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Seeds, Seeds, and More Seeds

January 23rd, 2013

Yesterday there were two packages of seeds in my little bus barn when we arrived home from coffee at our neighbor’s (they were from High Mowing Seeds and Baker Creek). Nothing is quite as exciting as opening these up and shuffling through them. I’m quite excited about a lot of these, some are crazy tropical fruits that will end up being houseplants, like the pink banana from Baker Creek. Others are going to fill the big garden up behind the garden.
2013 Seed Orders 1
What did I receive?
Here’s what I ordered from High Mowing:
Garden Combo Inoculant
Maxibel Haricot Vert Bean
Santee F1 Hybrid Sprouting Broccoli
Mars Celeriac
Fisher’s Earliest Corn
Roy’s Calais Flint Corn
Painted Mountain Flour Corn
National Pickling Cucumber
Optima Lettuce
Cortland F1 Hybrid Onion
Sedona F1 Onion
Green Arrow Pea
King of the North Pepper
Delicata Squash
Burgess Buttercup Squash
Jade Bean

2013 Seed Orders 3
From Baker Creek I ordered a ton of stuff. A few new and interesting things to try. Many of the herbs will be started indoors in pots and will become houseplants.

Ailsa Craig Onion
Gobbo Di Nizzia Cardoon
Hollow Crown Parsnip
Butternut-Waltham
Mammoth Sandwich Island Salsify
Golden Globe
Laurentian Rutabaga
Broad Windsor Fava Bean
Extra Precoce A Grano Violetto Fava Bean
Florence Fennel
Golden Beet
Perpetual Spinach
Mary Washington Asparagus
Long Island Improved Brussels Sprouts
Purple of Sicily Cauliflower
Violetta Itallia Cauliflower

2013 Seed Orders 2
Glory of Enkhuizen Cabbage
Giant Red Re-Selection
Di Firenze Fennel
Pink Banana
Chuffa
Autumn Giant Leek
Bulgarian Giant Leek
Giant Musselburgh Leek
Bleu De Solaise
Celtuce Lettuce
Australian Brown Onion
Lipstick Pepper
Red Mini Bell
Fordhook Zucchini
Sweet Meat Winter Squash
A Grappoli D’Inverno Tomato
Coriander, Large Seeded
Cilantro, Slo-Bolt
Dock, Bloody (Red Sorrel)
Feverfew
Lemongrass
Ramsons or Wild Garlic
Summer Savory
Tarragon, Russian
Fairyland Dwarf Mix – Candytuft
Unwin’s Mix – Dahlia
Yellow Canary Creeper Nasturtium
Lemon Queen – Sunflower
Envy – Zinnia
Button Box Zinnia
Lilliput Mix – Zinnia

2013 Seed Orders 4
It’s kind of exciting to finally have a large garden space, I can grow a little of this and a little of that. I’m excited to try broad beans and celeriac for the first time this year. My seeds from Peaceful Valley arrived last fall. I still have seeds from Renee’s Garden that haven’t arrived and I need to order a few cover crops from Johnny’s and Fedco.

Have any of your seeds for this season arrived yet? What are you most looking forward to growing?

21 Comments to “Seeds, Seeds, and More Seeds”
  1. Marina C on January 23, 2013 at 6:35 am

    Ailsa Craig onions! That’s where the curling stones come from! :-)

    Reply to Marina C's comment

  2. daisy on January 23, 2013 at 7:34 am

    Wow! It’s like Christmas all over again at your house!
    I’d love to try onions and leeks, two things I enjoy cooking with all the time.

    Reply to daisy's comment

  3. Sande on January 23, 2013 at 8:47 am

    That’s a lot of seeds. Looks like a huge garden in your near future. Got all that space at your new home? It will be fun seeing how it goes for you this spring and summer.

    Reply to Sande's comment

  4. Sherri on January 23, 2013 at 9:26 am

    Awesome! My seeds arrived a few days ago and I’m so excited about getting them started :) I’m most excited to try growing celeriac and brussels sprouts – never grown either of them!

    Reply to Sherri's comment

  5. Melissa on January 23, 2013 at 9:41 am

    Love seed deliveries! I’m waiting on one from Renee’s right now. Got my Baker Creek last week and still need to place a Johnny’s order. Can’t wait to see how the pink banana turns out! I’m trying the Giant Cape Gooseberry from BC this year- should be interesting.

    I’ve tried those Australian Brown onions- they germinated well but didn’t really bulb up for me, hope they do better for you! Those Envy Zinnias are beautiful, grew them last summer- probably will again this summer! Zinnias are my never fail, easy to grow flower!

    Reply to Melissa's comment

  6. sarah on January 23, 2013 at 9:56 am

    Yes! My seeds arrived and since I’m in Texas now, I’ve already planted some lettuces and greens, radishes, carrots, snap and shelling peas, and shallots. And I’m starting seeds now for eggplant, peppers, 3 kinds of alpine strawberries, and other lettuces. Fingers crossed!

    Reply to sarah's comment

  7. Nebraska Dave on January 23, 2013 at 10:39 am

    Susy, it’s been one of those busy weeks for me and it’s not over yet. I haven’t even got to listen to your podcast yet but it’s definitely on the list of things to do. My seeds are mostly purchased and the favorite seeds for this year will be sweet corn and pumpkins again. I’m planning on growing about a 30X60 foot patch of sweet corn with squash planted to cover up the ground under the corn. I’ve heard that the night time critters don’t really like the feel of squash or pumpkin leaves on their feet. So the experiment begins to see if it’s really true. Of course the 30X30 foot section of the sweet corn will have a fence made of remodeled free pallets that is arm pit high to help with critter control. I only harvested a few ears of sweet corn from my five rows of corn last year. I’m not sure how they know but the wild life critters seem to when a person is going to harvest and comes a munching the night before. :0)

    Have a great garden planning day.

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

    • KimH on January 23, 2013 at 11:59 am

      Hi Dave, Another little trick I learned in my raccoon corn loving garden is to put baby powder around the base of the cornstalk and up the stalk at least 2/3s of the way. Take care not to get it on the ears, tassels, or silks (will inhibit pollination) but the coons should leave it alone.. They dont like getting their paws dirty and it makes them crazy and they’ll leave yours alone. I’ve done it several years in a row & it worked for us!

      I wonder if regular flour would work too.. I’d probably try it myself. Matter of fact, I think I’ll have to grow some corn & try it this summer. ;)
      Hope this helps!

      Reply to KimH's comment

  8. Songbirdtiff on January 23, 2013 at 10:41 am

    It’s so exciting! I just love dreaming about the garden. It’s supposed to be in the upper 50’s today, so I’m going to try to go out and get a little more mulching done today. Next month I’ll direct sow my English peas, but for now I’m trying winter sowing and will start a few tomatoes inside to try to get some early crops. That’s the thing I love about seeds…plenty of extra for experimenting.

    Reply to Songbirdtiff's comment

  9. KimH on January 23, 2013 at 12:05 pm

    I havent begun to even look at my seeds yet.. One of these days soon Im going to gather them up and get them organized and see what I really need.
    I would love to try to grow some leek & onion from seed so I’ll have to get a move on with those.. I may decide to winter sow them as well..
    I never have good luck with growing onions.. I can get em up & started alright but I tend to water log them and then kill them. I need to change my evil ways. ;)
    I think I’ll be planting some brussels sprouts here at my house too.. I was going to do it last summer but never got them started.. Course, they’re leaving the Parsons Garden open longer in the year these days so I could still get a pretty good harvest there. Maybe I’ll do both. Can you ever have too many brussels sprouts? Not in our house. ;)

    Reply to KimH's comment

  10. Louise on January 23, 2013 at 1:05 pm

    Reply to Louise's comment

    • Natalie on January 24, 2013 at 11:03 am

      Thanks for posting this link. I really appreciate it.

      Reply to Natalie's comment

  11. kate on January 23, 2013 at 1:10 pm

    Getting those packages in the mail is better than Christmas! A few of my seed orders came last week. Now I’m just waiting on my Fedco order, which I should have by the end of the week. This year I’m going to focus more on storage crops, because it seems like we always have more summer vegetables than we know what to do with. I’m trying a few new kinds of drying beans, and I’m going to try growing popping corn for the first time this year.

    Reply to kate's comment

  12. Donna B. on January 23, 2013 at 1:17 pm

    I’m not a facebook member, so it was great to be able to see the picture of Lucy that you mentioned on Twitter~ she looks so interested in your seed order!
    I placed my order yesterday!
    Had to pick and choose though… every year I try an order from a differnent company, but I always seem to go back to Botanical Interests and Baker Creek. They’re my ♥’s…
    [I, too, have some leftovers from Renee’s when she had a sale going on last year! Mmm… I can’t wait to grow some Sea of Red romaine lettuce!]

    Reply to Donna B.'s comment

  13. Jennifer Fisk on January 23, 2013 at 1:40 pm

    I put in a substantial order to Pine Tree in New Gloucester. For anything else i need, I’ll go to my local feed store that carries Johnny’s and High Mowing. Can’t wait to begin seedlings.

    Reply to Jennifer Fisk's comment

  14. anno on January 23, 2013 at 2:14 pm

    I love getting seeds. If seeds are coming in, then spring can’t be too far behind. Right?

    Those are definitely the seeds of an impressive garden. I’ll be interested in hearing how this all evolves… and especially the corn. Around here, if the blackbirds don’t get it, the raccoons do.

    Because I am fortunate in living practically next door to someone who runs an organic chef’s garden, I have over the years given up growing things that just don’t work for me, namely lettuces and tomatos, and I instead focus on growing things that I love or that usually turn out even if I occasionally neglect them: garlic, onions, potatos, and green beans; lots of herbs; lots of various brassicas. This year I’m especially hoping to get some flowers started, maybe even delphiniums and snapdragons. This time of year, the craving for color gets mighty strong.

    Reply to anno's comment

  15. Annette May on January 23, 2013 at 7:30 pm

    Would you mind doing a future blog post about growing herbs inside. I’ve tried a few times and they always end up failing. I’ve got a few seeds started right now and am ordering more from Baker Creek as well. Your green thumb suggestions to get me off on the right foot would be so appreciated.
    Best wishes!

    Reply to Annette May's comment

  16. Lexa on January 23, 2013 at 9:11 pm

    Susy- Thanks for sharing your stash with us! It is always so fun to see what others will be growing in their gardens. Last night I went to a talk here by Anthony Boutard. He is a very prominent farmer/activist here in Oregon. He just released a book called Beautiful Corn and spoke a lot about corn and farming. After a lot of trial and error over the years, he and his wife only grow two varieties of corn now..and one of them is your Roy’s Calias Flint Corn. He feels that it makes the BEST corn meal hands down. All of his Portland chefs buy it for making polenta and hominey. I look forward to seeing what you think.

    Reply to Lexa's comment

    • Susy on January 23, 2013 at 9:31 pm

      I read this was a great variety, which is why I purchased it. I’m also growing a flour corn. We shall see…

      Reply to Susy's comment

  17. Natalie on January 24, 2013 at 11:12 am

    My seeds came! I am most excited about having fresh tomatoes and green beans! I bought them at the farmers’ market last year and they were so good.

    Reply to Natalie's comment

  18. Julie on January 26, 2013 at 1:54 am

    My seeds also arrived! Next week, the fun begins–it’s time to start playing in the greenhouse, sowing seeds for my heirloom plant business. It’s my favorite time of year–it’s still chilly outside, but the greenhouse is warm and toasty. There ‘s something therapeutic about sowing seeds, and the first sprouts makes me feel like a new parent all over again.

    Reply to Julie's comment

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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.

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