Monday, January 16, 2012

2012 Seed List & Garden Changes

I am a 'variety is the spice the life' kind of gal, so that being said there are some new things coming our way this year in the garden.  Mainly we will be adding 10 more lowbush blueberries since they are just divine, and 3 more smaller highbush varieties that won't get much past three or four feet tall to our yard.  The berry bushes will be planted along the outside border of the garden now that the dogs are no longer roaming that area.

The strawberry line-up will be updated as well with an everbearing variety (Seascape) being grown.   I am curious to compare flavor to that of my favorite Honeoyes.

Seed List:  (sourced from Renee's Garden unless otherwise noted)


GREENS
Greens mixes, too many to list; 
some are cut-n-come, some for braising or stir-fying; some sweet, and some spicy!
Caesar Duo
Portuguese Kale
Lacinato Kale
Russian Kale (Johnny's)
Bright Lights Chard (Johnny's)
Baby Pixie Cabbage
Arugula
Claytonia (Fedco)

NIGHTSHADES
Pontaic Red Potato,
LaRatte Fingerling Potato,
& Purple Viking Potato (ME Potato Lady)
Baby Belle Peppers
Pizza My Heart Pepper
Corno di Toro Pepper
Spanish Padron Pepper
Tam Jalapeno Pepper (Baker Creek)
Carmen Pepper (Johnny's)
Fairytale Eggplant (Johnny's)
Little Prince Eggplant
Chianti Rose Tomato
Amish Paste Tomato (SSE)
Sungold Cherry (Johnny's)
Black Krim Tomato (Mariania's)
Ella's Pink Plum Tomato (Diane's)

OTHERS:
Green Fingers Baby Persian Cukes
Spanish Musica Beans
Dragon's Tongue Beans (Baker Creek)
Magda Summer Squash (Johnny's)
Trieste Bulbing Fennel
Herbs-a-plenty

That about covers it.  I have been immersing myself in garden planning to distract my weary heart from the new diagnosis of our precious kitty-cat Bob.  He is not well, and it looks as though he has FIP, which is a fatal disease for which there is no treatment.  He is fading on us a little bit each day and it is so hard to watch.  He and my kids had such a special bond from the beginning, I just hate that this is happening.  It was not that long ago we watched our dog Travis fall ill, I am not ready to again make the decision of when to take another animals life and stop their suffering.  So in the midst of my grief I obsess over seeds and bed composition, and do lots of yoga.  Lots.  (I even was out changing the configuration of a bed the other day,  laying down burlap where the blueberries will go, shifting cobblestones to their new place in twenty degree weather).  Physical work clears the mind I guess.

I will leave you with a picture that sums up how much we will miss this creature that has been with us for such a short time, sweet Bob laying on Ella's legs while they watch a show on the iPad.  This was taken last week, before we knew he was so ill.


Happy Gardening.




6 comments:

Sue said...

Oh, poor Bob. And poor you guys. They become such an important part of our lives. I'm so sorry.

Annie*s Granny said...

Kelly, my heart just breaks for you. It's so difficult to watch a loved pet deteriorate to the point of having to take that final step. I just went in and gave Otto and Annie some big hugs. It's hard to believe they've already lived about 1/3-1/4 of their lives at only 4 years old. I wish our beloved animals could live as long as their humans!

Erin said...

Sorry to hear about your kitty, it never gets easier making these decisions, but for us pet lovers we will always need to do so. Nice looking garden list for this year!

Unknown said...

I am sorry to Bob is so sick. Our pets leave paw prints on our hearts.

meemsnyc said...

Oooh blueberries! Sounds awesome! I grew Fairytale Eggplant last year and loved it! They are small but amazing!

Kelly said...

Agreed meemsnyc, they are a fun little eggplant.

Thanks for all the kind words on Bob-Cat. We just tested for toxoplasmosis after his abdominal ultrasound didn't show anything other than a couple swollen lymph nodes. He is negative for everything that is testable, with FIP still being a possibility as there is no true test for that one, though his CBC and chem work-up is not pointing to it either.