I started my seeds on Tuesday and Wednesday night! I kept things pretty simple this year. I’m not going to experiment with any new things this year, because I barely have time to keep up with the basics.
Here’s what I’ve started so far:
Tomatoes
Once again, these are going to steal the show. All the tomatoes I’m planting this year are from seeds I collected from my garden last year. Yea, I’m cool like that.
I’m growing a sauce tomato called San Marzano; a plum-shaped paste tomato called orange banana; cherry tomatoes called Riestraube, sweet cherry, and chocolate; a beefsteak tomato called Hawaiian pineapple; and a beefsteak-like tomato called Black from Tula.
Peppers
I’m growing LOTS of regular old jalapenos this year because I want to can pickled jalapenos. I’m going to grow a whole row of these. I’m also going to grow Anaheims and bell peppers.
Other
Lettuce-leaf basil, green-husked tomatillos, eggplant (Listada de Gandia), rosemary, thyme, cucumbers, cantaloupe (Athena), and blue hubbard squash. I grew another type of squash last year called, Marina Di Chioggia, which I love even more than blue hubbard, but I lost half my seeds this year (because of moisture followed by mold). Because I still have blue hubbard seeds, I’m going to use them.
Forthcoming (all direct-seeded)
Carrots, some type of green been (pole, stringless), peas; and lettuce (in God’s own raised bed).
Things I’m NOT growing again this year and why
Potatoes: In my opinion, these are a lot of work with the setup I have right now (growing them IN the garden). I’ll probably grow them again one year, but I’ll grow a LOT of them, and I’ll figure out some awesome way to store them.
Onions: The point of growing your own food is so that you don’t have to buy the food. In the case of onions, I’d have to plant a ton of them to make it worth it, and I’m just not up for that right now. It was fun to grow a few clusters, but I still had to buy onions. Like potatoes, one year I’ll grow a ton and figure out a way to store them successfully.
Garlic: I forgot to plant my garlic last fall!! I’m devastated and still getting over it. Rest assured I’ll be planting a ton this fall.
Once again, I am so jealous of your garden knowledge and ambition. One of these years I will find the energy to get back into it. For now, I’ll read your blog and progress.
Haha. Thanks! And you know what? Gardening will still be around when your kids are a bit older and when you can take some of your energy and put it toward veggies
In the interim, I’ll bring you some veggies at craft day!
It will be fun to follow your progress. Gardening is an amazing journey.
Thanks, Charlie! Keeping a garden is definitely one of the few advantages to living a fairly sedentary 9-5 lifestyle.
Love your website, btw. Love the Seattle area! I’ll keep note of this site the next time I visit.