One of the lovely things about gardening is that no matter how long (or short) you've been doing it, there's always so much more to learn and discover. Lately, I have been discovering "cottage gardening"--that serendipitous combination of flowers and vegetables and herbs, with the flowers being largely traditional and very fragrant. Last year was [...]
Talitha Purdy
When do I start tomatoes from seed in upstate NY?
February 21, 2009 – Posted in: Mailbag, Seeds and Seed Starting, VegetablesA reader contacted Cold Climate Gardening recently to ask: I live in area between Syracuse and Ithaca... near Cortland. I have tomato seeds--many different varieties. When should I start the seedlings to grow in peat pots inside the house? Is it too early? While I am at it...what else should I be starting? Thanks a [...]
Johnny Loves Me!
December 1, 2006 – Posted in: Seeds and Seed Starting, Vegetables, WishlistI mean, Johnny's loves me. I happened to be looking at tomatoes online tonight (which is early for me!), and lo, I discovered Valley Girl! Despite anything anyone says to the contrary, I am going to believe this tomato was developed just for me. (I am a girl, and I am living in a Valley.) [...]
Testing Seed Germination. . . what do you learn?
March 22, 2006 – Posted in: Seeds and Seed Starting, VegetablesNot much. As is my habit every spring, I test my seeds to see whether they're still any good, or if I need to buy new ones. This is a very easy thing to do--you stick half a damp paper towel in a little plastic bag, drop in ten seeds (5 if you're starting to [...]
A Tale of Two Cities. . .I mean, Catalogs
January 11, 2006 – Posted in: Catalog reviewSo we got this new (meaning, we've never gotten this one before, the company's actually 9 years old) seed catalog in the mail the other day, and I've been elected to post about it. They're called Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, and you can find them on the internet here. They're all about rare, organic, old, [...]
Potatoes
January 11, 2006 – Posted in: Catalog review, VegetablesAs I'm beginning to get started on my seed order this year, I remember that I meant to post on potatoes. Last year, due to the fascinating varieties offered by Fedco, I ordered my potatoes from them instead of Johnny's. Most of you probably know that Fedco is divided into several distinct branches; the seeds [...]
A “Quick” Recap
September 23, 2005 – Posted in: Plant info, Vegetables, Weather, What's up/bloomingThat is, if I am even capable of writing something short. Brevity just isn't my thing. The first frost is probably on its way tonight, as evidenced by the heaps and heaps of flowers I cut and brought in. Oh, and the still, clear night air, and the rapidly approaching chill. This is slightly late [...]
You never know who’s listening. . .
June 25, 2005 – Posted in: Catalog review, Miscellaneous, Seeds and Seed StartingPeople who have been reading a while might remember this post of mine from a while back. Well, today we have a very similar story. Once again, it begins with me coming back from shopping--which is odd, because I actually very rarely go out shopping, only about once a month when I go out to [...]
Weather Whining II
June 20, 2005 – Posted in: Vegetables, Weather, What's up/bloomingOur nasty, hot sticky weather--high 90s for days and days on end, coupled with so much humidity the hill across the street was covered in a white haze--has finally broken. Quite dramatically. Now we've been getting days where the warmest it gets is into the low 60s. There was no transition at all; it is [...]
Notes
May 25, 2005 – Posted in: Plant info, VegetablesMy 'America' spinach has withstood my torments much better than the 'Olympia' spinach. I had trouble with the 'Olympia' dampening off, to begin with. (I did start them inside; more on that later.) The 'America' looks settled in, but the 'Olympia' looks like it's hanging by a thread. I actually wanted 'Tyee', but Fedco was [...]
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