Back to LIFE!

The Blog will be coming back to life with regular postings in the next week. HAPPY HAPPY!

Hmmm....What Do I Want To Do In the Garden In 2011?

Setting here absorbing the Epic Joys of seed catalogs.

The first to arrive is my nostalgic favorite, Burpee. This is a difficult thing. When I was growing up (occasionally) helping my dad in the garden, developing a secret love for the hobby (is it really just a "hobby"?) I remember Burpee seeds. I remember them with a disproportionate clarity. They are not totally dedicated to the same ethos I am steadily becoming part of. No GMO. Heritage. With that said, they do offer organic and heirloom varieties. I am willing to bet that Burpee may have one of the deepest collections of seed anywhere in the private sector. I hope they dig into them and let us at them!

So, naturally, who shows up next?

Baker Creek. Its lovely. Its interesting. Its informative. Its an amazing variety. Its dedicated to No GMO. Its dedicated to Heritage. But... It lacks Zone info or guidance. For a gardener of greater prowess or knowledge this is probably not a problem. For me, its a little intimidating. But the variety, the history, its almost intoxicating. It makes you want to garden NOW.

Then comes my favorite. Seed Savers. I love everything about them. If you haven't heard of them, you need to visit the website. Read about them. Research them. They are the real deal. There has been some controversy regarding their leadership, but I disagree with the (almost singular) naysayers. They deserve our support.

Anyways, as I work through the wishlist I will add posts.

Definitely want some fruit trees this year, and I will have to figure out pots for some of them.

Last Harvests (So Far)

For Thanksgiving we finally had the last of the Crookneck Squash in some great soup and we had some herbs (Sage and Rosemary) on some roasted carrots (mix of Chantenay and Danvers Half Longs) from the garden. It was nice to harvest some crops so late. Here I am in December harvesting carrots. You can see the few as the green tufts in the image above in beds 3 and 4. They have survived the cold surprisingly well. I will be roasting the remander of the Chantenay carrots today and left some of the Danvers. I had to turn the beds over (also nice to be able to do in December) because I had toyed with no till gardening.

I put down layers of grass clippings and shredded leaves on all the beds (excepting the area where the asparagus and the Danvers carrots are)and thought that maybe they would compost like I have seen on some blogs, but they weren't. In fact the grass formed an almost inpenetrable layer and wasn't breaking down at all. In fact, it was still green. So I broke out the poachers shovel and turned them all. Of course the sudden rush is the first brutal cold and the first serious snow of the year. Was out well after dark finishing (hence no pics)but got it done before the snow started. We got 4 to 5 inches that night.

I did not get to turn the side beds or the squash beds turned though. Didn't get the raspberries any extra mulch. Didn't get the strawberries pulled. Got the asparagus under cover though.

Pulled in over 400 pounds this year from the garden. Not bad.

Saving An Invaluable Resource

Check this out. Please sign. If you are one of the few followers, please post to your blog.

I do this EXTrEMELY rarely, but when you read this:

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/tell_the_president_of_russia_to_stop_the_destruction_of_the_future_of_food

I think you will see why.

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

The 2010 Crop List

So, between time and timing I had to trim back on the variety a little this year. As always, I am focused on variety versus quantity. I have wondered why I do this and I think its pretty fun to plan and eat (although I am not sure you could say I did a lot of "planning"this year).

I also spent very little this year. Some savvy shopping, some saved and shared seed, and a few extra drives for compost and I have spent under $60 this year. Not bad.

So without further adieu, the 2010 list:

Herbs

French Tarragon

Rosemary

Sage

Michael's Basil

Sweet Basil

Greek Oregano

Thyme

Cilantro

Parsley

Greens

Bright Lights Chard

Iceberg

Mixed Greens (six types)

Pak Choi

Copenhagen Market Cabbage

Fruit

Raspberries

Blackberries

Granny Smith Apples

Concord Grapes

Red Seedless Grapes

Quinnalt Strawberries

Ground Cherries

Charantais Melons

Sugar Baby Watermelons

Rouge vif de Etempes Pumpkins

Squash

Acorn

Zuchinni

Dutch Crookneck

Vert et Blanc

Pattison Panache

Tomatos

Black From Tula

Super Sweet 100 Cherry

Big Boy

Beefsteak

Green Zebra

Root Veggies

Purple Onions

Shallots

Chantenay Carrots

Danvers Carrots

Purple Globe Turnips

Icicle Radishes

French Breakfast Radishes

Yukon Gold Potatoes

Parsnips

Other Veggies

Tasty Green Cucumbers

Parisian Pickling Cucumbers

Mary Washington Asparagus

Mammoth Sunflowers

Blue Lake Beans

For a total of 53 varieties. Guess I should find 4 more. :)

Garden Tilled

Hello All,

Not sure what type of garden its going to be, but its prepped, tilled, including some new area, and will be putting in plants.

Pics soon!

Wow. No Motivation.

Hello.

Sorry for the lack of posts. I am having a hard time getting motivated this year to garden. I will of course, but I hope I am not too late to do it right. Been doing soil prep and such, just not really up to speed.