Start Seeds Indoors While Waiting for Spring

Spring lurks while it has not fully arrived according to the calendar the mild winter here in Western New York has us itching to get outdoors to start digging in the soil and tending to our gardens.  For seed starters, now is the time to plant. Over this past week, I have started some varieties in my basement under grow lights, along with the help of a much needed heat mat for good germination. Here are the plants I like to start from seeds and plant in my garden:

 

Shock Wave Petunias

I started Deep Purple and Coconut, and they will be outstanding in combination plantings. These petunias are wonderful in beds as they will spread 3 to 4 feet across. I add some Worm Power when transplanting and the results were phenomenal last year. If you are not using any of the Wave petunias, I highly recommend that you do.

 

Candy Showers Snapdragons

These dwarf snapdragons are absolutely gorgeous in hanging planters or containers. Bushy, compact plants will spread to 16 to 18" across, but only get 6 to 8" tall. These trailing snaps are bright and cheerful…they make my day.

Magellan Zinnias

Although you can directly plant zinnia seeds in the garden, I like to start them in my basement to get a jump on the season. Magellan Mix is absolutely the best zinnia for bedding and hedges. Plants grow 12 to 15" tall, and are loaded with large, colorful blooms.

 

Zahara Double Zinnias

 
I grow Zahara Double Fire and Double Cherry. These two varieties are truly knock-outs in garden beds. The intense deep orange and cherry red colors are a sight to behold. The plants will handle extreme weather better than others too.

Primo Red Tomatoes

This tomato variety has only been in the marketplace for a few years, and already it is a grower favorite. Modern hybrid tomatoes are not supposed to have great flavor, compared to older varieties, but not so with Primo Red. It matures very early, producing large, meaty beefsteak size fruit with a wonderful tomato flavor. It is my main tomato variety.

 

Golden Rave Tomatoes 

I love the bright yellow color of the roma tomato type fruit, and its eating quality for salads is exceptional. Golden Rave is a prolific yielder, so a few of these tomato plants go a long way.

 

Hungarian Cheese Peppers

Small, flattened round peppers, only 2.5 to 3" across are a true delight. The flesh is thick and very sweet, and I stuff and bake them for hors d'oeuvres or will often serve them as a main meal.   In short…these peppers are absolutely delicious.

 

Gordo Peppers 

I do not understand why more gardeners don't use this pepper variety. It will yield exceptionally large, flattened elongated peppers with very thick walls. Its thick flesh and long flattened shape make it ideal for roasting, and roasted and fried peppers in a tomato sauce are superb. Slice Gordo in half and stuff it for baking or try its very sweet flesh raw in salads.

I can highly recommend any of the above varieties for your garden. They are real winners as far as I am concerned.

 

"I Love My Truck"

I assume many of you are familiar with the country song, "I Love My Truck". If a song can be written about loving one's truck, then I believe I can write one about my job. Being in the seed business all these years certainly has returned significant rewards to me. I have been fortunate to gain many friendships throughout my tenure with Harris Seeds. I have come to personally know plant breeders, seed managers and growers large and small across this great land, and I clearly treasure these relationships. My co-workers are a mighty fine bunch of people as well.

One of my favorite responsibilities in the seed business has begun, and will continue through the summer and fall months. It is widely known as flower and vegetable trials. Occasionally I travel to California to attend the greatest flower show on earth…Spring Trials, formally known as Pack Trials. I have not attended in a couple of years, but recall that in the past it was always a spectacular event.

At our facility in Rochester, NY, we have been noting early greens and radishes. Mark Willis, our vegetable seed manager, has put together a new oriental greens mix that is outstanding for flavor and color. We have looked at new radish entries in our high tunnel, and some will most likely hit our catalog this fall. Also in our high tunnel we have our "grafted" trial for cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes. The tomatoes and peppers are setting fruit and we have picked cucumbers already. We are just finishing our plantings of annual flowers in garden beds and in containers. Photos will follow this summer.

Yes, the summer and fall months are busy times as we travel frequently to nearby Hall, New York to the Seneca Vegetable Research Farm, managed by plant breeder, Dr. Walt Whitwood and his plant breeding sons. They are super people and do a great job trialing peppers, tomatoes, sweet corn and squash for us. In late August we are off to Wisconsin to take a look at new beans and a lot of sweet corn. The trialing season comes to an abrupt end with a visit to the Bob Chase Farm in Macedon, New York. On Bob's farm is our fall ornamental trial consisting of pumpkins, gourds and winter squash. Bob is a terrific grower and does a fine job for us. There are always many new introductions that are selected and added to our product line each fall.

I do not look at my job as hard work (as it truly is), but more importantly as great fun. Yes, having a career in the vegetable and flower seed business has been truly richly rewarding. I cannot think of a better one.

It's nearly bedtime!

As we roll through the beginning of fall, it becomes quite clear to me that it is nearly time to put the garden to bed. Here in the Northeast, the cool, early morning outside air beckons the call for warmer clothing. Blackbirds flock together to perform their annual ballets in flight, and colorful fall foliage starts to make its way into the landscape.

My garden this year was a successful one indeed. It is relatively small, compared to the efforts of my departed father. Gardens of the past were always big, and so were the annual harvests. My garden consists of four raised beds and the produce I harvested was impressive. My tomato plants were very productive, and they skirted the devastation from late blight. Many fellow gardeners were not so lucky. Red Candy grape tomato was outstanding, as its texture and sweetness were at the top of the charts.

I have never attempted to raise sweet corn, as it is always commonly available around town at most farm stands, but this year was different. In an area of around 5 feet by 8 feet, I planted my favorite variety to eat - "Mr. Mini Mirai". This yellow supersweet is so tender and sweet that it is clearly classified as gourmet quality. If any of my readers grow sweet corn and have not grown this one, then I highly recommend four or five rows in your garden next season.

I also had a couple plantings of Crockett green bush bean. Given the fact that I had four small rows throughout the season, I believe I harvested a bushel of tasty, dark green beans. I picked the plants several times, and the beans kept on coming. Crockett is a slender, dark green bean that eats exceptionally well.

If any gardener is a fan of radishes like I am, then the one to grow is Red Satin. In my opinion, this is the finest radish in the marketplace. Hybrid radishes have not been around for very long, and hybridization has greatly improved the species. Red Satin is consistently clean, smooth and round, with an appetizing bright red color. In 20 days, you will harvest beautiful red radishes with a delicious mild flavor. There's probably still time to plant a few more rows before cold weather sets in.

My Kuroda carrots made excellent size, and I have left a few to sweeten up for a later fall harvest. Add a few rows of spinach, Swiss chard and lettuce and my garden was quite complete.
In a few weeks, clean-up will begin. Plants will be pulled and composted. I will top my beds with an organic fertilizer and till it in. Then I will wait. I will wait for the snow. I will wait for spring to follow. But then, my garden will begin its next life cycle.

Lessons from the Garden

The gardening season nears the end here in Rochester, New York. In the Deep South, some gardeners are planting beans and other such things. But here, we begin the fall gardening ritual of putting it all to bed. Now is the time for us to empty the planters, yank out the annoying weeds that remain, and apply some organic fertilizer to garden areas for the spring that awaits us.

As every season closes, I like to leave the garden behind me, knowing that I am a bit wiser from the previous year. Here is what I have learned from my 2012 garden endeavors:

• For my ornamental beds, I try to assess which annuals were most outstanding. Although my spreading petunias were excellent performers in planters and in the garden beds, I shall fondly recall my tuberous begonias as the champions of them all. I had started them in my basement (although it was not necessary) and transplanted them to one of my semi-shaded circular beds in late spring. They were absolutely breathtaking, with lush, large green foliage and extra large blooms in assorted colors. There will be more next season.
   
• I had four tomato plants in my vegetable raised beds, and unfortunately, two of them turned out to be grape tomatoes. I had prolific yields of these tasty little guys, more than two people could consume. My thinking is that one grape tomato plant is enough. Solution: start 6 plants in your basement, and sell 5 to your neighbors!
   
• Swiss chard is a gardener's loyal companion. I planted a 6 ft. row and harvested it three times, as it grows back time and time again. I am not done yet.
   
• I am a very big fan of fresh picked beans from the garden. I had a couple plantings of Crockett beans, and I enjoyed them immensely. The slender, dark green pods were absolutely delicious.
   
• If the New York Times is correct in their weather predictions for the next ten years, we'll be facing extended drought conditions around the country for some time to come. As water is essential to any successful garden and is scarce in parts of the USA, now is the time to consider drip irrigation systems. They allow you to conserve water by targeting only the roots of your plants and irrigating at the best times of day. We hope to have some new watering systems available this winter for use in spring 2013. My garden will be set up completely on an automatic watering system that will save me time and water.
   
• Mulches are a great way to help maintain adequate moisture levels in your garden beds. I till and fertilize the soil, spread garden mulch, and leave openings for transplants. Mulches also improve weed control.
   
• Planters need watering and fertilization on a weekly basis. Water alone will not produce the lush plants you hope for, as it will quickly leach out any fertilizer you have applied before. A weekly feeding is necessary.

There you have it. Now let's hope I can apply what I have learned to next season's garden.