Getting Ready

Preparing to plant.  Ahhhhhh.  It lifts my spirit to set my mind on what I will be growing in the garden.  The planning and preparations are part of the enjoyment for me.  

I'm expanding my container garden this year as part of my 2011 plan which is growing fewer kinds of veggies in my beds, but more of each kind.  The beds will supply our summer feasts as well as stocking the pantry.  The container garden will be more of a kitchen garden with a little of this and a little of that.  Mostly supplying fresh salads every day.

I've found a lovely (new to me) Asian bunching onion:#W468 BUNCHING CRIMSON FOREST (heirloom) - $1.25

HEIRLOOM Another bunching onion but this one has green tops and a red bulb. Both flavorful and colorful. 400 seeds

None of the purple sprouting broccoli I've tred to grow in the previous years have given me good results.  This is yet another type and will be in my container garden:

#W247 EARLY PURPLE SPROUTING BROC (35 days) - $0.95

This purple version of Raab is popular in the North. An alternative way to grow it is to plant in mid-summer, over-winter it and then get two months of delicious cuttings the following spring. High in vitamins with a tangy flavor. 100 seeds

One of the problems I had with gardening on the deck was the lack of pollination.  Very important to attract the bees.  I'm going to see how the scarlett runner beans will do in containers.  They will not only attract bees, but humming birds and butterflies!

There are others, but I thought I would introduce you to these two that seem so unique and interesting.  I can't wait to grow them.  Tess has found some awesome veggies suited to container gardening that I have also ordered.  One of which is a salad greens mix that will do wonderfully in the bottom box of my window box unit.  I will continue to grow the French Breakfast radish that we love for it's beauty and mild flavor.  They make tasty little sandwiches (thinly sliced radish sauted in butter) and contribute nicely to a tossed salad. 

I'm going to add the parsley root and some carrots to the window boxes.  The bunching onions will also grow in this garden.  Now, I like to have the cherry or grape type tomatoes for the salads so we will have a pot of one tomato plant on the deck for the salads.

I've begun my medicinal garden.  White sage, horehound, chamomile.  I'm going to try and incorporate these into my old flower bed.  I've got garden sage in a large pot now.  Thyme, hyssop and lemon balm are already in the flower bed and catnip pops up throughout.