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November 2008
We
just returned from a wonderful trip to the Seattle area!
We went to the Pike Place Market which is fantastic, most of you know it from
the guys that throw the fish but it is so wonderful! The Dahlias being
sold were all the colors of fall, the fish and shellfish were astounding and we
had fun eating fresh fried donuts and watching the ships in the sound go by.
We also traveled to the Olympic Peninsula and I have to say I have never seen
anyplace more beautiful than the rainforest with the huge trees covered in moss.
It felt like we had stepped into a fairy tale. To have all that and
the beaches and the mountains is just not fair to the rest of us.
Click here to see more photos from our trip.
Since returning from out trip, our task has been to choose our final varieties for the 2009 season and we have been searching high and low to find the best tomatoes, vegetables, and peppers for you to grow. Because of the high demand for cherry sized tomatoes and container types we have chosen this gorgeous Yellow Grape tomato which will make a nice addition to our many other popular small fruited varieties such as Sun Gold, Sweet Million and Black Cherry.
We are also growing a variety called Kimberly which is similar to the tomatoes which are sold in plastic clamshells, except that they have more flavor! This tomato is perfect for containers and hanging baskets. Kimberly will be featured in our own special "Tomato Hanging Basket Kit" for growing on a patio or hanging on a porch. In our constant search for the perfect paste tomato, we have chosen to grow Opalka which is a huge, meaty, great textured tomato and because so many folks say it is the best for fresh eating as well as sauce. More new varieties, including peppers and vegetables, are still being chosen and we will have our full catalog online by December 1st for early ordering. While you plan your garden for next year, view our 2008 catalog and read customer reviews of the many plants we grow.
This month we have an article about planning for next season's garden. There is a lot you can do now that will improve your soil, keep weeds down and make your plants happy next season. Adding leaves, manures, compost and even planting a cover crop of clover or rye grass will make for a better garden next year by improving the soil. If you have clay soil, sandy soil or just hard dirt that hasn't seen much use, there are many ways to work new organic material into the soil this fall and make your garden look more like "Loam" soil which is perfect for vegetables. Make sure you check the pH too! Lime and Gypsum can take several months to correct pH problems.
Our
Kitchen herb planter
kits, Windowsill herb gardens
and Hanging Baskets are just beautiful indoors,
in your kitchen where you use them the most. Send one to a friend as a
birthday or anniversary gift or for a house warming present for new home owners!
Available throughout the Holiday season, you just can't beat our
beautiful fragrant live herb plants for gifts or just grow one for yourself!
The following herb plants are
available and can be
chosen for any of our garden baskets and kits:
English Thyme, Curly Parsley, French Tarragon, Greek Oregano, Sweet Marjoram,
Rosemary, Prostrate Rosemary, Sage, Spearmint, Chives and Lavender.
(Sweet Basil will be available for a limited time only as cold weather prohibits
shipping.) Order Holiday and Christmas gifts now to be sent just at the
right time.
California
White
Garlic
is still available and should be planted in early November in most areas.
These fantastic bulbs are going fast so order now.
New to our web site is a video segment from our series "Growing and Using Fresh Basil" If you haven't seen this video, you are in for a real treat! Click here to view this segment. We are planning many more video segments to add a little bit more helpful information in a format that is easier to use. We also have a blog which you can subscribe to which is updated frequently with information and news.
|
New in our catalog:
Perfect for a trip to the market these huge baskets are strong enough to
carry a weeks worth of groceries, yet they are fashionable too! Add one to
your wish list for the holidays! Our best Garden hat makes a terrific gift for your favorite gardener.
The Cobra Head weeder tool is new to our catalog and very helpful with those nasty weeds in the garden.
Our Platform Bird feeder is great for watching birds all winter long. We have it hanging in front of a window so we can see all our colorful visitors arrive.
The Little Greenhouse is available now in our catalog and comes with everything you need except the base lumber. We have two sizes, 8.5 x 10 feet or 8.5 x 14 feet available. |
Planning
for your 2009 Garden
This is the ideal time to think about what to do for next season in your garden. While your successes and failures are still fresh in your mind, you can think about which plants did very well, which ones were not such a good idea after all, (Why did I think that 12 Zucchini plants would be just right for a family of 4?) and figure out just how much room you want to plow up for next spring.
With all of us concerned about growing as much of our own produce as we can, it is important to think about which vegetables work best for us and even think about trying some things like potatoes, for instance, or fruit such as strawberries or blueberries. A kitchen garden is a great place to experiment and the results can be very rewarding and surprising too.
Every year we try to add something new to our garden. This year we grew carrots which I have been wanting to try for several years. Carrots need cool spring temperatures and very loose sandy soil to do well, neither of which we have in Alabama normally but I was not deterred and I found a loose growing bed and we planted seeds. Unfortunately, we have so little time, I did not get the seeds thinned out very well and we had some really crowded carrots come up. Also, our spring temperatures can get pretty hot in May and even though we mulched well, I think it was still a little bit hot so I may try again in a half shady area next time.
Our potatoes were a huge hit and I was amazed at the flavors. Root vegetables tend to take a lot of minerals and flavors from the soil as do onions and other alliums. It makes sense if you think about the fact that they are grown completely underground. We had great tubers but not nearly enough for us so we will definitely be adding more space for them next year. We may even try growing them in a barrel which I am told works very well. We planted way too much okra this year and I am going to get a good bed of asparagus going this next season.
Tracking your Garden
by Willa Mitchell
It makes good sense to create a record of your planting. The benefit
of this is to properly cycle your crop. Planting the same vegetables
in the same area, can creates weaker plants that are more susceptible to
bugs and diseases. Your plants at the end of the season have taken all the
specific nutrients they needed from that spot of dirt, so changing their
location for the next year will give the soil time to build up those
nutrients again. Pests time their hatching with the plants they feed on
therefore you can break that cycle by moving your plants to a different
area.
Ideally plan a 3 to 4 year cycle with a rule of thumb being to vary your
fruit and vegetable plantings that have a skin, like tomatoes and eggplants,
with those that do not, like herbs and greens.
As far as the recording process, it can be as easy as designating a notepad
to draw a diagram showing what was planted and where.
You can throw in valuable information, like:
- date of the planting
- watering and fertilizing schedule
- the first, last and total harvest for the season
Another method is to implement computer software using garden planning
programs. There's a few garden planning programs for sale on the internet
and they can give your recording and planning process some extra sparkle.
| Some suggested programs:
|
Whatever you choose to do, planning ahead is a helpful way to keep up from year to year and to get organized and ready for the new planting season!
This gentle time before the rush of the holidays can be a wonderful peaceful time. Get outdoors and enjoy kicking some leaves, building a bonfire, or just breathing the cool, crisp air on a quiet walk.
Cindy & George Martin
