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Thursday, January 19, 2012

Seed Ordering Complete!

Having ordered my pepper seeds the other day from the New Mexico State University Chili Pepper Institute, I hit the web site for Johnny's Selected Seeds last night and ordered the rest of my seeds.  Last year, I got most of my seeds from Home Depot, and grew a fair number of things from starts purchased at the Farmers market.  Home Depot, which limits my varieties to whatever I see on the shelf.  By purchasing my seeds from a seed company online, I have access to a much greater variety.

Some things I grew last year I won't be growing again.  I won't be growing cowpeas (aka black eyed peas), nor will I grow any Serrano peppers.  I won't grow any "grape" tomatoes, and I won't be using the Topsy Turvy again.

Creeping Thyme
I will be growing a LOT more herbs this year.  My purchases of herb seeds this year include:

  • Purple Basil "Amethyst Improved"
  • Italian Large Leaf Basil
  • Catnip
  • Purly Chives
  • "Calypso" Cilantro/Coriander
  • Superdukat Dill
  • Creeping Thyme
I actually bought a large amount of creepign thyme as I'm going to try to use it as a groundcover for one section of my yard.  It's cold hardy and evergreen!  I ordered 1/8 ounce, which is apparently like 18,000 seeds.  Hah.

Valencia Heirloom Tomato
I'm choosing a few different varieties of tomatoes this year too.
  • Sun Gold - yellow/orange cherry tomatoes that are vigorous and extremely flavorful.
  • Juliet - a meaty plum tomato for sauce
  • Olivade - another meaty plum tomato for sauce
  • Big Beef - The only returning variety from last year, this makes nice big slicing tomatoes good for sandwiches and caprese salad!
  • New Girl - According to Johnny's Selected Seeds, this variety is "better tasting and more disease resistant than Early Girl" - which I grew last year with good success.
  • Valencia (heirloom) - "Round, smooth fruits average 8-10 oz. Their meaty interiors have few seeds. This midseason tomato is among the best for flavor and texture."  Honestly, I wasn't real happy with the other heirlooms I grew last year (Prudens Purple and German Johnson).
Zucchini - Goldy
And, for the non-tomato non-herb stuff ...
  • Pole Beans, Fortex
  • Eggplant, Nadia (Large Dark Purple)
  • Ornamental Gourds, Small Mixed
  • Carrots, Nelson
  • Flowers, Foxglove, Camelot Mix (pelleted)
  • Zucchini, Cashflow (green)
  • Zucchini, Goldy (yellow)
The only thing I plan to grow that I did NOT buy is cucumbers.  I had great success and enjoyed the flavor of the "Straight 8" variety of slicing cukes that I grew 2 years ago and was not as impressed with whatever it was I grew last year.  So I will find the Straight 8 seeds at Home Depot I guess.

Of course, I won't likely have more than 1 or 2 of each item in my gardens.  Makes buying seeds less cost effective since I paid around $3.50 a packet.  Seedlings would be cheaper =)

If you live near me and want some seeds, feel free to ask!

3 comments:

  1. GMO seeds are not available to the general public. Some of them are "hybrid" of course, but that is not the same as GMO.

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  2. You should try some Early Fortune Cucumbers.

    http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=365(OG)

    (Cucumis sativus) (aka Special Dark Green) Introduced around 1910 by the Jerome B. Rice Seed Company of Cambridge, New York. Originated with George Starr of Royal Oak, Michigan, who discovered it in a crop of Davis Perfect (now extinct). Fruits measure 8" long. 55-60 days.

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