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Ordering Garden Seeds Online
In my last post I shared what seeds I had recently purchased for the upcoming growing season. Here in Raleigh, we are lucky to have an abundance of wonderful garden centers that offer fun varieties to try. This week I’ve been spending time on Clubhouse hearing from other gardeners about seed companies they like to order from. I’m going to compile a list of the ones that have unique offerings here and add to it as I learn of more. Tips to ordering online: Make a list in accordance with your garden size and budget. Before loading up your cart, make sure they ship to you! Several seed stores I’ve…
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Garden Dreaming
The weather in Raleigh, NC has been incredibly wet and cold, which has forced my garden dreaming indoors. When I talk about garden dreaming around this time of year, it’s in reference to the spring and summer vegetable garden. We have a 30′ by 30′ fenced vegetable garden, which also contains rose bushes, flowering perennials and a 300 gallon pond. The pond hosts fish, bullfrogs and a few aquatic and wetland plant species. The space dedicated to the annual vegetables seems to decline every year. My son has claimed one corner for his lamb’s ear, beebalm, tulips, irises, daffodils and a hellebore. He once had a bamboo teepee for pole…
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Week by Week Guide for Starting the Spring Garden
On this last day of January 2019 with a good portion of the country caught up in a polar vortex, I find myself longing for warmer weather and green vistas. Fortunately we have a mild weekend in the forecast. Mild weekends in February always get my garden gears going, but I have to remember that no matter what the groundhog says, there is more winter ahead. While it’s still too early to start any new crops outside, it’s not too early to put a few seed trays in sunny windows. Typically I start planting seeds indoors right around Super Bowl Sunday. In Raleigh, NC, our average last Spring frost date…
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Renee's Makes My Day
Guess what came in the mail today… If you looked at the picture below and guessed seeds, you’d be correct. For the past several years I’ve been growing with Renee’s Garden Seeds, and each year I get a mailer introducing new varieties. Tomorrow I will find a spot for these “Chantenay Carrots“, but right now I want to highlight my favorites – the ones I have grown year after year. I’m not going to elaborate on them because Renee’s recently updated site is fantastic and really easy to navigate. Click away and enjoy. These are not affiliate links, but I do get to try new seeds each year in exchange…
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Basil Has Sprouted!
I was slow this year, but I finally started seeds indoors. The off and on spring weather outside has been such a tease, and I’m checking my sprouts daily to see what pops up. So far I’ve started tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, lavender, basil, and zinnias inside. The very first to sprout were … drum roll, please…. Basil, “Italian Genovese” Heirloom – Certified Organic Seeds See those tiny little sprouts? It only took a week. My most used herb each summer is basil. I make large batches of pesto and freeze what I can’t use. This selection from Renee’s Garden, along with Basil, “Italian Genovese” Heirloom – Certified Organic Seeds have been my…
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Is it time already?
Today it was a balmy 63 degrees outside, and never mind that schools have been cancelled due to some coming snow tomorrow, it’s the time of year to start planning the spring garden. Some seeds can be started 12 weeks ahead of the last frost date, so although it feels ridiculous to be getting ready now, Piedmont NC’s traditional planting date is Good Friday, at least according to my neighbor who’s garden teams with growth every year. In the past, I’ve created detailed schematics which I only muddle up by overplanting due to my inability to thin out crops and that constant urge to squeeze in just one more plant. This year,…
