Friday, January 04, 2008

Gardeners, Start Your Ordering!!!

Attention all gardeners: If you have not already done so and are planning on ordering seeds for the 2008 gardening season, DO IT NOW. It can take 6 - 8 weeks for you seeds to arrive depending on where you order them from. I personally am recommending Veseys this year.

A few seed tips:
* Make sure that your choices match your hardiness zone. If you try to grow something that has a longer growing season than what you have, it won't work well. Trust me. Luckily, You can grow lots of veggies in most climates! Just check the maturity time. But if those flowers catch your eye, be sure they will work in your area.

* Read the description carefully. Make sure that it will match ALL of your gardening needs including space, time, water, feeding, etc. If you are going to be container gardening, be sure to try out the "patio" or "dwarf" varieties as these are usually hybrids that will do well in containers or small spaces. Some good small space or container plants are certain varieties of tomatoes and cucumbers, all herbs, lettuce, and even green onions. All of these are a great way to get started if you have never done container gardening before. (I will have a longer post on container gardening in the near future)

* If you do not have one, consider purchasing a windowsill greenhouse seed starter. They work great!! Also, consider purchasing some peat pots to transplant your larger plants into once they outgrow the windowsill greenhouse. You can just pop the peat pot into the ground once it is time to plant. Works GREAT!!

* Have fun!! I get such a thrill when I am ordering. I hate to wait for the seeds to arrive, but it just makes my day when they do. I get started right away. This year, I don't have to order. Veseys sent me plenty last year and I have seeds left over that will still germinate. So you guys have fun and let me know what you ordered. ;) Or you can just wait a bit and buy some nice seeds at the store. Sometimes that is easier.

Well, I am off to go grocery shopping. YAY!! (Note heavy sarcasm) Have a great day!

4 comments:

Elena LaVictoire said...

KitKat, I just nominated you for a Blog Blessing Award! Thanks for your strong defense of the faith and all of your support last year!

http://mydomesticchurch.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-blessing.html

a soldier's wife said...

Hi Kitkat,
Happy New Year, a week late :)
After reading about gardening all last summer,I am going to attempt some container gardening this year.
What types of veggies would you suggest for a beginner? as in a beginner that knows nothing? I'm not even sure where to get started when the time comes, but so much want some fresh homegrown veggies this year.
Thanks :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Soldier's Wife!! :) I would start with a nice roma (for tomato sauce or salads), cherry (salads),or grape (salads) type of tomato. I've also had some fantastic results with a "patio" variety cucumber (Vesey's has a great one!). Some of your favorite herbs such as basil, cilantro, marjoram, thyme, etc. will also work GREAT in containers. You can also do certain low and small growing types of lettuce (mesculin mix, etc.) in a long window box type of container. I have had a bit of luck with green onions in containers as well. Root veggies won't do as well in containers IMHO.

Be sure to buy the biggest containers that you can afford! You can check Goodwill and resale shops. Somtimes you get lucky and they have some big planters for cheap. Also, be sure to buy actual potting soil. "Topsoil" gets too hard in containers. I add nutrients and "fluffines" to my container soil by adding in some Peat Moss - about a 25% peat to 75% top soil mix works for me. And don't forget that you will have to fertilize because of the natural lack of nutrients in a container. I'd type more but I have to run to work. Boy, I need to do a post of this cuz I have LOTS more info!! Hope that helps for now. Tkae Care!! :)

a soldier's wife said...

Thanks kitkat! What a great start for me! Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I'm going to come back this evening when I have a chance to take a breath and print it all out :) I'll start looking for containers since that's something I can do at this time.
Have a great day!