Garden Friday

Welcome to Garden Friday!
It's been slim pickin's here in our garden,
so we have been enjoying finding some color elsewhere.

Our local big box store has been putting a few things out
like this sweet lil' candytuft.
It reminds me of allyssum.

 Pansies are still available as well.
I've been so happy to see the pansies on our front porch
blooming through the harshest of our winter temperatures.
They add so much cheer when things are looking bleak.

Need seeds?
Goodness, do they have 'em!
I think there might be a touch of spring fever around.
For the most part,
I order from seed catalogues,
and they've started rolling in.

One is a new-to-me "heirloom only" company
that I would like to try.

There were actually a couple of rain-free days in a row,
and I was able to do a bit of work on Kelsey's Woods
(that's what we call the wooded area of our yard).
Three big piles of twigs and branches 
were added to the chipping/mulching pile.
Now we'll need to be patient enough to wait 
for more rain-free/non-freezing days in which to do the chipping.

The seed collection was ransacked checked,
to see what I need to order for this season.
I use these vintage metal drawers I found at a thrift store
that have dividers in them to keep things tidy.

One of the best things about heirloom varieties,
is that seed can be saved from year to year,
and the crops are as close to the original as you can get.

Time was taken this week to get one tray seeded.

It felt good to be planting again,

even if it's just a little at a time.

I've decided this year to use a wall calendar

to keep track of when I plant what.

That way, I can look ahead to make sure

I have the seeds at the ready that I need for upcoming sowing.

I use an organic seed starting mix for seedling trays.

Some of the things started in this tray were

broccoli, kale, leek, and lettuce.

our neighbor

The snow has started falling as I write this
(Thursday afternoon).
So it is with winter in North Carolina.
There will be time for more sowing,
with warmer temperatures expected this weekend.
The snow is amazing,
but it sure makes it hard to garden!

Melon Magic

Our neighbors brought over the strangest thing

a few nights ago.

Do not adjust your picture.  It is orange.

I first heard about these peculiar melons last year,

and have since come to find out there are heirloom varieties.

Still, I couldn't bring myself to buy or grow a watermelon

that wasn't red.

It just didn't seem right.

Guess what?

As soon as my tastebuds had anything to say about it,

I got over that real fast.

You can find heirlooms of many colors and sizes

here.

Here's a recipe for watermelon lemonade,

especially refreshing when the temps climb high.

It works no matter the color of your melon!

***Happy Father's Day!***

Peanuts and More!

This week the arrival of seeds from

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

had me thinking of

how important it is for us to support

those who provide us with

heirlooms and organics for our home garden.

Southern Exposure is a company which promotes

seeds that do especially well

in the southern garden.

From their website:

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange offers more than 700 varieties of vegetable, flower, herb, grain and cover crop seeds. We emphasize varieties that perform well in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, although gardeners and farmers from all over the country grow our seeds. We do extensive germination and purity testing to ensure that we always provide the highest quality possible.

Read in our resource library about why

we specialize in heirloom seeds and

primarily offer open-pollinated (non-hybrid) seeds.

It's always so exciting to get seeds in the mail.

It's especially thrilling to try seeds

from a vendor never before tried.
I thought I'd start with just a few

and see how it goes...

Do these look familiar? 

They are peanuts,

mailed in the shell to protect them. 

I can honestly say that before my awakening

to the self-sufficient lifestyle, it would never have

occurred to me to grow peanuts for our

homemade nut butter.

The more I learn, the more I want to try.

Ambition is a contagious thing...

Heirloom Seeds

I came across this company while perusing

one of the homesteading groups I belong to. 

This description is from their website.

Another choice for those of us who prefer to use heirlooms.  Seems like they are trying to do the right thing. 

I just love it when people follow their dreams...

http://rareseeds.com/



About Us

Jere Gettle always had a passion for growing things, and at age 3, he planted his first garden. Ever since that day, he wanted to be involved in the seed industry. So at the age of 17, he printed the first small Baker Creek Heir­loom Seed catalog in 1998. The company has grown to offer 1,400 varieties of vegetables, flowers and herbs—the largest selection of heirloom varieties in the U.S.A.



Baker Creek carries one of the largest selections of seeds from the 19th century, including many Asian and European varieties. The company has become a tool to promote and preserve our agricultural and culinary heri­tage. Our company and seeds have been featured in The New York Times, The Associated Press, Oprah Maga­zine, Martha Stewart, and many others. Gardeners can request a free 128-page color catalog that now mails to over 250,000 gardeners nationally.


Baker Creek started hosting festivals in 2000 as an idea to bring gardeners, homesteaders and natural food enthusiasts together to exchange thoughts and seeds, listen to speakers, and enjoy vendors, old-time music and much more. These festivals gave birth to the idea for our pio­neer village, Bakersville. Other projects include our trial gardens, seed collecting expeditions, our popular online forums at idigmygarden.com and educational produce exhibits.


Over the last several years, Jere Gettle and his wife Emilee have branched out into other related projects as well, including The Heirloom Gardener magazine, which is now in its seventh year of publication. They have also expanded to a location in Sonoma County, California, in the beautiful town of Petaluma. Their most recent project is the restoration and preservation of the Wethersfield, Connecticut landmark, Comstock, Ferre & Company, the oldest continuously operating seed company in New England. We are now writing several books with Hype­rion, a division of ABC/Disney. These works will feature heirloom vegetables and our work with seeds and food.


We also work extensively to supply free seeds to many of the world’s poorest countries, as well as to school gardens and other educational projects here at home. It is our goal to educate everyone about a better, safer food supply and to fight gene-altered Frankenfood and the companies that support it.


Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company
2278 Baker Creek Road
Mansfield, MO 65704 Phone 417-924-8917

Seed Savers Delivery!

 

I ordered some heirloom seeds for the vegetable garden. It's the first time I'm ordering from them, but I really feel a pull toward saving heirlooms. Included were 2 types of lettuce, 2 types of tomatoes (homemade gravy!), onions, leeks, carrots, beans, peas and lemon balm. Many of the packets contain more seeds than I can use, so I'll be happy to pass them on. What a wonderful variety of fresh produce we should have in a few months' time. I guess I'm feeling pretty ambitious at the moment, as I've only had a tiny bit of experience bringing up veggies. Even if things don't go as planned, it's a lesson in diligence and valuable knowledge that can't be gained any other way. 

I'm all about learning...