Alison Cooksey of the Cooksey Farms societal spiritualist account proudly calls herBay Area - found hobby farma “ trial and mistake ” project . In recitation , this stand for taking bluff decisions in thegardenand paying attention to how the naturalresults unfold .
“ I always knew I wanted to garden because I grew up watching my pop garden . I always intend it was neat how he essentially created a mini - farm in our backyard , ” recalls Cooksey of her initial interest ingrowing produce . “ I was inspired by seeing how proud he was , come inside with thing he maturate to cook for dinner party . Once I finally drive my own home , I could n’t waitress to start my own garden . ”
We talk to Cooksey about the gratifying nature of gardening and planting pepper in December . We also get the soap on a slight something ring potato cucumber .
Embracing Experimentation
A place portion out by Alison – horticulture , compost and more ! ? ? ? ? ( @cookseyfarms )
When it comes to embracing experimentation in the garden , Cooksey points to planting Madagascar pepper seeded player in December as a hazard that paid off .
“ I felt that it was too early to start them , as last year I did n’t depart the seeds until March , ” explains Cooksey , “ but my white pepper barely produced by the time it got too cold-blooded . Someone I tattle to who lives in a warmer climate than I do articulate they commence their pepper seeds in December . So I decide I ’d taste it and see what happened . ”
Reaping the welfare of planting boldly , Cooksey enjoin the peppers “ have done exceptionally well this year . They farm early and have been very fertile ! ”
Playing with Seed Starting
build on the experimental stripe , Cooksey says that playing around with germ commence has also proven fruitful .
“ I ’ve found that I have had the best success begin come hydroponically . The seedlings get the right amount of water and light , and it takes a lot of the baby sitting of seedling aside . All of my hydroponic starts were some of the strongest and healthiest plant I ’ve ever had ! ”
Peppers, Tomatoes & Cucumbers
Looking over this year ’s bounty from the garden , Cooksey says peppercorn , tomatoes and cucumbers emerged as leading succeeder narration . “ It ’s been nice to be able to have enough to corrode and also deal with friends and family for once , ” suppose Cooksey .
“ As far as incorporating my green goods into preparation , ” she remain , “ I ’ve been add peppers and tomatoes to almost every dishful . Sometimes it feels like I ’m on the cookery showChopped . I see at what I have in the garden and in the pantry , and I see what I can make ! ”
Get to Know Potato Cucumbers
If you take a moment to enjoy the Cooksey Farms Instagram account , you ’ll notice the presence of some optic - catching potato cucumber . “ The tater cucumbers are by all odds alone , ” say Cooksey . “ They are a minuscule , shaggy-coated variety , but deplorably they have n’t been very prolific for me . But that could be due to a few factors . I put my plant life in a grow grip , so next year I ’ll try it in a larger container or in a raised bed and see if that helps . ”
Despite not being the most fertile feature of the garden , Cooksey say the white potato cucumbers taste “ fantastic ” and resemble “ Persian cucumbers with a thin skin and a nice almost maize - like tint . ”
A Grateful Ecosystem
“ I retrieve it ’s just so gratifying to see a tiny seed that was plant turn of events into a big plant life that can feed me , ” allege Cooksey , reflecting on the holistic joy of the garden . “ Or if it ’s something like flowers , being able to produce things that can help bee and other good insects — which in turn helps them pollinate my other plant ! It ’s just so enchanting to be capable to make a little ecosystem in my own backyard . ”
