Picking the right seeds

12:02 PM Edit This 1 Comment »
There is so much pressure to pick the right seeds for the garden. This pressure is mostly self imposed. Doug is putting on the pressure to get them ordered now but I'm the one worried about choosing winners this year.

Last year we did ok. I ordered a bunch of beans and they didn't grow well if at all. The cukes didn't even come up, not a single one of the three types we planted.

We had some real sucesses too. We had never grown lettuce before, it just wouldn't sprout but last year we had amazing lettuce. It was our best crop. The spinach did amazing as well. The tomatoes fruited a lot longer than usual because of the hoop house Doug built. He plans on making two more. The peppers didn't grow much but they never really have. The hoop house wasn't built until late last season so it didn't help the peppers much. I have higher hopes for this year.

We do ok with carrots, beets and peas. Usually the zuchini turns out ok but the variety we planted last year rotted really easily. Green beans have never been a problem before so I guess I need to order them from a different source. We have had brocoli grow well too but haven't had a caulifower reach maturity yet. We rock radishes. It's just too bad I don't like to eat them.

Potatoes and pumpkins pop up volunteers from years pasts plantings. The goats are also being moved to a lower pasture for the year and the three sisters, corn, beans and squash will be planted where the goats have been.

It sure would be nice to have an herb garden too. I have tried before but I can't seem to keep up with the weeds in an herb garden and a vegetable garden. I had some plants going for a couple of years but Doug tilled them in on accident. I actually cried when he destroyed my thyme. I still have sage out there.

I'm not sure how much I can do this year. So far Warren seems to be a baby who requires holding all the time. If he is awake and I set him down he screams. Robin was the same way except Robin would wake up if you set him down too. Warren will at least let me put him down sleeping. I'm sure I will be able to get the plants and seeds in the ground but this year I need an irrigation system. Last year I used a watering can and watered once or twice a day and it took just over half an hour to do in the begining. Did I mention how large the garden is? 33' x 45'

I found this great weeding tool at the feed store last year. It's called the hula hoe. It's a circular hoe and you just rub it back and forth over the seedlings and it uproots them with ease. Usually the garden is more of a treasure hunt through the weeds looking for edibles but the garden looked real last year. I'm certain this year I can keep it up at least partialy. Robin and Dallas will love the chance to go out and play everyday while I weed the garden and I can wear Warren on all but the hottest days.

1 comments:

Kodyann said...

I love the hula-hoe. That is the most magical tool I think there is. If I were a garden tool, I would definitely be a hula hoe.

Where do you order your seeds from? I'm getting mine this year from Territorial Seed. Usually I just buy starts from the first farmer's markets but I think I want to get a jump on things this year. I'm waiting for the True Value to have whiskey barrels so that I can get them set up for my potatoes and carrots. It sucks having to garden on a patio but it does make weeding much easier!