It's apparently seed catalogue time

[this post was originally published on 11/15/2012]

I'm wondering if this is some sort of push to get people to give seeds for Christmas (hey, what a neat idea!)  or if I am simply still too new to gardening to have fully grasped the extend of what is going on.

Our first seed catalogue came in the mail today. It's not all organic, all heirloom, so i am relatively safe. For now. Once the nonsanto catalogues start rolling in I am IN TROUBLE. My dealers of choice:

Sand Hill Preservation
Baker Creek Heirloom
John Scheepers
Southern Exposure
High Mowing Organics

Since I may have over-spend a wee, tiny bit last year I have been given a firm budget for seed and plant purchases this year, and with it being only $200 it's going to be just enough to cover the crop failures and losses we had this past summer. One pear tree (I want Bosc, but we'll see what I can find) almost all of our blueberries, at least three of the raspberries and right there is most of that budget. I will have to get some potatoes, I really am hoping to get some purple sweet potato slips this year (I missed that one last year, 'cause I dragged my feet) and I was not able to save any zucchini or cucumber seeds, what with having a complete crop failure.

Just writing that by no means complete list made me feel a tiny bit deprived. Quick, focus on all the seeds I DO have, some of them will be the fourth generation in our little garden.

There, that's a happy thought :)

So far I have been able to save tomato, radish, carrot, pepper, winter squash, lettuce, potatoes, sun choke, garlic, onion, chive, sunflower, corn, cowpeas, peas, dill, basil, sage, eggplant and asparagus. It feels like I am forgetting some.It also seems like I should probably write up some seed saving instructions. I will.

Considering that 5 years ago I could not keep catnip alive that's not so bad. So I have not been able to grow a bean without bug or get any kind of cole crop to produce something other than caterpillars, and the only carrots that did really well for me were the tiny little round ones that I seeded out by accident, big deal. It's the time of year where we focus on accomplishments, and look hopeful into the future, so I hereby declare that the cole crop in the ground right now will be less protein intensive and next years bean plants will have leaves.


Who would have thought that *I* would enjoy this grubbing around in the dirt thing?

And yes, that is a picture of some corn I tried in an unsuitable location. It's supposed to be baby corn, but I'm just going to go ahead and call this zygote corn.

And with that, I bid you toodles.