Mom’s Santa Rosa Vegetable Garden

My mom has an extraordinary green thumb. In the spring, she spends most of her time tending it and finds joy in doing the things most of us would rather hire someone to do. Visiting her over the weekend for Mother’s Day was a breath of fresh air (literally)—a weekend of inspiration and good mother-daughter bonding.

Even though I appreciate the flowers, usually I head straight toward her vegetable garden where she keeps six planter boxes and a modest greenhouse.

Every year is a different set of crops. This year it’s tomatoes, garlic, green beans, sweet onions, lettuce, zucchini, radishes, Japanese eggplant, ohba, mizuna, daikon, piiman (Japanese bell peppers), and a yuzu tree. Her herb garden offers cilantro, rosemary, sage, flat-leaf parsely, and chives. She proudly showed me her new composter. It’s shaped like an orb and rotates on its own stand, like a globe. I’m amused she derives so much excitement over a composter.

The truth is I don’t know much about growing anything. But I’ve decided to try my hand at it and, with Sa and Ak’s help, started growing tomatoes and other plants in the back of our little rental. I’ve asked my mom to contribute to this site by giving us tips on gardening and sharing her recipes. Look forward to her insights, advice, and cooking!