicchio, Carrots, Turnips-- These are just a few of the veggies you can harvest from your home garden in the months ahead.

While you watch your first tomatoes ripen on the vine, and seek out summer swimming holes, the thought of roasted winter roots, or a January kale salad are probably the last things on your mind. But if you want to be feasting from your garden in the dreary dark days of Winter, the time to think about what to plant is now!

It is a glorious time to live in the Willamette Valley. It feels to me like the natural world around us has been at its absolute peak lately. The Dogwood blossoms are erupting in shocks of pink and white and Spring feels like it is finally full-on. This last stretch of sunshine has brought it all together. It feels like there is a palpable sense of sweetness, joy, and a welcome softness everywhere. A fortunate time indeed.

Happy New Year from Portland Edible Gardens! Spring may still feel like a remote island somewhere far away, but take heart and take heed! We are drifting steadily towards that shore! Before we know it, the buds will be breaking and the sun that warms our soil will be nurturing the gardens that we plant (or the weeds that we don't).