When selecting seeds for the vegetable garden it always pays to be early – in this case I was not. Several of the selections I had planned on making were in fact sold out when I finally got around to ordering from Baker Creek. The early bird gets the worm is the old saying but maybe it should be the early gardener gets the seed! In any case procrastination when it comes to gardening and purchase inevitably will lead to disappointment in some way. With that being said I was still able to make some great choices for this gardening season. I’ll list them below!
2011 Vegetable Garden Seed Selections!
Tigger Melon – An orange and yellow striped melon that is said to be very sweet and has small serving sized fruit up to 1 lb. This was my second choice but still a good one! Brandywine Tomato – One of the most delicious tomatoes EVER! We” that’s just my opinion but you know I’m right! Cherokee Purple Tomato – One of the most delicious tomatoes EVER! I think I may have said that about another selection… it’s true for this one too though! Sweet Dumpling Winter Squash – My wife picked this one out. I’m eager to see how winter squash will work out in our garden. Stevia - I like my tea sweet and this potential sugar substitute might make a nice addition to the herb garden. Red Zebra Tomato – If you like striped tomatoes this one has them! We orginally selected the Green Zebra but they were sold out. Orange Icicle Tomato – It’s orange, it’s shaped like an icicle, it’s … Orange Icicle! Cherokee Trail of Tears Pole Bean – This pole bean is said to have been carried by the Cherokee Indians along the Trail of Tears from Tennessee. I like a vegetable with an interesting story, don’t you? Saint-Esprit à Oeil Rouge Bush Bean - Such a fancy name for a bean! Purple Hull Pinkeye Cowpea – My wife lose Purple Hull peas, I wonder how she will like shelling them? Six-Week Purple Hull Cowpea Rotonda Bianca Sfumata Eggplant - This round eggplant will hopefully turn into a nice eggplant Parmigiana at some point! Golden California Wonder - I wanted an Orange Sweet Pepper but I missed the jackpot again – I’ve learned my lesson this year!
I have other seeds coming in that I’ll tell you about later, what selections are you trying in the garden this year?
Originally written by Dave @ The Home Garden
Not to be reproduced or re-blogged without permission. No feed scraping is permitted.
All Rights Reserved.
Landscaping is not one of the easiest jobs in the garden, but can be one of the most effective. Good landscaping ideas can add a real sense of depth to your garden that cannot always be achieved by planting alone. But it does not always have to be hard work. There are projects that you are able to do in a weekend that can make a real difference to the appearance of your garden.
People think of rock gardens as being a lot of heavy work and requiring a great deal of planning. But if you just have a small rock garden at the end of a border, then it can be a great feature and does not require too much effort. If it is not on a slope then it is a good idea to build it up at the back to give it some depth.
If you have a slope in your yard, try adding some terraces allowing you to create level borders for planting. The gradated effect of having stepped borders can make a really good show if you plant shrubs with great foliage.
One of the most effective ways to add more interest to your garden is to make a water feature. It does not have to be too large or deep. Even a shallow water feature that is made with a flexible liner to keep the water in and that is simply finished with rocks around the edge to keep the liner in place, can not only look good, but also attract frogs and birds to your backyard.
A simple deck on a timber base is a project that is not only quick to complete, but can be very effective. It is also a great way to bring the house into the garden if you have doors that open on to the yard. Adding a few pot plants can make it even better.
Making beds to plant out is another backyard landscaping project that you can easily create in a weekend. But don’t just do plain squares or oblongs. Use a bit of imagination and you can get some good effects with kidney shaped beds or even crescent or any shape that you can imagine. Remember to put the taller plants at the back for the best effect.
Creating a small herb garden cannot only look good, but can also enhance your cooking! But make sure that the herbs that you choose are suited to your soil and that they are not susceptible to climate issues that you may have in your area. There is nothing like cooking with your own fresh herbs and they look great.
Building a small summerhouse in the yard can help you to make the most of it during any weather and is a great place to entertain friends. If you buy one in kit form and it is a design that uses a simple timber base, it can easily be built in a day.
If you want to be able to use the yard more, then it is a good idea to put in some lighting. It is much easier than it sounds. You can get some really good low voltage lighting kits that allow you to simply plug in a transformer and run a cable round the yard. Then you can just clip on the lights wherever you want them, but be sure to follow the manufacturers instructions.
If there is an area that gets a lot of use, then it can be a good idea to put in a path so that the lawn does not wear away. You can make a simple path by just getting some natural flat topped stones that are different shapes and then just cutting the lawn around them so that they blend in.
If you want a larger project that you get a few friends to help with then you can dig out a lowered seating area and then line it with stone so that you are not just sitting on chairs but are actually in a lowered area that will add interest to your garden.
There are many great backyard landscaping ideas that you can do in a weekend that will make your garden not only look better, but be a lot more usable as well.
Growing Herbs : How to Grow an Herb Garden Indoors
In herb gardening, the most important aspect of having an indoor herb garden is to have access to a sunny window. Grow an herb garden inside a house that has a lot of natural light with tips from an experienced gardener in this free video on gardening and growing herbs.
