Monday 30 January 2012

SEEDS ARRIVED!

Except the two packets on back order... but YAY!

Pics and such to follow.

Sunday 22 January 2012

Updates from December / January

  • Started a paper route with the intention of earning extra money during this slow period at work.
  • The compost pile actually got warm enough one day to melt the snow off it(kinda impressive for something that size). We're working on building it properly so when spring comes there will be a good pile ready for the worms and microbes to do their stuff.
  • I got to visit with my mom & lil sis for a week and get mom's opinion on what to plant in the canning bed(since she's getting half). Turns out peas don't can well so there was some rearranging done.
  • The sprouts in the containers are gone They didn't wilt or wither away... they just disappeared. I'm blaming the cats.
  • The big tree branch that was blocking a lot of sun and tugging on the phone lines has been professionally removed. We now have a whole lot of wood for summer fires that needs to be cleared off the garden before any amendments or planting can be done.
  • I quit the paper route because it was way too much work for the money offered.
  • The seeds were bought with one minor change. We hadn't actually tried Swiss chard yet so we swapped it out for jalapeno peppers with the agreement that we'd get some chard soon and if it was liked, order the seeds later.
  • We're changing our eating habits to focus more on real food like meat, veg, and homemade baking instead of prepackaged convenience "food"s

Thursday 19 January 2012

Buying Seeds This Weekend

Found a great supplier at WestCoastSeeds.com

Here's what our cart looks like (click to embigen):
Item No  Product  Wt.  Qty.  Price Each  Total Price
BN129A  Beans pole>Purple peacock  50 g  1  $ 3.39 CA  $ 3.39 CA<br />
BT165A  Beets>Cylindra (Available)  5 g  1  $ 2.99 CA  $ 2.99 CA<br />
CB239A  Cabbage>Super red 80 (Available)  0.25 g  1  $ 3.59 CA  $ 3.59 CA<br />
CR308A  Carrots>Nutri red  0.5 g  1  $ 3.29 CA  $ 3.29 CA<br />
CU390A  Cucumbers>Marketmore  1 g  1  $ 2.79 CA  $ 2.79 CA<br />
EG414A  Eggplants>Black beauty organic  0.25 g  1  $ 2.79 CA  $ 2.79 CA<br />
KL425A  Kale and collards>Lacinato  1 g  1  $ 2.99 CA  $ 2.99 CA<br />
ML503A  Melons>Minnesota midget canteloupe organic  1 g  1  $ 3.39 CA  $ 3.39 CA<br />
ON564A  Onions>Calibra  0.5 g  1  $ 3.59 CA  $ 3.59 CA<br />
HR1065A  Chives>Chives  1 g  1  $ 2.99 CA  $ 2.99 CA<br />
PP659A  Peppers>Thai dragon  0.1 g  1  $ 3.29 CA  $ 3.29 CA<br />
PP620A  Peppers>California wonder 300  0.5 g  1  $ 2.99 CA  $ 2.99 CA<br />
PU660A  Pumpkins>Small sugar  3 g  1  $ 2.79 CA  $ 2.79 CA<br />
SP707A  Spinach>Bloomsdale savoy organic  5 g  1  $ 3.99 CA  $ 3.99 CA<br />
SQ730A  Squash>Buttercup  2 g  1  $ 2.99 CA  $ 2.99 CA<br />
SW753A  Swiss chard>Bright lights  3 g  1  $ 3.29 CA  $ 3.29 CA<br />
FL2999A  Nasturtiums>Jewel mix  5 g  1  $ 2.99 CA  $ 2.99 CA<br />
FL2259A  Calendula>Single orange  1 g  1  $ 2.99 CA  $ 2.99 CA<br />
LT455A  Lettuce>Super gourmet salad blend  3 g  1  $ 3.39 CA  $ 3.39 CA<br />
MU520A  Mescluns and salad greens>Mustard greens blend  5 g  1  $ 3.69 CA  $ 3.69 CA<br />
TM789A  Tomatoes>Gardeners delight  0.1 g  1  $ 2.99 CA  $ 2.99 CA<br />
CR294A  Carrots>Nantes coreless  1 g  1  $ 2.79 CA  $ 2.79 CA<br />
HR1011A  Basil>Kitchen basil blend  1 g  1  $ 2.99 CA  $ 2.99 CA<br />
HR1133A  Sage>Sage  2 g  1  $ 3.29 CA  $ 3.29 CA<br />
PL570A  Parsley>Forest green  2 g  1  $ 2.79 CA  $ 2.79 CA<br />
PN581A  Parsnips>Gladiator  1 g  1  $ 3.39 CA  $ 3.39 CA<br />
HR1116A  Oregano>Oregano greek  0.1 g  1  $ 2.99 CA  $ 2.99 CA<br />
TM794A  Tomatoes>Black krim organic  0.1 g  1  $ 2.99 CA  $ 2.99 CA<br />
FL3275A  Sunflowers>Giganteus  2 g  1  $ 2.79 CA  $ 2.79 CA<br />
FL2482A  Echinacea>Purple coneflowers  1 g  1  $ 2.99 CA  $ 2.99 CA<br />
HR1094A  Lavender>Lavender organic  0.15 g  1  $ 2.79 CA  $ 2.79 CA<br />
HR1057A  Chamomile>German chamomile organic  0.25 g  1  $ 2.99 CA  $ 2.99 CA<br />
PE591A  Peas>Alderman tall telephone  25 g  1  $ 2.99 CA  $ 2.99 CA<br />
RD672A  Radishes>Altaglobe  4 g  1  $ 2.99 CA  $ 2.99 CA<br />
BR195A  Broccoli>Calabrese organic  1 g  1  $ 2.79 CA  $ 2.79 CA<br />
CF340A  Cauliflower>Rosalind  0.2 g  1  $ 4.29 CA  $ 4.29 CA<br />
CF306A  Cauliflower>Amazing  0.1 g  1  $ 3.29 CA  $ 3.29 CA<br />
TM785A  Tomatoes>La roma  0.1 g  1  $ 4.99 CA  $ 4.99 CA


I've been tweaking it for weeks and I think it's just right now. I've given you the list in this way so you can look up the codes to see the varieties selected (and so I can do the same next year if I need to).

Keep in mind each packet contains at least 20 seeds, some(like the lettuces) contain hundreds. These are all the smallest packets available there, but the seeds will last us years (even if we don't put away any from our produce).

Also, we're starting an herb garden from scratch so about $20 in seed is going just to that and we'll be buying some plants from a nursery if we can't find someone willing to share their Thyme (and Rosemary). Garlic and the sweetpotato slips will be started here from farmers market stock, and we may choose to buy onion sets for this year as we grow our own for the next.


Garden layout still hasn't been scanned so I don't have a digital copy yet but you'll see it soon.

Monday 16 January 2012

Please forgive the delay

I've been trying to decide if the many thing I want to share belong on what I started as a garden blog, or if I want to start a second (or THIRD) blog. I don't want to over commit to writing because I'd run out of time to live a life worth writing about. Pics and proper posts comming soon.