Hopefully everyone had a great holiday! Today I just received the new Territorial Seed catalog which reminded me I need to really get moving on deciding which seeds to order and where to plant them in the yard. Some plants need to be started indoors 8 weeks or more before last frost. The new Old Farmers Almanac gives the last frost date for Newark NJ as April 3rd, so some planting may need to be done as soon as February. This year I will put my soil blocker to good use.
One thing I want to do this year is experiment with a few different plants. One I am thinking of is ‘Easter Egg Eggplants’. They grow about the size of an egg, are white, and have color splashes on them. Two failed attempts I want to try again are Stevia, and Park Seed’s cactus seed mix.
Is anyone else planning on trying something just to see what happens? What are you trying?
One thing I plan to do in ’12 is be more strategic about what I’m planting. I was disappointed to see the prices of various herbs for sale at Union Square when I went there before Thanksgiving. Most of them were ones that I usually grow but somehow just skipped this year (basic stuff like oregano, tarragon, lemon grass, etc.). Since there’s been more Asian cooking around the house lately, and I’m returning to it (used to do much more of it, and very much love a book called A Spoonful of Ginger with an excellent index based on what foods me which needs), I think I’ll be planting more of the items used (like lemongrass). I think I focused on my front yard so much this year that it took time away from the other areas. It was rather exhausting but so very worth it. I’m looking foward to next year, when it won’t be a first, and hopefully will be a bit easier since I already worked the ground once. How bout you?
Pretty much all my seeds, which account for 99% of what I grow originated from mail order catalog sources. Territorial Seed, Park Seed, Seedman.com, and more recently Seed Savers Exchange are the one’s I’ve purchased from. Another I’ve heard good things about is http://www.johnnyseeds.com – though I haven’t bought from them yet. If you haven’t already, sign up for paper catalogs. I know, paper & trees, but those catalogs are full of great planting info and can be kept as a reference. Sometimes a PC just doesn’t ‘hack it’, and it doesn’t require electric to read a book.
I am with you on the herbs. Even with the lousy summer they grew pretty well. I’ve been picking and drying sage leaves even though it is showing signs of not enough sun since being indoors. I am going to try a new spot on a window sill and see what happens. My oregano looks good, but the leaves are small- the smell is great when you touch it. The basil is still growing inside, but slowly. My couple scallions from seeds seem to be liking the cooler weather even though they are also inside.
I am still waiting on the Seed Savers Exchange yearbook where there are thousands of heirloom varieties. Just what I need when I want to plant fewer things 🙂
I just heard an herbalist podcast where lemongrass was mentioned. It’s kind of hard to digest so they recommended to chew it very well, chop it kind of small if possible, and at least initially don’t eat too much until you see how your body reacts to it. It seems there’s a lot of wrong information about it, everything from it’s being poisonous, to it will clump up in your stomach. If you listen to podcasts do a search for “The Mad Herbalist”, or look around his web site. Lots of interesting info, even child related nutrition.
revelgardener 
Hopefully everyone had a great holiday! Today I just received the new Territorial Seed catalog which reminded me I need to really get moving on deciding which seeds to order and where to plant them in the yard. Some plants need to be started indoors 8 weeks or more before last frost. The new Old Farmers Almanac gives the last frost date for Newark NJ as April 3rd, so some planting may need to be done as soon as February. This year I will put my soil blocker to good use.
One thing I want to do this year is experiment with a few different plants. One I am thinking of is ‘Easter Egg Eggplants’. They grow about the size of an egg, are white, and have color splashes on them. Two failed attempts I want to try again are Stevia, and Park Seed’s cactus seed mix.
Is anyone else planning on trying something just to see what happens? What are you trying?
One thing I plan to do in ’12 is be more strategic about what I’m planting. I was disappointed to see the prices of various herbs for sale at Union Square when I went there before Thanksgiving. Most of them were ones that I usually grow but somehow just skipped this year (basic stuff like oregano, tarragon, lemon grass, etc.). Since there’s been more Asian cooking around the house lately, and I’m returning to it (used to do much more of it, and very much love a book called A Spoonful of Ginger with an excellent index based on what foods me which needs), I think I’ll be planting more of the items used (like lemongrass). I think I focused on my front yard so much this year that it took time away from the other areas. It was rather exhausting but so very worth it. I’m looking foward to next year, when it won’t be a first, and hopefully will be a bit easier since I already worked the ground once. How bout you?
Here’s a link to Territorial Seeds online catalog:
http://mydigimag.rrd.com/publication/?i=92821
Even if not looking to buy from them, there’s lots of good information about growing and care of plants.
Thanks! I am planning to buy some catalog seeds this year. It will be a first for me.
Pretty much all my seeds, which account for 99% of what I grow originated from mail order catalog sources. Territorial Seed, Park Seed, Seedman.com, and more recently Seed Savers Exchange are the one’s I’ve purchased from. Another I’ve heard good things about is http://www.johnnyseeds.com – though I haven’t bought from them yet. If you haven’t already, sign up for paper catalogs. I know, paper & trees, but those catalogs are full of great planting info and can be kept as a reference. Sometimes a PC just doesn’t ‘hack it’, and it doesn’t require electric to read a book.
I am with you on the herbs. Even with the lousy summer they grew pretty well. I’ve been picking and drying sage leaves even though it is showing signs of not enough sun since being indoors. I am going to try a new spot on a window sill and see what happens. My oregano looks good, but the leaves are small- the smell is great when you touch it. The basil is still growing inside, but slowly. My couple scallions from seeds seem to be liking the cooler weather even though they are also inside.
I am still waiting on the Seed Savers Exchange yearbook where there are thousands of heirloom varieties. Just what I need when I want to plant fewer things 🙂
I just heard an herbalist podcast where lemongrass was mentioned. It’s kind of hard to digest so they recommended to chew it very well, chop it kind of small if possible, and at least initially don’t eat too much until you see how your body reacts to it. It seems there’s a lot of wrong information about it, everything from it’s being poisonous, to it will clump up in your stomach. If you listen to podcasts do a search for “The Mad Herbalist”, or look around his web site. Lots of interesting info, even child related nutrition.