My order...

[Wildsky]

Well I ordered a bunch of stuff so I can get a veggie garden growing this year. This is what I ordered (from Sand Hill)
Umpqua broccoli
Early Snowball Cauliflower
Fall and spring mix
Yellow spanish onion
Coreless Carrot
Green arrow peas
Sugar snap Peas
Slenderette Beans
Yukon Supreme Corn
Jalepenos
Baby Butternut
Wilber field Pumpkins (for Jack-o-lanterns for the kids)
Julia Tomato
Red Cloud Tomato
and then some top set Garlic.
(I bought some flowers and a gourd as well for fun)

I'm sure I will have tons of questions, but I'd like to know what everyone thinks of my selections... good/bad/ugly?

I believe (haven't lived here a year) the last frost is around May. Can I start some seeds in March on a patio? (Enclosed but not heated)

Also, as we're only a family of 4, can I start seeds at different times, for example, start 10 corn plants, and then in a few weeks do another 10.. (or less) but that is how I thought I would do it, so I don't have ALL of one type ready at the same time.

 

[Rio_Lindo_AZ]

Seems like a good choice of seeds.


you can start all of them on your patio exept for the:

onions
pumkins
garlic
Carrots



Have fun growing them!!!!! :rose

 

[Wildsky]

Do those need to go directly into the ground?
:watering

 

[Rio_Lindo_AZ]

Yes, Especially the garlic and onions

 

[Wildsky]

thank you - so for those I'll wait till its warmed up and not freezing out there.....


:coolsun

 

[Rio_Lindo_AZ]

You can start planting some inside :dance

 

[digitS']

Wildsky, I believe you have made some good choices. But, no greens??

I have heard good things about Umpqua broccoli and you'll probably find it easier to grow than the cauliflower. At least, that has been my experience and I gave up on cauliflower years ago.

Fall and spring mix - what?

If your carrot is Nantes Coreless that's something of a standard and I grew it for years and still prefer a Nantes carrot.

Green Arrow and Sugar Snap peas are in my garden every year. Along with Oregon Sugar Pod, they are my shell pea (GA), snap pea (SS), and snow pea (OSP). I just need to say that I have grown the Super Sugar Snap the last few years - seems to be a little bit of an improvement.

I've grown Slenderette beans before but can't really remember it.

Jalapeo - which variety? Jalapeo M has been a regular but Early Jalapeo has also done well. Once grew Mucho Nacho but it was so large, it seemed a little Mucho for me. I bought Jalapa seed last year and then forgot to plant 'em. :/ Gotta say that I was pretty happy with "Fooled You" and may grow that non-hot one again.

Baby Butternut - uh, I've grown Early Butternut and Waltham Butternut; don't see why a baby wouldn't be fine. They should be easy to grow and are fairly early but I wonder if you've got a long enuf season for a butternut. Certainly worth a try but if you've got the room, an acorn variety is a little quicker and you may want to put in a plant or 2 in.

I don't grow garlic very often but prefer a top set variety when I do. Top set garlic produces a scape and you can harvest that and use it anywhere you'd want to use garlic while the bulbs continue growing in the ground. Are they sending you the garlic in the Spring or will you be getting it in late Summer? I don't know much about garlic but it probably won't do much for you in 2008 even if you get it early. You may just need to leave it in the ground until 2009.

These other varieties aren't really known to me.

I don't think it is very much help to start either the corn or peas indoors, if that's what you are thinking of. The beans . . . I can't even remember someone doing that. Carrots would be a no-no. I agree with Chicken_Boy about the garlic & onions and starting the squash indoors may be a good idea in your short growing season. They wouldn't be able to stay in there long but you may get a few weeks head-start that way. Peat pots may be best so as not to disturb the roots when transplanting.

Hardiness zones have only to do with minimum Winter temperatures so they are important in choosing perennials. Your growing season weather isn't very much indicated by the zone 4 designation but I'd imagine that your last frost will come sometime in late May. Victory Seed Company has a frost date chart where you may find your location.

Have fun!

Steve

 

[Wildsky]

Wow Steve! THANK YOU!

The fall and spring mix are a variety of salad greens I believe (kids won't eat it - so it will be 80% all mine - hubby might eat a bite, and the chickens will probably get some)

The carrots are coreless Amsterdam variety - I thought the coreless would be more like what the kids are used to eating from the store.

Jalapeno's - I don' tknow what variety - I didn't know there were any more than just one. I hope its nice and spicy, I've tried some here in the midwest/north - and none have been as good as those I ate in California... hence I want to grow my own.

The garlic is coming in spring, and it did say "top-sets" I have no CLUE what that is, but it sounded good to me! (I'm getting 300) I thought they would grow and be ready within a few months.... will they survive through winter snow and ice?

I will look for peat pots next time I'm in town (an hour away) is there anything else I can use if I can't find them?

How long do seeds last, if I don't use them all up this year, will they still be good next year? (nobody else in the family eats many or much tomato - so those are all me as well)

I believe the last frost is in late May.... is there anything I can do to cover or protect my plants just in case, if I plant mid/end May?

Next I'd like to try grow some potatoes, we all eat those and a lot of them. There are so many varieties in the catalog and on line I have NO CLUE what to pick... I normally buy the yellow or white ones in the store. (that is ALL I know about potatoes)

 

[digitS']

I'm becoming more and more of a believer in soil temperature as a guide for early planting, Wildsky. The air temperature will have only a little effect on seed planted 1 or 2 inches into the soil and plants can't read a calendar.

You can look at that linked chart from the University of Minnesota and see that it would serve no purpose to plant bean seed when the soil temperature is only 41F - that NG stands for "no germination." In fact, they won't germinate at 50F but somewhere above that temperature, the seeds will start to grow after awhile. (Look how early that you can get your lettuce and spinach seed out there, however

It isn't necessary to wait until ideal temperature is reached - my soil tends to be cold so I'd be waiting forever for it to reach 86F. But, I'm not going to gain much by rushing out to put the seed in the ground too early. And, you may even want to start your seeds for transplants somewhere warmer than your unheated enclosed patio. (I set containers of soil & seeds above my refrigerator - it's 70+ up there day and night.

The soil temperature can also be somewhat of a guide as to when to transplant things into your garden. Usually, I'm being driven by the needs of the plants for more room and by the calendar since I've followed that for seed-starting on top the fridge. But, face it, a tomato plant just is NOT going to be happy if you put its roots into 45 soil. And, by the time the soil reaches 50+, there's not much chance of an overnight frost. If it looks chancy - - cover things with fabric. If your soil is 50, even an old bed sheet is likely to keep enuf warmth close to your plants that even a 28 frost won't kill 'em.

Here's a short pdf file on gardening from Cornell Cooperative Extension. The normal time to plant garlic is early Fall. The bulbs stay in the ground all Winter. Seed viability? Most vegetable seed lasts for a few years, anyway.

Those yellow potatoes in the supermarket are probably Yukon Golds. I grew those and Kennebecs in 2007. Pontiacs and Russet Burbanks are common choices for gardeners. Potatoes are a little expensive to ship because of their weight. You will probably be perfectly happy with what is available to you at the local garden center.

Steve

 

[Reinbeau]

I grow Yukon Golds every year, they're wonderful unless they get that black core thing, that ruins the potato. I usually get plenty - they don't last very long, we gobble them up! I also grow Russian Banana Fingerlings, they are wonderful in potato salad or just steamed, split and a little butter. Yumm!