Getting Prepared…
I ordered seed today (it’s slow at work) for most of my summer garden. I ordered from Seed Savers Exchange (their website can be found in the post from last week). I really wish I could just order from local seed stores and support small business, but I’m still pretty upset about getting crappy seed (see previous posts). Hopefully I’ll love the varieties I chose and can save seed from them at the end of their seasons and then I won’t have to buy any seed next year.
Here’s what I ordered:
Tomato:
Cherokee Purple: Unique dusty rose color. Flavor rivals Brandywine, extremely sweet. Productive plants, large crops of 12 oz. fruits. Indeterminate, 80 days from transplant 50 seeds
Brandywine (Certified organic): First introduced in 1885 by Amish farmers in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the large vines produce fruit that are 8–12 ounces and deep red in color. Very productive, excellent taste. Indeterminate, 80 days. 25 seeds
Watermelon: Moon & Stars Cherokee: Foliage and fruits are spotted with yellow, just like the original Van Doren strain. Fruits are 20-24” long and can weigh 10-16 pounds. Bright pink, sweet flesh, black seeds. Keep plants continuously well watered to achieve uniform, elongated fruits. 95 days. 25 seeds
Broccoli: Calabrese: Brought to America by Italian immigrants in the 1880s. Popular market variety. Tight heads can grow up to 8” in diameter. After the central head is harvested, side shoots follow. 58-90 days from transplant. 50 seeds
Lima Bean: Sieva: Good in the South, but also grows well in the North where it matures in cooler conditions. Excellent flavor. Dark green 9-10’ vines, broad flat medium- green 3-4” pods. Excellent home and market variety. Pole habit, 60-75 days. 50 seeds
Peppers:
Chocolate Beauty: Dark, shiny green fruits ripen to a rich chocolate brown. Excellent sweet flavor when fully ripe and average flavor when green. Very productive variety for home and market. 70-75 days from transplant. SWEET 50 seeds
Orange Bell: The best-tasting orange bell pepper we have grown. Blocky 4” by 3½” fruits are 3-4 lobed, extremely thick-fleshed with excellent sweet flavor, and heavy yields. Original seed source was SSE member Alex Heklar in 1989. 60 days from transplant for green peppers, 90 days for orange. SWEET 50 seeds
Ancho Gigantea: Dark green, heartshaped, 3” by 4” almost black fruits. Called Poblano when fresh and green, and Ancho when red and dried. The standard Mexican variety for sauces and stuffing, distinctive rich flavor without too much heat. 90 days from transplant. SWEET 50 seeds
Fish: Pre-1870s African-American heirloom. Beautiful green and white variegated foliage on 18-24” plants. Pendant fruits 2-3” long, ripen from cream with green stripes to orange with brown stripes to all red. Traditionally used in oyster and crab houses around Chesapeake Bay. Perfect for salsa. 80 days from transplant. MILD HOT 50 seeds
Sunflowers: Mix: A complete mixture of species and forms. If you can only plant one packet of seeds, this would be the one! Extended bloom period provides a nice supply of flowers for cutting from July until frost. Starts blooming at 60 days. 100 seeds
Soybean: Fiskeby (Certified organic): Swedish variety bred by Sven Holmberg that thrives in northern climates. Use fresh or dried, highly nutritious, up to 40% protein, high in calcium, iron, and vitamins (particularly A, B1, B12 and C). 75-80 days. 50 seeds
Here’s what I still need to get for April/May plantings:
Okra, Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Squash, Southern Peas, Pumpkins
3 years ago