2011 Planting Plan

It's that time of year again. I think I'm actually a bit late in planning even though it is only February, since I'm hoping to grow tomatoes from seed this year. It will be my first time so I need to learn more about the particulars, but I think I need to start the seeds pretty soon.

I'm only going to do 2 tomato plants this year, since most of them did really poorly last year. That's also why I want to grow them from seed - I'm trying to grow varieties that are resistant to blight. I know Sungold cherry tomatoes are one, since they did ok last year despite all 5 other tomato plants failing. I read about some others: the mountain series, ferline, legend & fantasio (which only seems to be available in the UK). They all appear to be determinate, except for ferline, but it is late season. Legend is early season, but determinate. I'm tempted to grow both, but then I won't have room for ground cherries. So I still need to decide.

I'm also cutting down on pepper plants this year. The italian fryers and mini orange peppers did great last year, while the bell peppers did hardly anything so I'm eliminating those. I didn't like the nardello or pepperoncini much, even though they grew very well. So I'm sticking with Marconi Golden and Little Dickens. I think I might try bananarama for green fryers just for something different. And I might replace the bells with a hungarian blocky type. As for hots, my husband barely ate any last year, even though they grew ok, so I told him he lost his privilege to my limited garden space lol. So I'm only growing 1 jalapeno for my salsas.

I thought this would leave me with a lot of extra room to fit in somewhat exotic plants I couldn't fit in before like endives and ground cherries, but in compiling this plan I quickly realized once again my imagination outpaces my limited space! I wanted to add some bush beans and soybeans this year, but there just isn't going to be room. And I'll probably only get a handful of peas but what are you gonna do.

So here it is, drumroll please:

BED ONE (large + fence) 42 x 94.5 = 3.5' x 7.9' = 27.6' = 27.5'

Spring: turnips & carrots

Summer: green beans, turnips & carrots

fall: radishes & lettuce

BED TWO (small + fence) 31.5 x 46 = 2.6' x 3.8' = 9.8 sq ' = 10'

Spring through fall: endives

Summer: cool breeze cucumbers

In front of beds 1 & 2: gem marigolds

Front: calendula bed

Fence: climbing nasturtiums

BED THREE (small) 31.5 x 47.5 = 2.6' x 3.9' = 10.14 = 10'

Spring through fall: Strawberries & Chard

Behind bed three: Chamomile & Borage, lavender

BED FOUR (large) 58.5 x 126 = 4.9' x 10.5' = 51.45' = 51.5'

Spring: radishes, lettuce, cabbage & arugula

Summer: ground cherries, tomatoes, squash, basil

fall: maybe lettuce & cabbage

OTHER SIDE OF YARD

BED FIVE (large + fence)

Spring: peas & radishes

Summer: trombochino & peppers

Fall: same

BED SIX (large + fence) 39" x 94" - 3' x 7' - 21 sq '

Spring: leeks, mustard greens & lettuce

Summer: diva & rocky cucumbers

Fall: leeks, arugula, mustard greens, mache

nearby: bush nasturtiums

Just Reserved my Tomato and Pepper Plants!

Whoa, talk about too much of a good thing! They have so many varities at Cross Country Nursery my head almost exploded trying to pick just a few. I ended up buying 2 more tomato plants than I had planned, and 3 extra peppers. I think I may have to nix my edamame test, and grow a few less chinese cabbage. But wow, will it be worth it! If we have a good season this summer, I'm going to have a rainbow of delicious gourmet tomatoes and peppers!

Here's a list of the exact varities I reserved. Since the nursery is in NJ, I'm going to pick them up around May 10th.

Medium Round Globe Tomatoes:
1 MATINA (Red)
1 RAMAPO HYBRID (Red)
1 SNOWSTORM (White)

Cherry Tomatoes:
1 GRAPE (Red)
1 BLACK CHERRY (Purple)
1 SUN GOLD HYBRID (Orange)

Sweet Bell Peppers:
1 BELL BOY HYBRID (Green to Red)
1 LADY BELL HYBRID (Green to Red)
1 ARIANE (Orange, super sweet)
1 ORANGE SUN (Orange)

Italian Frying Types
2 CUBANELLE (Light Green to Red)
2 MARCONI GOLDEN (Orange)
1 NARDELLO (Green to Red, long & thin)

Hot Peppers
1 ANCHO MULATO (Dark Green to Brown, mild)
1 JALAPENO TAM (Green to Red, mild-medium)
1 THAI HOT DRAGON HYBRID (Green to Red, very hot)

Assorted Peppers
1 PEPERONCINI (Green to Orange to Red, for pickling)
1 YUMMY ORANGE (Orange, small size)
1 LITTLE DICKENS (Orange, mini size, upright)

Wheeeee! (I really do get way too excited about gardening. lol)
Now I just have to pick 4 basil plants to add on to my order (they're only available at the nursery so you have to reserve them with a follow up email). Here we go again...

Update: OK, I picked my basils. That was so hard - there are so many on their website I never heard of, and they don't have descriptions like the tomatoes and peppers. I was able to narrow it down because my partner and I don't like Thai or lemon types, so I tried to pick big leaved, sweet aromatic varities. This is what I settled on:

2 Genovese
1 Osmin Purple
1 Red Rubin

Then of course I had to get two more than I planned haha. I got smaller compact varieties, since I figure these can fit in the front of the bed:

1 Summerlong
1 Magical Michael

I would like to try to save the seeds so I can grow them myself next year, but I think they may cross-pollinate so I'm not sure if that's possible.

It's That Time of Year Again

Time to figure out what seeds to buy and start growing inside. I want to grow everything, but I only have so little space this is really tough!

2010 PLANTING PLAN

1. BED ONE (large + fence) 42 x 94.5 = 3.5' x 7.9' = 27.6' = 27.5'
Spring: lettuce
Summer: Trombonchino squash, 2 italian frying, 2 green bell, 2 red or something bell peppers
fall: nothing

2. BED TWO (small + fence) 31.5 x 46 = 2.6' x 3.8' = 9.8 sq ' = 10'
Spring: mustard greens
Summer: cucumbers & endives
Fall: nothing

In front of beds 1 & 2: gem marigolds
Front: calendula bed
Fence: climbing nasturtiums

3. BED THREE (small) 31.5 x 47.5 = 2.6' x 3.9' = 10.14 = 10'
Spring & Summer: Strawberries and Chard

Behind bed three: Chamomile & Borage, lavender

4. BED FOUR (large) 58.5 x 126 = 4.9' x 10.5' = 51.45' = 51.5'
Spring: radishes & arugula
Summer: soybeans, cavili squash (Parthenocarpic), Chinese cabbage, hot pepper
fall: lettuce, carrots & turnips

OTHER SIDE OF YARD
5. BED FIVE (large + fence)
Spring: peas, radishes
Summer: tomatoes & jalapeno
Fall: nothing

6. BED SIX (large + fence) 39" x 94" - 3' x 7' - 21 sq '
Spring: Carrots & turnips
Summer: same
Fall: arugula, mustard greens, mache

nearby: bush nasturtiums

7. BED SEVEN (shade, in ground)
Same perennials - ferns, mint, shisho (will hopefully reseed), yarrow, anise hyssop

8. NEW BED EIGHT:
Spring: ???
Summer: Emerite beans & leeks, basil

Well, that was easier than last year. I already went and bought all my seeds! Good thing too because the squash I wanted was only sold by one place, I'm sure it will sell out. Here's what I bought, and that's all I'll need. Everything else I have saved from last year.

• Cucumbers - Diva (slicer), Cool Breeze & Rocky (both mini picklers). All 3 are Parthenocarpic.
• Endive (witloof) - Totem OG
• Nasturtiums, climbing - Jewel of Africa
• Nasturtiums, bush- Kaleidscope OG
• Summer squash, bush - Cavili, also Parthenocarpic
• Chinese cabbage - Lettucy type
• Carrots - Napoli OG
• Leeks - King Richards (early & long) & Giant Musselburgh (old heirloom, very winter hardy)

The only other thing I'll have to buy are a few pepper, tomato and basil plants, since I think it would be too much to grow from seed inside. I will probably do the cucumbers and squash inside to get an early start, as well as marigolds like I did last year. I'll get the others from this nursery in NJ: http://www.chileplants.com

Well Sweep Swept Me Away

Even though a Well Sweep is an old-time farming implement that made getting buckets of water out of a well easier, and has nothing to do with a broom, I can definitely still say this herb farm swept me off my feet! They had so many plants, it was completely overwhelming, in a good way of course.

As you can see from the picture, it was herbs as far as the eye could see. They had literally every single kind of herb I had ever heard of, plus many, many more that were completely new to me. I also saw a whole flock of the most adorable lambs, adults and babies - plus lots of pretty chickens in really nice coops. For a New Jersey farm, I have to say they really put the garden in the Garden State!













I spent about 3 hours just looking at all of the plants for sale, but could have easily spent twice that much time, or more. There was so much to learn, especially since their catalog was very well labeled and told a lot about each plant, such as whether or not it was winter hardy in our area, drought tolerant, edible, fragrant, sun needs, etc. It was helpful just to see what plants are supposed to look like too. Now for the seeds I am trying to grow at home, I know what they should look like when they grow. Unfortunately I had to get back home, so I didn't even get to go in their greenhouse with topiaries and rare species, or walk around the formal herb gardens. Guess this means I'll just have to go back soon! It was definitely worth the 1.5 hour drive.

I ended up wanting to buy everything of course, but managed to resist pretty well and only ended up spending a little over budget. I didn't really get anything that exotic, since I'm still new to this and trying to stick with things that are easy to grow. This is what I got, with a * next to the ones I planted last night:
LIST TO BE UPDATED TONIGHT

• *Logee Blue Rosemary
• *D- Rosemary
• *-Lavender
• *Flat leaf Parsely
• *White Borage
• *2 Red Gem Marigold
• *2 Tangerine Gem Marigold
• *- Giant Dill
• *Pink Chives (They had white too! They were a bit expensive since they are so rare, so I didn't buy one. Boy I'm kinda sorry now.)
• 2 Black Hollyhock (since only 6 out of the 15 seeds I planted germinated)
• Jacob Cline Red Bee Balm (since my seeds didn't germinate)
• White Yarrow (since I lost the seeds I ordered somehow!)
• - Shasta Daisy
• Anise Hyssop (since my winter sowing experiment failed miserably)
• Shiso (Perilla) Japanese Mint
• Ostrich Fern
• 2 Astilbe

Unfortunately Well Sweep did not have any compost for sale. We also stopped at a couple places on the way home, but none had anything suitable. I spoke with a knowledgable worker taking care of the plants at a decent nursery - and while they did have bagged organic compost made out of manure and humus, she said it has a tendency to burn plants so she didn't recommend that type. She also said my peppers are probably turning green because we have had so much rain lately. So it may just be too much water. I'm hoping that's it, and they'll recover soon as the weather gets warmer. I also bought some yellow squash from this nursery since I forgot to get them at Brock's when I bought the rest of the summer plants.

Gardening Binge 2009 #2: Check!

I knew after my last seed order a few weeks ago, there were still a few things I forgot. I definitely wanted to order the Agribon row covers. I also want to make the existing wild violet area (as described in this post last year) on the other side of the yard into an edible flower bed, but didn't get anything for that when I ordered my veggies. So, today I had some time to spare and of course my thoughts immediately went to my garden, and the little violets that should be sprouting any week now. One thing led to another, and bye bye hard earned $$$! Haha. At least I don't feel too bad since they are all edible and most perennial. Here's the haul, all organic, from Peaceful Valley:

• Anise Hyssop (Mint Licorice) Agastache foeniculum
• White Yarrow Achillea millefolium*
• Bergamot Lavender Monarda fistulosa*
• Calendula Flashback Calendula officinalis
• Nasturtium Rainbow Whirlybird Mix Tropaeoleum majus
• Nasturtium Climbing Amazon Mix Tropaeolum majus
• Garlic Chives Allium tuberosum
• Catalogna (Italian) Dandelion Greens Cichorium intybus (these were Free!)
• Tendergreen Mustard (also Free!)
  
• Mache Gala (a.k.a. lamb's lettuce or corn salad)
• The lightest Agribon (19) to keep the worms off my Kale
• The next heavier Agribon (30) to protect crops from frost

*Native to New Jersey!

Wuhoo! I'm so excited I don't even know what to do with myself. Well, actually I do- make lots and lots of origami boxes to use as pots for indoor seedlings! I better get to it- hopefully it will work and you'll see the results in my next post.

Now I need to put some more details here on a couple of these new plants that I've never grown before.
-Anise Hyssop= Height: 2-4'; Spacing:18-24 in. (45-60 cm); Sun to Light Shade; Propagation: From seed; sow indoors before last frost (cold, moist stratification dramatically improves germination); blooms mid to late summer

-White Yarrow= Height: 6" - 4'; Spacing: 1 - 2'; Full Sun; Drought resistant; Propagation: Divide in the spring. The seed germinates in 2 weeks at temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees. Light is necessary for seed germination (so plant no deeper than 1/4 inch). Germination time indoors may be as little as 5 to 7 days.; bloom in June, but will bloom again in September if the dead clusters are removed

-Bergamot Lavender = Height: 3' - 5' (mowing may keep it shorter & water/fertilizer will make it grow huge); Spacing: 12 - 24" (good air circulation keeps away powdery mildew); Full sun to light shade; Somewhat drought resistant (moreso than monarda didyma) but may like moist feet - seems to depend; Propagation: Direct seed 2 seeds/in or start indoors 4-6 wks before last frost and transplant when frost danger has passed. Planting Depth: 1/8"-1/4"Soil Temp. for Germ.: 60-70°FDays to Germ.: 10-21; Blooms in June/July, may continue through Sep. if deadheaded

Other Possibilities:

• Tagetes tenuifolia (lemon or tangerine signet marigold)
• Malva sylrestris (common mallow, french hollyhock)
• and/or Alcea rosea (Hollyhock) probably doesn't taste as good as mallow but it sure is cute! Also has upward, tall habit
• Bellis perennis (English Daisy, Lawn Daisy) small, adorable and I NEED it haha
• Centaurea cynaus (Bachelor's Button, Cornflower) pretty, blue, many colors but also large: 2 - 3 feet tall
• Platycodon grandiflorum (Balloon Flower) Another purple 2 - 3 foot tall totally gorgeous edible flower
  

Seed Binge 2009: Check!

I've been super busy but after this weekend's 50 degree temps I could wait no longer. I just placed my seed orders!! Here is what I bought:

From Natural Gardening Company:

• Emerité Pole Bean Seed
• Buttercrunch Lettuce Seed*
• Merveille De Quatre Saisons Butterhead Lettuce Seed
• Vivian Romaine Lettuce Seed
• "Astro" Arugula
• Red Ace Beet Seed*
• Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard Seed*
• Marketmore Cucumber Seed*
• White Icicle Radish Seed*
• Easter Egg II Radish Seed
• Purple Top White Globe Turnip Seed*

From Cook's Garden:

• Summer Squash Tromboncino
• Beet Lutz Green Leaf
• Pea Sugar Snap*
• Carrot Napoli Hybrid

Whee I'm excited now! Seeds with an asterisk* next to them were specifically listed as good types to grow in New Jersey by Rutgers: http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/download-free.asp?strPubID=FS681 , with the exception of Fordhook Chard which was suggested by a NJ gardener on the garden web forums.

Although that is a long list, I'm still going to have to buy quite a few plants from the nursery. I know I don't have a lot of time this year, and my indoor growing set-up doesn't really exist yet, so I only went with mostly things to be direct seeded outside. A lot of the above list will also be planted in the fall. Last year I learned quickly that you have to get them in the spring, because by the time fall came around none of my local stores had any plants or seeds.

This is what I plan to get from the nursery:

• Yellow Squash
• Regular Zucchini
• Grape Tomatoes
• Rutgers Tomatoes
• Two types of heirloom (maybe from the Rutger's special plant sale)
• Cucumber, maybe a pickling variety & another long seedless
• Italian peppers
• Jalapeno
• Habanero
• Bell Peppers (maybe red and orange)
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Mint
• Basil
• Borage
• Assorted herbs for my dog's garden (haha yes you read that right my dog gets his own garden. This will be explained in a later post)
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Nasturtiums
• Marigolds
• Daisies

I think that's it! Phew!

Spring Planning in the Snow

It has been sooo cold here over the past week. I can't take it anymore, I feel like a popsicle. It keeps snowing a little bit at a time so my poor partner has had to go outside and shovel just about every other day. Good thing he is Canadian and prides himself on his shoveling skills! He keeps bragging about how our sidewalk is the most ice free of the block. Haha I'm so annoyed that it has only been accumulating about an inch. I love snow- so if it is going to be this cold at least we could get enough snow to take the day off and go sledding or build a snowman or something!

The only things keeping me warm are my dog and thinking about what I'll grow in the spring. This is the first time I've ever tried growing seeds inside to plant out in the spring so it should definitely be a learning experience. I'm researching the best varieties to order and drawing up a plan of how to rotate my beds. Looks like the is a 50% chance of 32 degree weather on April 20th and a 10% chance by May 1st. So like last year, I'll plant the warm weather crops the first weekend of May, but the cold weather crops could probably go in as early as April 1st. That seems kind of late though...I think I'll have to do a little more research on that. In any case, I better get to ordering my seeds in the couple weeks so I can start growing them inside in March.

Edit: Aha! I just found this additional planting calendar from the farmer's almanac that even tells you when is a good time to plant in accordance with the moon. http://www.almanac.com/garden/plantingtable/index.php As I suspected, it says to plant the cool weather veggies like chard and beets in mid March. It still says not to plant beans until mid April. I thought they should go out earlier than that. Hmm. I've never grown any beans except those scarlet runner beans last year that didn't do well at all, so this is completely new to me. I'd really like to grow haricot verts this year. I'm thinking almost definitely Emerite Pole Beans, or maybe Straight N Narrow. I might try Soleil bush beans too. I think I'll have to call my friend the Master Gardener and my brother to find out what they think.

Here is a picture of my dog playing in the snow in the meantime. Today he was eating the flakes in the air as they fell. Too cute. :-)

Seeds Grown in 2008

Here's the specific list of seeds that I grew this year. I have a lot leftover for most of them. I wonder if they will still be good to plant next spring, or do I have to buy new ones? Maybe putting them in the freezer will help, like how I keep my seeds for sprouting. I have no idea, guess I gotta research an answer. Some definitely grew better than others, so I noted the results below as well. E = Excellent, A = Average, P = Poor

Spring 2008. All were direct sowed outside in the beginning of May unless otherwise specified.

Seed Savers Exchange:

• E = Velvet Queen Sunflower - Helianthus annuus. These were great, will definitely grow again.
• A = Five Color Silverbeet (Rainbow Swiss Chard) - Beta vulgaris. Slow to grow but good once they did.
• A = Scarlet Runner Bean - Phaseolus coccineus. Grew well, looked pretty, but did not produce enough beans.
• A = Early Scarlet Globe Radish - Raphanus sativus. These grew well but too quickly. Had gigantic tall spiky leaves but tiny, tough roots. Only a few were edible.
  
• A = Jolly Jester Marigold - Tagetes patula. Slow to grow but nice once they did.
• P = Empress of India Nasturtium - Troaeolum minus. These were a real disappointment. Grew about 3 inches tall, bloomed lovely red flowers that tasted wonderful, then mysteriously died. Maybe b/c they were in hanging pot on the porch?
• P = Spearmint - Mentha viridis. Awful. Grew 2 inches tall if that, then died. Maybe b/c they were also in a hanging pot on the porch.
• P = Cilantro - Coriandrum sativum. A few managed to grow about 6 inches tall, then died. Did not reseed.
  
• P = Grandma Einck's Dill - Anethum graveolens. A few little seedlings grew about 2 inches tall, then died. Did not even go to seed.
• P = Scarlet Nantes Carrot - Daucus carota. These grew, but the carrots only ever got about 1 or 2 inches long, and thin. Maybe b/c they got overshadowed by peppers and didn't get enough sun though.
  

Park Seed:

• E = 5557 Cucumber Pearl Hybrid. These were awesome, totally unexpectedly, since they were included in my order for free. Germinated two plants inside in peat pots, then planted outside when they had two or three leaves. They ended up growing just as well, if not better, than a super healthy nursery cucumber I planted right next to them.
  
• P = 5660 Spinach Malabar Red Stem. Direct sowed outside in June. Did not germinate at all.
  

Sean Conway (from Target):

• E = Parsley (plain) - Certified Organic, Single Italian Flat leaf. This plant grew extremely well. Seemed a little slow at first, but this was probably normal. I bought a curly-leaf plug plant from the nursery and in the end, they both grew to be equally large sized plants.
  
• A = Calendula Oktoberfest. These seemed very slow to grow, and most did not germinate. I planted many seeds but only 4 mature plants resulted. These took a long time to bloom, like 3 months. Finally really blossomed in October, oddly enough now that I look at the name! But once they did, they were great.
  

Purchased but never planted:

• Seed Savers Historic Pansies Mixture Viola x wittrockiana
• Park Seed Delosperma Floribunda Stardust
• Sean Conway Organic Lavender

Fall 2008. All direct sown outside on the first weekend of August:

Seed Savers:

• E = Early Scarlet Globe Radish - Raphanus sativus. These were fantastic in the fall. Nice big roots and healthy leaves. Delicious! Must have just been too hot for them in the summer.
  
• A = Lacinato Kale - Brassica oleracea. These grew quite well, but got eaten by imported cabbage worms. Also, some plants are still small regardless of worm damage.
  

Burpee:

• E = Purple-Top White Globe Turnip. These grew well and were absolutely delicious. Can't wait to grow them again.
  
• E = Mesclun Salad Mix (Black Seeded Simpson, Red Salad Bowl, Lollo Rossa and Royal Oak Leaf Lettuces, plus Arugula Rocket and Radicchio Red Verona). Easy and delicious winners.
  
• E = Rare Red Leaf Romaine Lettuce- Silvia. Easy and delicious winners.
  
• E = Spicy Mesclun Mix (Lettuce Red Salad Bowl, Mustard Mizuna, Endive Green Curled, Paricchio Red Treviso and Arugula Rocket). Easy and delicious winners.
  
• A = Organic Detroit Dark Red, Medium Top Beet. These were yummy but very small. The whole crop only made 9 baby beets.
  
• A = Dark Seeded Early Perfection Pea. Super delicious, but average growth and production. Got about 30 pods then no more grew.
  
• P = Spinach, Baby's Leaf Hybrid. Nearly 3 months after planting still only3 inches tall. Most did not even germinate.