Some Like it Hot! So Make Your Own Salsa Garden!

July 17, 11:05 AMGardening ExaminerRobin Ripley

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Dozens of varieties of peppers in all shades of HOT
can liven up you meals

There are plenty of gardeners out there who grow nothing but flowers and ornamentals. Frankly, not only am I not one of them, I don't really understand them. If the purpose is to grow something lovely, what can be more lovely than a bowl of spicy salsa? I know! Two bowls of salsa! One red and one green!

So let's grow salsa! 

Growing your own salsa garden is a rewarding way to combine vegetable and theme gardening. Imagine a clever patch of earth with a riot of vegetables and herbs. It's a beautiful and particularly productive combination because many salsa ingredients have the considerate habit of all producing and ripening at the same time.

If your taste runs toward the whimsical, you can plunk down a little donkey statue or one of those cowboy boot planters to ornament your salsa garden. Add a colorful basket nearby to collect some bounty whenever you walk by and you've got yourself something to boast about to your chums.

For dinnertime, salsa is the near-perfect food. Most salsa don't need any cooking or roasting, so the only heat you have to contend with is from the peppers or chiles!

If your salsa experience ends with the soggy red stuff in a jar you buy in the supermarket aisle, it's time to salsa with some new partners. You can experiment with different combinations of traditional and non-traditional ingredients with different levels of heat. 

Not all salsa is red. Tomatillos make a delightfully
piquant sauce, especially when paired with cilantro,
onions, lemon and plenty of garlic.

Here are some winning salsa ingredients you can grow at home in your own salsa garden.

• Tomatoes - Heirloom varieties come in colors from nearly black to bright red and orange to yellow. There are even striped heirloom varieties, such as the super-sweet Mr. Stripey.
• Peppers - Green peppers, banana peppers, red peppers
• Chiles - Habanero chiles, jalapeno peppers, chipotle chiles. Some of these plants are quite small, so you can plant a wide variety in a fairly small space.
• Tomatillos - Tiny green fruits that grow into papery skins. They are a bit tart and make an excellent green salsa.
• Onions - Red onions, green onions, yellow onions, scallions
• Garlic
• Herbs - Parsley, cilantro, chives, garlic chives
• Corn
• Beans - Black beans, calypso beans, black eyed peas
• Radishes
• Zucchini