The seeds arrived!

As predicted, the seeds came in last Thursday.  I have been so busy that it took me until Saturday to open the box.  How exciting! 

I spent a couple hours planning.  I used a great tool at Skippy's Vegetable Garden (under her...his planting tools.)  You just plug in your date of last expected frost and it generates a plan for you.  There are a few vegetables I have that weren't mentioned, but the tool meant I didn't have to do the hand method much (consult seed package and catalog directions and do the calendar calculations myself.)

I was only able to get as far as what needs to be sowed early indoors and what can go into the ground at last frost.  I still need to figure out what 'when the soil is workable means.'  Plus I will have to figure out when to do second plantings.  And I guess I need a soil thermometer to determine when my soil gets to 50, 60 and 65 degrees.  But so far my spring schedule looks like this:

February 18: Sow Fish and Anaheim Peppers indoors.  And I think I can sow my Regal spinach outside (my only hybrid.)

March 18: Sow Chioggia beets and Bright Lights Chard outside.  (And maybe Ching-Chiang pac choi -- is this what they call early spring?)

March 25: Sow Sweet Basil, Perfection Fennel, Tigger melon and Moon and Stars watermelon indoors.

April 1: Can sow Galeaux D'Eysines squash indoors -- but it might not make a difference as it can be hard to transplant.

April 15: My strawberries should be in the ground by now if I want berries.  This is also the last expected frost date -- so I should be safe to start outside sowing everything outside and to start transplant plants (I am buying my sweet peppers -- Gourmet and Healthy -- and my tomatoes -- Coure di Bue, Japanese Trifele, Chocolate Cherry, Golden Nuggets, and Yellow Pears as plants.)

I still haven't fixed dates for my Red Samarai carrots, Little Gem lettuce, Buttercrunch lettuce, Super Sugar Snap Peas, Cannellini Lingot beans, or Maxibel beans  -- it seems like they could all take some cold but then their packets say things like 'when the soil is 60 degrees.'  So I guess I will figure it out in time.

And my edamame seeds didn't arrive.  They are on backorder.  Backorder?  What does that mean for a seed?  Later this spring?  Next year?  I will contact Territorial if I find the time.  If I am lucky, the seeds will show up before I make the call.

My list of things to plant is huge!  And I don't have any seed starting pots.  And I haven't tested my soil.  My raised bed isn't on the ground.  And I can start planting in three and a half weeks!  Will my project lift off?

Put in my order...

I finally committed myself to this summer's garden with a big order from Territorial Seeds.  I picked them because they are regional -- and I understand I will have better luck with plants tested in my climate.  At first I went through and made up my dream list -- basically looking for short growing season (most of the attempts I have done with edibles in the past seem to be hindered by not enough time for food to ripen.)  I was pretty happy with my picks and then Edible Heirlooms by Bill Thorness became available for me at the library. 

With Edible Heirlooms, I began to think about biodiversity and sustainablility.  So I reviewed my wish list with an eye for open-pollinators rather than hybrids.  When my list was complete, I ordered it -- mostly to keep myself from overthinking.

My picks?  Well, I found it hard to say no to much  so this year we will be trying: sauce and cherry tomatoes (we really don't use slicers); hot and sweet peppers (I am hoping for lots of pepperonata); beets, lettuce, spinach, and chard (because we need more greens in our lives), red carrots (because plain ones would be boring); pac choi and edamame (we have been incorporating more Asian foods into our diet); fancy galeaux squash, tigger melons, and moon and stars watermelons (these will be my experiement in vertical gardening -- they will all grow up); snap peas and green beens ('cause they are easy and you have to?); basil and fennel (because they can be expensive and I like them), cauliflower and canellini beans (just caught my eye.) 

Once the seeds get here (could be by the end of the week), I will have to figure out where and when -- and I still have to test my soil, install my raised beds and vine trellising, and figure out a watering system. 

I also put in an order from another regional supplier, Raintree Nursery.  Here I purchased strawberries, blueberries and kiwi vines.  The strawberries need to be in the ground by Tax Day -- and I think everything else will arrive in May.  Lots of work ahead but the dreaming makes me happy.