Cold Climate Gardening

I finally sowed most of my seeds - 11 kinds of tomatoes, 3 types of eggplants, 5 kinds of peppers and a tomatillo. I still have to label them all - I have a detailed schematic, but if I lose that, I am in trouble. I used popsicle sticks last year, but I am out, and couldn’t get those kids in the car today.

In the mean time, I used cut up playing cards and crayons as markers. I also sowed Mexican sunflowers “Torch” , helichrysm “Bikini Mix” , matsumoto china asters, venidium zulu prince and orange prince, annual butterfly weed “silky red”, Cook’s Garden Snapdragon mix, spaeralcea incana, Blood Red Wallflower, White Stock, Hollyhock “Happy …

Popularity: 3% [?]

I can buy the seeds, but I can’t seem to start the seeds. They are all organized by starting date, I have a chart in the garden where they will go, but for some reason, I am so not motivated to get the seeds in dirt. I think because once you start the process, you can’t stop. I have two babies to take care of now, and I am less interested in babying a bunch of little seedlings, and hauling them in and out to harden them, and arranging for a plant sitter if we go away for a few days.

I seem to be more interested in working in the actual garden. I am …

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This year I will wear gloves. This year I will also wear a hat and sunscreen. This year I will stake things. This year I will thin ruthlessly. This year I will spray rotenone or something to get those flea beetles. This year I will stop those rose slugs that are devouring all my roses. This year I will keep up with my weeding. This year I will not break any more sod. This year, I will not start more seeds than I need. This year, I will not buy plants that I don’t have a place to put them in. This year, I will finally put in drip irrigation …

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I was listening to North Country Public Radio, and they were having a call in for low temps in the area, and someone from Saranac lake called in with -33.2. I don’t think we went below -20 in Sackets, but I don’t have a fancy thermometer that keeps temperature history.

When I had completed my seed list, I realized I had listings from Johnny’s, Stokes, Select Seeds, Pine Tree Seeds, Fedco Seeds, Territorial, Seeds of Change, Richter’s, Nichol’s Garden Nursery, and Cook’s, and Tomato Growers Supply. Eleven different Companies, and eleven different shipping charges. I realized that, even if I had all the time and money in the world, that it was shameful not to set some limits. So I set about cutting some stuff that was repetitive or just not necessary. I got it down to just Fedco, Pinetree, and Richters. Anything I couldn’t get from those three places, I wrote in my handy dandy notebook all the information so I could get it next year!! Delayed gratification - what a concept.

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I only order from Jungs as a last resort. But have you checked out Fedco Seeds? They have your Hydrangea, and incredible seeds cheap. They only download catalogs, so until we got cable, I couldn’t really look. Amazing!!!!

Popularity: 4% [?]

Pathetically, I have finished my order list. I found a bunch of stuff in Territorial that I liked, and I am not too concerned about climate difference. Even though I am 2 hours North of Kathleen, I am a block from Lake Ontario, and fancy myself a barely Zone 5.

Johnny’s is more expensive these days, but I appreciate their selection of cold hardy things, and most of all, their extensive growing information, both the website and the catalog. I try to order from them just to reward their efforts.

I think that was part of my problem with Park’s - they had generic cool weather annual instructions on the packet. Nichol’s Garden Nursery was even worse - the instructions were …

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My brain has been taken over by gardening catalogs. I am ashamed to say how much time I have spent looking and figuring. I usually scorn cook’s garden because of the Park’s connection, but I want the Borlotto Pole Beans and the Erbetta.

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