Seeds Ordered!

Time almost got away from me, but I managed to order seeds at the last minute. I love Fedco's cover this year featuring a female gardening superhero. Little did I know much this would mean when it arrived in December given all the recent events. There was even a coloring contest with cash prizes (it ended last week). No digital images were accepted--all original entries had to be mailed directly to Fedco in Maine!

I also enjoy reading the list of new varieties; each with a one-liner description like "Kaori green shiso: a thrilla of a perilla!" or "Latte hybrid sweet corn: What do coffee and corn have in common?" followed by "Cappuccino hybrid sweet corn: We have no idea!" I didn't let them distract me from my order which is mostly fall and winter crops--two types of kale plus 'Jack Be Little' pumpkins and 'Autumn Wings' gourds. Jack Be Little are so easy to grow with so many fruit on the vine. I've not grown the gourds before but hoping they will be as easy as the mini pumpkins. Plus, I'm a sucker for these at the pumpkin patch.

And then there's my other go-to seed catalog--Kitazawa specializing in mostly Asian seed varieties. I decided to skip the Odoriko tomatoes this year since I am promised a round of starts from some old seed. Sow what you have first before buying more! And with my limited space, I couldn't justify a fifth tomato variety. I did opt for the Kurume Long eggplant in addition to the Money Maker I usually buy. Let's see how it compares as Money Maker has never let me down. I'm hoping the shishito peppers are better this year. I was surprised that they did so poorly, but maybe our mild summer had something to do with it. I threw in Purple Vienna kohlrabi and Armenian striped cucumber as well.

Baby Fruit

I love a good challenge. A gardener friend of mine tried growing corn awhile back (she wasn't successful) and ever since I wanted to give it a try. I looked at my go-to source for cooler growing, short season varieties: Fedco. I grew Espresso Bi-Color. I was super excited to have two whole ears! And this was a decent season for my first attempt given how warm it was.

Corn!

I also grew Charentais melons again. This time the Alvaro type from Fedco. Considered one of the "sure bets" for short growing seasons, I thought why not? I had several promising fruits. I'm not sure I started them early enough or have them in the hottest spot possible to ensure a decent crop. But these babies are the best I've done yet. Not to be discouraged I'm willing to try again next year. It will be so rewarding once I get it right!

Melon Baby!

Next post will be the start of the harvest and summer review as I start to put the garden to rest.

Spring Get Away April Fool!

I'm usually much better at keeping up with posting entries. My goal is at least one per month, yet it's been almost three months since my last one.

I blame the weather...

We've had an incredible winter. It's been super mild which isn't great for our snow pack and water supply. But, it's been great for gardening. I even took the risk of seeding my lawn a few weeks ago. A bit of seasonal denial. I am fully aware at any moment we could enter a cold snap as we haven't passed our frost free date yet. And if we do freeze, I worry about every plant out there that is blooming or finished and leafing out as though it's May!

I found my invoice and letter from CR Lawn of Fedco Seeds, one of my favorite seed companies. His letter analyzed seed orders as of January 19, 2015. While seed orders have been slow, they had an increase of their tree orders (sorry, you have to be local in Maine to take advantage) by 20%. His reasoning is that people think long term and there is an increase in permaculture resulting in more tree sales.

Their biggest seller is Swiss Chard 'Bright Lights' followed by cilantro 'Caribe'. CR Lawn can't but help make a political jab connecting a poor selling spinach 'Donkey' to the GOP's motives.

This is the first year Fedco designated codes for their seed sources. It was too early to tell at the time of the letter, but it will be interesting to see if the codes affect the seed sales.

I realized today, it being the last day of March, I better get on to sowing! And...oh...wait! I forgot to place my order with Kitazawa! Argh! Maybe this is a good thing given my eyes are always bigger than my garden. It will help me narrow down my choices. Do I want to try again with winged beans and edamame? Probably not. Should I try something new like corn? Go back to growing kohlrabi? Yes and yes! I love broccoli raab but have struggled with bolting so I'm thinking of trying 'Zamboni'. Oh and of course our beloved 'Odoriko' tomato.

Hope you're all taking advantage of this weather...seasonal denial or otherwise!
 

Seed Catalog Time!

Nothing like being gone over the holidays and having a mail dump of seed catalogs waiting for me when I got home!

 

 



My usual suspects of John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds, Baker Creek, Fedco, Territorial, Jung Seeds (who signed me up for that one?) arrived along with a new one for me this year: R.H. Shumway's.  

Usually late in the game, John Scheepers was early. In past years, I have received this one long after I've placed my orders.

Baker Creek is a usual favorite, but I have to be careful not to get carried away zonal denial given they are based in Missouri and California. It's easy to do with their lovely pictures tempting me with seeds they've collected around the world in much hotter places.

I'll get back to Fedco in a bit, and I'm going to skip Territorial since they have a reputation already in this region.

Jung Seeds looks like a combo of your usual seed offerings plus other edibles from vine, tree and shrub. Plus perennials and even ornamental colocasia and allocasia--which are not hardy here.

R.H.Shumway's is a new one I requested for this year. It's got an "old timey" catalog look to it so much so I'm expecting to find offers for soap or men's shave cream and brushes. I'm not sure I'll actually order from them unless there is something I must have and can't find elsewhere. They are offering a selection of new annuals like the African Sunset petunia and Candy Showers trailing snapdragon.

I left my favorite for last--Fedco. I have always been impressed with their quality and since they are based in Maine, their growing season is on par with Seattle. I also appreciate their conscientious, mindful outlook on where their seeds are coming from. Over the past several years, CR Lawn has expressed the company's dilemma of calling themselves sustainable while offering seeds from Bayer and Syngenta. While the seed is not treated, these two companies produce neonicotinoids ("neonics" for short) and Atrazine. Neonics have recently been linked as a possible cause in bee colony collapse and are being banned in Europe and the US. CR Lawn went to great lengths designating the seeds source leaving it up to the consumer to make the choice. There is also the reality if they don't offer these varieties, their customers will find them elsewhere. I know I can't imagine my small garden without Sungolds or Masai haricot vert. A dilemma indeed.

Catalog Time!

I can't believe it's been since October that I last posted something. Yikes! Where did the time go?

It's that time of year where my mailbox (and I'm sure yours) is filled with catalogs. I look forward to perusing what's being offered every year at this time and yet I'm overwhelmed.

It's possible to have too many choices. How did I narrow it down? I started with the smallest catalog which is also the most specific: Kitazawa Seed Company. Their emphasis is Asian vegetable seeds. Since I live where the growing season is short, this is a great source for tomatoes and eggplant geared for our climate. I've also had great success with their seeds in the past. I plan on ordering the Odoriko pink tomato, which matures in 75 days. It's easy and tasty as are Sungolds. With eggplant I plan on growing Money Maker #2 (which I find the name hilarious). It sets fruit early, maturing in 60 days. Kitazawa is a big hit in my book for carrying specialty veggies like gailaan (Chinese broccoli), cutting celery and shishito peppers. If my husband had his way, our entire garden would be solely shishitos. They are easy to grow and a fantastic summertime snack flash fried in olive oil and kosher salt.

I'm also partial to Fedco. Who could pass up a catalog cover featuring a comic strip with a sunflower spitting seeds into the ground?! Even though they're in Maine, they understand a short growing season. Their seed prices are super reasonable and promise no GMO material. They also are the only ones who carry Rainbow kale. I grew this a few years ago and feel like it's time to grow it again. Rainbow kale is a cross between Lacinato and Red Bor. It is gorgeous as it is yummy. I'm going to also try carrots again this year as they are bringing back the Tonda di Parigi which grow well in heavy soil. My other favorite I grew last year are the Masai haricots verts bush beans; the perfect type for lazy pickers like me. I had pods in mid-October that were still good.

I'm going to order a few items from Territorial. I was wooed by their Royal Burgundy bush bean which has a lovely purple color. And they are the only ones carrying seeds for the Indigo tomato series. I had these for the first time a couple of years ago from Let Us Farm (they specialize in lettuce...get it?) and are super delicious. They have a purple black skin and are deep red inside. I may go with a variety closer to the 75 day maturity versus 80 to ensure I get enough ripening time. Possibly Indigo Kumquat since they are a grape type which would be a great pair with Sungold.

I'm tempted to try something new this year. Maybe a few new flowers like Territorial's Babino marigold which has golden flowers brushed with orange streaks on a compact plant, or a new compact sweet pea like Cupid Black. I've never grown zucchini before. Lock your car doors and guard your porches friends!  

Seeds for 2013

Usually I'm much more on top of my game as far as ordering seeds. Within weeks of the big catalog dump in my mailbox at the beginning of the year, I have my lists figured out and my seeds arrive by the end of January or February at the latest.

Well, here it is...March. I compiled my list and received my seeds yesterday from Fedco. I really their selection, but I forgot that the seeds take awhile to arrive. I became impatient and double checked my confirmation which reminded me that they'd ship within two weeks.

Finally they arrived yesterday. What is it that they say? If you snooze, you lose! Well, that's exactly what happened. I missed out on mache and the painted serpent cucumber. I'm actually surprised about the mache. Isn't that like saying you ran out of lettuce?

I am pretty disappointed about the cucumber. Now I have to either look for starts or find another seed source. I'd rather pay the shipping for just one item.

What struck me was I didn't get a substitution as instructed in my order. Instead they sent a $2.10 refund in a seed envelope stamped with "REFUND ENCLOSED." Two $1 coins and a dime were enclosed.

I thought sending cash through the mail was illegal...

I enjoy the thoughtful letter from CR Lawn; giving his report from Maine. A little bit about the weather, which he says is more normal this year compared to more recent winters. CR continues on about sales trends (a 3% gain from last year), how people are ordering (online vs paper), and how particular varieties are favored over others.

He mentions the paper catalog is sent to the printers in November so the online catalog is more current with availability, crop failures, etc. So why does he keep producing the paper catalog? Customers can't take their computer into the bathtub nor read it lying down in bed. Hey...I agree!

It seems to me there is a political message in his letter too. This time CR Lawn mentions the Right-to-Know legislation campaign which would make Maine the first state to pass a GMO food labeling law. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.

In the meantime, I'm going to hash out my planting plan for this spring. My next post will include details about what varieties I chose.

The dangerous seed catalogue

Some may say their eyes are bigger than their stomachs. Well, my eyes are bigger than my garden.

I just discovered Adaptive Seeds through another fantastic blog Greensparrow Gardens. Joseph mentioned this seed company as a "crazy source for crazy cool veggies." That's a description that's right up my alley.

Although I've been partial to Fedco Seeds for several years now, I'm leaning towards Adaptive Seeds for a majority of what I would like to try this year. First, they are practically next door in Sweet Home, OR compared to Waterville, ME. Don't get me wrong. I have liked Fedco since they are in Maine which has a similar growing season as we do. And I have enjoyed their range of cultivars that I haven't seen anywhere else. But, it's time to branch out and give someone else a try.

Reviewing my initial wish list, I think I may have to make some major edits. I've decided this year I'm going to try growing my own lettuce. While I love supporting Let Us Farm at the Columbia City Farmers' Market, I'd like to harvest my own straight from the garden, minutes before I'm ready to assemble a summertime salad. Adaptive Seeds have so many to choose from and are organized by romaine, leaf, and head. I want to try at least one of each.

There's a romaine type called 'Red Flamingo' which I will try this season for several reasons. First, I love any purple-tinged edible for my garden. Second, my son loves flamingos--his favorite animal at the zoo. He even has a small flamingo stuffed animal that goes everywhere with him. My third reason also involves my son who dislikes eating anything green He's willing to eat purple lettuce so I'm hoping this will do the trick of getting him to eat more vegetables.

Of the leaf selections, I chose 'White Seeded Samara' purely on its looks. It looks like a butterhead with a lovely-shaped rosette, bright green with hints of pink. It's described to stand up in cold, wet weather and probably originated in Samara along the Volga River in Russia.

I was wooed by the butterhead 'Rolando' for it's bright green leaves to contrast the other two lettuces, and because all my edibles can't be purple. It's recommended for early spring harvest and seems like I won't need to put out row covers. I'm just too lazy for such a task.

The other lettuce I would like to try, but fear my eyes are getting bigger than my garden at this point is another green romaine called 'Winter Density'. It's described as a serious lettuce classic and a cross between a romaine and a butterhead. Who can pass up that description? Adaptive seeds says they don't carry common varieties, but when they do it's because they really love it. It's also cold and heat tolerant. It may be a good idea just to have some seed on hand in case one of the others I try fail. Another good reason is it came from Abundant Life Seed Company in Port Townsend, WA who's offices and seed collection were destroyed in a fire back in 2003.

Whew! I think I've narrowed down the lettuces. Next group to tackle: tomatoes!

Wow! Tomato!

Just when I thought it wasn't going to happen, it did. I've managed a bumper crop of 10 cherry tomatoes this year. High fives all around!

Turns out the tomatoes I've been tracking, were never going to turn red. Duh! They were the Wow! (yes, that's how the cultivar is written, complete with exclamation point!) cherry tomatoes, a Sungold rival according to Fedco Seeds. I'll have to say I agree. There is a certain sweetness of the Wow! that is like candy compared to the Sungolds I've had at the farmers' market.

The ones I tasted early on were a bit thick skinned for my liking. But, as the later fruits have been able to hang out on the vine awhlie, the skins seem thinner.


Their sweetness mixed with the tangy saltiness of the tuna made for a blissful lunch today as summer winds down.

I was surprised to find more later this evening that were ripe enough for snacking straight from the vine. I'll save a few for tomorrow's lunch.

Summer...better late than never around here!

Moose Tubers!!!

My sunchokes are here! After ordering them in February from Fedco, I thought it would be forever before I received them.

Sunchokes (Helianthus tuberosus), also known as Jerusalem Artichokes, are a sunflower relative and a part of the Moose Tubers program at Fedco Seeds. They offer three varieties: Waldspinel, Skorospelka, and Clearwater.

I ruled out the Waldspinel despite its rose color since it is prone to knobbiness. The Skorospelka is regarded a favorite among cooks since it's relatively knob-free. I chose the Clearwater because they are knobless and Will Bonsall's favorite. He is one of the directors of Seed Savers Exchange and the sunchoke curator. I decided to trust him and try it out. I'm slightly concerned they are the slowest to break dormancy, but hopefully with our south-facing bed next to the warm house it won't be an issue. At least they are said to be tender into the fall. I can also wait until the following spring to harvest them.

The small box--a perfect 3" cube--arrived with a paper bag of bulbs inside.
A one-pound bag contained at least 10 bulbs. I planted two patches up against the front porch. With their lemon yellow daisy-like flowers, I think they will be a nice back drop to the cistus, catmint, and asphodel. And the color will pop in front of our dark red house.

One thing I was warned about these little tubers is they spread and can be hard to eradicate. I'm hoping they don't travel around too much! I can't wait to harvest my first batch and make them into a creamy, garlic-y puree this coming fall. I'll keep you posted when they sprout.

Jack Frost

A week of hard frost like this and I start dreaming of what my garden will look like come spring. Thanks to my new seed catalogues--Fedco and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds--I'm conjuring a vision for next year's harvest...

Purple!

I am a sucker for purple plants and purple veggies. I'll have to blame Baker Creek for this one. From 'Early Purple Sprouting' broccoli to purple-podded pole beans and 'Chinese 5-Color' and 'Black Night' peppers, I just couldn't resist the glossy pages of purple goodness!

Oh! How cute are the 'Little Fingers' eggplant?! Click on the hyperlink to check them out. Promise to come back and finish reading this entry though. I know, it's easy to get sidetracked with online seed shopping. This is a new addition to the Baker Creek catalogue. I like the description of finger-sized fruits "allowed to grow larger with no sacrifice of their mild, sweet taste and tender texture." Can't wait to try it out. I'm hoping that since the fruits are meant to be small, they'll be a perfect match to our shorter growing season. I could even slice and roast them for a pizza. Yum!

I promised myself this summer that I would grow fava beans this year after buying them at the farmers' market every week at $4 per pound. Baker Creek offers a 'Extra Precoce A Grano Violetto' fava bean that has up to six purple beans inside the pods. While the pods themselves look like they're green, I can dress up my dinner table with purple-tinged fava bean spread topped with 'Black Cherry' tomatoes on bruschetta.

Speaking of 'Black Cherry' tomatoes. I'm planning on growing them again since they were so successful last summer in my garden. Fedco provided these last year and I'll go with them again. Tasty!

Bush beans were also a hit and so easy to grow. Baker Creek offers a 'Royalty Purple Podded' bush bean. The pole and bush beans will be planted on opposite ends of the garden. I hope they make a big enough impact to complement each other this summer.

Stay tuned for more of what's to come! In them meantime, make a cup of tea or cocoa and curl up with your seed catalogs while your garden thaws.

Seeds are in!!!

I wasted no time this year ordering seed, and have received my long-awaited back orders. FINALLY!

Every year around this time, I am anxious to start sowing seeds, getting the garden prepped for spring. I've been super impatient this year with the warm winter we've been having--thank you, El Nino!.

So far I have sown two--only two!--of my crops this year: Cardoon Rouge d'Alger and dwarf orange Allegro poppies.

The Rouge d'Alger cardoon supposedly has red-tinged petioles. I check my starts every day to see if they're starting to show signs of blush. So far, right at the soil level, some plants have a little hint of red.

I'm a HUGE fan of dino kale, or lacinato kale. It has great texture and great flavor, and is takes on an interesting shape in the garden. I've also heard it described as palm tree kale since the plants look like little palms has you harvest the leaves from the bottom. Well, Fedco Seeds came out with a Rainbow Lacinato kale when they crossed dino kale with Redbor. I'm not sure if it will be as colorful as Bright Lights Swiss chard, but one can hope!

Two eggplant varieties I'm looking forward to are 'Galine' and 'Applegreen' both from Fedco as well. I was sold on 'Galine' since it was described as dependable and not fussy. It's also supposed to mature in about 70 days. The 'Applegreen' is supposed to produce tiny little green eggplants. Also supposed to mature in 70 days. I'm a little concerned that the seed packet tells me to wait until June to transplant. June just seems so far away!

I'm going to give it a shot with melons this year with Charetais and Sakata's Sweet. Our local radio gardening show says not to bother with melons as they take too long to ripen. I love a challenge. With a little help from indoor starts and some black ground cloth, I like to think have enough heat to have at least a couple fruits. I love Charetais--so crisp and sweet. One of our Columbia City Farmers' Market vendors has carried this gem. Hopefully, I won't have to buy any this year since I'll be enjoying the ones I produced in my garden.

Another crop I'm super excited about is the Beer Friend soybean from Fedco. I like this purely for the fact that edamame and beer go hand in hand. I've never grown soybeans before so it should be fun to see how this one does.

The weather is getting warmer, light drizzles of rain here and there, lots of blooms on the trees all around town. It's beginning to look a lot like spring around here!