I’ve been watching the rain the last week or so.. There’s been plenty of opportunity to do so, since the sun hasn’t been around for awhile. Usually, this time of year most people are still OK with the endless gray skies, drizzle and pour, but I am starting to get itchy for gardening again.

The last two or three years, the cold, wet springs have lasted into the middle of June. Cole crops that love cool weather flourished, but those Read the rest of this entry

Starting to get antsy with the weather starting to warm up. Here in the Northwest, spring comes early, but then the on again – off again  coat-wearing weather can last until June. This spring season is ideal for cooler weather crops; peas, lettuce, radishes, beets, broccoli, cauliflower,  and various onions; all can do well here. Later on, as the weather gets warmer, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, squash, peppers, melons and carrots come in season.

Vegetable Garden

This year is especially important to many back yard urban farmers. The economy is not straightening out and many people are feeling the pinch of uncertainty and more limited resources. Self-sufficiency is good. Being prepared is good. Getting better acquainted with the cycle of the seasons and growing things, well, that is really good. These days, gardening just makes good sense. Read the rest of this entry

Hybrid vs. Heirloom Garden Seeds

The most economical way to begin your garden is to plant from seeds. Growing vegetables and herbs has many more options and choices than growing your garden from nursery stock. Therefore, the question becomes which kinds of food plants do you wish to grow?

Hungry?

Other considerations are the amount of space you do have available for a garden – Is it in the sun or shade? What about availability of water? What kind of soil do you have?

Seed Varieties for the Family Garden

When you’re considering seed varieties, the most common and available garden seeds are hybrids. These are seeds that have been cross-pollinated with the idea of producing offspring with stronger characteristics than either of the parents. For example, there might be a mix of a strong, but low-yielding plant with a more fragile plant that produces a heavy crop of beans.

On the other hand, Heirloom seeds, were developed through open pollination. In most cases, seeds were taken from the most desirable plants, held back to be planted the following year. Over time, new varieties were developed by choosing the plants that best represented the Read the rest of this entry