Although it was 60 degrees on January 2, Dan and I couldn't come to terms with the construction of the temporary brick oven, so we let the warm weather pass us by, and now are shivering at the Return of Winter.
We've had 2 little snowstorms, and it was cold last week, especially considering the week before it was so mild. Temps were in the single digits, with the gentle breeze exacerbating the bracing effect. Friday an old fashioned nor'easter ripped through, leaving snow and wind in its wake, and for Dan and I, a brush with the exceedingly unpleasant g.i. bug that is going around. YUK. As a result, we hunkered down for the weekend, armed with electrolyte-replenishing liquids, ginger ale and the woodstove.
At least the enforced semi-paralysis gave me time to work on the vegetable garden plans. When not snoozing or otherwise engaged, I browsed through the collection of seed catalogs and tried to narrow down my choices to a manageable list. Here's what made the list for veggies:
Beans--saved seed of Michael's and Gold of Bacau Pole Beans, Fedco
Beets--Burpees Golden and Ruby Queen, Pine Tree Garden Seeds
Broccoli--Broccoli Blend, Fedco
Brussels Sprouts--Falstaff, Pine Tree Garden Seeds
Carrots--Atomic Red, Mokum, and Rainbow Mix, Fedco
Corn--Painted Mountain, Fedco
Cucumber--Diva, Johnny's
Green Onions--Deep Purple, Johnny's
Leeks--Lincoln, Fedco
Lettuce--Summer and Winter Mix, Pine Tree Garden Seeds
Melon--Prescott Fond Blanc, Fedco and Banana, Pine Tree Garden Seeds
Peas--Lincoln and Sugar Ann, Fedco
Peppers--Amish Pimento, Fedco and Red Beauty, Pine Tree Garden Seeds Lemon Drop, saved
Pumpkin--Winter Luxury and Rouge Vif d'Etampes, Fedco
Potatoes--Carola, Rose Finn Apple, Dark Red Norlands, Fedco
Radish-- Easter Egg, Pine Tree Garden Seeds
Tomatoes--Orange Banana, Amish Paste, Green Zebra, Fedco and Pineapple, Sun Gold, Gardener's Delight, Pine Tree Garden Seeds
Summer Squash--Costata Romanesca, Early Summer Yellow Crookneck, Fedco
Winter Squash--Futsu Black, Pine Tree Garden Seeds
Swiss Chard--Bright Lights, Johnny's
I'm still debating over the tomato category, I hope to can tomatoes this summer, but I also want a good selection of fresh eating tomatoes. In the case of the beans and Lemon Drop Peppers, this will be my first experiment with saving seed myself, and I'm not all that confident in my abilities so I've hedged my bets in both cases with a second or third variety.
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2 comments:
Your seed list looks very tempting -- how wonderful that you have room for space-devouring pumpkins and winter squash. Re: tomatoes, we love "black" tomatoes, especially Black Krim. The color does look like a bruise, and they won't win beauty contests, but the taste is off-the-charts good. I think 'Black Krim' is Russian, so it should have a short enough season to do well in Maine. ?
Thanks for the tip, Renee, I might have to try the Black Krim. They are in the Fedco catalogue and are listed at 80 days. According to Fedco, they originate from Krymsk on the Black Sea in Russia.
We are lucky we have a generously sized yard, and the way I look at it, the more vegetables and flowers we grow, the less lawn.
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