February 1, 2010

Spring Seed & Nursery Orders

While waiting for all the ice to melt, I completed my seed and nursery orders. Some things were mail ordered, and some purchased locally. Here's my list:
  • 1 Jubilee blueberry bush
  • 1 O'Neal blueberry bush
  • 25 Eversweet strawberry plants (everbearers)
  • 25 Allstar strawberry plants (June bearers)
  • 3 Caroline red raspberry bushes
  • 1 pkt sage seed
  • 1 pkt sweet basil seed
  • 1 pkt thyme (Thymus vulgaris) seed
  • 1 pkt creeping thyme (Thymus serphyllum) seed
  • 1 pkt dill seed
  • 1 pkt oregano (Origanum Vulgare) seed
  • 1 pkt fennel (Zefo Fino) seed
  • 1 pkt Lavender (Lavendula augustifolia)
  • 1 pkt yarrow (Achillea millefolium) seed
  • 1 pkt bergamot (Bee Balm, Monarda didyma) seed
  • 1 pkt anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) seed
  • 1 pkt spearmint (Mentha spicata) seed
  • 1 pkt Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) seed
  • 1 pkt pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum coccineum) seed
  • 1 pkt parsley (Petroselinum crispum) seed
  • 1 pkt. nasturtium seed
  • 1 pkt hollyhock seed
  • 1 pkt Butterfly flower seed
  • 1 rosemary plant (Rosmarinus officinals)
  • 5 horseradish plants
  • 3 Rosa Rugosa bushes
  • 1 California white garlic bulb
  • 1 pkt Hale's best cantaloupe seed
  • 1 pkt sugar baby watermelon seed
  • 1 pkt Little Marvel pea seed
  • 1 pkt Roma tomato seed
  • 1 pkt Rutgers tomato seed
  • 2 sets Yellow Ebenezer onion sets
  • 1 pkt Yellow Ebenezer onion seed
  • 1 pkt Cherry Belle radishes
  • 1 pkt China Rose winter radish seed
  • 1 pkt Chinese Giant sweet pepper seed
  • 1 pkt American Purple-Top rutabaga seed
  • 1 pkt Fordhook Giant Swiss chard seed
  • 1 pkt mesclun mix seed
  • 1 pkt Late Flat Dutch cabbage seed
  • 1 pkt buttercup squash seed
  • 12 Bush Porto Rico sweet potato plants
  • 4 lbs Red Pontiac potatoes
  • 1/2 lb black turtle bean seed
  • 1/2 lb white half runner bean seed
  • 1 pkt Scarlet Nantes carrot seed
  • 1 pkt Stowells Evergreen sweet corn seed
  • 1 pkt Japanese White Hulless popcorn seed
  • 5 lbs Truckers Favorite field corn seed
  • 1 pkt Colossal Long Red mangel seed
  • 5 lbs buckwheat seed
  • 1 lb White Dutch clover seed
  • 1/2 lb Ladino clover seed
  • 1 lb Orchard grass seed
This list doesn't include seed I saved from last summer's garden:
  • Clemson Spineless Okra
  • National Pickling Cucumber
  • Casaba Melon (from a seed saving neighbor)
  • Waltham Butternut Squash
  • Acorn Squash
  • Small Sugar Pumpkin
  • Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans
  • Mammoth Gray Sunflowers
Nor seeds yet to save (hopefully) from the fall garden:
  • Detroit Dark Red Beet
  • Paris White Cos Lettuce
  • Danver's Half Long carrot (though I may switch to the Scarlet Nantes)
  • DeCicco Broccoli
  • Purple White Top Globe turnips
From whom did I order?
  • Stark Bros. Nursery - have ordered from them before. Good prices and good selection.
  • Gurney's - for the $25 coupon. Plus I've ordered from them in the past with no complaints. They sell mostly hybrid seed, so it was hard to come up with an order.
  • Henry Fields - also for the $25 coupon. They were helpful because their catalogue highlighted varieties that do particularly well in the south.
  • R. H. Shumway - the bulk of my order. They sell mostly open pollinated seed, and no known genetically modified seed or plants.
This should hopefully do it for fruit bushes and plants. All varieties chosen are supposed to do well in the south. Some I won't be planting until next fall. All are open pollinated so unless impulse or disaster strikes, I shouldn't need to buy too many seeds next year. I still plan to expand my herb gardens however, so I will definitely be looking at that next year and will probably pick up herb seeds or plants before this summer's over.

To me it seems like a rather overwhelming list. It's certainly the most I've ever bought, but it's also the first time I've had a place to plant fruits and perennials. I just have to keep reminding myself that it's all an investment in the homestead!


Spring Seed & Nursery Orders copyright February 2010 


15 comments:

Nina said...

It sounds like you've a good variety of seeds to start with there. Can you direct plant most of them or will you need to start them ahead of time?

I thought about telling you what seeds I'd ordered, but it would be a blog post in itself! Needless to say, I don't have any red cherry tomato seeds yet, nor any squash varieties or swiss chard. It's starting to bother me to no end.

Alison said...

Oh, *lordy*. That's a lot of seeds; just right for inspiring me in my 'plan the garden' goal for Feb. ;)

Michelle said...

Scarlet Nantes is my favorite variety of carrots for the garden!

Anonymous said...

Looks like you've got everything ready to go!!! Are you starting anything indoors? I'm attempting my biggest garden this year and I'm pretty excited to get started! Good luck with everything!!!

Anonymous said...

That is the longest shopping list I have ever seen! Lots of plant potential there...

Leigh said...

Nina, I plan to directly plant a lot of them but would like to start some from seed too. You should write a blog post about your seed order! And I understand about those unobtained seeds being worrisome. I'm sure I'll think of something I forgot!

Alison, I'd love to read about your garden plans! February is a good month for getting things on paper at least, isn't it?

Michelle, I'm glad to hear that! They are recommended for our soil and summers so I hope we like them just as well.

Wife of a Fab Redneck, this is going to be my biggest garden ever as well! Kinda scary but very exciting. I'm going to start some cabbage and tomato seed inside at least. Maybe some bell pepper, and .... I'm not sure what else!

Cally, it's definitely the most seed I've ever ordered, but I've got two gardens plus the mini-orchard. Plus we going to try to plow and plant an acre in corn and a few other things. It will be an adventure!

Dorothy said...

Love the seed & plant choices!! Herbs, fruit, veg, pretty flowers ... you're going to be busy tending all the seedlings, hope they grow well and make a wonderful garden.

Benita said...

Wow! And there are only two of you to feed?

I haven't ordered my seeds yet, but I have downloaded a seed catalog to drool over. Soon, I will place my order, but it is pretty tiny compared to all the lovelies you have ordered.

One thing I am determined to start this spring is my grape arbor.

Janet said...

Wow. What a list. I looked at our tiny yard today and it's full of weeds. I have yet to unpack my hoe. Must get going. Are you still going to have time to weave?

Leigh said...

Dorothy, thank you! Most of the fruits and herbs are perennials, so this is a one time purchase. And all the flowers which aren't herbs, are dye plants! Everything will have it's function.

Benita, a grape arbor, wonderful! I've thought about that but can't figure out where to put it yet. Too, I think our summers are pretty hot for bunch grapes, which will probably grow better in your part of the country. I may go with muscadines instead.

Janet, you'd better find that hoe! Sadly I can't even get to my loom let alone find the time to weave. Dan and I were talking yesterday about it though, and take consolation in the fact that a lot of what we're doing now are things that only have to be done once (putting down a new dining room floor, building the alcove for the woodstove, planting fruit trees, fixing a chicken coop, putting up fencing for goats, etc.). Eventually we can get a better rhythm to our lives which will include our arts.

Julie said...

Thats one big list! I haven't even started to think about my garden I guess I had better get busy!

Woolly Bits said...

you beat me to it - I have to order my stuff urgently! though I stumbled across 5 horseradish plants:)) I've two and think every year again - that one would be enough:)) though I have to admit that I eat the leaves more than the roots.... unfortunately ordering plants over here isn't that easy, because there's not a lot of choice and postage fees are extremely high:(( have fun planting all of those!:))

Sharon said...

Yikes. Michelle just answered my question. I as going to ask for your suggestion for sweet carrots. We've been successful with root crops so I feel safe there. Durn deer.

cwisner said...

Take a look at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Love their catalog and the seeds were excellent. I had great success with them over the past two years.
The year before I ordered from another company and nothing sprouted.
This year I can't afford to take chances so Baker Creek will get my order again. We share our garden with our married children so the list is too long to mention.

Leigh said...

Julie, I was worried I was late!

Bettina, I didn't realize horseradish leaves are edible. I use horseradish root in my Supertonic recipe, and have learned to love the flavor.

I agree about postage. Too high. Sometimes it knocks things out of the box in terms of mail order cost. Too bad.

Sharon, I'm assuming you have sandy soil? Our clay doesn't help those root crops, which we love.

Charlotte, thanks for the recommendation. Actually I've requested a catalogue from them and anxiously await its arrival!