The new seed catalogues have arrived!

[sheepfarmer]

Some OTT members have quite phenomenal gardens!

http://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30874

I'd be interested in hearing about particular varieties and seed or plant sources that are wildly successful (or not!!!). I used to be happy with Burpee and whatever the local nursery had, and then I went to a nursery in Kalamazoo that specialized in vegetable starts, and discovered another world of tomato varieties. Unfortunately they folded, but a lot can be ordered online.

For example, my favorite green bean is Fortex, corn is hit or miss at my house, but a hybrid SH2SS2742 from Johnny's Seeds was a winner last summer, the pelleted carrot seed Bolero was a big success. In general the pelleted carrot and parsnip seed are worth the extra cost for my small garden. Long Keeper tomatoes are great, I am still eating fresh tomatoes stored in my basement.

On the other hand, my Yukon Gold potatoes had a lot of rotten ones, whereas other varieties in the same row (Pinto and Satina) didn't.

Don't seem to be able to grow peas or spinach for love nor money. Ongoing battle with flea beetles for the eggplants. Row covers and marigolds don't do it. Suggestions?

Favorite mail source for seeds and plants Territorial seed and Johnnys.

 

[armylifer]

My wife and I have been using seeds from http://www.anniesheirloomseeds.com/ for a few years now, with a great deal of success. I am not much of a vegetable eater but my wife is. The only veggies that I eat are corn, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, and spinach. My wife grows a lot more than those though. Our corn is an heirloom seed that we bought once several years ago and we keep making our own seed from each year crop. The variety of corn we grow is Stowell's Evergreen Sweet corn. http://www.anniesheirloomseeds.com/stowells-evergreen-sweet-corn/ That corn seems to get sweeter every year. I think that each new crop is getting adjusting to our soil type.

I know that my wife also grows some other heirloom seeds but I am not sure which ones. My job is to plow and till the soil and my wife does the rest. She said that I am not a good farmer but I am a good laborer. It works for us. Anyway, Annie's Heirloom Seeds is the only place that we get seeds from and we have never had a bad crop of anything since using them.

 

[skeets]

sheepfarmer,, the catalogs will be starting anyday now, I do have to agree with armylifter,, If you try any of the heirloom tomatoes. The flavor is much stronger and much tastier. Draw backs are some are a bit more susceptible to common problems like bugs and mold, and they do not last as long as the new verities. Try a Roma, I forget the name but its heirloom and a Rutgers and the V8. There are so many more of the old breeds, some pretty good others not so much. You have purple and yellow and red and mixed colors, really big and really small, like the yellow sundrops a cherry type tomato, which are rather sweet.

 

[twomany]

Catalogs?

Our seed order arrived three days ago....
I'm putting up grow lights tomorrow. '=)

 

[sheepfarmer]

Catalogs?

Our seed order arrived three days ago....
I'm putting up grow lights tomorrow. '=)

Wow! Pictures? I put up some afew years ago but never got the timing right, and they'd end up spindly or potbound before the weather would let me get them in the ground. I have been wanting to get some racks that hold the lights closer. Those heated germination mats really help.