(A sunflowers from last summer’s garden.)
I ordered my seeds from Seed Savers Exchange today. The order can be split into two categories, child and adult. I don’t think you are ever too young to play in the dirt! I’ve decided to build a 4×4 foot bed for Damian since he has shown an interest in my putterings around the yard. I let him go through my seed catalog and pick several favorites.
He also loved the sunflowers but I already have seeds for those. I think his choices will work our well in a single bed as a Three Sisters garden, which is a Native American style of planting. Corn for the pole beans to grow up and squash as a ground cover to conserve moisture. In the Autumn the beans are cut off at the base to let the nitrogen in their roots release into the soil.
As for the other “adult” raised beds, I ordered:
- Amish Snap Peas
- Beam’s Yellow Pear Tomatoes
- Black Krim Tomatoes
- St. Valery Carrots
- Double Yield Cucumbers
- Early Scarlet Globe Radishes
- Italian Heirloom Tomatoes
- Purple Pod Pole Bean
- Hidatsa Shield Beans
I also ordered Tom Thumb Peas but I will be growing those in containers. Damian picked the purple pod pole beans too, but I just wanted some variety of snap bean so I didn’t mind. I actually think the purple pods will be easy to find and pick among the green leaves. Both the radishes and carrots are reorders as I am doing successive sowings with them and will run out of my current stock part way through the season. I want to try to overwinter some carrots to save the seeds from too (they are a biannual.) This is also my second year growing Black Krim tomatoes. Laurie gave me a transplant last year and I really love the variety. They don’t produce very heavily but they taste amazing. This will be my first time starting tomatoes from seed.
I have seeds leftover from last year (mostly lettuces, bitter greens and more pole beans) but I am keeping my crop list short again this year. I want another year to get use to growing in this climate since I am focusing on having crops from early Spring through late Autumn. I also need to save some gardening budget for building those extra raised beds, trellises and sturdy tomato cages (heirlooms need them,) not to mention good soil (which the corn will definitely need)
Have you ordered any seeds yet?