Yeah, I know I'm anxious; but, just got all my seeds in and now just daydreaming about what I'm going to plant. Here is what will be on the menu:
Tomatoes (first, LOL)
I ordered these from Totally Tomatoes:
Big Zac Hybrid, Delicious, Wins All, Sweet Million Hybrid, Mountain Belle Hybrid
From Tomato Growers:
Church Heirloom, Aussie Heirloom, Early Wonder, First Prize Hybrid, and some that I had left over from last Spring/Summer: Caspian Pink (enough for 1 plant probably as I have 3 seeds left; Abraham Lincoln, Aker's West Virginia and Celebrity
Burpees:
Porterhouse (fast becoming my favorite), Supersteak
Now on to the Peppers: They are all sweet bells:
Chocolate Beauty
Gourmet Rainbow Mix
King Arthur better known by some as Fat and Sassy
Cukes:
National Pickling from RH Shumway
Homemade Pickles from Horticultural Products
Eggplants:
Black Beauty
Florida Highbush (I was delighted with this one after trying it for the first time this last Spring/Summer, so will incorporate into my garden again this Spring/Summer.
Squash:
Fancycrook Hybrid
Okra:
Cajun Delight Hybrid
Corn:
Gurney's Gotta Have It Sweet Corn
That's it folks; but, it's quite enough. I'm going to compare the two types of cukes and do some pickling this time.
Has anyone used Agloflash liquid fertilizer before? I'm looking for Merryl's compost tea againt his year and might replace the Sea Magic with Neptunes fish emulsion?
Any advice or comments? And what are you planning on growing and why?
joy
What are you growing this coming spring/summer?
Even tho I will have to drive, Im thinking on having my garden at one of the UF community gardens. My BIL has a spot and grows such a variety. He like me, doesnt have much sun at the house. The water bill got to be a couple hundred dollars in the summer, you get free water at the garden, free compost, mulch. There is someone there all day to watch over it.
I have found I cant live without my peppers, Im adding more this year. Ill still have some EB's at home with tomatoes, but I want a garden like I had in college with squash and beans and cucumbers and I REALLY want to grow garlic next year. I waited to late to order to plant this year.
Stay warm up there...its darn chilly!!!!!
I don't blame you one bit Joy!
I'm re-growing everything from my last years garden, plus expanding quite a bit.
In my salad table will be:
Red and green leaf lettuce
Swiss chard, rainbow and fordhook giant
Escarole
Upland Cress
Possible some broccoli raab or pac choi, whichever I find to be the better deal
Celery if it will fit!
In EB's will be
Purple haze and navarino carrots
More swiss chard, rainbow
Some sort of cukes
Some sort of squash
Some sort of zucchini
Some sort of tomatoes, whatever does best in my region, I'm still researching (I'm new to the tomato world, having never liked them too much before. Garden sitting my neighbors garden last summer and having sun-ripened fresh picked tomatoes in salads and bruchetta changed all that. Now I see what the fuss is about! But I'm not picky, I just want a basic easy-to-grow variety)
In tubs will be
Potatoes - early blue Caribe, popular Yukon Gold, beautiful Red Cloud, and late baker Elba
Also some sort of Garlic
I think thats it so far, but it might be enough! It's also just the spring garden ;)
Lots of oriental veggies will make their way into my old fashioned southern garden. I have found that the bok choi varieities and the greens and cabbages are so easy to grow here and taste delicious. I am cooking with them almost daily but using them in traditional American dishes. Heirloom tomatoes and lots of beans and peas will about take care of us for this year. I like my winter garden better plus I have lots of citrus.
I think I'll add a bunch of marigolds and sun flowers too, just to keep it interesting.
Kindlekat: Yep, I got myself into some trouble too, as I went to walmarts, believe it or not, and they had Yukon Golds and Kennebec and red skinned potatoes, so I had to have a bag of the Yukons and Kennebecs, 3 lbs each to add to the seed potatoes that came from the potatoes that I grew last time, the roots on them are so long though. I will now plant them all in the smart pots from last year.
joy
The bok choi even grows well right by the beach. Its a winner on the east coast of FL. I agree with you, and it good thrown in about anything you already cook, or salads.
I know this is an old thread, but I'm so excited about my container garden this year that I have to share my plans. This is my 3rd year of gardening, but my first year of starting seeds indoors, and I've really over-done it. I use a variety of self-watering containers for veggies, including 2 commercial EB's, a homemade EarthTainer II, and a bunch of Gardener's Supply self-watering planters: 6 hanging planters, 5 windowboxes, 2 troughs, 1 17" rolling planter, and 1 patio planter. Based on all the great info on this site, I'm also building a bunch of E-buckets using 5-gallon buckets. Starting in early February, I planted seeds inside, and have since moved the following outdoors:
- Arugula
- Mustard Spinach
- Mizuna mustard
- Corn Salad / Mache
- Endive
- Radicchio
- Lettuce (5 types)
- Spinach (Razzle Dazzle, Baby's Leaf, and Space)
- Parsley
- Bunching Onions
- Collard Greens
- Garden Peas (Mr. Big)
- Snap Peas (Sugar Sprint)
- Radishes (Easter Egg, Cherry Bell)
- Carrots (Purple Haze and Touchon)
This past weekend, I potted up 35 tomato seedlings and 55 pepper seedlings (way more than I can use!) to 4" Jiffy pots, 3" self-watering cups, or plastic drinking cups. Wow, that was a lot of work! Here are the varieties I'm growing:
Tomatoes: Big Beef, Early Goliath, Patio Princess, Black Crimson, Black Prince, Mega Bite, Juliet, Maskotka, Tumbling Tom Yellow, and Lizzzano.
Peppers: Giant Marconi, Mariachi, Gypsy, Blushing Beauty, Cajun Belle, Super Chili Hot, and Serano Tampiqueno
I also started seeds indoors this week for cucumbers (Salad Bush and Lemon) and summer squash (Eight Ball, Papaya Pear, and Gold Rush).
I still have seedlings inside for basil (Dark Opal Purple, Large Green, Sweet Dani Lemon, and Ceasar), cilantro, golden purslane, swiss chard, beets, dill, and garlic chives. Whew!
I'll be growing beans for the first time this year:
Bush Beans: Purple Queen, Straight 'n Narrow (green Filet), Garden Velour (purple Filet), Derby (green), Rocdor (wax), Dragon Tongue (yellow with purple stripes), Romano Gold (yellow), Thorogreen (lima), Black Pearl (soy)
Pole Beans: Scarlet Emperor (runner), Violet stringless
The gardening bug has bit me hard this year! Yesterday, I ordered seeds for edible flowers and flowering herbs (Chamomile, Nasturtium, Signet Marigolds, dwarf Sunflowers, and Borage). I'm going to need a lot more E-buckets and other planters to hold all of these plants, so I have a busy summer ahead of me! I've learned so much in these forums, but some things you just have to learn on your own (like "don't plant as many seeds next year"). It probably sounds like I own a farm, but I grow everything in containers on my deck because I have no place in my yard with enough soil and light for an in-ground garden.
Let me know if you'd like any pictures and I'll see if I can figure out how to do that.
I'd love to hear how your gardens are growing this year, especially those of you in zones 6 or 7.