dreaming of dirt stained knees

it is that time of year when what is known in the growing community as garden porn, starts pouring in come the end of january; burpee, johnny seeds, heritage all start vying for your attention with promises of the juiciest tomato, the most colorful coneflower & the easiest bean you ever did grow.

Pink Phlox



Purple Coneflower

i literally have to stop buying seeds for the garden- i go a little overboard and i forget what i have already purchased. the battle is on this year- between the squash vineborer, cutworms and the striped cucumber beetle; i have my work cut out for me. yes i am the crazy lady with the night lamp on her head at 10pm combing through the dirt looking to squash the little cutworm bastards, or at 7am before work with soapy water in a yellow bowl & tweezers trying to catch the damned cucumber beetles and drown them: they are sleepy and covered in dew first thing in the morning, plus they like to sleep in the yellow flowers of the squash and zucchini- it makes it a hundred times easier to catch the little buggars early in the am. the squash vineborer on the other hand just plain sucks- he is fast and doesn't mind soapy water spray, however i have caught a few in my water traps (yellow bowl  & soapy water) i think the cucumber beetles and squash vineborer started to recognized the crazy lady and went over to chill at my neighbors garden- they were a little less neurotic than i was with the whole bug execution- no chemicals are ever used, just biodegradable soap, Einstein oil and will power!



Peppers- hot & sweet staked with bamboo


onto a more positive note, my garden this year will be growing:

• Royal Burgundy Bush Bean
• Sweet Corn
• Green Bush Beans
• Pole Peas
• Seedless Tomato
• Cavern Tomato
• Eva Purple Ball Tomato
• Brandywine Tomato
• Broccoli
• Kaleidoscope Carrots
• Navarino Carrots
• Peppers - hot & sweet
• Royal oak lettuce
• Dancine- Boston Butter head Lettuce
• Golden Beets
• Basil
• Zucchini & Summer Squash
• Gourds
• Marigolds
• Nasturtium

a lesson learned last year- justin and i can grow enough squash and zucchini from 2 plants to enjoy during the summer rather than 8 plants of each i grew last year- squash overload. he was so sick of zucchini he made me promise not to grow any this year- we compromised to two plants of each kind for this year. you can only eat and give away so much squash before people start running from you when they see you coming with a bag full of the stuff. i also think i will be growing far less cherry tomatoes this year- ever try canning and making sauce out of cherry tomatoes? i have and it took forever, so in short far more big tomatoes for slicing, canning sauce and salsa.



marigolds- helps keep pests at bay, plus they look pretty in the garden


i will be starting my seedlings in march and will continue through april. i am hoping for a spring (very warm, early) like we had last year with the same type of summer (lots of heat) as well- perfect gardening weather!



what's growing in your garden this year- i would love to hear!