Gardening in Patzcuaro

This is an area where I could use some help and comments. What grows well, when and how?

Edible plants...

We've had great luck with kale and rhubarb plants that we bought form Lisa and Ian's farm last fall. They've been growing and producing for almost a full year now. Our strawberry plants (planted in August) have been hanging in there, fruiting now and then but barely. I think we'll get some this summer? I've also heard that year 2 the strawberries go nuts...

We also planted chard (acelga), roma tomatoes, peas, sunflowers, pumpkin, cherry tomatoes, broccoli and eggplant and got peas and sunflowers year round and tomatoes and broccoli in the spring. We're still waiting to see if we get eggplant and cherry tomatoes as we just planted them. Our pumpkin plant became HUGE and we had to rip it out before it took over the entire garden. It flowered a few times, but we really didn't have the space for it.

Hotel or Vacation Rental

Personally, these days I prefer a vacation rental over a hotel, every time. Even for just a couple of days, there's nothing like having your own kitchen, your own front door, a living room, the comfort of sleeping in and not worrying about whether you're going to like the complementary breakfast and the luxury of coming and going and not having to talk to the receptionist :) Maybe this makes me old and a creature of comfort, but this is where I am right now in my life. Luckily, there are a lot of vacation rentals in the Patzcuaro area:

Lili's Casitas - 3 adorable 1 and 2 bedroom-casitas overlooking Lake Zirahuen

Casa Espejo - 3 bedroom/2 bathroom home right in the center of Patzcuaro, near the market

Casa Brawner - 3 bedroom/2 bathroom home with a beautiful garden, pet friendly, wireless internet

The Beautiful House in Zirahuen - 4 bedroom/2.5 bathroom home across the street from Zira-Bar and Lake Zirahuen

Casa Tzintzuntzan - 4 bedroom/3 bathroom retreat in Tzintzuntzan, sleeps 10