Sunday, May 01, 2011

new seeds

seeds 2 seeds 1

I got a few new seeds on vacation in Europe. The little nasturtiums look very sweet on the package photo. The pumpkins look nice too - Bright orange with nice ribs. I was reading through the German on the back of the pumpkin package and mentioned to my son - gee, they get to be 70 kg. How big is that? He paused and looked at me, then to make sure he heard right, he asked again. Yes, 70 kg I said. Well, Mom, that's more than 150 lbs. Hmm. That's pretty big.

We'll, I didn't realize I was buying a giant. I'll plant a few seeds and see what comes of it. Maybe they'll take over my garden. I don't think so - I'll put them on the edge. The nasturtiums should be nice.

The little pepper is called Iddy Betty Bossy. These are peppers we bought at the supermarket and my son loves super hot peppers. He asked that I grow them. Peppers are particularly good for saving seed as they generally breed true (if they aren't hybrid). So I planted one of them.

10 comments:

Roberta said...

Iddy Betty Bossy? Sounds like a good name for a hen to me!

~TastyTravels~ said...

Wowzas!! 70 kg?? LOL! You'll have lots of pumpkin pie this year!! I can't wait to see what the pumpkins look like! I love seed shopping while traveling! I just got some neat seeds while in Paris.

biobabbler said...

Ooh, good reminder, I'm way late re: ordering seeds this year but I MUST remember to get some rouge vif d'estampes 'cause those pumpkins are SO beautiful (reddish orange)--oh, I think I saved some from a pumpkin I bought last year (didn't grow any last year). I hope yours are delightfully huge-yet-compact. =) SO looking forward to your garden. Sounds like such a funny thing to say. Excited about mine, too, but, you understand. =)

Dan said...

Nice finds!

Marian(LondonUK) said...

Hi there your community and home gardens looking fab even after your travelling. I too have been travelling and not too far from you in the south of France, the Alpilles, Luberon and Vauclause areas. Hills with Rockrose; wild Rosemary and Thyme, aromatic walks to be had. As with Switzerland there are lovely markets in small towns with local honey; cheese; dried meat; vegetables and luscious Provencal strawberries. So much to learn and grow!!
Marian (London UK)

plant vegetables said...

Great site you have here. Very informative and helpful indeed.

Starting a Garden said...

Nasturtiums are great edible flowers. They are so pretty on flower garden or container and add color festive on green salad. You're going to love them. Peppers are great summer vegetable. They're great addition to any vegetable garden.

Janet Brown said...

I love looking back on your garden in past years. What fun to see the transition, huh?
I am quite envious of your cold frame. I think that I must fit one in to my future plans. Great blog!

Patty H. said...

Nice site - lots of info., I especially like the "Start a New Garden". We used to have a garden for 3-4 years, but it went on the wayside. I'd like to start one this year, so I'll be back checking things out soon!

Anonymous said...

Be careful with those pumpkins- they will take over a large area, and they will kill any plant unfortunate enough to be in their way. Unless it is a sunflower. Maybe. I grew Big Max pumpkins last year. I was very pleased with the results, even though I made the mistake of overcrowding them. I got eight large pumpkins. Two of them were about 70 lb. Remember to always give a pumpkin plant space, or they will MAKE space at the expense of any neighboring plant. Pumpkins aren't a good plant for raised beds and do best in a plain old garden plot with plenty of space to crawl into. One fun thing to watch is their habit of sending roots down from the bases of their vines. They can root anywhere that they find moist soil, and it should be encouraged (more nutrients means bigger pumpkins). Pumpkins were always my favorite plant. You just need good soil, lots of water, lots of space, and you will get awesome pumpkins. GIANT pumpkins are even more fun. Biobabbler, I want to grow Rouge vif D'etampes too, but I don't have any space for winter squash this year :(( . And no giant pumpkin will be huge and compact (personal experience here). They can be downright murderous if they don't have the room to grow. Planting them at the edges of your garden is a good idea. Then they can invade the rest of your yard : ).

-Christopher Phoenix