I'd like to add a couple of seed sources I have done business with in the past who have been excellent.
First, (and where I get the majority) Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. I think every item is open pollinated, heirloom, and grows well in NYS despite the fact that they are a Virginia operation.
I have done well with Victory Seed Co. and Garden Medicinals and Culinary as well.
Being a part of the Growing Challenge was easy, I have sooo many new additions that only one seems like cheating.
Really for me this year involves two major goals:
1.) Implement a succession and intensive planting strategy based on the FANTASTIC "How to grow more vegetables..." book by John Jeavons.
2.) Turn the northwest corner of the backyard by the pond into a lush sanctuary of herbs (mostly perennial).
As it stands I have 3 lavender bushes, purple and white coneflower, rosemary (which might not survive the winter), garlic chives, and common sage. The north side of the pond has a dwarf ornamental cherry that was transplanted last year.
I have seed either here or in the mail for
Red Plantago, Fennel, Anise, Wormwood, Angelica, Basil (Genovese, Purple, and multicolor holy basil), German Chamomile, Valerian, Feverfew, St John's Wort, Black Cohosh, Mint, Creeping Thyme, and Lemon Balm.
I am looking for a good Butterflyweed to add as well. I understand that in addition to butterflies it attracts soldier beetles as well. I need the hired guns in a bad way. Every spring the hordes of cuccumber beetles descend upon my poor beds and lay waste to everything and anything curcurbit. I refuse to resort to insecticide, and I have seen the occasional soldier beetle near my sunflowers, so I am hoping the poor garden residents can hire some badass warriors to come and defend the crops a la The Seven Samurai. If that doesn't work I have some Amaranth I am going to plant too, I hear they like that.
And since I first wrote about the Aerogarden I have realized a major mistake...planting so early. I had terrible luck starting perrenials from seed historically and now they are growing too fast. I am going to need to move the Mint, Valerian and Lavender to small pots very soon as their roots are getting dangerously close to tangling. I will certainly update on how they take the move from hydroponic to soil.
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2 comments:
we put in lemon balm, chamomile and have a perennial fennel plant that seems to come back year after year. be careful with the mint. Unless you have a way of stopping its spread, you'll be unable to get rid of it once it gets going. I am curious to see how you do with the st. john's wort. Another beautiful large herb that we have on our property from a prior owner is russian sage. http://preview.tinyurl.com/2vykjz
though not edible, it has a nice strong scent, and is nice to look at.
Last year I ordered 3 apple trees and 10+ asparagus plants from Miller Nurseries: http://www.millernurseries.com/
I highly recommend them. If I were rich or had the time, I'd order a whole slew of fruit trees, bushes, etc and put them in.
Thanks for the info in miller's
the st johns wort is a replacement for an existing planting that was doing too well. so well than when I cleared a path for the new herb garden area I chopped off waaay too much of it and it couldn't survive.
It grows fast and did well in the two winters it spent prior. I just need to give this planting much more room than the prior to stretch out, and trim it more often, but less drastically.
The sage I put in last year grew really fast, it got kinda leggy so I kept pinching it back until it filled in more, I'm hoping it will flower this year.
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