My Seed Starting Experiment

Inside real estate is at a premium when it comes to seed starting so I like to reserve it for my tomatos. If I could have a good tomato crop this year, it would be a miracle! I would love it!

I prefer to direct sow as many seeds as I can, but some just don't dig that!

I started Broccoli, Cauliflower and Celery seeds over the weekend.

I am kinda basing this experiment on what I read over on Mimi's blog.

Since our weather has been so unseasonably warm, I decided to lets these sit outside inside of take up prime real estate!



I have them covered with these crates so that the Farm Manager, Savannah, doesn't destroy them :)

And then I used an empty feed bag to keep them covered from the rain we had plowing through.

Fingers crossed this works well! I will be disappointed if I have to go buy plants from the garden center! They certainly wouldn't be the same kind of Heirloom ones I am trying to grow - that's for sure!

Has anyone else tried a method like this? Have you had success with it?



Seed Orders 2012

I FINALLY got my seed orders placed -- well, almost. Seed Savers website isn't cooperating at the moment, but I just needed a few things from there. Try to decide on varieties is awful! That Baker Creek catalog and their squash and tomato selections give me anxiety! Can't I just try them ALL!

Here is my order -- my husband said I am nuts! But I am determined to have good crops of ALL this!


This was my Baker Creek Order

Golden Wax Bush Bean

Romanesco Italia Broccoli

Danvers 126 Half Long Carrot

Alaska Garden Pea

Cocozella Di Napoli
Early Prolific Straightneck Squash
Butternut Waltham Squash

Long Island Cheese Pumpkin

Table Queen Bush Squash

Five Color Silver Beet Chard

San Marzano Lungo No. 2 Tomato

Jujube Cherry Tomato

Grace Lahman's Pink

Black Early Tomato

Cuor Di Bue Tomato

Bread and Salt Tomato

Purple of Sicily Cauliflower
Bull's Blood Beet
Tendercrisp Celery

Golden Bantam 12-Row Corn



And this was my order from Peaceful Valley
Organic Bean, Bush Black Turtle

Organic Cucumber, National Pickling

Organic Cucumber, Muncher

Sunflower, Autumn Beauty

Organic Parsnip, Turga

Yarrow, White

Zinnia, California Mix
Coneflower, Black Sampson

Coneflower, Purple
Organic Bean, Bush Tendergreen

 
Should the Seed Savers site and my pc decide to cooperate ;) I plan to order a Romaine variety lettuce from them as well as Calendula.
 
For onions this year, I decided I only will try a few from seed with the seeds I have left from last year. Instead, I am hoping for better luck with the sets I ordered from Dixondale Farms.
 

 
I also have some seeds from trades I made over the past year, including the seeds I received from Suzanne. She sent me seeds for Asparagus, Squash, Cherry tom's, Butternet and Zulu pumpkins.
 
So what kinds of things are you planting this year? Trying anything new?