Finally, the seed orders...
I'm making an effort to get my veg. seed orders in earlier this year - last year a bunch of things I wanted were sold out, and I completely missed the mid-March deadline for Moose Tubers orders.
This year, I'm ordering mostly things that have worked well for me in the past: reliable for me to grow, and something I like.
There are a few varieties that I keep ordering every year - for some reason - and then I keep neglecting them, or planting them at the wrong time, or the seed won't germinate, or something. I've talked myself into removing most of those from this year's list.
So, less variety this year, but still more than I can reasonably manage, plus a few experiments. Seed ordering is still a cheap hobby, compared to many, and the rewards are pretty decent.
Legumes
No tomatoes or peppers on that list. There's a good local nursery with reasonably-priced plants, including a wide range of heirlooms. That will save me the effort of rearranging the entryway to cram the shelving and lights into it, at least until it's time to start melons and squashes.
And, I'm planning to buy a CSA box again this year, which means I should be drowning in veg. Last year, I cooked like mad all summer to process all the veg...leftovers went into the freezer in meal-sized containers - just heat&eat. Those garden MREs were so welcome this winter that I aim to expand on the idea this year: tons of summer cooking, and then sit back and feast on my stored meals all winter. Still waffling a little bit, because I know how much work it will be. But the challenge/pressure of trying to keep the produce from being wasted will motivate me, and I could use the boost of health I'll get from eating really, really well, and the stress reduction I get from gardening and cooking - it's going to be a stressful year.
I'm also planning to buy one book: How to Pick a Peach, $8.95 from Pinetree.
This year, I'm ordering mostly things that have worked well for me in the past: reliable for me to grow, and something I like.
There are a few varieties that I keep ordering every year - for some reason - and then I keep neglecting them, or planting them at the wrong time, or the seed won't germinate, or something. I've talked myself into removing most of those from this year's list.
So, less variety this year, but still more than I can reasonably manage, plus a few experiments. Seed ordering is still a cheap hobby, compared to many, and the rewards are pretty decent.
Legumes
- fava beans - that's a new experiment; I found out I like them, so might as well try growing them. They like cooler weather than other beans.
- Indy gold (bush), because Mom likes them, and Rattlesnake (pole) because I like them.
- shell peas: Coral (earlier), Lincoln, and Kurume hi-crop (Kitazawa)
- Sugarsnap snap peas
- legume inoculant
- two varieties of broccoli raab and two varieties of Chinese broccoli plus a couple other mustard greens and small heading broccolis...maybe; I need to pay closer attention to when I plant these, and I need to dial back the variety. I say that every year.
- chard - golden and cardinal
- kale - 7 different kinds. Yep. Red Russian, Winterbor, Beedy's Camden, Rainbow Lacinato, Red Ursa, Fizz, and Red Chidori. I like kale, and most of the grocery store stuff is too tough.
- tatsoi, Green Wave mustard, and Red giant mustard - these are my standard favorites.
- Golden purslane - another experiment; got some in the CSA box last year and found I really liked it. Yes, it's probably growing wild somewhere in my yard - once I can reliably ID it (growing it for a year will help), then I can just forage.
- spinach - Winter Bloomsdale, Orai-alrite, Regment, and Tortoiseshell
- beets - Golden, Cylindra, and Boltardy
- carrots - 5 varieties, tending toward the deep red end of the spectrum
- onions - Noorhollandse Bloedrode, Red Marble, Purplette mini, and Red Zepplin. So, red onions.
- Turga parsnip - first time growing parsnips in a while
- potatoes - Sangre (early), Blue Gold (mid-season), and Red Pontiac (late); 2.5 lbs of each, which is all I can reasonably fit into one of the wide-row beds.
- radishes - White Icicle (did well a couple years ago), Dragon radish, and a year-round daikon
- rutabaga - haven't grown much of these in recent years; I've read that they should be planted 90 days before fall frost...which is probably not when I've planted them in the past.
- turnips - Gold Ball and Hinona kabu - sort of the same deal as rutabaga, but the timing's different.
- Picasso shallot sets - a plant&forget item
- cucumbers - 3 varieties; National Pickling and Palace Price have male&female flowers on same plant; Moringa needs another variety for pollination.
- melons - collective farm woman, Kazakh, and Jill
- Mexican sour gherkin - had one plant last year and it was very productive
- summer squash - Costata Romanesca, Early bulam, Tatume
- winter squash - Thelma Sanders' sweet potato, Iran, Red Kuri, Sweet Mama, Speckled Hound; I'm a sucker for all the nifty squashes, even if the vines take over the garden and the critters nibble at the fruit.
- Basil - regular sweet and Thai from Fedco, Langkuri Thai and Thai red basils from Kitazawa. Last year I enjoyed cooking Thai-esque foods with a mess of garden veg, a can of pigeon peas in coconut, some chili peppers, and plenty of Thai basil.
- chervil
- par-cel, parsley, zwolsche krul, and Kintsai Chinese celery (supposed to be a bit darker colored than most)
- papalo (Johnny's)
- fenugreek (yummy leaves)
- Zaatar marjoram (maybe, haven't ordered it yet)
- Korean perilla - supposed to be larger leaves
- saltwort - a.k.a. Oka hijiki; very tasty; grew well a couple years ago, then zilch last year
- Painted Mountain corn, broom corn, sweet annie (I used to have some but it weirdly died out)
- mixes of sunflowers, calendula, nasturtium, love-in-a-mist, zinnias
No tomatoes or peppers on that list. There's a good local nursery with reasonably-priced plants, including a wide range of heirlooms. That will save me the effort of rearranging the entryway to cram the shelving and lights into it, at least until it's time to start melons and squashes.
And, I'm planning to buy a CSA box again this year, which means I should be drowning in veg. Last year, I cooked like mad all summer to process all the veg...leftovers went into the freezer in meal-sized containers - just heat&eat. Those garden MREs were so welcome this winter that I aim to expand on the idea this year: tons of summer cooking, and then sit back and feast on my stored meals all winter. Still waffling a little bit, because I know how much work it will be. But the challenge/pressure of trying to keep the produce from being wasted will motivate me, and I could use the boost of health I'll get from eating really, really well, and the stress reduction I get from gardening and cooking - it's going to be a stressful year.
I'm also planning to buy one book: How to Pick a Peach, $8.95 from Pinetree.