Planning my garden - part 2

Now I am getting nervous about my garden. I was going to plant my seeds much earlier than now, but now I am thinking about planting them outside instead of inside.

I am a beginner, so I won’t be sure how things will turn out until I try them, and that is what makes me nervous. What if my garden gets a lot of weeds like last year? Will I be able to mulch the garden better this year, and spend more time on it? I hope so. PLUS I hope I won’t forget to water the garden again and lose some plants again.

I hope I have learned something from last year’s mistakes.

On the good side, this year I have the use of an older two-cycle tiller. It uses a gasoline and oil mixture. I think I’ll look it up online and see if I can figure it out. If not, I will call a WKU student who can help me start it up and show me how. I tried it years ago, and could not make it work.

But I am optimistic. I will go through my seeds today also.

Tomorrow: I list my seed catalogs and make last-minute purchases.

Planning My Garden - Part 1

Some helpful related garden postings from last year:
The Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Catalog
Heritage and Heirloom Seeds and Organic Sites Around the Country and Kentucky
Thinking about the Garden Again
Motivation and Energy for the Garden Spot

The Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Catalog

My heirloom seed catalog came today from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.
They are located 45 miles east of Springfield, Missouri in the Ozarks region.

I can’t wait to read this catalog cover to cover. I have included some photos here so you can get an idea of the many different things they have to offer.

This is going to be an exciting year for me in The Garden Spot here in Kentucky. I think it’s great that these kinds of seeds can be gathered and used year after year. Think of how much money people can save that way.

Here are some photos from the catalog so you can see part of what's in it.









THE GARDENING FORUM
I will be going to the gardening forum at www.idigmygarden.com to check it out. They have free listings for people who sell produce or have a farm or service, too.

MANY VARIETIES OF VEGETABLES AND FLOWERS!
I am excited. I do have some seeds I’m planting this week inside... but I really am looking forward to trying some of the other unusual plants that are in this catalog.

You can order a catalog here:
http://www.rareseeds.com

Heritage and Heirloom Seeds and Organic Sites around the country and Kentucky

Well. I’m getting ready to order seeds for my garden, The Garden Spot. I want heritage seeds this year, so I can cut back on the cost of buying seeds PLUS try out some really good kinds of vegetables and flowers. Last year I bought some a flat of plants from the local Farmer’s Market, and one was a heritage striped tomato. It tasted so flavorful! Plus, it was pretty.

I researched websites today and found a lot of interesting plants that I like and want to explore more. If anyone else is looking for organic food and/or seeds, these links may be helpful. NOW I want to eventually do a page on each one, and pick the ones I like best.

I just have scratched the surface here. I want to do more research later on.

LOCAL – KENTUCKY
Kentucky only
Farmers Market Directory
http://www.kyagr.com/marketing/farmmarket/directory.htm

Agriculture links
http://www.kyagr.com/forms/aglinks.htm

FOR EVERYONE –
ORGANIC AND HEIRLOOM SEEDS

Grandma’s Gardens –
has a catalog you can order –
also carries endangered species seeds
http://underwoodgardens.com/index1.php

Redwood City Seed Company
California
http://www.ecoseeds.com

The International Seed Saving Institute
http://www.seedsave.org/

Seeds Trust for high altitude gardens
http://www.seedstrust.com/

Flowers from nursery sources
by the Brooklyn Botanical Garden
http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/plants/handbooks/flowers/9.html

Redwood City Seed (California)
specializes in pepper varieties
http://www.lovepeppers.com/catalog.welcome.html

Baker Creek Heirloom seeds
http://www.rareseeds.com/

Heirloom tomato seeds – with letter codes indicating resistance
to different diseases – includes Seed Swap 101, how to swap seeds.
http://www.vegetableseedwarehouse.com/heirtom/html

Fantastic Findings lists of seeds
http://www.fantasticfindings.com/results.aspx?cat=seeds

Heirloom Acres
http://www.heirloomacresseeds.com/
Takes PayPal! (Which I like because I already have it...)

Whatcom rare seeds
http://seedrack.com/

Sources for organic and heirloom seeds by mail:
http://www.heirloomseeds.com/organic.html

Heirloom flower bulbs
http://www.oldhousegardens.com/

Heirloom seeds on Ebay
http://stores.ebay.com/Blue-Ribbon-Tomatoes_seeds_W0QQfsubZ2QQstorecachemissZblueribbontomatoesQ5fseedsQQtZkm

The Heirloom Sampler site –
shows pictures of heirloom varieties
and explains about each
The Heirloom Vegetable Gardener's Assistant
http://www.halcyon.com/tmend/sampler.htm

Amishland Heirloom Seeds
http://www.amishlandseeds.com/index.htm

Thomas Jefferson’s seeds
from Monticello
http://monticellostore.stores.yahoo.net/plants---seeds-seeds.html

Bill Best’s article from Appalachian Heritage magazine
http://www.heirlooms.org/beans.html
features descriptions of heritage beans from Kentucky
You pick out the kinds you want and then send them a check.
http://www.heirlooms.org/catalog.html

Local Harvest Seeds
http://www.localharvest.org/store/seeds.jsp
also: herbs, honey products, soaps, more

Rutgers University tomatoes
include the newly brought back Ramapo tomato:
http://www.njfarmfresh.rutgers.edu/JerseyTomato.html

Grow Shitake mushrooms
http://www.mushroompeople.com/

REGIONAL SEED EXCHANGES

Saving, storing, and growing seeds
http://www.freetechsupport.com/csr/seeds.htm

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
http://www.southernexposure.com/index.html

Seed exchange for each state
http://www.blossomswap.com/exchanges

FARMERS PRODUCE SHARE CO-OPS
AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE SITES

Local Harvest – buy foods grown close to your location
http://www.localharvest.org/

The Farm Eco-Village Training Center
offers classes and apprenticeships
2008 Calendar
http://www.thefarm.org/general/calendar.html

INTERNSHIPS

Sustainable farming internships
http://www.attrainternships.ncat.org/

ORGANIC FOOD STORES
Goodness Greeness
http://www.goodnessgreeness.com/

INTERNATIONAL GROUPS

Equal Exchange
Massachusetts
A Fair Trade site – coffee a specialty
http://www.equalexchange.com

Global Exchange
includes Fair Trade, too
http://www.globalexchange.org/