Gardening: 2015-2016

[Martin Fisher]

13 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Last year I grew Burpee's grafted Rutgers plants.  Unfortunately Burpee's new search feature is even more useless than eGullet's.  Anyhow I got good yield of Rutgers and all the tomatoes I could eat.  The flavor was OK but not great.  By far my favorite New Jersey tomato is Ramapo.  However Ramapo plants or seeds are impossible to find.  At least for me.  In the two years I've grown Ramapo, once in the 1970's and once in the 1990's, I've had almost none to harvest but they were the stuff of which memories were made.

 

This year unless Ramapo somehow reappears I am going back to Mountain Magic, which are easy to grow and the flavor is fantastic.  Mountain Magic are similar in taste to Campari.

 

Wish I had some now.  I feel like a traitor to my state.

 

Rohrer's sells Ramapo seeds.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

3 hours ago, DiggingDogFarm said:

 

Rohrer's sells Ramapo seeds.

 

Now I must decide if I really, really want to start a tomato plant from seed.

[blue_dolphin]

I am so not a gardener (just the sorts of herbs that grow well in the ground with neglect) but this year, I resolve to go to Tomatomania and pick up some plants to try in a few spots.  

[heidih]

blue_dolphin - not sure where you are in So Cal but Laurel's Heirloom Tomatoes is a great source. During the season you can shop at her location on posted weekend days. The Berkeley tie-dye I got from her was the most gorgeous delicious tomato ever (see image).  http://www.heirloomtomatoplants.com/

 

Tomatomania is a good source and the sales personnel on site are helpful.  We have had them at the South Coast Botanic Garden Spring Plant Sale for a couple years. I think they are coming this year (April 2) but it is not on their site yet. 

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

I appreciate that recommendation, @heidih.  I am in Ventura county, so a couple of the Tomatomania events (Ojai, Fillmore or even Encino) are fairly close by. But Laurel's could be a good option if I miss those dates.  I do want to get some good advice on choosing plants to grow.

I used to live steps from the beach and the tomatoes I tried to grow in containers struggled and rarely recovered from the heavy June gloom weeks (months, sometimes!) in that area.  I'm now about 20 miles inland and should shake off that defeat and give it another try!

[ElainaA]

My winter garden - micro greens. They should be ready to use next week. This batch is not doing so well I have the choice of either putting them by a sunny window where i am unable to protect them from our new kitten walking on them and pulling them up to eat or putting them in a protected space where they get less sun. I have opted for the latter.

 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

12 hours ago, ElainaA said:

My winter garden - micro greens. They should be ready to use next week. This batch is not doing so well I have the choice of either putting them by a sunny window where i am unable to protect them from our new kitten walking on them and pulling them up to eat or putting them in a protected space where they get less sun. I have opted for the latter.

 

 

 

Radish sprouts?

 

The sacrifices we make for our beloved pets. 

 

If they are indeed radish sprouts, they can be grown in a specially designed screened jar for sprouting (inexpensive) or a Mason jar with some cheesecloth and a rubber band. This could be placed on your very beautiful sunny windowsill, and kitten might be able to knock it off the ledge, but it probably wouldn't hurt the sprouts, especially if you put a throw rug under it on the floor. It would be like wind stress, which is strengthening to plants. I guess it would depend on how persistent the kitten is, and I know they can be crazy energetic.

 

I used to call plants like that lanky, pale and sun-starved until huiray turned me on to a word every gardener should know: etioliated. 

[ElainaA]

4 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

 

Radish sprouts?

 

The sacrifices we make for our beloved pets. 

 

If they are indeed radish sprouts, they can be grown in a specially designed screened jar for sprouting (inexpensive) or a Mason jar with some cheesecloth and a rubber band. This could be placed on your very beautiful sunny windowsill, and kitten might be able to knock it off the ledge, but it probably wouldn't hurt the sprouts, especially if you put a throw rug under it on the floor. It would be like wind stress, which is strengthening to plants. I guess it would depend on how persistent the kitten is, and I know they can be crazy energetic.

 

I used to call plants like that lanky, pale and sun-starved until huiray turned me on to a word every gardener should know: etioliated. 

Micro greens, not sprouts. I let them grow until they have 2 sets of real (not seed) leaves then snip them off to go on top of salads or in omelettes or garnish just about anything. This seed is a mix of beets, chard, radish, cress, cabbage, mustard and kohlrabi. The one I usually use (PineTree Gardens Kitchen Sink mix - a very apropos name if I ever heard one) also includes peas and mizuna but I somehow forgot it when I ordered my seeds this years. This one is from the local Agway. They are always rather tall and skinny (etiolated! a lovely word!) since they are planted so thickly but not this bad.Since they only grow for about 2 weeks you can get away with very close planting. Last night my husband constructed a surround of hardware cloth (I'd like to know the derivation of THAT term since it isn't anything like cloth) so now the container is back in the sun and hopefully kitten-proof.

Incidentally, I have found that a planted container, preferably with the seeds just up, makes a great hostess gift. It works especially well for hosts that are both into food and gardening and are getting garden deprived by winter.

 

[Anna N]

@ElainaA

 

I read the gardening topic because I'm interested in what our members are up to but I am rarely tempted by anything I find here. The gardening gene which is rampant in my family tree managed to miss me!  But these micro greens grown indoors in a pot are calling my name. I must try to track them down.  Something green and growing however small would help to take a little dreariness out of the winter.   Thank you for sharing this.  

 

 

 Took a while for the seeds to arrive but I can tell you that tonight I planted my first micro green seeds.  I realized that no matter how little I wanted to invest in anything other than the seeds and a container my house is so dark that even in midsummer I must have lights on! 

 Seeds just would not grow without a source of artificial light.  

Edited February 26, 2016 by Anna N
To update. (log)

[ElainaA]

2 hours ago, Anna N said:

@ElainaA

 

I read the gardening topic because I'm interested in what our members are up to but I am rarely tempted by anything I find here. The gardening gene which is rampant in my family tree managed to miss me!  But these micro greens grown indoors in a pot are calling my name. I must try to track them down.  Something green and growing however small would help to take a little dreariness out of the winter.   Thank you for sharing this.  

It's really simple - all you need are some seeds, a container ( I got a plastic one in the garden center of Walmart, intended I think, to go under a pot - all of $1.50, punched some holes in the bottom and put another shallow container under it to catch drainage) and some potting mix or seed starter. The do help relieve winter doldrums - and they taste good too. 

Edited to add: Enjoy!

Edited February 12, 2016 by ElainaA (log)

[Anna N]

10 minutes ago, ElainaA said:

It's really simple - all you need are some seeds, a container ( I got a plastic one in the garden center of Walmart, intended I think, to go under a pot - all of $1.50, punched some holes in the bottom and put another shallow container under it to catch drainage) and some potting mix or seed starter. The do help relieve winter doldrums - and they taste good too. 

Edited to add: Enjoy!

Have already started the search for them and have even asked for help tracking them down. Thanks for the additional information.  I think I was most attracted to them by what appeared to be the simplicity of equipment.   Tried the aero garden at one time but was quite unsuccessful. Like the idea that if I fail again the costs will be minimal.  

[FauxPas]

I order my sprouting seeds from either Mumm's (in Canada) or Sprout People (in the US). They have a range of seeds for sprouting and growing and some really good information. 

[ElainaA]

54 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Have already started the search for them and have even asked for help tracking them down. Thanks for the additional information.  I think I was most attracted to them by what appeared to be the simplicity of equipment.   Tried the aero garden at one time but was quite unsuccessful. Like the idea that if I fail again the costs will be minimal.  

I usually get my micro green seeds from Pine Tree Gardens  in Maine (www.superseeds.com). They have several different mixes - I like the 'kitchen sink' mix. Pine Tree caters tot he home gardener - relatively small packets, inexpensive seed, nice selection.  Johnny's Selected Seeds - also in Maine - carries them too , but the smallest amount you can buy is 1/4 pound. (Or you could get 25 lbs if you REALLT like them.  ) Are there any issues shipping seeds from the US to Canada? 

[Anna N]

Not being a gardener --- Is there something special about the seeds for micro greens that differs from the seeds for the vegetables themselves?  Or are micro greens just harvested before they are mature?

[Martin Fisher]

46 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Is there something special about the seeds for micro greens that differs from the seeds for the vegetables themselves?

 

Special in that the seed should be untreated and some cultivars produce better microgreens than others.

 

Another good microgreen seed source:

http://www.highmowingseeds.com/organic-non-gmo-micro-greens.html

"All standard orders to Canada now ship FREE via the postal service."

 

 

[ElainaA]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

Not being a gardener --- Is there something special about the seeds for micro greens that differs from the seeds for the vegetables themselves?  Or are micro greens just harvested before they are mature?

Besides the points that Martin makes, with which I agree, it is nice to have a mix of varieties. It is a lot cheaper to buy one packet of micro-green mix than to but one packet each of beets, radish, mizuna, arugula, etc. I actually have all the types of seeds i would need to make a mix in the seeds i have purchased for my spring planting. But I find it easier to spend a couple of extra dollars on a packet of mixed seeds.  Mostly laziness but also once the packets are opened they always seem to leak. 

 

@DiggingDogFarm - Thanks for that link - I am not familiar with High Mowing Seeds. I've bookmarked the site for exploration.

Edited February 12, 2016 by ElainaA (log)

[Anna N]

@ElainaA and @DiggingDogFarm

 

Thanks very much to both of you. It would appear that I need to do a little reading!  

[Martin Fisher]

FWIW...

ChefSteps has a free microgreens course featuring 4 HD videos.

 

 

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, DiggingDogFarm said:

FWIW...

ChefSteps has a free microgreens course featuring 4 HD videos.

 

 

 

 Thanks for this. I think I am hooked. Seeds on order.  

[ElainaA]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

 

 Thanks for this. I think I am hooked. Seeds on order.  

Keep us posted. Enjoy.

[KennethT]

Has anyone ordered from Kitazawa?  They have a few things I'd want to grow, and have a good reputation from what I can dig up, but I was curious if anyone here had any experience.  I was going to order from Evergreen today, but they're closed for lunar new year and won't reopen until later this week....

[dcarch]

3 hours ago, KennethT said:

Has anyone ordered from Kitazawa?  They have a few things I'd want to grow, and have a good reputation from what I can dig up, but I was curious if anyone here had any experience.  I was going to order from Evergreen today, but they're closed for lunar new year and won't reopen until later this week....

 

I have. They have many interesting stuff. But do check other catalogs. Many things are cheaper from others.

 

dcarch

[KennethT]

Thanks @dcarch... I've seen other catalogs, but very few have a selection of the things I want... do you have any suggestions?

[dcarch]

45 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Thanks @dcarch... I've seen other catalogs, but very few have a selection of the things I want... do you have any suggestions?

 

Park seeds?

 

dcarch

[ElainaA]

1 hour ago, KennethT said:

Thanks @dcarch... I've seen other catalogs, but very few have a selection of the things I want... do you have any suggestions?

Johnny's Selected Seeds - I don't know what you are looking for but they have a very wide selection.