Seeds 2017

Christmas #2 came to our house. Or it least it feels like that when I get my seeds in the mail!!

Since there is not much happening in the garden right now, I am carefully planning the garden- seed starting times, transplant dates, and planting dates.

Here are the seeds that I ordered for this year.

Some of these varieties I have planted before and I'm restocking, others are new to me. I save a few of my seeds, but not too many- someday I will do better at that!
Here is the list of what I'm growing this year (although they may be subject to change a bit!!) from seed or root:
All varieties are from Bakers Creek unless otherwise noted. Also all are open pollinated except the fennel.

* = new varieties I'm trying out.

Bulgarian Giant Leek*
Ho Shi Ko Bunching Onions
Dakota Tears Onion (High Mowing Organic Seeds)*
Zebrune Shallot
Southport Red Globe Onions

Siberian Kale
Curly Scotch Kale
Chinese Hilton Cabbage*
Mammoth Red Rock Cabbage
Express Red Cabbage (Peaceful Valley)*

Fennel- Precludio- this is a hybrid
Bloomsdale Long standing Spinach
Broccoli Watham 29*

Lettuce
Little Gem*
Merlot*
Crisp Mint*
Cimmaron*

Arugula
Garden Cress (Peaceful Valley)
mache*

Sweet Potato-
Beauregard
Omani Pink

Kelvendon Wonder Pea*
Sugar Snap Peas
Oregon Snow Pea

Herbs 
Thyme
Dill
Cumin
Genovese Basil
Thai Basil
Cilantro 
Lemongrass*

Radishes
Dikon*
French
Cherry Belle

Potatoes- Yukon Gold*

Tomatoes
Jersey Devil*
Amish Paste
Lucid Gem*
Black Cherry
Black Vernissage*

Peppers
California Wonder
Tam Jalepeno
Canary Bell
Red Cheese
Emerald Giant*

Carrots
Nantes
Atomic Red

Cucumber
Muncher*
Tendergreen Burpless

Watermelon
Ledmon*
Ali Baba

Cantaloupe-Hales Best

Summer squash- Lemon

Winter Squash
Buttercup*
Waltham Butternut*
Cushaw

Parsnips-hollow Crown

Sweet Corn- Who gets kissed (High Mowing Organic Seeds)*
Popcorn- Mini Blue*

Beans
Calima (for fresh eating)
Good Mother Stallard (dried)*

Ginger root

House Exterior Paint- the finished house

I realized when I updated about my garden yesterday, I had never posted pictures of the house with the painting all done.

Today I went out in the freezing cold and took these pictures. It was so cold, I didn't want to pick up anything outside before I took the pictures so please ignore that :)

 Took this picture right before painters came.

 After!! House color is Sherwin Williams - mossy oak. We had it color matched and used Benjamin Moore- Aura Exterior Paint. Our painter educated us and said, since the majority of the cost in painting is labor, you save more money in the long run if you use a quality paint which lasts longer. I totally agree- so far so good :) The trim color is Benjamin Moore White Dove.

 
Here is a picture from right before we moved in.



Here it is now...Christmas lights up still and everything ;)

 After

After

Garden Goals 2017

Today's Harvest - Parsnips

I have some lofty goals for my garden this year.  I'm so glad the setting up, digging trenches, making raised beds part is done.

This year, I got a taste of what it was like to have garden veggies spring, summer, fall, and through winter. We are just starting to have to go to the store to supplement vegetables.

Still in stock are
Winter squash- holding up well in our cold basement storage room
Sweet Potatoes
Canned pickles, jam, tomatoes
Dehydrated carrots, peppers, and zucchini
Frozen strawberries
Frozen tomatoes
Frozen Kale
Parsnips

I wasn't sure how the dehydrated stuff would taste because I'd never had rehydrated veggies but it's worked great! We use our peppers frequently in fajitas and chili.

So on to the goals part-

My goal is to grow enough vegetables to feed us year round. We eat a lot of vegetables on a daily basis so it will be challenging!

I'm working on the fruit - but there is just no way I could get close to growing all the fruit we eat with the small area we have.

Why grow all our own veggies?

After being married for a few years I started to hate shopping at the grocery store (it just so happens that we had a child around this time haha). The less time I have to spend there- the better.

Gardening is one of my things that helps me stay happy. It is really good medicine for depression for me (that and my art).

I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle for the second time. The first time I read it, it didn't quite hit me like it did recently. If you haven't read it, it is about a family who grows/buys all their food locally for 1 year.

The "fresh" out of season vegetables from the store taste disgusting to me- ie. tasteless, grainy tomatoes, cucumbers with whatever slime they put on the skin (you know what I'm talking about).

Saves money

I like to be healthy

I can grow everything organically

I finally have the space that I think I can do it.



I have loads of recipes and feel a lot more confident about being able to use whats on hand than I used to. The challenge will be how much to grow of everything. On that score, I have no clue how much we will use and how much I should put up. I think that piece of the puzzle will take a few years to shake out.

I'm hoping I can keep up with the blogging aspect so I can keep a better record of what gets ripe when, how much I harvest, what's working and whats not. Having a garden is difficult for me in some ways because nature throws at you insects, small animals, disease and the list goes on. I am a recovering perfectionist and sometimes thats hard to take. But I'll try my best to put on here good and bad- my mistakes and successes- because thats all part of the journey.

Here's to a good year of lots of home-grown food!