Spring Trees in bloom

Just a couple photos today of our trees - The Magnolia tree is a real show-stopper for the week that it blooms every year. Doesn't last long, but puts on a spectacular show.

The cherry trees have had it tough the past couple years, with late frosts and huge storms stripping most of the blossoms away, we've had almost no cherries. This looks to be a good year so far though, it is laden with blossoms.

And here they both are together ... what an incredible sight!

Cabbage, Cucumbers, and Squash, Oh My!

So, about a week and a half ago, more seeds were sown ... April 8 (approx 4 weeks before outdoor planting day) is the time for the Cucumbers, Squash (both summer/zucchini and winter), Potatoes, and Cabbage. Also, if you want to start your lettuce and spinach inside before transplanting outdoors, this is the week. I usually just direct-seed mine outside in a couple weeks, when I do carrots and transplant the onions outdoors. Also, I am not starting potatoes yet ... they go directly outdoors too but with this winter of ours that refuses to let go (they are calling for another storm that might even bring some snow in the next couple days), I am going to hold off a little on the potatoes until the weather stabilizes. This is also the week that I start my sunflowers indoors.

So, let’s see ... what was sown?

Cucumber “Japanese Long” – this is supposed to be a burpless variety that closely resembles the type of cucumbers you buy in a store, and they don’t get bitter easily. I’ve never grown it before, but we shall see. It is an heirloom and I really hope it is tasty, I’m looking for a new cucumber variety.

Cucumber “National Pickling” – I’ve grown this heirloom before, and makes a great pickle at the end of the summer.

Zuccini “Black Beauty” – Compact plant and these look the most like the small green zucchini you find in the grocery store although tastier. Heirloom as well, and really versatile for using in the kitchen. One of our favourites!

Summer Squash “Costata Romanesco” – new to me this year, this is an heirloom Roman Zuccini. It is ribbed so the edges are scalloped when sliced and is supposed to have great flavour.

Winter Squash – “Boston Marrow” – orange-red hubbard-shaped winter squash, it is supposed to be dry and fine-grained. I am new to this one as well, but really looking forward to it. Apparently it makes a fantastic pumpkin pie, and great flavour, which is why I chose to try it this year.

Cabbage “Red Express” – we started eating more cabbage last summer. It is very healthy, lasts a good long while, and can be used in a variety of ways (soup, cabbage rolls, coleslaw, etc). I decided to try two this year, but I’ve never grown any sort of cabbage before so ... we’ll see how it goes... Red express is specifically bred for Canada and northern States, is compact and the heads are split-resistant (sounds like that should be important). This is the red variety, and is supposed to grow and mature quite quickly.

Cabbage “Early Jersey Wakefield” – Another early producer, this heirloom is green and supposed to be sweet with great flavour.

Sunflowers – “Starburst Blaze”, “Taiyo”, “Velvet Queen”, “Vanilla Ice”, “Henry Wilde”, “Terra Cotta”

And then I also had to re-seed a couple tomatoes. I only planted several seeds of each and there were a few varieties where none germinated, or maybe one did but it was growing slowly and weakly, so I wanted to plant a couple more just in case.

Really starting to look forward to the summer, getting outside and getting planting! Next post will probably be potatoes. Also, I had to mail order the seed potatoes this year, and haven’t received them yet. Hopefully in the next couple days. Crossing my fingers for Spring to really arrive, for good...

Tomato Time

I am very behind in posting this, but tomatoes are planted and seeds are germinating ... they were planted 7 weeks before our estimated frost-free date of May 9^th, and on traditional tomato planting day. My great-grandmother started tomato seeds on March 15^th (so I’m told), my grandmother starts her tomato seeds on March 15^th (as do her friends), and in the years when my mother starts tomatoes, she does so on March 15^th. Who am I to go against tradition? So there it was, March 15^th, and it was Tomato Time. I received a phone call from my grandmother later that night just to make sure that I was on track!

This year, I am focusing mainly on the yellow – gold – orange family of tomatoes, including several paste tomatoes as well. Growing as many of these colours as I have space for, to try to narrow down which are our favourite varieties for the future.

The seeds are sown, the dice is cast, the varieties are as follows:

Jaune Flamee

Persimmon

Summer Cider

Coastal Pride Orange

Hawaiian Pineapple

Amana Orange

Kellog’s Breakfast

Azoychka

Calli Orange

Coyote

Woodle Orange

Earl of Edgecombe

Barnyard

Cherokee Gold

Brandywine Yellow

Livingston’s Golden Queen

Dr. Wyche

Aunt Gertie’s Gold

Moonglow

Orange Strawberry

Orange Minsk

Paste:

Pirkstine Orange

Cuore di Bue

Lurley’s Paste

 

Along with the tomatoes, it is also the time to sow the annual summer herbs like Basil, Dill, Cilantro, and Summer Savory. I chose Corsican Basil, Slo-Bolt Cilantro, Dill Dukat, and Summer Savory seeds that I received in a trade from someone. Looking forward to trying all the new varieties.

No photos yet, but once they are start sprouting and growing, I’ll post a couple. Hope everyone else got a good start on their tomato seeds by now!

There Will Be Onions

It is that time of year again - time to THINK SEEDS.

Here in our chilly northern Zone 5, it is time to start the earliest seeds of the year – Onions. Actually, they should have been started a week or two ago, but I was unprepared and running behind. Oops! Onions, Celery and perennial herbs like Parsley are the earliest seeds that are started each year, usually in late February. They need a long time to mature.

Today, on my “seed starting calendar”, it is actually time to start Peppers. I use a frost-free date of May 9 even though I only start “hardening them off” then or leaving them outside, because let’s face it, there is always a late and unplanned frost. I usually don’t plant into the garden until a couple weeks after that. Today is 8 weeks before my May 9^th frost-free date, so it is Pepper time. Since I am running behind, I did all of them together:

Onion “Australian Brown”

Onion “Candy”

Onion “Sturon”

Onion “Ailsa Craig”

Spring Bunching Onion “White Lisbon”

Celery “Tendercrisp”

Parsley “Giant of Italy”

Pepper “Purple Beauty”

Pepper “Giant Aconcagua”

Pepper “Mini Chocolate Bell”

Pepper “Jimmy Nardello”

Chili Pepper “Guajillo”

Chili Pepper “Anaheim”

Chili Pepper “Chimayo”

Most of these are new to me this year, different varieties I am trying out. I was unaware when I bought them that “Candy” Onion seeds are Monsanto-owned, so while I’ll be growing them this year (I don’t want to waste them), I doubt I’ll be growing them again ... my first year growing onions from seed, but we go through more onions in a year than any other vegetable so it is well worth the effort, I think. I’ve gone with a good variety of colours and storage ability, so there are some like “Ailsa Craig” which will be our fresh-eating onions as they don’t store well, and other like “Australian Brown” and “Sturon” which last almost until the next harvest (or so I hear). I planted every seed in each packet because unlike most other seeds, Onion seeds have a very short shelf-life and are apparently only good for 1 year.

I’m giving Celery another go as well. I tried once, with a seedling I bought from a nursery, and it was small and puny, as well as bitter. But my Italian grandmother used to grow parsley in an even more northern region of the country than I do now, and she used them for soup all the time. Since I’m making my own vegetable stocks now to freeze, I am trying Celery again to see if I can manage it this time!

Heirloom Parsley intrigues me. I’ve always grow Italian flat-leaf that I’ve bought from a nursery but I like the idea of growing my own (possibly not having to re-grow it every year, although I’m not sure if it can handle being perennial this far north). Also, I liked the description – ‘large leaves, great flavour, perfect for sauces’.

The Peppers are a real treat this year. I sowed seeds for “Giant Aconcagua” last year with seeds I got in a trade, but none germinated so I’m trying again this year, with commercial seeds. Trying “Mini Chocolate Bell” for the first time, sounds wonderful and I do want a pepper with a bell shape for making stuffed peppers etc. “Jimmy Nardello” is a variety I’ve been waiting to try for a long time. It is an old Italian heirloom that is apparently perfect for frying, and an old Italian custom to have onions and peppers frying together on the stove ... I might be even more excited about the Chili Peppers for this summer though. “Anaheim” is pretty standard, and not too hot, and I wanted one of those! “Chimayo” is good for salsas, and also a good choice to dry into a chili powder which I want to make this summer. “Guajillo” is still mild for a chili pepper, but the hottest I am growing this year. Perhaps for the pickled chilis? We’ll see how they taste!

I used a simple seed-starting bagged soil – organic – and specifically for starting seeds so there is no fertilizer in it yet. Onions are planted in longer, thin containers (I used Wendy’s salad containers, and other food delivery containers) because they are not planted very deep. Celery and Parsley in round pots, also planted very shallow (they are much smaller seeds). The Peppers I planted in my usual way, only filling the pots halfway with soil. Once the seedling emerge and begin to grow, I will fill the pot with soil covering the stem and thus promoting more root growth. I find this easier than transplanting several times ... this way I usually only have to transplant once. They are sitting out on the table (I have no heat mat) in large Tupperware containers (from Walmart) so they don’t leak all over my table. I love these containers – they fit 4 rows of square pots perfectly, are easy to carry around or move, are waterproof and easy to clean, have lids if necessary, stack when storing throughout the summer/fall/winter and the lights I have rest perfectly on the sides for when the seedling are still small. Without a heat mat, it will probably take 1-2 weeks to start seeing seedling pop out of the soil. I’ll be watching to make sure the soil doesn’t dry out too much, but also that it doesn’t start getting mouldy or anything from too much dampness. Once the seedlings emerge, I’ll start turning on the growth lights and we go from there.

No photos today ... they are only empty pots right now after all ... I’ll take some when the seedlings come out.

Next week: Tomato Time!! Expected planting date: March 15^th