Well, it’s been a busy few weeks, but unfortunately not in the farming category. I’m happy to report that I FINALLY have internet at home, so I’m hoping my blogging will be more regular. At least from the standpoint that spring is just around the corner, I probably will have more interesting topics to write about.
The only new news for now is that my seeds have arrived from Burpee. I chose them since I have ordered from them in the past, and I received a nifty 20% off coupon in my email. My hope is that someday I’ll have a good enough stock of seeds from the previous season that I won’t need to buy seeds any more, but for now I have to buy them.
For the curious or bored, here is the list of what I bought. I have no idea how much will actually “bear fruit” so to speak, but as I mentioned before, I’m going big this year.
Corn, Golden Bantam
Tomato, Big Boy Hybrid
Tomato, Beefsteak Organic
Tomato, Mortgage Lifter
Squash, winter, Spaghetti
Squash, winter, Waltham Butternut
Squash, summer, Hybrid Zucchini
Squash, summer, Saffron
Squash, Gourd, Luffa
Swiss Chard, Bright Lights
Artichoke, Green Globe
Radish, Perfecto
Sunflower, Super Snack Mix Hybrid
Cantaloupe, Burpee’s Ambrosia Hybrid
Eggplant, Early Midnight Hybrid
Onion, Scallion, Evergreen Long White Bunching
Pumpkin, Early Sweet Sugar Pie
Watermelon Seedless, Big Tasty Hybrid
Lavender, English
Stevia, Sweet Leaf
Now, I hope I didn’t get carried away, but anything that I don’t use can probably wait until next year. I read that properly sealed and frozen seeds should last at least a year, sometimes longer. I would have to worry about germination rates after a while, but since I consider this year, and possibly next as an experiment and only the start to a (hopefully) long-lasting lifestyle of growing my own food…I’m willing to sacrifice a few seeds to learn along the way.
Given my seed bank that I have to start with, I’m considering expanding my garden to a 20’x40’ plot, but that is ENTIRELY dependent on if I can get the tiller working. I was gifted a Mantis tiller and a craftsman rear-tinned rototiller by my grandfather, and that will make working 800 square feet of land a LOT easier. They haven’t been started in over 3 years, so they might need more than just a little routine maintenance. My plan is to make the rows wide enough to send the Mantis through to make weeding less time-consuming. I’ll still have to weed by hand around the plants, but since space isn’t an issue, I can space out the rows more than I would have normally.
If you notice there are some seeds on the list that I didn’t originally plan for, it’s because, well…I got carried away. Yes, the 200 foot pitfall of all new gardeners, I drooled over the Burpee catalog and went a little crazy. The Stevia sounded too fun to pass up, and the green onions seemed like a much needed addition. As for the pumpkin pie and cantaloupe? Well, when you tell your family that you’re growing a garden, they love providing input.
I mean, who wouldn’t?
“You have almost unlimited space to plant and I don’t have to help out? Sure, I have some things I’d like you to plant!”
Yes, well, I did indeed ask my family for requests, so I guess I walked right into that “rake in the yard”.
Lastly, the unfortunate news that with moving in, stretching the budget a little to buy the house, and a multitude of other limitation factors, chickens will not be running around the yard this year. Quite frankly, they won’t ever literally be running around the yard, since I do think the neighbors would have a problem with that. They will be enjoying a chicken run that adjoins The Farm someday, but maybe next year. I know it’s only a few days before March, but given the fact that I’m still unpacking and there’s a ton of things to do inside the house as well as outside, it would be prudent to wait. Fear not, I will tackle the ups and downs of raising chickens in suburbia, just as countless other brave souls have in the past.
We’ll see what this weekend has in store for me, but for now, plan big and dream big all you farmers and gardeners out there. 2013 is going to be a good year, and if not, let it at least be a tasty year.
The Suburban Farmer 