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Gardening

Posted at 2:16 PM on February 13, 2008 by Gina Keenan (4 Comments)

We are in the doldrums of winter. This winter has seemed much longer than most. Cabin fever is setting in in a big way.

But what is helping me is the mental planning of our vegetable garden. The seed catalogs have all come in, and I have, at best, one more week to finally make my seed catalog purchases. Catalogs that I love are Johnny's Seeds, Jung's, Seed Savers Exchange, and The Cook's Garden. Only two of these are local. Jung's and Seed Savers. And that is in location only. I know that Seed Savers does all of its collecting and saving of seeds-it is more of a seed bank. But I think Jung's offers seeds not produced at their location.

So how can you make your own garden, which is as local as one can get, more local? Collect your own seeds. This is something I have thought about doing, but of course have put off (is there a theme here?). I read a book about it years ago, called "Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties" by Carol Deppe. Great book for those that are just starting breeding their own vegetables and don't have a scientific background.

In planning the garden, I like to plant things that the kids like, but also varieties and plants I can not get from our CSA or the farmer's market. Some things I am trying this year that are out of the ordinary for me are cardoon (an Italian vegetable), fava beans, "Reisenrot Radish", "Vete de Cambrai Corn Salad".

Are there any other recommendations out there?

Comments (4)

Great suggestion, though I would caution people to make sure they're saving seeds from sources that originated from places like Seed Savers Exchange.

Some of the more prevalent seed sources are owned by agribusiness giants like Monsanto or Cargill. With Seed Savers Exchange, ex., you know the parent plants weren't genetically modified.

Posted by Margaret T. | February 16, 2008 2:05 PM

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't realize that Monsanto and Cargill reached their tentacles into the home gardening area. Wow.

Posted by Gina | February 17, 2008 6:34 PM

Right! And even our beloved Cook's Garden was bought out by Ball/Burpees some years ago and the quality of their seeds has been falling ever since.
A great source of small seed suppliers can be found at williamrubel.com.
This year I'll be planting (and purchasing) lots of green beans to put up for winter. It's by far the preserved vegetable that we eat the most of in the winter, and my goal is to have a full winter's supply in the freezer by the end of the season. I've still got lots of butternut squash, potatoes and garlic from the fall crop, but everytime I go to the store to buy green beans I feel foolish for not putting more away last summer.

Posted by bonni | February 18, 2008 4:11 PM

Bonni,

What a great link. That web-site is a wonderful source. And thanks for the info on Cook's Garden.

Do blanch your beans before freezing? If so, for how long? I have not been very successful at freezing beans. Thanks.

Gina

Posted by Gina | February 19, 2008 3:39 PM