This year I WILL put in some beds out in the back 40. This fall I WILL prep more beds for next spring. Ahhh... good intentions.
I've ordered my seeds and they are starting to come in. Fanciful things like "Magenta Mountain Orach" and Jaltomato and golden purslane. A whole range of cherry tomatoes (which I'm going to dry and roast for sauces and soups in the winter.... yummy) and new varieties I haven't grown before. I'm also going to try to grow Brussel Sprouts because I love to eat them and I hope they are even more delicious fresh.
Beans again, of course. But this year I'm trying the "Blue Pod Capuchijners Soup" pea. Apparently the flowers are beautiful and bi-coloured, and the pods start out a deep maroon and mature into a blue. How fun will that be.
To be honest, I am addicted to seed porn. I go onto the "Terra Edibles" and "Urban Harvest" websites and can spend hours browsing through each description. This year I also ordered from "Clover Road Seeds", "The Cottage Gardener" (who shipped almost as quickly as Terra Edibles but who have GREAT packaging... their envelopes contain not only planting instructions but also a thorough description of the vegetable or herb - helpful when you're trying something new) and "Greta's Organic Garden".
The Siloam Orchards website is pretty rough to get through, but it's a pretty fascinating read - who knew there were still so many apple varieties available to grow? I had hoped to plant apple trees this spring, but have decided I should go to the Farmer's Market where Siloam sells their apples and taste samples. What does a Bleinheim Orange taste like? or a Shiawassee, a Primate, a Sweet Bough? And what about the Rome Beauty or the Roxbury Russet? While the descriptions help you narrow down your choices, it's big commitment to make untasted. Same goes for the pears.
But I think I'll get a mulberry tree in this spring (and spend the rest of my life fighting the birds for the harvest) and hopefully more raspberries and some blueberries.
All of this depends on work, of course, and the weather. Again, great ambition but check in with me next fall.
I've once again started to gather up my tomato growing friends. Last summer I had some repeat customers from the first year of the project (although they don't blog, but neither do I it seems) and am hoping to branch out this summer. Last year's harvest was great, and I think if the weather holds then this summer I should be able to do even better. My biggest battle was with the spiders, who I think also ate the tomatoes (or at least didn't battle the slugs when they dined on my Cherokee Purples).
So once again it's exciting to be warm inside, dreaming of spring and the garden waking up.
