Seed Freak

It’s come to this. On January 1 I sat down with my remaining seed packets (in their shoebox labeled “Seeds”) and my lists from last year’s order, and my catalogues with new things marked, and placed two big vegetable seed orders.

In addition to what I usually grow, I’m adding Romanesco (sort of psychedelic broccoli) and I’m going to try kohlrabi. I’m also adding a napa/Chinese cabbage, because this is the year of fermenting. (More on that next blog entry…)

And then, after I’d placed my orders, the latest issue of Organic Gardening came into my box. I don’t always enjoy this magazine: I can usually read through it in about 10 minutes and I bristle at some of the upscale ads (which of course make the magazine possible). It is also garden porn, photos of the most beautiful gardens and backyard landscapes in the country (mostly in California and Maine). I have a lot of edging envy, and these gardens, boy do they have clean edges.

That said, there is always something in the magazine of value to me as a gardener, even if it’s a small idea on the “We Love this Tip” page. And I do understand the challenge of a “national” gardening magazine. And sometimes, like in the January issue, there is a great spread that shares gardeners’ wisdom.

This issue featured the top picks of test gardeners from across the country: 13 basic vegetables recommended by variety. After reading it, I was back on the Internet, chasing down the hard-to-find seeds of a “Tahitian” squash that looks like a butternut squash (which I’ve already ordered, of course), and a new carrot variety, “ya-ya” (as if two are not enough for me), and a lettuce, “Jericho,” that will really grow in the heat of summer (we’ll see).

So I’ll say it again– I’m gonna need some more raised beds.