Showing posts with label herbs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label herbs. Show all posts

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Cabin Fever....Plan a garden.

As I look out the window next to me it's snowing again. While I'm glad that for the moment I'm inside and warm, it is beautiful out there. It has been a long time since I've posted on here. Busy with other things. First there was getting ready for winter, then the holidays. Now, with new seed catalogs in hand, I'm thinking more and more about spring. It's time to start spending more time in my little greenhouse and get things growing.

This year I will be growing my herbs as usual but adding to my list of vegetables. We're also expanding on what we grow in our own vegetable gardens. My seed order from Johnny's Seeds came. Some of the tomato varieties I had gotten from them last year are not being carried this year, so will have to look elsewhere for them. They did have some interesting new Basil's I'm going to try this year. Right now it's time to pot up some of the cuttings I took last fall and start taking new ones. I described how to do this on here about this time last year.

When you start felling a little cabin feverish, get out your pictures of last summers gardens and start thinking about planning what your gardens will look like a few short months from now. Think about what worked, what didn't, what should be moved or replaced, and what's new to get excited about trying this year! I found some seed for a blue pumpkin that our grandchildren can't wait to grow....what have you found?

Friday, May 2, 2008

Get Set to Grow

Spring is getting underway. My greenhouse is overflowing and we're now adding more cold frames. With our crazy weather, going from hot to freezing, it's still to early to plant here. Ground and night temperatures won't be warm enough for a few weeks yet. I know its tempting to see all the pretty flowers available at your local greenhouses, but planting them in cold soil will only stunt them. My herbs and vegetables will be ready closer to the end of the month. I won't start selling at the Croswell market until then. The greenhouse will be open on weekends and by appointment after May 15th, weather permitting. I'm already taking orders for tomatoes.

Herb List for 2008
  • Anise Hyssop
  • Basils: Sweet, Cinnamon, Genovese, Holy, Large Leaf, Lemon, Rubin, Serata, Spicy Glob, Thai Magic
  • Borage
  • Burnet
  • Catnip
  • Chamomile, German & Roman
  • Chervil
  • Chives: Fine leaf & Garlic
  • Calendula: Deja Vous
  • Coriander/Cilantro
  • Dill: Bouquet, Dukat, Fernleaf
  • Fennel, Bronze
  • Feverfew
  • Horehound
  • Hyssop
  • Lavender: Hidcote, Lady, Munstead, Rosea
  • Lemon Balm
  • Lemon Verbena
  • Marjorams: Sweet, Variegated, Zatar
  • Marigold, Sweet Mexican/Spanish Tarragon
  • Mint: Peppermint, Kentucky Colonel Spearmint, Orange, Mountain - will have Apple, Chocolate & others a little latter.
  • Nasturiums
  • Oreganos: Compact, Ditany of Crete, Golden, Greek, Hot N Spicy
  • Parsley: Curly & Plain Italian
  • Pennyroyal
  • Rosemaries: Arp, Goriza, Huntington's Carpet, Salem, Spice Island, Prostrate, White
  • Sages: Bergaten, Common, Golden, Pineapple, Purple, Tricolor, White
  • Savory: Dwarf winter, Summer
  • Scented Geraniums: Apricot, Atomic Snowflake, Citronella, Ginger, Lady Plymouth, Rober's Lemon Rose, Rose, Snowflake Rose & more.
  • Sorrel
  • Stevia
  • Tarragon, French
  • Thymes: English, Lemon Variegated, Miniature, Mother of, Oregano, Silver
Tomato List for 2008
Heirlooms:
  • Brandywine
  • Cherokee Purple
  • Giant White
  • Oregon Spring
  • Red Oxheart
  • Rutgers
  • Striped German
Small/Cherry Tomatoes:
  • Tumblin Tom
  • Supersweet 100
  • Sweet Olive (grape)
  • Yellow Pear
Other Tomatoes:
  • Beefsteak
  • Better Boy
  • Early Girl
  • Giant Delicious
  • Celebrity
  • La Rossa
I'm also growing a large variety of peppers this year. So start getting your gardens ready. It's time to clean them out, amend the soil and plan on a great harvest this year. Peas should be in, mine are already up. Potatoes can go in now too. Spinach and lettuce are also great early crops. We're expanding our vegetable gardening area and will also have produce available in season.

We're looking forward to a great gardening year!