Welcome to 2021
New seeds and a new plan.
The possibilities are endless!!!
Seeds
Last year I came across another Ontario, organic seed grower - Seeds of Imbolc. I really like her ethos and wanted to try her seeds out. Then my sister and I joined a seed swap and received an incredible amount of really cool seeds from across North America. And she ordered some more from Hawthorn Farm Organic seeds, my go to seed source last year.
Would you like to know what seed I have so far?
Seed nerds, start your engines ;)
Asparagus
Mary Washington Asparagus (seed swap)
Beans
Dragon Tongue bush bean (Seeds of Imbolc)
Orca bush bean (my seeds)
Tongue of Fire bush bean (my seeds)
Old Homestead bean (seed swap)
Blue Coco pole bean (my seeds)
Sunset Runner bean (Seeds of Imbolc)
Sadie's Horse Runner bean (Seeds of Imbolc)
Burpee's Stringless beans (seed swap)
Broad beans (seed swap)
Thai Yardlong beans (seed swap)
Chinese Noodle bean (seed swap)
Cranberry Bean (seed swap)
Trionfo Violetto Pole bean (Seeds of Imbolc)
Jade Bush bean ( Seeds of Imbolc)
Beets
Golden Beets (seed swap)
Detroit Dark Red (seed swap)
Touchstone Gold beets (Hawthorn)
Detroit Dark Red (Hawthorn)
Broccoli
De Cicco (Hawthorn)
Waltham 29 (seed swap)
Brussels Sprouts
Brussels Sprouts (seed swap)
Cabbage
Copenhagen (Hawthorn)
Cauliflower
Cauliflower (seed swap)
Chard
Rainbow (Hawthorn)
Swiss Chard - green (seed swap)
Cucumber
Mexican Sour Gherkin (Hawthorn)
Salt and Pepper Picking (seed swap)
Wisconsin SMR-58 Pickling (seed swap)
Eggplant
Black Beauty (Hawthorn)
Greens
Mild Brassica Mix (Hawthorn)
Lettuce Mix (seed swap)
Kohlrabi - Early White (seed swap)
Perilla Leaf (seed Swap)
Triple Purple Orach (Seeds of Imbolc)
Red Giant Mustard Greens (Hawthorn)
Onion
Rossa di Milano (Hawthorn)
Early New York Onion (seed swap)
Onion (seed swap)
Okra
Giant Okra (seed swap)
Eagle Pass Okra (seed swap)
Peas
Cascadia (Hawthorn)
Sugar Snap (Hawthorn)
Blue Pod Capucijners (cap-ou-SIGH-nah) Pea (Seeds of Imbolc)
Golden Snow Pea (Seeds of Imbolc)
Peppers
Sweet Peppers - red, orange, yellow (seed swap)
Jalapenos (seed swap)
Brazilian Starfish (seed swap)
Black Hungarian (Hawthorn)
California Wonder (seed swap)
Lemon Drop Peppers (seed swap)
Red Manzano Chili Pepper (seed swap)
Amish Pimento Sweet pepper (Seeds of Imbolc)
Spanish Padron tapas pepper (Seeds of Imbolc)
Ancho Poblano (Seeds of Imbolc)
Radishes
Daikon (seeds swap)
Chinese Red Meat Radish (seeds swap)
Squash
Table Queen Acorn (seeds swap)
Tomatoes
Yellow Furry Tomato (seeds swap)
Large Red Cherry (seeds swap)
Anahu (seeds swap)
Chocolate Cherry (seeds swap)
Kryptonite Tomato (seeds swap)
Super Sweet (seeds swap)
Chocolate Pear cherry tom (Seeds of Imbolc)
Velvet Red cherry tom (Seeds of Imbolc)
Yagodka cherry tom (Seeds of Imbolc)
Indigo Rose cherry tom (Seeds of Imbolc)
Steakhouse cherry tom (Seeds of Imbolc)
Paul Robeson beefsteak (Seeds of Imbolc)
Pruden's Purple (Hawthorn)
Black Cherry (Hawthorn)
Galina's Yellow cherry tom (Hawthorn)
Gardener's Delight cherry tom (Hawthorn)
Herbs
Chives (seeds swap)
Common Dill (seeds swap)
Dill? (seeds swap)
Hardneck Garlic Bulbils (seeds swap)
Catnip (seeds swap)
And that doesn’t include the flowers
Alyssum
Carpet of Snow (seed swap)
Amaranth
Burgundy Amaranth (Seeds of Imbolc)
Elephant Head Amaranth (Seeds of Imbolc)
Hopi Red Dye Amaranth (seed swap)
Aster
Crego Mixed Colors (seed swap)
Boneset
Boneset (seed swap)
Clover
Crimson Clover (seed swap)
Cosmos
Bright Lights (x2) (seed swap)
Cosmos Flower (seed swap)
Single Sensation Mixed Colors (seed swap)
Dianthus
Barbatus Mix -Sweet William (Seeds of Imbolc)
Pinks - Lace Perfume (Seeds of Imbolc)
Echinacea
Purple Coneflower (seed swap)
Hibiscus
Rose of Sharon (seed swap)
Hollyhocks
Zebrina (seed swap)
Hollyhock (seed swap)
Pink (seed swap)
Hollyhock (seed swap)
Marigold
Red Orange Marigold (seed swap)
Orange Cracker Jack Marigold (seed swap)
Crackerjack Marigold (seed swap)
Marigold (seed swap)
Queen Sofia (Seeds of Imbolc)
Morning Glory
Morning Glory Flower (seed swap)
Mixed Colors (seed swap)
Milkweed
Milkweed (seed swap)
Tropical Milkweed Bloodflower (seed swap)
Silky Deep Red Blood Flower (seed swap)
Pea
Partridge Pea (seed swap)
Poppies
Papaver spp. (seed swap)
Giganthemum (Seeds of Imbolc)
Rose Campion (Seeds of Imbolc)
Rudbeckia
Rudbeckia (seed swap)
Sweet Annie (Seeds of Imbolc)
Strawflower
Mix Color Strawflower (seed swap)
Sunflower
Pro Gold Sunflower (seed swap)
Sunflower 2020 (seed swap)
Organic Black Oil Sunflower (seed swap)
Russian Mammoth (seed swap)
Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia) (seed swap)
Mammoth (x2) (seed swap)
Teddy Bear Sunflower (seed swap)
Hopi Black Dye Sunflower (seed swap)
Verbascum
Sixteen Candles (Seeds of Imbolc)
Wedding Candles (Seeds of Imbolc)
Verbena
Bonariensis (Seeds of Imbolc)
It’s going to be exciting!
Getting all of them planted is probably (definitely) crazy, but it will be fun to see who works best with whom. Companion planting really worked last year in some areas so hopefully we can build on that and improve the neighbourly benefits even more. Old favorites and new varieties will be coming together for an even more beautiful, and delicious, potager.
I'm also planning on making more gardens - basically wherever I can - because I know we’re going to run out of space in the main potager. I started framing some out last year, putting cardboard down overtop of the grass and then mulching the paths to get the mycorrhizae started. We have many mature trees surrounding our house that we love, but we have to plan according to the shade cast to make sure everyone gets enough sunlight.
The garden plan sits beside me…
Waiting, waiting!
So many options, so many combinations.
We’re going to have to rotate crops this year to make sure that we don’t deplete the soil too much.
And I have so much good planting information that I’ve found reading through the many corners of the internet.
I’m starting some seed much earlier, and others were the perfect time. And we have grow lights this year and seed heating mats which should greatly improve the chances for some of our plants that didn’t thrive last year.
Ready, set, sow!
