This site is an archive of ChiotsRun.com. For the latest information about Susy and her adventrures, visit the Cultivate Simple site.
Thank you for all your support over the years!

Planning My 2010 Garden

February 10th, 2010

Earlier this week I sat down to figure out what seeds I needed to buy for the coming gardening season. A cup of coffee and a few seed catalogs is a great way to spend a winter afternoon. I have a lot of seeds left from last season that are still viable, but some seeds like onions, beans & peas don’t germinate as well the second year. I really want to grow a lot of onions and peas in my mom’s garden plot this year, she doubled the size of her garden so I could have space for these items. I’m hoping the full sun will produce bigger onions that I can grow in my shady gardens. That means I’ll be buying some pea seeds and some new onion seeds.

I decided I’m going to focus on growing things that are difficult to find or more expensive to buy at the farmer’s market. Things I can get easily I won’t be growing (like popcorn and maybe squash). I’d like to grow some shelling peas for the freezer and I’d love to grow a nice batch of carrots. I definitely want to grow some pickling cucumbers, we’re really enjoying all the different pickles I canned. I want to grow a bunch of potatoes, perhaps try a few interesting varieties. I’m definitely going to grow Principe Borghese and San Marzano tomatoes again this summer and I want to try a few new varieties as well.

Are you growing anything new and interesting this year?

21 Comments to “Planning My 2010 Garden”
  1. Ken Toney on February 10, 2010 at 7:51 am

    We have been growing a garden for several years and keep expanding it each year. This year we are ordering the jumbo seed collection from Baker Creek. This will give us everything we need to triple the size of our garden. We keep a lot of the veges for our family, use some for our bed and breakfast, and sell some to friends and co-workers of my wife. I’m really excited about the seed collection and can’t wait to see what we get. Some new and interesting things I am trying this year are several varieties of pak choy, garlic and shallots that I planted last fall, Cherokee Trail and Jacob’s Cattle Gold dry beans, and Cherokee Purple Tomato. I have grown Yukon Gold and Red Pontiac potatoes before. Both have done very well, so this year I’m trying the red, white, and blue collection from Wood Praire Farm. Good luck with your garden and thanks for your blog. I read it everyday. – Ken
    .-= Ken Toney´s last blog ..Seed Starting =-.

    Reply to Ken Toney's comment

  2. tigress on February 10, 2010 at 8:39 am

    my list is huge for my garden this year. some highlights are: lots and lots of tomatoes, amish paste, some of the black russian varieties, some cherries, and a few more heirlooms. praying for no blight this year.

    we are very excited to harvest asparagus for the first time, we planted it 3 years ago. i will also plant peas and finnochio for the first time this spring.

    one of my focuses this season is to plan more for the winter months. definitely more cabbage for sauerkraut and kimchi. and of course the cukes and array of other veggies for pickling. but i am also going to grow some veggies for freezing, (broccoli!) and explore a way to root cellar more than just winter squash. i am also planning on purchasing a greenhouse at the end of the summer for over winter growing and then seedling growing next year. i have big plans!
    .-= tigress´s last blog ..food rules for you =-.

    Reply to tigress's comment

  3. kristin @ going country on February 10, 2010 at 8:45 am

    I tried really hard to limit my seed-ordering enthusiasm this year, because I know this will be a much more difficult year for me to get out to the garden. I pretty much stuck with the tried and true things. I will definitely be growing Black Krim tomatoes again–they were new to me last year, and I LOVED them.
    .-= kristin @ going country´s last blog ..Going Wild =-.

    Reply to kristin @ going country's comment

  4. Dave on February 10, 2010 at 9:56 am

    It’s a good idea to focus on what you can’t find locally. I made my order from Baker’s Creek and had a bunch of new things to try. Purple beans, several heirloom tomatoes, and quite a few other things. I can’t wait to get started growing this year. If only this cold February would relent a little.

    Thanks for the advice on Canton!
    .-= Dave´s last blog ..Cosmos – One of My Favorite Annuals =-.

    Reply to Dave's comment

  5. kitsapFG on February 10, 2010 at 9:59 am

    The bulk of my garden is planted in varieties that have proven themselves. Our garden is a big part of our food supply and I really don’t want to be experimenting on any large scale from year to year. However, I always have one or two new items that I am trying on a small scale and if they work out, they are added into the “tried and true” category for future gardens. This year, most of my “new” items are from some seed trades – Market Miracle tomatoes, Cherokee Purple tomatoes, and double yeild cucumbers. I will grow just a few of each of these to see if they produce and grow well in my growing environment. Another new item for me this year is Pac Choi. I purchased the seed for this item as I wanted to expand my choices of asian vegetables and greens.

    Reply to kitsapFG's comment

  6. Andrew Odom on February 10, 2010 at 10:39 am

    I don’t think Pan has anything in her mind for us to try that is new, per se. I do know we are going to give watermelons a run and see how that works out. So, in essence, the answer to the question for us is watermelon. However, we could just as easily buy locally from another farmer and get a good price. I think for us it is the site and knowledge of growing our own melon for those hot summer nights!

    Also, word to all readers. Just because you order from a seed catalogue and the confirm the order does NOT mean that is what your final shipment will include. Our most recent order was devoid of one seed (the money was refunded, yes) because they were out of it already. So, make yourself an alternative list too!

    Reply to Andrew Odom's comment

  7. Hanna Fushihara on February 10, 2010 at 11:42 am

    This will only be the second season for us with a full garden so I am still trying out new varieties to find the ones that work here. Last year I concentrated too heavily on tomatoes and peppers since they tend to be expensive to buy. Of course that was a total disaster with the wave of blight that hit our area. I haven’t totally given up on them but will only plant a handful of them this year as opposed to the more than 2 dozen last year. What I want to try this year are a number of cucumber varieties since last year I for the most part neglected to plant very many. I’ll be planting Shantung Suhyo Cross, Richmond Green Apple, Lemon Cucumber, Soyu Burpless, and Marketmore.

    Reply to Hanna Fushihara's comment

  8. Jennelle on February 10, 2010 at 12:05 pm

    I ordered from Baker Creek Seeds a couple weeks ago, and I cannot wait to get started… I just have to wait on Mother Nature to come around. I’m going to try cold frames this year for leaf lettuce and greens, and I’ll put carrots in them (without the lids) throughout the summer. I ordered some things I’ve never grown before including winter squashes, and several types of tomatoes and peppers.

    Reply to Jennelle's comment

    • Susy on February 10, 2010 at 12:28 pm

      It is hard to be patient. Usually I plant things a little too early, this year I’m trying to hold off. I may start to onions soon and some brassicas.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  9. stefaneener on February 10, 2010 at 12:21 pm

    My goal is to only grow what I really like and want. Perhaps this isn’t news to anyone else. . .
    .-= stefaneener´s last blog ..Harvest Monday February 8th 2010 =-.

    Reply to stefaneener's comment

  10. Jaspenelle on February 10, 2010 at 12:25 pm

    This is my second year gardening in this climate so I am still sticking to and perfecting the basics. (Tomatoes, cucumbers, greens, carrots, radishes.) I have a tremendous weak spot for heirloom pole beans, so I am trying two new varieties this year as well as a type of snap pea, along with the ones I already grow. The main newcomer to my garden this season is my 2 year old. I let him pick three plants from my catalogs and we are growing those in a little 4×4 bed for him. He picked a dry bean (Hidatsa Shield), a large winter squash (PA Dutch Crookneck) and a popcorn variety (Strawberry.) So we are going to give a three sisters garden a try.
    .-= Jaspenelle´s last blog ..Cuteness =-.

    Reply to Jaspenelle's comment

    • Susy on February 10, 2010 at 12:27 pm

      Such a great way to get kids interested in gardening!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  11. Kelly on February 10, 2010 at 1:07 pm

    Am I?!? Last year was our first year with a big garden in this area, so everything was new and, given how cool/wet last summer was for us, things grew differently than i’m expecting for this year (lots of lettuce, blighted tomatoes). Therefore I’m growing much of what we did last year, but also adding in some pickling cucs, bok choy, celeriac, drying beans, more herbs (rosemary, sage, cilantro, chamomile, thyme, shiso, and hamburg parsley which i’m quite excited about!), onions, mizuna, parsnips, turnips, watermelon, blackberriies and a currant bush. I thought about potatoes but am putting them off til next year.

    I’m also experimenting with starting my peppers and eggplant super early this year (a month ago) to see if i can get more than 3 tiny peppers and 1 tiny eggplant from 3 plants of each. I’m way too excited about the garden!
    .-= Kelly´s last blog ..A Stitch in… Ethan =-.

    Reply to Kelly's comment

  12. leslie on February 10, 2010 at 2:15 pm

    I am growing everything new this year with brand new raised beds. Last year I put in a fruit garden with apples, pear, and blueberries — the only veggies I tried were snap peas (my tiny tykes loved them) and swiss chard (the neighborhood rabbits loved them.) This year I have 2 beds to fill, so I am going overboard with things to grow. The two picks that I am most curious about are Beer Friend edamame and a warty Galeux D’eysines winter squash that is reputed to be great in soups. The squash is a long-shot for success. Almost all of my picks were under 85 days since I garden in the Pacific NW — and GD squash clocks in at 105. I am hoping that it has a chance for two reasons: I bought it from Territorial Seed Company which has its test beds in my climate and the fact that it is a winter squash. And if those two reasons won’t help — then I am calling on Beginner’s Luck.
    .-= leslie´s last blog ..Soil Test Results =-.

    Reply to leslie's comment

  13. Frugal Trenches on February 10, 2010 at 3:25 pm

    I hope to grow herbs this summer since I have no garden. But next year, well next year the sky’s the limit!
    .-= Frugal Trenches´s last blog ..I see beauty all around =-.

    Reply to Frugal Trenches's comment

  14. MAYBELLINE on February 10, 2010 at 4:39 pm

    Still flipping through seed catalouges and deciding.
    .-= MAYBELLINE´s last blog ..Here Comes Spring =-.

    Reply to MAYBELLINE's comment

  15. lo on February 10, 2010 at 6:08 pm

    We started using the philosophy you’re espousing with our small urban garden last spring — planting things that we tend not to see at the local markets and farm stands, or things we seldom find grown organically. We’ve also started to know our limits when it comes to gardening, so we’ve pared down to crops that don’t take much effort *blush*.

    I’ve not decided on everything in our garden this year — but I know that we’ll be planting heirloom peppers again this year. We had great luck with some varieties from Seedsavers last year, so we’ll probably seek out some of the same. Also leeks. And tomatillos. And plenty of kale, since we eat it like it’s going out of style.

    We have herbs intermingled throughout our flower gardens, as well as in a separate raised bed. So, there will also be plenty of parsley, basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, lavender, and lemon verbena.

    And we always plant a few heirloom varieties of tomatoes (Principe Borghese is a favorite for drying, and I love Mexican Midgets for eating out of hand — so prolific too!!) — simply because I can’t imagine summer without the gift of biting into that first sun-warmed, ripe tomato, fresh from my own soil and compost!
    .-= lo´s last blog ..Hyped Up Shepherd’s Pie with Mushrooms and Greens =-.

    Reply to lo's comment

  16. Kirsten on February 10, 2010 at 6:22 pm

    I’m going to try tomatilloes this year. Last year, our neighbors grew them in profusion and recently shared their canned salsa with us. They inspired me!
    .-= Kirsten´s last blog ..Eating: Enchiladas =-.

    Reply to Kirsten's comment

  17. Morgan G on February 10, 2010 at 6:32 pm

    My Baker Creek catalog just came a few days ago! I cannot wait to sit down and flip through every page. I am most looking forward to ordering tomatillo seeds as part of my effort to perfect my salsa this year!
    .-= Morgan G´s last blog ..grounded’s Favorite Super Bowl 2010 Commercial =-.

    Reply to Morgan G's comment

  18. Melissa on February 10, 2010 at 9:08 pm

    This is one of my favorite winter beat-the-blues activities! My seeds just arrived and I can hardly wait to get my hands dirty. I’ll be starting my tomato and pepper transplants next week. :) Melissa
    .-= Melissa´s last blog ..Let’s make bread =-.

    Reply to Melissa's comment

  19. Kristel on February 14, 2010 at 12:50 am

    I’m trying some new things this year…

    I’m extra excited for Amish Paste tomatoes, Tomatillos, ground cherries and purple pole beans.
    .-= Kristel´s last blog ..I have so much to talk about! =-.

    Reply to Kristel's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

Admin
Read previous post:
A Beautiful Day

We woke up to a beautiful day yesterday morning. The skies were clear and blue and everything was coated with...

Close