Bean, Purple Podded Pole
Eggplant, Rose Bianca
Melon, Petite Gris
Lettuce, Yugoslavian RedWith these photos how could you resist? I have order from the SSE since I started growing heirloom tomatoes 4 years ago. They always have a nice mix of interesting things and they do good work saving seed.
Well on the topic of seeds, I have started typing up some html code for my seed inventory table that I will be posting shortly. The problem with the table is it has brought to light the number of vegetable varieties I am planning on growing this year, 50. I started out thinking I needed 25 rows and ended with 50! It is going to be a challenge to find a spot for all these veggies even with the expanding I am going to do. Good thing I am only growing a couple plants of many of the varieties and some will be grown in pairs like the two squash and melon varieties. It will be a full garden for sure.
Lastly, I just had to snap this photo for EG over at Our Engineered Garden . This is one of the cities compost yards and just look at the stem rolling off that pile of wood chips. It looks like they are turning these chips into compost. The yard started with this pile and then there was 4 more piles working all the way down to a pile of compost. It was -8c(18f) when I took this photo, it must really be cooking to be steaming in this weather.
Well on the topic of seeds, I have started typing up some html code for my seed inventory table that I will be posting shortly. The problem with the table is it has brought to light the number of vegetable varieties I am planning on growing this year, 50. I started out thinking I needed 25 rows and ended with 50! It is going to be a challenge to find a spot for all these veggies even with the expanding I am going to do. Good thing I am only growing a couple plants of many of the varieties and some will be grown in pairs like the two squash and melon varieties. It will be a full garden for sure.
Lastly, I just had to snap this photo for EG over at Our Engineered Garden . This is one of the cities compost yards and just look at the stem rolling off that pile of wood chips. It looks like they are turning these chips into compost. The yard started with this pile and then there was 4 more piles working all the way down to a pile of compost. It was -8c(18f) when I took this photo, it must really be cooking to be steaming in this weather.
I know what you mean: it's hard to resist the temptation of a colorful seed catalog. I have the Seed Savers' Exchange catalog and it's so interesting to look at. I actually purchased some lettuce seeds from them back in fall, and we ate a salad of the lettuce (Rouge d'Hiver) the other night!
ReplyDeleteThose compost piles are huge! You are so lucky to have municipal compost - there's none in my area :(
P.S. I have heard great things about that 'Petit Gris' melon, but I must say I am biased towards liking French heirlooms...
ReplyDelete;)
I must quit ordering seeds, or else I must buy an acre of garden space! I honestly thought I had all my garden planned, and now I have to find room for...well, let's say for more than I have room for!!!
ReplyDeleteThat melon looks lovely, and the lettuce looks interesting.
Granny
Parsec - They give the compost away for free too in the spring. I am going to try and fill the expanded beds with it this season. I am looking forward to growing the petit gris melon and the F1 Charentais from Johnny's.
ReplyDeleteGranny - I must say my eyes are bigger then my stomach when it comes to seed :-)
I was going to say, "Where will you put them all?" but you answered that question already. Plant collecting is a real addiction, we worry about locations later:)
ReplyDeleteI wish I had room for melons. They don't grow well in my garden so I usually don't make room for them. It looks wonderful though. The lettuce looks great too. I'm not much of a fan of butterhead lettuce. I'm a leaf lettuce kinda gal, but that one is so pretty.
ReplyDeleteI also just bought dragon tongue beans. I'm so excited to grow them. I've never grown beans before.
ReplyDeleteI've tried to be "really" strict with myself this year and restricted the amount of seeds I've ordered. But it's tough!
ReplyDeleteI've saved lots and lots from the heirloom varieties of tomatoes I grew last year so no need to purchase any of those. Having said that I'm tempted to try a determinate type for the first time.
Nice looking compost pile!
Tina - Very true, it seems space never comes to mind when you are looking at new plants.
ReplyDeleteDaphne - This will be my first year growing melons. I am installing a trellis against the brick and hopefully training them up it, should provide lots of heat which they like. I like how the butterhead lettuce has cups that you can use like a bowl or warp.
Chiot's Run - This will be my first time growing a bush bean, I have always grown pole beans previously. This one is certainly a beauty.
Mick - I had the same thought that I was going to limit what I grow this season. It hasn't seemed to work. I will be saving much more seed this season though so next years seed bill should be much better.
Seed catalogues are addictive.!!!!
ReplyDeleteWow , 50 varieties !
I am so looking forward to seeing your garden this summer , so many varieties, so many very interesting choices.
You have some great looking choices there Dan! But "never say never" to more seeds. Some times the temptation is too much. lol. I am wondering if you have enough spots to plant them all! You really are going to have a wonderful crop this year…
ReplyDeleteThe Compost pile is great! Really cooking away....
AW, man!!!! That's some serious compost! I've wondered why my town doesn't do something like that. Maybe I'll have to ask around. The lettuce looks too good to eat, thanks for sharing the pics.
ReplyDeleteEG
Rosemary - It should be an interesting year in the garden, I can't wait.
ReplyDeleteSkeeter - I'm really not sure if I will have space for everything, I sure hope I do though. I will have to do up a layout and see if I can make everything fit. Maybe I can spread things out into spring & fall crops.
EG - You should ask around, maybe you can help start a compost program in your community.
I just love to see the steam rising from a pile of hot manure or compost. I'm sure my non gardening friends would think me very strange.... but I just find composting so exciting!
ReplyDeleteHehe, I've stopped looking at catalogs. I've got no room to spare. That's the trouble with tiny garden spaces, you have to grow what you need, not what you want. Great to see you have room for 50, EEK!, varieties of plants. Wow. Can't wait to see pics.
ReplyDeleteAnd I sure hope I can get my compost cooking again like that. Soon it will be. Thanks for sharing for us compost junkies!
What's so addicting is the numerous and unusual varieties you can order. Before I started gardening I never heard of Black Tomatoes or Purple Peppers or Beans for that matter. What a cool hobby!
ReplyDeleteMatron - Compost is pretty exciting but it certainly take special individuals to appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteRich - It is going to be a challenge to fit them all in. Some things I will have to split into a spring or fall crop to grow them all.
It will be nice to have steaming compost again, mine is frozen solid right now. If I only had a big yard and a tractor I could have steaming compost all year.
Conservative Gardener - There sure is a lot of choices in vegetables, I prefer them as strange as possible. I agree that it does get addictive.
I'm in London growing my own garden as well. I did remarkably well with cucumbers/tomatos and lots of herbs in poor soil so I was encouraged to try more. Now I have quite a few healthy baby plants looking to grow in a raised bed this spring. I am so happy to have found your blog! So hard trying to look for a gardening blog in my area based on vegis and herbs.
ReplyDeleteAh Dan.... yep, I know right where you're coming from!!! Maybe we're just "seed junkies" LOL!
ReplyDeleteBut you're definitely going to love those Dragon Tongue beans. They are my favorite to grow when it comes to the bush/snap variety. For me, they have out performed most of the other varieties that I've grown.
Wow -- what a compost pile!!! Hmmm, wouldn't that be cool sitting in my back yard LOL
The eggplant and lettuce have amazing colors. You are tempting me to order yet more seeds for my garden!
ReplyDeletewaters-deep - Glade you like my blog and good luck with your veg this season. Some good vegetable garden blogs in England are:
ReplyDeletehttp://veggies-only.blogspot.com/
http://vegheaven.blogspot.com/
http://organicallotment.typepad.com/organic_allotment/
Judy - Thanks for the feedback on the Dragon Tongue beans, makes me want to try them even more.
Red - They certainly are tempting. I hope the eggplant does better this year, last year they didn't even grow with the cool/damp season we had.