It's about that time. Yup, time to order my seeds for the new year. I've been scouting, circling, pondering. How many tomatoes? Where to put the mesculn mix? Potatoes: yes or no?
I have made a few finite decisions. The layout of the garden will be in quadrants with the fence remaining on the east side of the garden. And, I will improve my seed starting setup with more shelves, better lighting, and better starting mix. That's where it ends, allowing indecision to take hold.
Tomatoes
No more than 8-10 plants. Last year I had at least 12 and it was crowded. They will be planted on the north side of the garden to prevent shading. The garden is
15'x15'. I'll plant two staggered rows. Along with the tomatoes, I'll plant the peppers, basil, and possibly carrots.
Now what varieties? I will keep my hybrid: Big Beef Beefsteak. It was prolific an decent tasting. I might go back to the Super Sweet 100s as my cherry. I grew Black Cherry last year and although they tasted really good, it wasn't a heavy producer and split a lot. I have seeds for Indian Stripe and Granny Cantrell. I think I'll buy Costoluto Genovese and Depp's Pink Firefly.
Peppers
I want to grow four sweet pepper, a few jalepeno peppers, and one or two hot peppers. I need to decide soon. Varieties include: King of the North and Odessa Market (sweet peppers). For the hot ones, probably the Black Pearl and White Habanero I tried to grow last year, plus a jalepeno variety. These should be started indoors 8-10 weeks before last frost. That means I need to be ready by February 23rd, 10 weeks before my last frost date of May 4.
Carrots
I want to use a different kind this year. Last year's Royal Chantenay were nice, but had a big inner core which tasted very earthy/woody the longer it stayed in the ground. St. Valery from Baker's Creek looks good to me.
Peas
I'm sure I'll be able to get a good spring start on the garden this year, weather always permitting. I'll try out the Lincoln Garden pea.
Greens
I really want to expand this area of the garden. I'll continue with the Rainbow Chard and Jericho Romaine. I want to add a Mesculn Mix and Spinach.
Those are the big decisions I need to make. Throw in there cukes, beans and maybe a squash plant. Add a dash of potatoes and eggplant plus a hint of herbs and I may have a complete garden.
January 20, 2010
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2 comments:
I'm starting to plan mine as well! It's my first one so I don't really know what I can grow and how much space I really have.
I am planning a 7x6 area for tomatoes, how many plants do you think I can grow? I like the little cherry tomatoes so I'm not sure I'm gonna grow any big ones although I suspect I will regret that later (you can see my list at my blog).
I am going to mail order a spring mesclun mix for my greens. That way I don't have to figure that out.
My last frost day is almost a month before yours. I guess that means I need to be starting mine now. I better get them chosen and ordered!
If you give yourself 2' between plants, I'm guessing about 6, maybe 7 total. Last year I planted them 18" apart and it was too close.
Cherry tomatoes are certainly great, for salads and snacking. Maybe try something in the 2-6oz range. There are also paste tomatoes - but those are usually used for sauces/canning.
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