We are all creatures of habit, or I know that I am. I shop at the same stores, eat at the same establishments, buy the same products, I even clean the house in the same way every time. Very seldom do I vary from my routine. This past week-end as the snow and ice covered the ground and the wind was blowing, I snuggled up with my stack of new garden catalogs. As I turned the pages and made lists and circled items with my pen, I realized that I was in fact also a gardener of habit. There I was, marking the usual seed packets of veggies that I plant each year. Even though my space grows smaller from the encroaching flowers, spring is not spring unless I have turned the soil and planted a few rows of veggies.
I think all gardeners have certain favorites that they wouldn't even think about not planting every year. Whether it is from trial and error, a recommendation from another a gardener, or for me, a tradition of planting some of the same seeds my mom grew in her garden, some varieties HAVE to be grown each and every year.
As I read over the descriptions for each of the seed varieties offered in my garden catalogs, most if not all gave glowing accounts of that variety. For a new gardener it would be hard to pick from the dozens of choices. I got to thinking that I am sure there are improvements. I know that some varieties I cling to, are almost 'antique'. I should be more bold, more adventurous, try new things, new seeds. I don't know if it is because of all the work we put into growing veggies in our gardens that we are afraid of being disappointed with a different variety. It is hard enough to try and grow anything with mother nature's fickleness, the bugs, plant diseases, and a host of other unknowns.
I think I need excitement this growing season, ...yes,... I think my veggie garden deserves an adventure. Whether it be just one new seed variety or several new kinds, I think this year should be a year for something new, some change. I am not sure if it should be a new variety of vegetable that I have never tried before, or if it should in fact be a new vegetable that I have never experiemented with growing.
Now comes the hard part, what to try?
I thought and thought on it and wasn't sure, so I thought I would blog about it. Yes, I am coming to you with a semi-serious blog (gasp!). Tell me your own personal choices, your disappointments, your favorites, and if you too are a gardener of habit.
Veggie varieties grown by this habitual gardener,....
Lettuce -loose leaf: Black Seeded Simpson, Red Sails, Oakleaf
Radishes: Cherry Belle, Champion
Carrots: Danver's Half Long
Peas: Laxton's Progress #9 (have also tried Little Marvel and Wando)
Beets: Perfected Detroit Dark Red
Onions: Usually plant sets. (Have tried Texas 1015Y plants. Plants only do well if we have a decent spring with moisture.)
Green Cabbage: Coppenhagen Market, Late Flat Dutch.
Red Cabbage: Ruby Perfecta
Potatoes- white: Kennebec, Cobbler.
Potatoes- red: Pontiac
Beans: Topcrop
Sweet Corn: Honey and Cream (have also tried Iochief, Illini X-tra Sweet, 4th of July)
Tomatos: Better Boys, sometimes also planted Beefmaster, Roma, Celebrity.
Peppers: California Wonder or Big Bertha (they seem the same to me, I can't tell much difference) Also plant Hungarian Wax, Sweet Banana, Anaheim.
Cucumbers: Burpless (Also tried Straight Eight).
Pumpkins: Conneticut Field, Jack Be Little (also tried Rouge V.F. D'Flanges- Cinderella pumpkin)
Squash: Waltham Butternut, Table Ace
Cantalope/muskmelons: Hales Jumbo
Watermelon: Black Diamond, Sugar Baby
Zucchini: Black Beauty, Spineless Beauty.
Some things I have also grown are:
Sweet potatoes - when I have the space.
Salad tomatoes (but I have yet to find one with the flavor of the bigger tomatoes)
Eggplants - the bugs love them more than I do.
Collard greens.
I know all of you fellow gardeners out there must have your own personal favorite varities. Is there something new you are going to try this year? Is there something you can't live without? Is there something new you have been wanting to try for a long time?
If that is so,.....then grow with me.... Let's grow wild.
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