The new year has begun with new opportunities, new hopes, new ideas, and new projects for our gardens. The vegetable garden we planned during the pandemic is very tiny. Very very tiny. I planted beans, peas, lettuce, radishes, zucchini, beets and chard. Too many varieties. This was a mistake. I have to rethink the best way to get a usable harvest in a tiny garden.
The beans and the peas worked well, but I did learn that putting six lines on a bean teepee isn’t a good idea. Too much foliage made it hard to find the beans. Sugar snap peas grew up on a mesh fence and that worked well. Tomatoes grew in pots and I got all the tomatoes I needed. As for everything else I am in thinking mode. Wish me luck.
In the meantime I am looking at seed covers of some of my favorite farms.
As you can see from Johnny’s Selected Seed Catalog cover, they offer flowers! Vegetables! And they also offer herbs, tools, and supplies. Oh, how I loved their row covers. I also appreciate that they offer crop supports and kitchen supplies. I have a tender spot in my heart for Johnny’s. We moved to Maine in 1975 when Johnny’s Selected Seeds was a very young company, founded in 1973. Of course we wanted to support this new project and even after moving from Maine we like to buy seeds from Johnny’s. Johnny’s Selected Seeds 955 Benton Ave, Winslow, ME 04901.
High Mowing Seeds is one of the few fully organic and Non-GMO Project Verified seed companies in the world. They provide the highest quality seed to growers and do so without the use of environmentally harmful synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. I love Vermont as much as I love Maine because I spent several years of my young life in Charlotte. Relatives still live on there, and I am looking forward to the postponed Family Reunion on Lake Champlain shores. I like to use High Mowing Organic Seeds 76 Quarry Rd, Wolcott, VT 05680 and they are very available here in town.
Burpee Seeds have been around for a long time and are familiar and dependable. I really like this cover because those are my favorite cherry tomatoes. But there is also a full array of vegetables, flowers, herbs, berries, apples and other fruits. Burpee Seeds and Plants 300 Park Ave, Warminster, PA 18974
This is last year’s catalog, but that strawberry is gorgeous! We turned to Nourse Berry Farm which now is maybe 15 minutes away from our town home. But when we moved to Heath 40 years ago, we went right to Nourse Farm for blueberries. When we moved to town we bought more blueberries but they did not thrive in the wet garden. However, our elderberries and raspberries have no objections to wet plots. I can freeze the raspberries from my small plot, but the birds get all the elderberries. We have to support our animal life. Nourse Farms 41 River Rd, Whately, MA 01093
I hope you all are looking through the catalogs, from the mail, or by computer. Is is winter, but the days are getting longer, time to think about what to plant.
I am envious that you were able to grow as many tomatoes as you wanted! We have some mysterious terrible wilt here that has taken down everything we’ve tried except for Matt’s Wild Cherry, even in pots with fresh new potting soil. I’d like to try the Honeycomb cherry tomatoes though since they’re your favorite.
This is the time of year to look through seed catalogs and dream of this upcoming garden season.
I pretty buy only from High Mowing. I so believe in their work! Organic and non GMO. That’s about all I want! Just thinking about gardening now is hopeful.
Do you start your seeds under lights?
Alicia – It is so good to hear from you. I am sorry to hear about the mysterious and terrible wilt. Do you have Master Gardener’s in your area who might have a help line? We do in our area and they are just wonderful. I think looking through the seed catalogs is very relaxing and cheering.
Nan – I buy High Mowing too, but I do end up getting a few seeds from different places. I don’t buy a lot of seeds, because our goal is to have mostly perennials in shrubs and flowers. But we did make a tiny! garden in 2020 and I can use very few seeds. I do start some seeds under lights, but I don’t have a lot of room or equipment. Still, I feel I am getting a little headstart. Onward to better days.
I’d love to see a picture of your lights sometime!
Nan – I’m a little confused. What lights are you talking a bout?