This past weekend as the temperature rose and the snow began to melt, we were completely engulfed in the densest fog I’ve ever seen. I’m sure the temperature will drop again, but for now it feels a bit like spring and I’ve been doing lots of planning. I’m still not sure how it will all fit, but I’ve managed to narrow down my wishlist a bit and my seed orders are all in.
I have a new found love of cauliflower, so I’m going to try growing it for the first time this year. Cauliflower has a bit of a bad reputation in the garden, so I went with Snow Crown, which is “a cinch to grow” according to Fedco.
Another new addition to the garden this year will be popping corn. When I saw all these beautiful varieties I just couldn’t resist buying a couple.
Last year I grew some drying beans, Vermont Cranberry and Lina Sisco’s Bird Egg. I only ended up with about 2 cups of dried beans, but I made chili with them last week and they were so good! So this year I’m planning to grow a lot more of them. I’m going to add Cherokee Trail, and I’ve decided to try growing garbanzos and favas too.
This is really just the tip of the iceberg. I couldn’t resist a few new varieties of lettuce and tomatoes and chile peppers and kale, even though I probably have more than enough seed leftover from last year. Have you ordered seeds yet?
forgottenpickles.com 
ohhhh – garbanzos – good idea…I’ve been considering growing some drying beans too…thanks!
I highly recommend growing some drying beans. They are so much better than the dry beans you get at the store!
We’ve just received our seeds from Fedco — though we placed our order placed end of December, three of the things we wanted were already sold out… Now I know why my farmer friends get their orders in as early as November! The positive part is that we still have time to find other sources, though we would have preferred them from Fedco. The note that came enclosed with the seeds had a terrific explanation of the potential drawbacks and benefits of ordering early, and was worth the order alone!
A few things I wanted were sold out too, so I had pick substitutes. I love ordering from Fedco. They are the best!
Wow! Garbanzos and popping corn – can’t wait to hear about the results. We’re going to try fennel for the first time, but nothing as exotic as you. I’m sure you’ll keep us posted.
I like fennel but I hadn’t thought of growing it. Maybe next year.
I will keep you posted on the garbanzos and popcorn for sure!
Yep, my seed orders are in. I too am interested in your garbanzo beans venture.
I will be sure to post an update on the garbanzos later in the year. I hope they do well!
Thanks for the idea of growing garbanzo beans. I had a lot of success with dried beans last year, especially Black Turtle. This year, I also ordered Canada Wild Goose [http://www.heritageharvestseed.com/beansce.html] more for the name than anything else!
I’ve bought seeds based solely on the name a few times!
My seedlist looks just like yours – with purple ink. Sometimes I think that gardeners are the only reason graph-paper notebooks still exist :)
I think you’re probably right! : )
I love a good garden wish list. I guess it’s that time of year already!
We had the same fog here in New Hampshire but now there is more snow and it will be zero tonight. I’d love to know what tomatoes you are growing this year. I’m thinking of adding a couple of new varieties for our garden in Maine.
Hi Karen, same here– more snow and cold!
I’m not 100% sure what tomatoes I’ll end up growing this year because i have more varieties of seed than I have room for, but some of my favorites from last year were Blue Beech (a really good paste tomato, not at all blue,) Black Krim, Prudens Purple, and Ulster Germaid (which I think has been renamed “Stone Ridge”), all from Hudson Valley Seed Library. Also German Lunchbox, from Baker Creek.
Some new ones I’m going to try this year are Aunt Ruby’s German Green (Fedco), Italian Heirloom (Seed Savers Exchange), and Isis Candy Shop (Hudson Valley Seed Library).
I’ll definitely be over for a visit to see all your lovely produce this year…I’m hoping others’ enthusiasm might rub off on me one day :) Great name for a blog, love it!
Our favourite seed catalogue just arrived, so my enthusiasm is right up there with yours! Your selections sound awesome. We tried growing garbanzo beans this year with no success; now that our field is almost fully deer-proofed, we will plan to try again. Sniff.
I hope you have better luck with them this year! We’ll have to compare notes later in the season.
Oh Kate I wish I had a garden to grow these wonderful varieties in!
I live in an apartment and I grow herbs in pots on the window and have two pots for “experimentation”..tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries..The kids and I pick one new thing to plant every season and have fun watching it grow
When I lived in an apartment and didn’t have a garden, I always grew a few herbs on the windowsill. It’s wonderful to grow a little of your own food, even if it’s just a few small pots of herbs!
Thanks for following my blog, Kate! I look forward to checking yours out as well, as we definitely share a passion for gardening! What a beautiful wintery scene it must be out there!
Thanks, Teri! The beautiful wintery scene has given way to cold bleakness unfortunately. All the more reason to look forward to spring!
Looks like we’re on the same wavelength. I’m just now getting my seed order together and it will have all sorts of interesting things on it. I’m going with heirlooms this year I think for the most part. We’ll see how they do. Good luck with your garden this year! And thanks for following my blog. All the best,
Steve