melon update

I've got eighteen varieties of melons in my garden this year. Almost all of them are making male flowers, and three of them JUST started making female flowers. I think one of them is already pollinated, too! I have one hybrid variety from Burpee (by way of Harris Seeds) called "Ambrosia." From John Scheeper's Kitchen Garden Seeds, I have one hybrid (Savor Charentais) and one heirloom (Montreal Market Nutmeg.) I have two open-pollinated varieties from the Franchi Sementi spa in Italy: "Rampicante Zuccherino" (which means "Climbing Sweet") and "Zatta". Zatta has more names than any other melon I've got. The Italians sometimes call it "brutto ma buono" which means "ugly, but good." Supposedly, Thomas Jefferson grew this melon and called it "Cantaloupe Massa."

And then, I have thirteen open-pollinated varieties from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. (Can you tell that I really like that company?) From B.C., I'm growing: Sakata's Sweet, Thai Golden Round, Hollybrook Luscious, Ananas, TA&M Dew, Kansas, Ginger's Pride, Old Time Tennessee, Livingston's Tip Top, D'Alger, Petit Gris de Rennes, Delice de la Table, and Noir de Carmes.

I've grown Ambrosia, Montreal Market Nutmeg, Savor Charentais, Hollybrook Luscious, Rampicante Zuccherino, Delice de la Table, and Petit Gris de Rennes before, and I would say all of them except Hollybrook are 5-star quality top-notch melons. I'd give Hollybrook Luscious 3 or 4 stars because while it's quite large, it's not very sweet.

All the other varieties are new to me. I expect that D'Algers, Noir de Carmes, Old Time Tennessee (sometimes called a "mushmelon") and Kansas should be pretty darn good, too. I really enjoy melons, my favorite plants in the garden!

Seed Company List

Abundant Life Seed Co. (organics, supplies)
Adaptive Seeds (Pacific NW adapted varieties)
Amishland Seeds (heirlooms, esp. tomatoes)
Appalachian Seeds (tomato seeds & plants)
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (heirlooms & open-pollinated)
Botanical Interests (flowers, herbs & veg seed)
Bountiful Gardens (heirloom varieties and tools)
The Chile Pepper Institute of New Mexico State University (peppers)
Comstock, Ferre & Co. (heirlooms)
Cook's Garden (seeds & plants)

Crimson Sage Medicinal Plants Nursery (certified organic)
Crosman's Seeds (veg & flowers)
D. Landreth Seed Co. (heirlooms)
Eden Organic Nursery Services (certified naturally grown)
Evergreen Seeds (Asian varieties)
FEDCO Seeds (garden supplies)
Filaree Farm Organic Seed Garlic (garlic)
Fungi Perfecti (mushrooms & mycorrhizae)
The Garlic Store (garlic)
Gourmet Garlic Gardens (garlic)

Gourmet Seed International (chef focused)
Heirloom Acres Seeds (heirlooms)
Heritage Harvest (heirlooms)
High Mowing Organic Seeds (certified organic)
Horizon Herbs (certified organic herbs)
Irish Eyes Garden Seeds (seeds, potatoes, supplies)
John Scheeper's Kitchen Garden Seeds (veg, herb & flower seed)
Johnny's Selected Seeds (seeds & supplies)
Kitazawa Seed Co. (Asian varieties)
Kusa Seed Society (grains)

Logee's Tropical Plants (tropicals)
Maine Potato Lady (taters, onions, garlic)
Marianna's Heirloom Seeds (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, herbs)
Native Seeds/S·E·A·R·C·H (Southwest native varieties)
The Natural Gardening Company (oldest certified organic nursery)
New England Seed (home & commercial growers)
New Hope Seed Co. (open-pollinated veg & tobacco)
Nichols Garden Nursery (seeds & supplies)
Old House Gardens Heirloom Flower Bulbs (heirloom bulbs)
One Green World (fruit trees & bushes)

Pantry Garden Herbs (certified organic herb seed & plants)
Peaceful Valley Seeds (organic supplies)
The Pepper Gal (peppers)
Pinetree Garden Seeds (seeds & supplies)
Plants of the Southwest (seeds & trees)
Potato Garden (taters, used to be Ronniger's + Milk Ranch)
Prairie Moon Nursery (seeds & plants)
Raintree Nursery (fruit & nut trees & bushes)
Redwood City Seed Co. (peppers & veg)
Renee's Garden (heirlooms)

R. H. Shumway's (seeds, trees, supplies)
Richters Herbs (seeds & plants)
The Sample Seed Shop (small packets, bargains)
Sand Hill Preservation Center (seeds, roots, poultry)
Sand Mountain Herbs (herbs)
Seed Savers Exchange (heirlooms & open-pollinated)
Seedman (seeds, plants & supplies)
Seeds for the South (southern adapted varieties)
Seeds from Italy (Italian varieties, Franchi Sementi distributor)
Seeds of Change (organic hybrids and open-pollinated)

Select Seeds - Antique Flowers (seeds, plants, bulbs)
Skyfire Garden Seeds (heirloom & open-pollinated, plus hogs)
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (heirloom & open-pollinated)
Stark Bros. (fruit & nut trees & bushes)
Sunrise Seeds (rare varieties)
Sustainable Seed Co. (heirlooms)
Swallowtail Garden Seeds (veg, herb, & flower seeds)
Tatiana's TOMATObase (tomatoes)
Territorial Seed Co. (seeds, plants & supplies)
Thompson & Morgan (seeds & supplies)

Thyme Garden Herb Co. (seeds & plants)
Tomato Growers Supply Co. (tomatoes)
Totally Tomatoes (tomatoes)
Trade Winds Fruit (tropical fruit & plant seed)
Turtle Tree Seeds (heirloom & open-pollinated)
Victory Seeds (heirloom & open-pollinated)
We Grow Garlic (garlic)
Wood Prairie Farm (certified organic)

Six Weeks to St. Paddy's

Just an update on my gardening activities:
Yesterday marked exactly six weeks until St. Patrick's Day. That's the day I plan/hope to plant potatoes and onion sets. Last year I planted Viking Purple and Yellow Finn mini-tubers from Irish Eyes Garden Seeds down the middle of a 3' x 20' bed or wide row. I think that this year I will just get whatever seed potatoes they have at the local grocery store, just for the sake of economy.

I also plan to start some broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and chard today to be ready to transplant out on or around St. Paddy's. That's awfully early, but I think if I harden them off properly that they'll have a good chance. I might get a row cover by then to help protect them from cold and insects. And I could always just wait until April to transplant if the weather won't cooperate.

Sorry this blog is so boring. I'm working on re-acquiring the ability to post photos (long, dull story...don't ask) with the hope that some images will jazz things up a bit.

That's all for now. Have a great day!

Food, Inc.

Food, Inc. (1:33:44, Some graphic imagery)

If you eat food anywhere on this planet, you should probably watch this movie. If you farm, you should really watch this movie. If you love fast food, you particularly need to watch this movie.

Vote with your food dollars, three times a day. Grow a garden. Do something to prepare. Because whether by dictate of the government or by external shocks to the system, our current methods of food production will not persist forever. Of that, I am certain.

A Farm for the Future

A Farm for the Future (48 mins)
An Englishwoman returns to the farm of her youth and thinks hard about its future in a world where oil demand is increasing and supply is decreasing.

$50 Greenhouse

This might actually cost more than $50 if you don't have some of the small fasteners and bits on hand.

$50 Greenhouse

There are a few other posts on this site worth examining, including some other plans for low-cost greenhouses. They say that even unheated, this type of structure can really extend your growing season in the Spring and the Fall.

Greening The Desert

One of the wonderful people at idigmygarden.com showed me this video. So far, I haven't seen any Permaculture videos that are better than this one. Have you?

Greening The Desert on YouTube

Or, you can watch it right here: