2015 Garden Plans

As most northern gardeners at this time of the year, I am anxious and excited to get things going. Yesterday, I winter sowed all of my heirloom tomato varieties, zucchini, cukes, and I’m giving the exotic tiger melon another stab. I already have sprouts from my January winter sowed flowers!

This year’s conquest looks like this, with a few return favorites:

Veggies:

• Broad Windsor Fava Beans
• Arkansas Little Leaf Pickling Cuke
• White Wonder Cuke
• Fordhook  Zucchini
• Wild Garden Lettuce Mix (again)
• Parris Island Cos Romaine Lettuce
• Russian Banana Fingerling Potatoes
• Kelloggs Breakfast Tomato
• Soldacki Tomato
• Brandywine Sudduth’s Strain Tomato (again)
• Black From Tula Tomato (again)
• Druzba Tomato (again)
• Supersauce Tomato (again)
• Jerusalem Artichoke
• Toy Choi Pak Choi
• Tivolli Spaghetti Squash
• Blue Lake Bush Beans (again)
• Mammoth Melting Sugar Snow Peas (again)
• Paris Market Carrots (again)
• Covair Smooth Leaf Spinach (again)
• Garlic mix (both Nootka Rose and Inchelium Red again)
• Other greens that I can’t remember… J

Flowers/Herbs:

• Outhouse Hollyhock
• Nigra Hollyhock
• Borage
• Coral Reef Poppy
• Fruit Punch Poppy
• Columbines (Wild, Yellow, Black Barlow)
• Nasturtium
• Queen Red Lime Zinnia (and another, but I can’t remember)
• Red and Yellow Torch Tithonia
• Bunny Tail Grass

This year, I also “hope” to have something to show from all the horseradish I planted last year and the Victoria Rhubarb. I’m not holding my breath on the rhubarb, as I’m suspecting that it may have rotted. A gardening friend told me last year that in order to successfully grow rhubarb in Virginia, it has to be grown from seed and not root starts.  I also transplanted all but one large pot of the Bristow Blackberry into the ground, so we’ll see how that does.

I'm giving cukes and zuchs a try this year from seed. I still have a ton of pickles from 2013's harvest, but you know me and pickles! I am also curious about the fava beans and Jerusalem artichoke. The beans will be started this month, as they prefer cool weather, and the artichokes will be grown in recycled bourbon half barrels, as I've heard they are invasive. And I'm "planning" on having enough energy in July to start some spaghetti squash seedlings. LOL! Usually, I'm so over the veggie garden come August that I'm ready to pack it all in, so this will be my first attempt at renewing for a fall veggie.

My gardening notes from last year tell me that I planted all my spring greens around March 20^th, so it looks like I will be jumping on that soon!