I've joined the Gardener's Challenge over at Elements in Time and since I have to show off my garden or some part of it weekly, I will be forced to keep it weeded or suffer embarrassment. Weeding is a huge failing of mine and I think I have lots of company! Hopefully this will be sufficient motivation!
This year I am starting my entire garden from seeds with the exception of the lettuce! I have never done this before and am hoping the indoor animals keep out of the seed trays. So far so good with the tomatoes anyway. I have my trusty Northeastern Garden Book out and have been perusing the pretty pictures. If you recall I already planted my tomato seeds and they are doing well. I ordered only Heirloom seeds and plan on harvesting and storing the seeds for next year. This makes my small investment even better. I also ordered some interesting varieties.
Check them out:
Early Snowball Cauliflower
Copenhagen Market Cabbage
Flame Lettuce
Red Romaine Lettuce
Amish Deer Tongue Lettuce
White Wonder Cucumber
Black Beauty Zucchini Squash
The flame lettuce is bright red and the cukes are really white. I love a colorful salad. As soon as the frosty ground abates I plan on getting the tractor in there to turn the soil a bit. We do have a rototiller for the finer turning, but I like to go in there with the kubota and loosen up the ground. It makes it a lot easier with the tiller which is very heavy. It's also easy on the back, letting the tractor bucket do the work. Too bad it can't weed.
What, no peas or beans you ask? Experience has shown that most of them rot on the vine so why plant them. We invariably have to rush dinner preparations and can't seem to find the time to pod the peas or snip the beans.
I will have an herb pot of course and my rhubarb will pop up as it does every year. Just writing about this makes me wish away the little snowflakes falling outside, hoping for warmer weather NOW!
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