Nothing is better than a fresh Ohio tomato grown in season! Add fresh onions, peppers, and cilantro and now it’s fresh salsa! Salsa is a versatile dish, used as a fresh vegetable dip for tortilla chips or added as a topping to grilled fish and meat dishes.
Consider growing a salsa garden this year. A salsa garden requires only four plants- tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and peppers. If your garden space is limited, skip the onions, and grow tomatoes, cilantro, and peppers.
Spring is the best time for planting a salsa garden. A salsa garden may be planted on a patio in containers, raised beds or in a garden. Be sure the garden spot receives at least six hours of sun daily. Start planting once the danger of frost has passed.
If you are container gardening, choose deep pots for tomatoes and peppers. Cilantro may be planted in a shallow pot, in a larger size as they need plenty of room to grow and expand. Be sure to use supports for the tomatoes and peppers whether in a container, raised bed or garden to prevent sprawling of the plants, avoids breakage and keeps pests and disease away. Use potting soil with a 50/50 blend of potting soil and compost.
Choose tomatoes with:
- Thick flesh (limits moisture in salsa)
- Different varieties to produce throughout the season.
- Prune tomatoes regularly to prevent the plant from growing out of control.
- Trim off the lower branches to encourage air circulation around the base of the plants.
Peppers are the most challenging of the group to grow with their finicky heat requirement. Here are a few tips for growing peppers for salsa:
- Select between sweet and hot peppers or mix the two varieties according to your preference.
- Peppers change color as they are ripe, pick them at any color stage.
- Be careful with the seeds and pale colored flesh inside the hot peppers when they ripen. Be sure to wear single use gloves when handling hot peppers to protect your hands. These are extra hot and only add them to the salsa if you like the heat. Otherwise, clean out the inside of the pepper and wash your hands carefully.
- Support your peppers to protect them from wind damage.
Cilantro
- Grows well in a shallow pot that is larger allowing it space to expand.
- Thrives in warm weather, bring the cilantro inside when it gets cold outside.
- Harvest frequently to prevent the plants from flowering and going to seed.
Caring for your salsa garden:
- Water plants when there has been no rain. Apply water at the soil level to avoid getting the plant foliage wet and water deeply to encourage plant roots to grow deep.
- Plant marigolds around the salsa garden to keep pests off the plants.
- Feed the plants with a good fertilizer once a month.
Health Benefits of Garden Salsa
- Tomatoes, onions, lime juice are rich sources of Vitamin C.
- Fiber is found naturally in plants and helps stabilize blood sugars.
- Tomatoes contain lycopene which is linked to reducing the risk of cancer.
- Hydrating tomatoes are 95% of water
- Low in calories – two tablespoons of salsa is 10 calories or less
- Healthy for your heart- cholesterol free as it is made from plants containing no cholesterol.
Make salsa with your fresh grown harvest. It is easy and delicious. Here is a great recipe for fresh salsa. Anothe recipe to try is Pico de Gallo. Enjoy growing an easy salsa garden this spring and have a salsa party this summer!
Written by: Beth Stefura, OSU Extension Educator, Mahoning County, stefura.2@osu.edu
Reviewed by: Margaret Jenkins, OSU Extension Educator, Clermont County, jenkins.188@osu.edu
References:
MyPlate | U.S. Department of Agriculture
https://extension.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/salsa_garden.pdf
With appropriate containers and proper handling, anything that can be grown in the ground can be grown in a container. Texas A & M provides a great resource for those who are considering 
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