My seed orders are placed and most are in hand except Fedco, which was a group order and I must wait for that order to arrive and be distributed. Now to figure out where to put everything in the garden and plan the seed starting schedule. My planning tends to be impulse driven. More ooh that’s cool, where can I put it and less here’s an empty spot, what should I plant. I admit I’m a sucker for the seed catalogs with color photos.
The garden will be similar to last year, with a lot of the old reliable varieties and a few new ones. New vegetables I am trying include kohlrabi, carrots and broad beans. I am also planting an expanded variety of Asian greens, going beyond Choi to include Tatsoi, Fun Jen, and Hon Tsai Tai. Hopefully I can do some fall plantings of these so I get some greens into cold weather. I have not bothered growing carrots because they are so cheap, even “organic” ones. The trick was to find short carrots that will row in 5-6 inch deep raised bed without resorting to height extenders.
I had a miserable season last year with eggplant and peppers. This year I will try a couple of Ping Tung eggplants under cover in hopes I get a few. My unscientific observation the last couple of years is that the oriental types of eggplants seem to be less susceptible to flea beetle damage. For peppers, I have given up any hope of growing bell peppers and will stick to small peppers this year. I’m trying Padron, which Michelle grows with success, and a few other small fruited peppers like Jimmy Nardello. Hope I get some. I think I harvested three Jalapenos from two plants last year.
This year I will be growing four types of onions and starting my own onion plants from seed for the first time. Last year I purchased a 4” pot of red onion plants from a local nursery and tucked them in here and there. I was pleased that I got nice, large onions from these plants and still have a few in the basement. So now I am going to try growing my own from seed. The little I know so far is that right now is the time to start them, since they grow very slowly. I plan to start them in some kind of flat and will use the Johnny’s 512 mix I got for seed blocking since it has compost and fertilizer added.
Here is the 2013 planting list, hopefully complete and accurate (but always subject to change):
• Basil Genovese, Siam Queen, Spicy Globe (purchased plants)
• Bean Bush Provider (PT)
• Bean Bush Jade (PT)
• Bean Pole Fortex
• Bean Pole Trionfo Violetto (PT)
• Bean Broad/Fava, Windsor (PT)
• Beet Touchstone (F)
• Beet Red Ace (PT)
• Beet Boro (HM)
• Broccoli Di Cicco
• Broccoli Purple Peacock (F)
• Brussels Sprouts (purchased plants)
• Carrot Shin Kuroda (F)
• Carrot Mokum (F)
• Carrot Caracas (J)
• Cilantro Large Leaf (PT)
• Collards Champion (HM)
• Cucumber Summer Dance (PT)
• Cucumber Pickling Jackson Classic
• Cucumber Green Finger (HM)
• Cucumber Crystal Apple (PT)
• Dill Fernleaf
• Eggplant Ping Tung (PT)
• Endive Dubuisson (J)
• Escarole Natacha (J)
• Garlic German Extra Hardy (GM) –planted 10/2012
• Garlic Chesnok Red (GM) –planted 10/2012
• Greens Pac Choi Win-Win (J)
• Greens Fun Jen (F)
• Greens Hon Tsai Tai (HM)
• Greens Tatsoi (F)
• Kale Beedy’s Camden (F)
• Kohlrabi Kolibri (PT)
• Lettuce Green Ice (PT)
• Lettuce New Red Fire (PT)
• Lettuce Buttercrunch (PT)
• Lettuce Forellenschluss (F)
• Mustard Green Wave (PT)
• Mustard Red Giant (F)
• Onion Copra (PT)
• Onion Red Wing (PT)
• Onion Rossa Lunga di Tropea (F)
• Onion Evergreen Hardy White (F)
• Onion French Red Shallots (SESE) –planted 10/2012
• Parsley Italian Flat Leaf (purchased plants)
• Pea Snap Sugar Ann
• Pea Snow Oregon Sugar Pod II
• Pepper Padron (BC)
• Pepper Jimmy Nardello (F)
• Pepper Tiburon Ancho (F)
• Pepper Red Cherry (PT)
• Pepper Lipstick BC)
• Pepper Jalapeno (purchased plants)
• Pepper Thai (purchased plant)
• Radish White Icicle Short Top (J)
• Radish Watermelon (PT)
• Radish, French Breakfast
• Rosemary (purchased plant)
• Spinach Tyee (PT)
• Squash Zucchini Dunja
• Squash Zucchini Costata Romanesco
• Squash Pattypan Sunburst
• Squash Summer Tromboncino (F)
• Swiss Chard Orange Fantasia (PT)
• Swiss Chard Flamingo (BC)
• Turnip White Tokyo Cross (PT)
• Turnip Yellow Golden Ball (F)
• Tomato cherry Sun Gold I (purchase plants)
• Tomato cherry Black Cherry I (PT)
• Tomato Roma Gilbertie Paste I (HM)
• Tomato Juliet (purchased grafted and un-grafted plants)
• Tomato Roma Striped Roman I (BC)
• Tomato, Cherokee Purple I (purchased grafted plant)
• Tomato, Big Beef (purchased plants)
BC=Baker Creek, F=Fedco, GM=Green Mountain Garlic, HM=High Mowing Seeds, J=Johnny’s, PT=Pinetree, SESE=Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
Just remember to harvest the padrons when they are small, otherwise they get hot and they don't taste as good. I hope the Jimmy Nardellos do well for you, I like them a lot, either green or ripe. You've got a really nice selection of veggies to grow this year. I'm way behind on my planning for the coming year, I haven't ordered anything yet and really don't have a clue about what to order yet. Got to get on that!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip, I think I saw a similar warning in one of the catalogs. Lately I exceed at growing tiny peppers, it's the big ones I can't seem to produce.
DeleteFab selection. i grow a few of those and all that I have tried that you have chosed are great - I love Summer Dance cucumbers, Black Cherry tomatoes and Jade beans in particular. Although I always have germination issues with the Jade.
ReplyDeleteLiz, Summer Dance was great last year. Diva not so much. Was going to give it another try, then saw Green Fingers at High Mowing. Love Jade but this is last year for it, the producer is dropping it, so I bought extra seed and may start collecting seeds.
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