Kitchen Garden Planner

I just started playing around with Kitchen Gardeners International veggie planner. It's an online tool that is free to try out for 30 days and is $25 after that for a year subscription.

It will save your plans from year to year, and remember what perennial crops will be retained for next year's plans.

At first glance, I like it. I've never done a plan like this before other than on scratch paper or in my head. This way I won't lose or forget what I've planned. Also, there is a lot of impromptu planting that doesn't match what I originally intended--especially when I have too many starts to plant out! I can then go back and change the plan to match what is actually in the ground.

Here's a look of what I have so far. Sorry...I know it's small.



It's fun dragging around the crops and virtually planting them out on the screen. I wish there was a space for noting varieties and a few more crops like cardoon and hardy kiwi which I had to draw myself.

I'd also like a feature where I can add my shrubs and perennials since I don't have a designated raised bed for my veggies. I think there should be a big push for this since I'm sure I'm not the only one who plants their crops along with the more or less permanent focal points in the garden.

Or, better yet, a way to scan an aerial shot of the bed (easy to do from a 6' ladder or your porch) and overlay the crops. I'm going to explore the features a little more and see what I come up with. Definitely going to make a go at this and try to plan out both my front and back gardens.

Sunshine!

I know it's been awhile since my last post, but I can't pass up my chance to get in some gardening while the sun is out. And it's actually feeling balmy!

My garden is overrun with liverwort. Ack!

Northwest Flower and Garden Show

I could smell the Northwest Flower and Garden Show a block away as I climbed up Pike Street. You know that smell when you walk into a florist? That fresh-cut flower smell that is close to carnations? I was convinced spring arrived early.

Well, it did this year with the show. Usually it doesn't happen for a couple more weeks, but I'm glad it's here now. This winter hasn't been that bad--yes, a week of snow--but it hasn't been as wet and cold as it could be. But, still, we had a dismal summer so having this escape was a nice respite.

I know I talked up the amount of edible lectures at this year's show and I was looking forward to the displays being as impressive. Unfortunately, there was only one display that showcased how wonderful edibles can look in your garden.

Well...okay, two, but although this has edible items in its display, it's not technically filled with edible plants.

Yum! A garden with bread and cake.


They did manage to squeeze in this urn planter with an culinary bay tree. Nice. I have one of these in my garden...although it's much smaller and in the ground.

The one true edible display was created by Cascadian Edible Landscapes. Featuring colorful chard, kale, and an assortment of herbs. The main focal point was a converted VW Bus for 5 cute hens that were pecking around.



I also liked the large table that was probably 10 feet long decorated with pots crammed with herbs--mostly mint and thyme. A lovely touch and so easy to do!

Anyone can take this idea home with them for their outdoor summertime soirees.

I couldn't believe my eyes with apple trees and blueberry shrubs forced into bloom in time for the show. I have been involved in a similar process and it's tricky. Timing is everything since you want flowers for the show, but not too early that they're spent and falling off as the garden is installed.


Nice job, Cascadian Edible Landscapes! I'm inspired to eat my yard this summer. I hope others were too.

It's Show Time!

Next week is the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. I'm pleased with the number of seminars about edibles. It's enough to make your head spin! I seems like there is at least one per stage per day.

A few that have caught my eye are...

Cool Season Edibles with Bill Forness on Wednesday afternoon. I think we'd all like to know how to grow veggies year round. And also on Wednesday on the DIY stage is Edibles Cubed where you can learn how to grow an edible cocktail table. Sign me up!

On Thursday Wendy Tweten, who is also known as Miss Snippy, is going to show us how to make veggie gardening fruitful and fun during At Play in the Potager. Suckered in once again by the DIY stage, I may check out the gutter gardening lecture with Jayme Jenkins. I think my fence lined with lettuces would look fabulous.

Growing Food in Small Spaces lead by Teresa O'Connor on Friday looks good. And if you want a small break from the edibles but want your "scent-ces" to be enlightened, check out Riz Reyes' Fragrance in the Garden. I'm always picking Riz's brain for good ideas about the latest cool plants.

Over the weekend, there's another lecture about potagers, and another about winter veggies on Saturday.

I think Sunday's Eating Your Landscape will be interesting since the subtitle suggests edible trees, shrubs, and annuals--something I try to do in my own garden.

There you have it. That's just a small preview of what you'll find edible-gardening wise over the five days starting Feb 8th. Enjoy!

Tomatoes! Tomatoes!

I have a hard time deciding what tomatoes to grow each time I browse a seed catalog. The choices are overwhelming and I have to limit myself to three cultivars. Otherwise, I tend to lose track of what I've planted.

I'm one of the few people in Seattle who has successfully grown tasty tomatoes despite our mild summers. My trick is planting them in the front yard where I get maximum southern exposure. I don't worry about making a raised bed for them. They're planted right next to the shrubs and perennials.

When selecting a cultivar, I chose those that have short maturity rates; keeping it close to 75 days. Anything that takes 80 days or longer is not worth it. They will never ripen in time for those summer salads and you'll be seeking tomatoes out at the farmers' market instead (not a bad alternative, but still!). I also grow smaller fruited types since there's less tomato to ripen. I tried Purple Cherokees and others that were large heirlooms and they never ripened causing major disappointment.

Here are the ones that have caught my eye for this year:

From Adaptive Seeds: Wheatly's Frost Resistant. First off, who could go wrong with a name like that?! It definitely sounds like it's meant for our climate. Sixty days to maturity and although not exactly frost resistant, it does fine in cool weather. It's also a grape/cherry type fruit.

Also from Adaptive is Grappoli d'Inverno. It's not meant for fresh-off-the-vine eating, but is claimed to be a good roasting tomato. Up to 70 days until maturity, the vines are semi-determinate which means they are less rangy than their indeterminate counterparts. They claim that they are good for cold storage and are tied in bundles called ristras for the winter. I want to try this tomato just so I can make the ristras! We'll see...so many to choose from.

The other seed company I would like to order from is Osbourne Seed in Mt Vernon. I'm not sure if I'll go with them since it seems like they cater more to farmers (understandably) and less to those with small city lots. I may just do it anyway and share seed with friends.

There are three tomatoes that I would like to try from Osbourne. Sweet Hearts because they claim to be the best tasting cherry tomato they have trialed. The ripe fruit isn't dropped (I can't say that about the Black Cherry I had last year) and they're crack resistant. Also 65-68 days to maturity. Sounds good to me!

Solid Gold was suggested as a good pairing with Sweet Hearts and I like a contrasting yellow cherry to mix in salads. Seventy days to maturity and are claimed to be vigorous plants with a heavy yield. Plus, who doesn't want to be a Solid Gold dancer?

Viva Italia is my last tomato I will have to decide on. It takes 76 days to mature so pushing the upper limit there for me. But, I love a Roma tomatos and have tried them in the past with not so much success. These are determinate plants and are described as being compact and yielding more fruit. I may just have to take on the challenge!

So much to think about, but I'll need to figure it out quick. It's almost February and I'm feeling the pressure to get my orders in!

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!

Parsley!

Who says there's nothing growing or edible in the garden at this time of year?

True, we may not have tomatoes ripening on the vine, but we can still harvest fresh herbs. My three parsley plants are still going strong. And I have sage, rosemary, and oregano to chop up and throw into various dishes like roasted squash and marinara sauce.

I made lamb kefta last week and the recipe calls for a lot of parsley and cilantro. While I had cilantro in the fridge, I briefly panicked because I forgot parsley on my shopping list. Then I realized the three plants still going in the back yard. Freshly chopped, straight-from-the-garden sure beats expensive store-bought herbs. And if you're opting for organic, it's even more pricey.


What a beautiful green bouquet!