Bed D3, Tended by Bryce and Timo
Bryce and Timo came from Seattle to Spokane to be closer to family. This is their first year gardening at ECG, though they have a south-facing balcony full of potted perennials like pomegranate, papaya, blueberry, and prickly pear cacti. When not gardening, they love to be outside as much as possible, hiking or paddling.
They try to visit ECG at least once a day; sometimes it’s for ten minutes and sometimes it’s a few hours. Their secret ingredient for fabulous tomatoes is the occasional application of coffee grounds (for added nitrogen.) They do take advantage of Barry’s fabulous Compost Tea, as well.
Timo and Bryce have an interesting choice of plants in their bed, including a mix of veggies and flowers. The flowers came from two mixes: one for pollinators (the bees and butterflies thank you!) and one intended for shade. Bryce tells us that the combination produced surprises throughout the season, including marigolds, poppies, cosmos, and the giant sunflowers (species unidentified.) They also grew Chinese 5-Color peppers, buena mulata peppers, Mexican violetta garlic, and several types of heirloom tomatoes.
Most interesting of all are the tomatillos: shaped like little paper lanterns, the globular fruit is hidden inside. These are used in “Timoteo’s Tomatillo Salsa.” Sounds delicious! (Maybe they could share and we could post it in the recipe Blog?!?!?!) This couple LOVES “to make yummy meals with all of our fresh produce!”
Like many gardeners this year, Bryce and Timo had a challenge when their tomatoes began to take over the bed. They started out by weaving twine between two wooden poles, but by the middle of summer, the weight of all the tomatoes meant they had to try something else. They placed bamboo horizontally along the top of the poles, then tied up the tomatoes to keep them off the ground, so they wouldn’t get diseases. Very creative!
Formerly a hairdresser and esthetician, Timo and Bryce have started a new, plant-related business: propagating and selling tropical houseplants online.
Bryce and Timo say, “Gardening has brought us a lot of joy, and is a great way to spend our time.”
We at Eden Community Gardens are so pleased you have joined us for this growing season. Thank you for sharing, and congratulations for tending this Featured Bed of the Week!