[countrygrrrl]

::blushing::

Well, I pulled out my tomatoes this evening and cut the end of the basil, only to discover, once I got that tangled mess out of the way, that pesky wabbit has been eating the leaves off my absolutely huge and gorgeous echinacea.

Which caused me to run right inside and begin looking at seeds for next year, as I have learned you can never plant too much echinacea.

Which of course led me to ordering the following seeds:

Asparagus - Mary Washington
Marvel of Peru - Bright Yellow
Nasturtium - Golden Emperor
Birdhouse Gourd
Garden Huckleberry
Naranjilla
Echinacea Purpurea
Shungiku Edible Chrysanthemum
Parsley - Hamburg Rooted
Tomatoes - Royal Chico
Tomatoes - Cherokee Purple
Tomatoes - Black from Tula



Which, of course, is going to require I build at least two more raised beds, given I haven't even gotten to the veggie seeds (beyond tomatoes) yet. ::blushing::

All that said, the only thing good about the end of the garden is that means it really IS time to get to work on next year's gardens.

 

[CMATE]

That's too funny, Countrygirl! :haha: And to think it's only October...what are you going to do when all those seed catalogues start arriving in January?? :haha:

 

[countrygrrrl]

Well, it gets even worse.

:haha:

I'm now combing the web (actually, Garden Watchdog ) looking for the best source of basil in the universe.

Given I made the mistake this year of trying out Armenian basil. :no: Oh sure, I planted some of the plain ordinary basil, but not nearly enough. So I want to make sure that next year, I have enough basil to make up for what I didn't get this year because of all the effort put into the Armenian basil.

 

[CMATE]

I bought this last spring & was innundated with the best flavors of Basil ever!!
So much so that I have been freezing just about every leaf from whole plants that I'm afraid the frost will get if I leave them in the ground any longer!

https://www.cooksgarden.com/prodinfo.asp?number=709&variation=&aitem=8&mitem=17

 

[Paquebot]

CMate, already October and you don't have your 2005 garden all planned out? My plans are already almost set in stone and that includes "borrowing" some of two neighbors lawns plus two country locations. I was a hair late on my tomato seed offer on Garden Web this year as it's been running for only 3 weeks! Big advantage this year as most of the plants are still alive and ripening fruit. There were several extra-popular varieties requested and thus I was still able to collect more fruit for seed. If you want a preview of what my tomato seed offer here will be, peek at this site:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/exch0921005425886.html?12
If any of you wish to request now, go for it. Garden Web requests are slowing now after receiving requests from most of the 49 continental states, most of the Canadian provinces, plus Australia and the UK.

Martin

 

[countrygrrrl]

CMATE, the varieties at Cook's Garden are similar to the ones I'm ordering, except I'm sticking to Genovese, one called Italian Pesto which oddly I've never heard of before (even though I've been devouring pesto for how many years now?? ) --- and I'm considering the big leafed variety.

Paquebot, I would love to try some of those you have listed at GardenWeb -- -- it would mean yet another raised bed :haha: but you can't have too many of those now, can you?

Besides, I'm now considering have growing pole beans and melon along one fenceline here --- I'm pretty sure I could sneak some tomato in there as well, and still keep everyone happy.

Do we contact you here or over at GardenWeb? How very cool!

 

[Hank - Narita]

Martin, we would like some of the Wis 55. Also do you have more beet seeds? We have lots of lettuce, spinach, chard, turnips. Let me know what you need. Our email is [email protected].

 

[Paquebot]

Hank,
Everyone gobbled up my beet seed over the past two seasons. In fact, those that I was able to offer early this year were leftovers from the 2003 season. That Red Cloud variety certainly turned out to be a winner and I understand was a big seller for Jung's this year. This year's free seed was Little Gem Cos lettuce so I should have plenty of that yet. Not as nice as the beets but you won't be able to beat the price!

No idea yet as to what the free seed may be for 2005. I won't know until around Christmas and then won't have any stock until some time in January. Hopefully it isn't something bulky so that I can mail it in ordinary envelopes.

CMate,
You can contact me through this forum in regards to tomato seed. E-mail feature preferred so that my mailbox doesn't quickly fill up. Of course, I said that it was a preview since they have not been offered here yet. In fact, some will not be offered here due to dwindling quantities. But you can use that list and think before ordering tomato seeds from any big companies. You could ask me to send them now but then what happens if you also want what I'll have to offer in January? I'd already have 37 cents invested in you and then you'd ask me to spend another 37 or 49 cents. That wouldn't be fair! Right now, I've simply linked to some guy's Garden Web offer and it officially doesn't exist on Homesteading Today as yet. But it WILL be!

Martin

 

[dla]

Alright, already.. I'm about to pass out from jealousy! [insert smiley face dominated by the color GREEN]
Hope to join you all next year.
When we moved here 1 1/2 years ago, the remnants of a beautiful herb and vegetable garden, largely overgrown, beckoned to be resusitated. It was laid out in the circular style of a colonial garden, with comfrey and asparagus and Jerusalem Artichoke and wood garlic and rhubarb and mint and lemon balm (everywhere, of course), along with a group of tulips here and a patch of jonquils there, and a GORGEOUS clematis growing over a fence.
However, they were accompanied by enough bedstraw to make ten mattresses, an indian cigar tree 25 feet tall, another ten saplings of at least ten feet, and WEEDS, WEEDS, WEEDS!
But I was raised by a generous-hearted gardener who always left the flowers ("but they're alive!") and tried to transplant the travelers ("just stick it in the ground over there, it'll grow") and I just couldn't bear to plow this garden under and start over.
But the weeds have won, and DH will bushhog everything but the asparagus and finish cutting down the trees over winter. I have started piling the horse/chicken compost in there. And we will hopefully have a good garden Next Year (when all good plans will happen...)
So forgive me if I gnash my teeth a bit and wish I were in your shoes, but it all sounds wonderful, and I hope your plans succeed!!!!

 

[TennOC]

Echinacea is perrennial, it will come back in spring even if the rabbits eat it to the ground this year.

 

[countrygrrrl]

Echinacea is perrennial, it will come back in spring even if the rabbits eat it to the ground this year.

I know. I have some echinacea plants which are 5+ years old, after all. But you can still never have enough of it. Well, I can still never have enough of it, maybe I should say.

 

[suelandress]

I was feeling slightly guilty, and perhaps a bit nuts, until I read this thread
I got a TM catalogue in. Under winter squash...I gotta have this.....

"Jaspee de Vendee T&M believe this is the sweetest winter squash available. The flesh is so delicately sweet it can be eaten raw like a melon. Bushy plants produce several fruits up to 2 kg in weight from late summer until frost. Fruits store very well. Excellent also in flans, jams, soups and purees."

Does that sound good or what??? Ok- $3.25 for 6 seeds. But it doesn't say its hybrid....

 

[countrygrrrl]

Well, the melon, does sound really good, Sue.

I've now banned myself from looking at seeds or thinking about seeds or anything like that. I completed my second order and got, among other things, hyssop, basil, tri-color pole beans, chard, kale, Indian Peace Pipe, Lion's Ear, butterfly bush and a lot of other things.

Which means I need to build a couple more beds AND reinforce the fencelines, as the loofah caused one of the fences to fall over yesterday. :haha:

 

[willow_girl]

If you haven't mailed that order in already, I have tons of echinacea seed!!! Free!!!

(I know how you feel about the rabbits eating yours, 'cause I have a really pretty hollyhock -- which sprouted amongst the raspberries??? -- I had wanted to save seeds from, but the freaking GOATS got out and ATE it!!!!!! Grrrrrrrrr!!!!!

I tried Cherokee Purple tomatoes 4 years ago and was disappointed ... they didn't bear much fruit, and what there was, was kind of gnarly. Maybe you will have better luck as it's a lot warmer down there, plus your growing season is longer! Hope so!

 

[countrygrrrl]

If you haven't mailed that order in already, I have tons of echinacea seed!!! Free!!!

So do I. :haha: But I still want more! Echinacea and basil are two things I absolutely cannot get enough of!

I tried Cherokee Purple tomatoes 4 years ago and was disappointed ... they didn't bear much fruit, and what there was, was kind of gnarly. Maybe you will have better luck as it's a lot warmer down there, plus your growing season is longer! Hope so!

They do really well here because we get sooooo hot, have a relatively long season and have good humidity. The fellow up the road, in fact, is still getting some out of his patch.

I'm already looking forward to next year's tomatoes.



For now, though, I'm off to build a raised bed / cold frame duo in the greenhouse, just to see if I can do some winter crops in there. Accoding to Farmer's Almanac, we're in for a mild winter.

 

[Cara]

Willow Girl, Would you be up for a swap of black, peach or double white hollyhocks for some of your echinacea? I have tried and tried to grow it from seed with no success, but I'll try it again! I have one plant in the herbs, but a really good place I'd like to fill with it. Let me know!

 

[countrygrrrl]

Cara, try getting a bit of a freeze on the seeds before starting.

I'm not sure where you live, but the echinacea I know and love simply adores dreadful weather conditions, including extreme heat and cold.

 

[willow_girl]

Sure, Cara, I'd love to swap! I wouldn't mind having a little bit of all 3 kinds of hollyhocks if you can spare 'em. (Greedy aren't I?!) :haha:

I'll PM you with my address, please check my trade list on the seed swap sticky and see if I have anything else you might be interested in. I really recommend the variegated lunaria!

(Yes they clash horribly with our red house, but the house was a different color when I planted them there!)

Linda, if you'd like those echinacea seeds, you can either send me a SASE, or if you'd like to swap (I'm pretty much game for anything ) just send me your address and some seeds and I'll do the same.

P.S. I have not had an extremely high germination rate with echinacea, however on the upside, once you do get a plant started, you pretty much couldn't kill it with a stick!

 

[Cyngbaeld]

I am trying, really hard, not to even look at a seed catalog this year. Not EVEN on line. I have a HUGE rubbermaid container full of seeds! And who knows how many are still viable. Just planting those out this coming year will be enough! Yes, Kim, it will! Don't need to buy more seeds. SO DON"T YOU GO TEMPTING ME CG!

 

[countrygrrrl]

Okay, Cyngbaeld, I won't mention the words ... tri-color pole beans! Or Lion's Ear! Or Indian Peace Pipe!



It IS a dilemma, isn't it? But a nice one.