Planning Part 1: seeds

Within the next month I'll be putting in orders to various seed companies for the 2010 growing season. Regardless of the frozen tundra outside my doorstep the time for planting will be here before I know it, so I've been working on getting together a list of seed varieties to order this year. During the last few years I've relied heavily on "Johnny's Selected Seeds", a Maine based company that has good varieties for northeastern gardeners with an organic focus. Although there are still a few items I'll be ordering from them this time around, I am planning to get the bulk of my seeds from the "Seed Savers Exchange." Seed Savers is a Iowa company that focuses not only on organic growing but heirloom seed varieties. The concept of heirloom vegetables is a sound one, and they do a good job of explaining the benefits of this type of growing on their company web site.

So, as of February 16th here is my working list for the 2010 season (with an SS indicating Seed Savers Exchange and a JS indicating Johnnys Select) :

- Apollo Arugla- SS

- Amish Deer Tongue Lettuce- SS

- Australian Yellowleaf Lettuce- SS

- Bronze Arrowhead Lettuce- SS

- Forrellenschuss Lettuce- SS

- Lollo Rossa Lettuce- SS

- Pablo Lettuce- SS

- Red Velvet Lettuce- SS

- Reines des Glaces Lettuce- SS

- America Spinach- SS

- Jersey Knight Asparagus- JS

- Charantais Melon- SS

- Prescott Fond Blanc Melon- SS

- Pride of Wisconsin Melon- SS

- Green Arrow Pea- SS

- Tom Thumb Pea- SS

- King Richard Leeks- JS

- French Fingerling Potato- SS

- German Butterball Potato- SS

- Tolli's Sweet Italian Pepper- SS

- Ancho Gigantea Pepper- SS

- Five Color Silver Beet Swiss Chard- SS

- Costata Romanesco Zucchini- JS

- Soleil Zucchini- JS

- Cornfield Pumpkin- SS

- Musquee de Provence Pumpkin- SS

- Pennsylvania Dutch Crookneck Squash- SS

- Amish Paste Tomato- SS

- Aunt Ruby's German Green Tomato- SS

- Blondkopfchen Tomato- SS

- Red Brandywine Tomato- SS

- Cherokee Purple Tomato- SS

- San Marzano Tomato- JS

- Sun Gold Tomato- JS

- Blacktail Mountain Watermelon- SS

- Moon and Stars Watermelon- SS

- Jewel Strawberries- JS

- Victoria Rhubarb- JS

- Genovese Basil- SS

This list is still a work in progress and is missing some items that I may still add (like carrots, beans and additional herb types). All in all though, I think that this will be pretty close to the final selections.

At some point soon I am hoping to do another 'planning post' in which I list some of the projects that I hope to tackle in the yard and garden during the coming season.