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Renee’s Garden Seeds
The following Renee’s Garden seed packets were free for me to sample. These are not affiliate links. Renee’s Garden Seeds Renee’s Garden Seeds! I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve been sampling Renee’s Garden seeds and sharing pictures of the produce for several years now, and every year I anxiously await picking out new seeds to try each winter as I prep for Spring planting. Some of my favorite garden varieties come from this company: Trombeta Squash, Slow-Bolt cilantro, Italian Pesto Basil. Each year, Renee introduces new varieties, and I enjoy trying a few of them and a few of my proven favorites. I can also count on my favorite local…
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Before the Last Killing Frost (9 Weeks)
Nine Weeks Before the Last Killing Frost This week is about soil preparation. There are tons of methods to preparing the soil, and some of those resources are listed below along with places you can find supplies locally. I prefer to use Black Kow and Black Chicken Compost and apply them early enough to give the chicken compost time to cool. This year we have our own source of chicken poo! This link lays out exactly what and how much I used in my garden for the first few years of gardening (I am not paid to endorse any brands, I’m just a gal with preferences): “Preparing Soil in Raised Beds”.…
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Before the Last Killing Frost (10 Weeks)
Ten Weeks Before the Last Killing Frost In Raleigh, NC (Zone 7b), there are approximately ten weeks before our big outdoor planting weekend. If you buy mostly vegetable starter plants for your home garden, this countdown may not be very significant (ten weeks seems far off ), but if you enjoy starting your plants from seed, this is a reason to scurry to action. Some plants require sowing seeds indoors 10 weeks before the last frost. Have a Dream and Cross-check it with Reality First, take time to dream of what your garden (and your dinner plate) will look like this year. Determine how you want the garden to make…
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Glass Gem Corn
Glass Gem Corn, original photo from nativeseeds.org Browsing Pinterest, sometimes I come across photos of plants that I think simply can’t be real, as was the case with Glass Gem corn. However the picture above is real corn that has only recently been reintroduced to the public. Seed collecting is a fun hobby, but there are people who make it their mission to preserve native seeds for posterity as a way of preserving biodiversity and culture, which, with the influx of GMO seeds and domination of crops by major corporations, is an important and worthy cause. I first read about the preservation of Glass Gem corn here: THE STORY OF GLASS…
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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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Garden Update
Over the past few weeks I have worked old garden beds, erected domes for sugar snap peas and relocated hoards of rudbekia volunteers to other areas of the yard. I took a trip out to Home Depot and picked up several bags of organic garden soil that were on clearance, a big block of peat moss and a jug of fish emulsion for the garlic and onions. With the soil now rich and fluffy, limed and smoothed over, it is ready for cool season crops. Yesterday, I planted two domes with peas (5 and 13/14) , sprinkled out a pinch of pepperbox poppies (5), and sowed an area of baby…
