I was quick to inventory my seeds this year. Unlike previous years, they stayed pretty orderly this year in their rubber-banded groups. A group of cucumbers, a group of tomatoes, etc.... I have a box of about 200 seed packs, 1-5 years old. I placed an order at Johnny's this evening. I wanted to get it in before they run out of any of these varieties.
Basil, Nufar (OG)-Packet
Beets, Chioggia Guardsmark (OG)-Packet
Beets, Blankoma-Packet
Beets, Merlin (F1) (OG)-Packet
Cilantro, Calypso-Packet
Cucumber, Diva (Treated)-Packet
Edamame, Butterbeans (OG)-1/2 Pound
Edamame, Envy (OG)-Packet
Onions, Pontiac (F1)-Packet
Parsley, Giant of Italy (OG)-Packet
Peas, Maxigolt-Packet
Peas, Strike (Treated)-Packet
Scallions, Guardsman-Packet
Sunflowers, Maximilian-Packet
Sunflowers, Teddy Bear-Packet
Tomatoes, Cherry, Sun Gold (F1)-Packet
Winter squash, Waltham Butternut (OG)-Packet
Winter squash, Buttercup (Burgess Strain) (OG)-Packet
Pea, Lentil, and Vetch Inoculant (OG)-1 Unit
Soybean Inoculant-1 Unit
14 comments:
So hard to resist impulse buying when it comes to seeds!
Love to see these seed catalogs rolling in. This year I will not order but just a few as I have way too many seeds and have been really saving seed big time over the past few years. I made a resolution this year to only grow what produces well and what we like to eat. So nothing new (well maybe some new artichokes will sneak in). Im tired of wasting precious garden energy-space-sun-water on new stuff that I end up just pulling anyway. So here's to an abundant garden this year Kathy!
I just came across your blog and as a gardener, you have wonderful suggestions, but your blog is so fun to read. Love your pictures. Plus you helped me decide on seeds for 2012 that will be planted in my raised cedar beds.
I think I need to order my seeds soon too if I want to get what I want. I was very happy with my purple cherry tomatoes this year Kathy, all my friends and family like them too, you should try if you did not already(I can not recall)
You got me all excited about my garden again...can not wait :]
Huli
I love Johnny seed company. They have such a great selection of winter greens. Try growing their green mixes in the winter for micro greens for your salads.
I get real good results with Juannes Flamme it like a cherry tomatoe i plant on my balcony. I want to try Sun Gold Cherry, but i cant seem to change.
The Sungold tomatoes are the only ones I grow now, and they are early to late, disease free, fabulous! I halve them and dehydrate them and stick them in the freezer for the winter: a burst of sun sweetness.
Kathy, I ordered Johnny's coldframe probably 10 years ago and it has held up well (re: your probs.)
I also had great luck with Johnny's Touchstone Gold beets: cook, peel and grate them, add sourcream/yogurt, lemon juice and a little crushed garlic for beet tzatziki to die for.
I didn't have Sun Gold's last year, but grew two other red cherries instead. One I bought and one (Prince) was given to me. Prince is a large cherry, very nice. The other one split very fast. I am looking forward to having a Sun Gold this year.
Funny because I do not like to eat cherry tomatoes myself. Lucky that my husband enjoys them because they are such a pretty plant. I will plant 2 cherry tomatoes again this year in the prime sunlight of my side yard garden. My husband eats them by the handful as he walks by the garden.
Happy New Year! I received the seeds I ordered this weekend. Being an adult (well kind of!) I get far too excited about it. I was quite restrained with the amount that I ordered, but since placing that order I have seen new varieties that are tempting. A Climbing Strawberry plant looks good fun, I haven't room for a large strawberry patch so this may be a good way to grow them as your own Strawberries taste so much better that the supermarket ones.
Marian (LondonUK)
You have said that you have seeds 5 years old? Do they work? Some people tell me that older seeds do not work? I am new to gardening and thus don't know all these.
I love to tell about my old seeds. I rarely find that my seeds don't sprout after many years of storage. I have a nice collection of lots of varieties. I would hate to have to order these new every year. I replace then only after the packages are gone.
I think the ones that keep poorest are onion family and carrot family seeds. (These are also the slowest sprouters.) I assume germination will go down ~50% or more each year, so I plant more seeds. (Carrot family includes parsnips, parsley, dill.) But I still save them and I plant them until the packages are gone. Since they don't keep as well, I just don't build up a big collection of many varieties of onions and carrots.
I have had occasional problems with older squash, cucumber, pumpkins and corn seeds (after 3 or 4 years). But I still have lots of varieties these in my collection. I just make sure that my favorites varieties are fresh (less than 2-3 years old).
But most seeds keep very well and last 5 or 10 years or more. My best keepers are tomato, peppers, eggplants, cabbage family (broccoli, cauliflower, kale), radish, beets, beans, peas, sunflowers, lettuce, and greens.
If you are a new gardener, one of the fun things is to experiment.
Kathy
Do you have success with starting basil seeds indoors for transplant after the first frost?
Yes. I always start my basil inside and then transplant outside.
I start almost everything inside. Its easier for me to water seed trays at home than to go to my plot and water daily when sprouts are tiny. Also, critters eat seeds like peas, soybeans, and sunflowers. I even had good luck with transplanting parsnips and carrots last year.
My parents direct sow almost everything. That is easier for them.
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