Seed Order 2010!!

So the Fedco Seed order is in.  I still have to finalize the potato choice and get more legume innoculent and germinating mix but the hardest decisions are done.   There will also be a small order from Seed Savers Exchange, but the bulk of the work is over.  It’s like a weight has been lifted from me, strange right?  Seed choices are a daunting task, one that takes a lot of thought.  I got the first seed catalogs in December and have been critically perusing them since.  Over the years I have gotten much more frugal, I don’t buy everything that looks fun.  I’ve learned to restrain myself and plan realistically…kind of.  I don’t have 45 acres to plant, I don’t need 14 kinds of tomatoes.  Heck, I don’t even have 1 acre.  I’ve got a 4′ x 10′ community garden plot and a 16′ x 1′ raised bed, a 3′ x 8′ ish herb garden and various tubs and pots to fill.  I utilize my space to it’s fullest however.  Sooo here’s the choices from Fedco this year:

Multicolored Pole Bean mix – I had this mix last year as well.  It really has a good variety of green, purple and wax beans.  Plus I had no problems with bean beetles which I was very thankful for as they decimated many other gardeners plots.

de Bourbonne Pickling Cuke – supposed to be for cornichons, we’ll see if I get that many.  Last year was such a crappy year for cukes (too much rain) I got a lot of pickles done but they sure were not from my cukes.

National Pickling Cuke – for snacking or pickling

Over the Rainbow Carrot mix – satisfies my need for growing 40,000 different kinds.

Nantes Fancy – Currently backordered….I hope I get them!

3 root grex beet – a potentially multicolored beet.  ooh lala.

French Breakfast Radish – I love radishes only because you can plant them so damn early.

Bright Lights Chard – a staple in my garden.

Cascade Glaze Collard Greens – I will grow these with the leftover Champion Collards from last year.  I think I could have my own collard green only farmers market at work.  haha.  I already have orders in for this year.  People that normally wouldn’t buy from a farmers market are completely won over by my fresh grown collards.  Plus I loooove them.

Rainbow Lacinato – these are backordered and god help me I hope I get them.  Rainbow dino kale?!?!?!  How excited am I?  This is why I should have ordered on Jan. 8th when Fedco started accepting orders.  The thought of red, blue and green lacinato simply makes me ridiculously happy.

Kale mix – Because I cannot decide on other dark greens I got the mix.

Thai Hot hot pepper – again a staple in my garden.  Profuse producer and super hot.  I use them in my pickles and then dry the rest and use them in place of red pepper flake for the rest of the year.

Some like it Hot Pepper mix – Who knows what I’ll get out of this.  Hopefully a fish pepper or two and some jalapeno.

Tomatoes – I’m in a big tomato mood for this year, last year it was primarily cherry sized.  I think I’ll keep all the tomatoes at home and leave the community garden plot for everything else.  I tend to neglect the tomatoes at the community garden, they need to much nurturing and are too valuable to me to leave across town.  So here’s what I chose:

Cherokee Purple Tomato – I’m sure you’re familiar.

Paul Robeson – a dark maroon-y tomato supposedly much like a black krim.

Pineapple – a striped variety, not quite yellow not quite red.  However Fedco is subbing these with Old German BiColor so we’ll see what that brings me.

Peacevine – I like that it’s described as a ‘rampant indeterminate’.  1″ fruits good time.

So that’s it…..for now.  There will also be plant starts bought come May.  I will be buying another Mexican Sour Gherkin start however I need but one of those as there are quite prolific.  I also get two tomatillo starts which historically keep me in salsa for the rest of the year.  Plus there’s all my annual herb buying.  I just don’t have the room to start the 30 basil plants and 15 parsley plants I need on top of all the other crap.