How to Plant a Salsa Garden.

It's only natural for the vegetable gardener to be drawn to cooking. What better way to experience garden fresh ingredients in the height of summer then to make your own homemade salsa. Plant these easy to grow ingredients and enjoy the best produce your summer garden has to offer.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Planting space that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight
• Compost
• Well rotted manure
• Bone meal
• Organic vegetable fertilizer
• At least 6 tomato plants
• 2 bell pepper plants
• 1 habanero pepper plant, if you like salsa spicy
• 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper plant
• 1 anaheim chili pepper plant
• Onion starts
• Garlic cloves
• 3 Cilantro plants
• optional, 1 oregano plant
• optional, at least 2 tomatillo plants
• A LARGE tomato cage for each tomato, pepper, and tomotillo.
• Shovel
• Water
• Amour

1. You've located your garden bed in area that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. After removing any sod or weeds, in an area that is 6' X 6' or bigger, top dress the soil with 2 inches of compost, 1 inch of well rotted or aged manure, 3 cups of bone meal sprinkled (more if the space is bigger), and organic slow release vegetable food sprinkled at the rate specified on the back of the package (different products have different application amounts). Double dig or till the amendments in 8 inches deep and rake the soil surface smooth before planting.
2. Plant away (once the temperature has warmed and danger of frost has past). Tomatoes, peppers, and tomatillos are going to be your biggest plants and they're going to need the most water. Plant them so they don't shade out any other plants and it'll be easy for you to stretch the hose to them, about 15 inches apart. Leggy tomatoes can be planted deep with only 25% of the plant left above the soil surface. Everything else has to be planted at a depth that doesn't leave the plant sunk or buried deep in the hole (plant it high it wont die, plant it low it wont grow).
3. Plant the garlic and onions close to the tomatoes, since they naturally repel bad bugs. The final layer should be the herbs (oregano and cilantro) since they need the least amount of water and nutrients.
4. Install the tomato cages around the young tomatoes, peppers and tomatillos. Add a 2 inch layer of mulch. I like straw, but others prefer bark, peat moss, compost, or a thin layer of grass. Water well and continue to keep the garden moist but not soggy, throughout the season. A monthly application of the vegetable fertilizer would benefit the tomatoes, peppers, and tomotillos. The herbs, onion, and garlic will only need regular light water. Harvest the oregano and cilantro often to avoid the plants sending up flowers and bolting (flower = bad herb flavor).

Tips & Warnings

• Roma tomatoes are the most popular variety for salsa. You can bring in new flavor, color, and variety by adding tomatoes like: Taxi (large yellow), Celebrity (good tangy medium red), sungold (my favorite cherry, it's orange) sweet 100's (sweet red cherry), purple plum (excellent flavor and it's purple), and red or yellow pear tomatoes.
• Jalapenos and Serrano's are a good hot taste, habanero's add fire, and anaheim's can be pan roasted (that turns them into chipotles).
• If you have extra room in your garden, add more nutrients and grow more tomatoes. You can never have enough tomatoes.
• Tomatillos can be used in any recipe in place of or part of the tomatoes, they add a green color and tart flavor.