Grown a Salsa Garden

If planning a vegetable garden feels intimidating, a salsa garden is a wonderful way to start growing summer vegetables, with plants that can all be used together to make salsa, sauce, or enjoyed fresh on their own. Check out the video below that lays out a specific planting plan for you to follow, for a 3 foot by 9 foot raised bed. I’ve found this size to be best for people getting started. It’s not too wide to reach across, and if limits the number of cuts and waste. You can buy 2, 12 foot boards and make two cuts. Then only 4 more cuts are needed for the corner supports.

Choosing the Right Location

Select a sunny spot in your garden that receives at least six to eight hours of sunlight each day. This ensures that your plants grow robustly. I like to garden in raised beds, due to all the Connecticut potatoes (rocks) and admittedly, I really prefer the look of them. You can certainly plant this bed straight into a cleared and prepped section of ground as well. Just choose a well draining area, remove all the rocks and amend with organic compost by topdressing and adding a handful to each hole when you plant. Do not till the soil. Soil science now shows this destroys the community of microbes living and working for you in the soil.

When building a raised bed, be sure to use untreated wood, either cedar or hard wood. Treated lumber is used in construction and has chemicals you don’t want leaching into your soil, and your food. Fill your raised bed with an organic soil mix, like Coast of Maine’s raised bed mix- my favorite.

What to Plant, including my favorite varieties:

Red Galahad Tomatoes: Galahad is my favorite tomato hands down. It doubles as a slicer and cooking tomato because it is a nice balance between juicy and meaty. It’s one I always grow from seed because I’ve never seen it in nurseries. I source these seeds from www.johnnyseeds.com Start seeds indoors about 6-8 weeks before your last frost date, then transplant them outdoors after the danger of frost has passed. If you don’t want to grow tomatoes from seed, look for any kind of red tomato described as being less juicy (like a paste tomato) which are best for salsa.
Yellow Tomatoes: Lots of color in salsa is always a welcome addition. Any yellow tomato will work. I love Ginfiz.
Green Tomatoes: More color, more flavors. Grow more reds or yellows if you can’t find green. Green Zebra is a lovely variety to start from seed.
Carmen Peppers: Known for their sweet flavor and beautiful red color, these peppers are the best garden grown variety I’ve tried. They can be hard to find. I also source these seeds from www.johnnyseeds.com. You can always substitute any sweet pepper you find in your local garden center.
Jalapeños: Essential for that classic salsa heat, jalapeños are one of my favorite things to grow. One plant will provide you with plenty for salsa, unless you like to pickle them too like me. In that case, you can’t have too many!
Red and White Onions: These are crucial for adding flavor to your salsas. You can find onion sets in garden centers, or start from seen in February. They are so easy to grow.
Basil: This herb adds a wonderful aroma and flavor to salsa. Buy a plant and separate each stem and its roots when you plant it, to create more plants. They often come with many plants seeded into one little pot.
Cilantro: A must-have for fresh salsa, cilantro can be seeded in the spring or early fall.
Garlic: This is planted in the fall, so not to worry if you missed the window this time. Just grow extra onions. I prefer German Extra Hardy garlic which has reliably large cloves and great flavor.
Chives: Perennial chives are a no brainer. Easy and delicious.
Nasturtiums: Buy a packet of seeds and direct sow. Tuck them in underneath your tomatoes. The flowers and leaves are edible, and they help bring in the bumblebees.

Seed Starting Tips iF you want to make sure you get Certain varieties. Otherwise, shop your local graden center for plants in Late Spring

To ensure your plants thrive, timing and proper seed starting techniques are key:

Order seeds. December-March. The earlier the better to guarantee you get your favorites. I like www.johnnyseeds.com for the seeds used in this garden bed.
Know Your Last Frost Date: Google your zipcode and “last frost date” to determine your last frost date.
Follow Seed Packet Instructions: Each seed variety has specific requirements. For example, if the seed packet states to sow seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost, work backwards from the date you determined above.
Transplant Timing: I like to plant my salsa garden about 2 weeks after the last frost date to be on the safe side. This gives the soil time to warm up and helps protect your young plants from any lingering cold.
Use Quality Seed Starting Mix: Invest in a good seed starting mix for your indoor seed trays. This ensures adequate drainage and nutrition for your seedlings. Coast of Maine has a seed starting mix.
Light Requirements: If starting seeds indoors, ensure they receive plenty of light. A south-facing window or grow lights will help keep your seedlings strong and healthy.
Hardening Off: Before transplanting seedlings outdoors, gradually acclimate them to outdoor conditions over a week or so. This process is known as hardening off and helps reduce transplant shock.

Planting and Care

Once your plaants are ready, it’s time to start planting:

Spacing: Follow the spacing guidelines in the video above.
Watering: Keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy. Using a drip irrigation system can help manage moisture levels effectively, but is not necessary and I hand water all my raised beds as needed.
Mulching: Apply a layer of mulch around your plants to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature. Heat treated chopped hay/straw is what I use.

Harvesting

Watch your plants closely as they grow. For tomatoes and peppers, harvest them when they are about 75% their final color. Red and white onions are ready to pull when their tops begin to fall over. Harvest cilantro and basil just before you’re ready to use them for maximum flavor.

Fresh Salsa Recipe

With your homegrown ingredients at hand, here’s a specific recipe to make authentic fresh salsa:

Ingredients:

2 Galahads (red), 1 Gin Fizz (yellow), and 1 Green Zebra tomato, diced.
1/2 Carmen pepper, diced
1 jalapeño, diced (remove seeds for less heat)
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced (optional) or 1 tablespoon chopped chives
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste

Instructions: Mix it all together and enjoy.