Here is the 2023 vegetable list, at this point. I came upon the Deep Harvest Farm seed booth at the garden show, so that has motivated me to make a plan. Tomatoes will be added later. I'm trying a variety of greens to extend and diversify the salad options.
This was the garden helper in the snow last week.
Listing here the seeds and plants I (maybe) will have in the garden this year.
These "Botanical Interests" seeds came from a shop closing last fall:
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| New beds in the old garden area |
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| A sunny garden face |
It's time to order seeds and seedlings and I don't have my list finalized, as usual. I'm going to have some busy weeks coming up and if I don't get it done now, it won't happen.
In addition to Petunia's Garden vegetables, we are continuing to plant assorted tree and shrub seedlings on a hillside and have plans for a hedgerow effect in a few other places.
For seedlings, there are some nice opportunities coming up:
King County Conservation District has an annual Native Bareroot Plant sale. Pre-orders must be placed by Jan. 31 for pickup on March 5 & 6. Any plants not sold through the pre-orders will be for sale on March 5 & 6 also. See the website: http://kingcd.org for plants and more information.
Weyerhaeuser public seedling sale is Feb. 15 and March 20. See this link for more information: Western WA Public Sales Event .
Do you have a broccoli variety you recommend? In taking stock of what seeds I have and what seeds I need (and what seeds I want), I've determined I won't have enough broccoli seeds. So, what to order?
I've been growing a seed blend of Everest, Packman, Small Miracle and Southern Comet. These are supposed to produce over different periods and provide a nice season of broccoli. However, I haven't been able to tell them apart and I would like to know which variety is actually growing. That's why this year I'd like to grow a specific variety.
Each year, I winter sow some broccoli in milk jugs in late Feb. or early March. Then I plant the seedlings in the garden under the cloche or some sort of protection. I have to discourage slugs from eating the seedlings, usually by putting coffee grounds around the seedling. If I can get it past the size a slug can eat all in one night, then it will be fine on its own. I try to start more plants throughout the spring. The young broccoli plants above are from May 2007.
After harvesting the main head, I hope for lots of side shoots for more eating. Finally, I let the bees have it. See this link about broccoli bee bliss.
Any suggestions?
DH and I were recently off our usual path. Couldn't resist a quick browse in a new (to us) thrift/charity shop. Thought I could feel the old Mar-Crest cereal bowls I'm looking for calling me, but it was something else instead. There sat an expansion unit for my seed housing system! One for veggies, one for flowers/herb, and one for...? Oh, the possibilities! Room for lots of pumpkin varieties. Yes, former diskette & CD housing.
There are many projects going on at our little desk. Not sure about DH's geocaching Jeep thing. But, then he walked in and plopped down the latest catalog. I'll leave the Jeeps to him.
Meet Speckles, a butterhead type lettuce, reported to be an old Amish heirloom. This photo is from Sunday, Jan. 11! Sure, maybe not in his best form. However, not bad considering those 18 degree days and snow we had in December. This little guy is from a fall planting and is slightly protected by a window cloche (two sides of protection, two sides open). After the worst of it, I brushed off the remaining slush from the center of the plant, and now we have new growth! In the summer, I think there were more red speckles.
It's time to start planning for the 2009 garden. I'm starting with pumpkins and need your help.I will grow more Rouge vif d'Etampes (below), but as a open pollinated variety, my questions above apply. They are beautiful and good eating. For some reason, mine didn't store well, however. 
And from my neighbor, I have some Holland's Land O Giants pumpkin seeds to grow. These are mondo prize-winning pumpkins from a Washington grower. ... I think it is time to start that second pumpkin patch on the other side of the house!
From Tina: Blue Moon pumpkins have flavor, seeds and color. "The skin is a nice blue/gray, but the flesh is the most beautiful, rich color - makes fab cookies and pies. The seeds are plump and delicious.It's really a wonderful pumpkin!"
From Molly: Suggests Mars pumpkins for our cool NW. "...Although I needed to ripen them in the greenhouse after the weather got cold, they did turn orange and they are really nice and sweet. They seem to be keeping well, also."
I appreciate your input on the open pollination questions and more pumpkin varieties!
I've just been struggling to keep up this spring. Not for a lack of interest in the garden or blog, but it's just how it is. This blog started 2 years ago, and it has been the longest running garden journal I've kept (as I say, I cannot lose the computer)! To see the start of the blog and garden, see March 2006 archive posts. Really like that post with the 2005 garden photo. It has changed a little!
Here is the list of vegetables and other plants I will be growing this year. Many are seeds remaining from prior years. A few flowers and herbs are listed, but most herbs already in the garden are not on this list.
~Alyssum, Wonderland Mulberry Mix - around the lavender and DH bench.
~Anise Hyssop - added in 2007, I suspect is has self seeded. Bees loved it.
~Bachelors buttons-self seeded
~Basil-doesn't like our summers, but I will try to find a warm spot, sown indoors 3/16/08.
~Beans, bush-Romano Gold
~Beans, French/Filet-Cupidon, organic
~Beans, pole-Helda,Romano type
~Beans, pole-Violet Podded Stringless
~Beans, runner-Scarlet Emperor
~Beet-Kestrel, direct sown 5/4/08
~Borage-self seeded
~Broccoli-Hybrid Blend w/Southern Comet, Everest, Small Miracle and Packman, winter sown early March.
~Brussels Sprouts-Bubbles - 2007 not much luck. To plant earlier in 2008.
~Carrots-Jeanette F1 Hybrid Organic, from neighbor, direct sown 5/4/08
~Carrots-Mokum, good to harvest from baby size to larger sizes. direct sown 5/4/08
~Coreopsis-Tinctoria Mixture
~Cosmos-Unique Mix, Picotee
~Cucumbers-Lemon, 2007 was so-so, but will try again.
~Cucumbers-Marketmore 97
~Echinacea-Purple (in the garden already)
~Fennel-Perfection, organic, sown indoors 3/16/08, planted out 4/27/08
~Four O'Clocks-Tea Time Mix, 2007 started too late. Try again.
~Garlic-California Garlic, sprouting from 2007 bulbs left in the ground.
~Garlic-Elephant Garlic, pl
~Ipomoea Alba - Moonflower, seeds from my neighbor
~Lettuce, Butterhead-Speckles, organic, direct sown 5/4/08
~Lettuce, Romaine-Crisp Mint, organic, added to winter sown 3/16/08, direct sown 5/4/08
~Lettuce-a little left over London Springs Mix: Red Sails, Flashy Trout's Back, Outredgeous, Hyper Red Rumple, Capistrano, winter sown early March
~Marigolds-Mr. Majestic & other self seeded
~Nasturtiums-Tip Top Alaska, grew nicely in 2007,
~Nicotiana-Only the Lonely self seeded?
~Onion, Evergreen White Bunching, sown indoors 3/16/08
~Onion, bulbs-some bulbs hid last year and now are sprouting.
~Oriental Poppy-Papaver orientale "Karine"
~Poppy, yellow-from Sis, sown indoors 3/16/08
~Parsley -already in the garden, self seeding
~Peas, snap-Sugar Snap, sown indoors 3/16/08, direct sown 4/27/08
~Peas, snow-Oregon Sugar Pod II, sown indoors 3/16/08, direct sown 4/27/08
~Pumpkins-Rouge vif d'Etamps Heirloom
~Pumpkins-Small Sugar, organic
~Pumpkins-Holland's Land O Giants, from neighbor
~Radish-Assorted Mix, DH selected these, direct sown in April and 5/4/08
~Rhubarb-From friend in 2006, harvested 5/4/08
~Rudbeckia Hirta-Black-eyed Susan (in the garden already)
~Squash, winter-Delicata
~Squash, summer-Scallop Bush Mix (aka Pattypan)
~Squash, zucchini-Romulus PM
~Sunflower-Infrared mix, 4/27/08-volunteers sprouting
~Sunflower-Italian White, sown 5/4/08
~Sunflower-Sorya, sown 5/4/08
~Sunflower-Sunseed, with others sown 5/4/08
~Sweet Peas-Garden Orchids, perennial sweet peas (neighbor sprouting for me), seedlings 5/1/08
~Sweet Peas-Jewels of Albion, antique sweet peas (neighbor..., also)
~Swiss chard-Bright Lights, winter sown early March, direct sown 5/4/08
~Tomatoes-a grape variety tbd
~Tomatoes-Sungold (seeds), sown indoors 3/16/08
~Tomatoes-other tbd
Driving off our usual beaten path, we came across a charity/second hand shop, I've heard about from others but hadn't visited before. I've had my eye out for a seed storage replacement for my old box. I always start out the year with it quite organized, but after it moves out to the barn/garden shed with me in the summer, it becomes a dusty shamble of a system. I was watching for something with a lid and maybe dividers. (yes, I'm an office supply junkie, but don't assume that keeps me organized.)
It's covered! I was spending too much time and energy looking for the best answer so I went back to the hardware store "saddles." Thanks to the input from commentors, I even tried making my own clips out of extra tubing, but couldn't get it to go over the cloche tubing. Big metal binder clips were a great idea too (so many uses) but they wanted to slide right off because of the plastic.
See how the saddles have ridges to hold them on, as well as the nice thumb spot for holding or removing them. 
I had also found an assortment of the bright clips, below. There are only 4 that will stay on the tubing, though. The others were too small. I'm using these 4 clips in the place that I'll open regularly. They are the easiest to remove.
The smaller clips work well to hold open or hold closed the ends of the cloche.
Lettuce, chard, chives, and two flowers are in there to see how they'll do.
Remember my tunnel cloche dreams post? Between and during the rain showers this weekend, we gave it a try. I think it has more of a covered wagon look, especially before we added the ridge board. It is 8 feet long by 4 feet wide. We had the wood already and just had to pick up the piping and plastic covering. We also prepared the parts for a 2nd one which would fit in this row too. (note that the bean structure had to come down to make room for this)
The tall tomatoes on the left side of the photo are inside the cloche. The plastic covering has just been cut away when they grew too tall. I hope to have one of these in place by the end of Sept. (Hint, hint to DH who was traveling when I took this photo.)
The gardener used T-connectors to attach PVC conduit "ribs" going from side to side with a "spine" along the top of the cloche. I like how sturdy this design made the cloche.
Then, on the ground along each side of the bed is a 2x4 with holes drilled in it and the "ribs" inserted in the holes. This keeps them straight and evenly spaced. The plastic covering was held on by clips. Some look like what I've seen for sale for this purpose and some looked to be sliced pieces of PVC pipes. So now the question will be "September this year or next?"
Well, it is already here, actually. We've had 2 days well above our average high of 75 degrees, with a few more days to go before it cools down. That's not Petunia, above, but a soaker hose added last weekend (and it has now been covered with a mulch). A 50 foot soaker hose can go down a bed and back just about right. Different beds can be watered on different days as needed. I'm either ready for another dry summer, or encouraging it to rain. Either way works for me.
Last night, we added some straw mulch to most of the bare ground and over the soaker hoses. You can also see the coffee bagged path that runs under the bean structure. The pole & runner beans above seem happy with this arrangement. The highest climber is up to 6 feet now. It was in the upper 90's today, but tonight, I could still find cool earth under the straw. 
Sure enough, two loads of rocks came out of the two 4 feet x 6 feet areas I dug.
...Including this nice specimen, above. It will get a bath and be incorporated in the garden somewhere.
Next, two loads of the last of the sheep straw compost went in (had to replace all of those rocks with something). 
Above, is the start of the digging with a trench down the middle of one of the 6ft section where the bean structure will go. Then, I also dug along each side of the shown trench. I don't do double digging in the most orderly manner, but similar idea. I remove about a shovel's depth of soil (here, thrown along the rest of the bed) , then loosen (& remove rocks) from another shovel's depth. Next, mix in compost and toss in soil from the next section being dug. It all gets stirred around a bit in the process. New beds get this treatment, but repeat beds don't seem to need it.
Now to let it settle. I started with the middle 6 feet (each bed is 22-23 feet long and 4 feet wide) so I can get the bean structure (laying next to the bed) in place before planting seeds. If you haven't seen the bean structure in action, check out this posting from last August. If you cannot tell, the structure spans the two beds and the path goes underneath it.
