2007 seed order
So I stopped by my favorite hardware/garden center store on Saturday to grab a Rohrer's seed catalog. I wanted to compare what I was seeing in all my catalogs with what they were offering this year. The store had a large selection and Rohrer's is about a 30 minute drive from me in Smoketown, PA and has everything in the catalog. Rohrer's has been in business in the same location since 1919 and while not everything is organic, much of it is. Some of the things that other seed catalogs offer as rare heirlooms are offered by Rohrer's but aren't noted as such. Probably because they have been offering them nonstop since 1919. So there might not be a seed order this year, just a Saturday trip to finish things up. I think this happened last year too. I thought I was embarassingly early, but some seeds were already sold out at the hardware store.
I purchased the following:
Cosmos "Dazzler"
Morning Glory "Grandpa Ott's"
Tithonia "Torch" ( I so love this flower)
Zinnia "Orange King", "Miss Willmot", and "Canary Bird"
Nasturtium "Whirly Bird"
Sunflower "Velvet Queen"
Beets "Detroit Dark Red"
Beans "Henderson's Bush" Baby Lima variety
" Romano" pole variety
Carrots "Tendersweet"
Egg Plant "Black Beauty"
Lettuce "Black Seeded Simpson", "Red Sails", and "Amish Deer Tongue"
Mustard "Giant Red"
Radish "Sparkler"
Spinach "Bloomsdale Long Standing"
Squash "Black Beauty" zucchini and "Summer Crookneck" yellow
Peas
Shell Peas "Wando"
Snap Peas "Sugar Snap"
Still to buy when I make the trip to the actual Rohrer's Seeds next Saturday:
Zinnia "Raggedy Anne"
Bean "La Victoire" french type green bush bean
"Great Northern No. 1140"
"Hutterite Soup Bean"
"Vermont Cranberry"
Broccoli "Calabria"
Broccoli Raab "Rapinni Spring"
Cucmbers "Northern Pickiling" "Marketmore", and 'Lemon"
Eggplant "Rosa Bianca" and "Red Egg"
Lettuce "Rouge d'Hiver" and "Lolla Rossa" and "Salad Bowl"
Swiss Chard "Ruby Red" and "Bright Lights"
Kale "Lacinato" and "Red Russian"
Melons "Charentais" and "Pineapple Melon"
Onions "Borettana Yellow" cippolini type
Potatos "Yukon Gold"
Watermelon "Allsweet"
I still have tons of tomato, pepper, and pumpkin/squash seeds from last year. I'll probably buy a few more varieties of squash seeds, but I haven't decided yet. Not that it matters. Cucumber Beetles get them all anyway and the ones that survive......well they ususally rot.
I purchased the following:
Cosmos "Dazzler"
Morning Glory "Grandpa Ott's"
Tithonia "Torch" ( I so love this flower)
Zinnia "Orange King", "Miss Willmot", and "Canary Bird"
Nasturtium "Whirly Bird"
Sunflower "Velvet Queen"
Beets "Detroit Dark Red"
Beans "Henderson's Bush" Baby Lima variety
" Romano" pole variety
Carrots "Tendersweet"
Egg Plant "Black Beauty"
Lettuce "Black Seeded Simpson", "Red Sails", and "Amish Deer Tongue"
Mustard "Giant Red"
Radish "Sparkler"
Spinach "Bloomsdale Long Standing"
Squash "Black Beauty" zucchini and "Summer Crookneck" yellow
Peas
Shell Peas "Wando"
Snap Peas "Sugar Snap"
Still to buy when I make the trip to the actual Rohrer's Seeds next Saturday:
Zinnia "Raggedy Anne"
Bean "La Victoire" french type green bush bean
"Great Northern No. 1140"
"Hutterite Soup Bean"
"Vermont Cranberry"
Broccoli "Calabria"
Broccoli Raab "Rapinni Spring"
Cucmbers "Northern Pickiling" "Marketmore", and 'Lemon"
Eggplant "Rosa Bianca" and "Red Egg"
Lettuce "Rouge d'Hiver" and "Lolla Rossa" and "Salad Bowl"
Swiss Chard "Ruby Red" and "Bright Lights"
Kale "Lacinato" and "Red Russian"
Melons "Charentais" and "Pineapple Melon"
Onions "Borettana Yellow" cippolini type
Potatos "Yukon Gold"
Watermelon "Allsweet"
I still have tons of tomato, pepper, and pumpkin/squash seeds from last year. I'll probably buy a few more varieties of squash seeds, but I haven't decided yet. Not that it matters. Cucumber Beetles get them all anyway and the ones that survive......well they ususally rot.
posted by meresy_g at Monday, January 22, 2007
11 Comments:
I don't think it is too early for seeds. Even our local Walmart has seeds out now. Mine should be getting here any day now. Not that I will start anything yet.
For the last few years, I have been planting mostly flowers. This year, my husband wants me to try okra again. I used to plant it every year, back when I had a big vegetable garden. Also, ordered two new kinds of container plants, one tomato, and one pepper. Look at that special section in the Pine Tree catalog, if you still have it.
Besides greens, we only overlap with the Vermont Cranberry beans. It's a good thing there are so many varieties out there! :)
Sounds like you'll have a great garden. Hey, how do you deal with cross-pollination when saving squash seeds? I've only saved butternut because they're in their own family (c.moschata) and wondered if you had any tips.
I want to try growing some scallop type squash this summer. We bought some at the farmer's market last year that were yellow & green (on the same squash), and they were great! Tasted good plus they looked cool too. :) I also want to try the ribbed zucchini - the taste of those were wonderful too.
Oh, my! Some seeds are already sold out? That just makes you want to do some panic buying and seed hoarding, doesn't it?
I did a google image search for the flowers you listed, just to see what you'd be planting. I love the orange and yellow hues you seemed to pick, and the purple morning glory and pink zinnia will make nice additions. Everything sounds so great! Sometime, when I have my own house, I'd like to have a nice big garden.
I picked up the most recent issue of Martha Stewart Living, and I saw an idea in there that I liked: homemade seed tapes. Cut a paper towel in strips and use water-soluble glue to adhere seeds. It seemed like a good idea to me, because then the seeds would be spaced and planted uniformly.
Hey good girl! Buy local! [I found a local producer of greenhouses, believe it or not, so I am making a (big) purchase this week to support my local manufacturers!] How did you find them, just through going to your fave store?
It tells you something, doesn't it, that these heirlooms are still being produced? You'll love the lacinato kale. I am biased, though. I second Liz's statement that isn't it great we have access to all these great plants.
Will you please talk me into buying tithonia? I can't tell you how many times I've had tithonia seeds in hand and have not yet bought them... and I love orange. I can't figure it out!
Sandy.....I've never grown okra. Is it easy? What do you do with it? I associate it with a slimy pod that needed to be fished out of my mother's vegetable soup.
Liz....I don't deal with the cross pollination thing. I try not to plant multiple varieties of moschata or maxima but I always get greedy and plant several and then I just cross my fingers. If it doesn't grow true to type it still grows and it might be a suprise.
I found Rohrer's Seeds just by going to the local hardware store. They give out a catalog there too and I realized that the actual seed store wasn't too far away. They still have big bins of seeds and potatoes that you can scoop and buy in any quantity. Really neat.
wurwolf....the seed tapes sound like a good idea. Someone got me a MS living subscription for Christmas so I haven't bought the latest issue, thinking one will arrive in the mail anyday now. Maybe I'll take a lingering look next time I'm in the checkout at the gorcery store.
rurality....I've never grown the patty pan squash. They are so cute though. How do you prepare them?
Blackswamp Girl....Do! Do! Do! buy Tithonia! you won't be sorry. It makes such a great background and is such a great shade of orange. I'm into an orange phase now for some reason so I'm lovin all things orange. Butterflies and bees love it and it just stands out in the garden, so bright!
My biggest problem with even thinking about saving squash seeds is my utter lack of restraint when it comes to planting c. pepo (zucchs, pattypan, pumpkins, delicata, & sweet dumpling). But butternuts I can do. ;)
btw... I think pattypans taste like zucchini, just a different shape. I usually cut them in wedges.
Liz, are pattypans small? They sound like they'd be delicious nice and small and tender.
The MS Living I mentioned is the February issue: pink background with hot chocolate on the cover. I almost feel half-embarrassed to be reading it because she's such a rich bitch and everyone's house could look like hers if we all had millions, but she really does have some neat ideas in there. Her Good Things feature alone is worth the price of a subscription.
Great seed selections! Have you grown Grandpa Otts yet? I grew it one year, and now it self sows...the prettiest color flower!
I've not seen the "Giant Red" mustard, will have to look for that...
and those Cucumber Beetles - ugh- an enemy that even the chickens have a distaste for...
(and a tip on the cross-pollination thing...you can be the bee! Use a paint brush to do the pollination, then cover the blossom with netting to prevent any other pollination from occuring) Mark the resulting squash as your true to type seed bank!
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