Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Sorry for disappearing for a little bit! I have been trying to enjoy the fleeting days of my summer vacation. We found out we are having a girl :D!  I couldn't be more excited!

But allow me to return to my regularly scheduled blog. Today I ordered my fall seeds from Baker Creek Seeds. I know there are many seed companies out there. Burpees is one of the largest and oldest, and there are tons of others. My friend Brittany introduced my to Bakers Creek. They are the largest supplier of heirloom seeds in the country. They pride themselves with selling only non-GMO, non genetically altered, heirloom seeds. Many of the seeds can be traced back to pilgrims first settling the United States. I like knowing that the seeds I am planting are tested by time, and in their purest form.

Baker Creek's website is very user friendly. They give background on themselves, a link to different magazines you may be interested in, and a way to search their over 1400 seeds for a specific kind of seed. Each seed gives a history on that particular seed, where it grows best, and how it will look. One of my only complaints is not very many of the links have pictures. And since they are based in Missouri, many of the plants they say will grow well in the summer would melt in my zone 9 climate, so I just have to keep up in my zoning.

Buying the seeds is a breeze, and the seeds come surprisingly fast. My packing slip always has a personal hand written thank you from the owners, which means a lot to me in a world of ebay and amazon impersonal-ness. The seed packages themselves are works of art. Many have pictures of the Baker Creek farms on them, or old timey illustrations. And, they always throw in a free seed packet! I have gotten a purple carrot and a beautiful wildflower in the past. If you don't like the internet, they have a toll free number you can call and speak to someone in person. Also, on their site, they have to link to request one of the beautiful seed catalogs for free. It is an attractive glossy tome filled with fantastic descriptions and color pictures of many of their seeds. I could spend a whole day planning out future gardens with that magazine in my lap and a cup of lemonade in the other. Best of all, it's free!

Well, that is my review of Baker Creek's heirloom seeds! I hope you decide to check them out :)

Planning the fall garden

During the summer time, many of the crops and spring plantings start to die off in Central Florida. Whereas much of the rest of the country is just planting and harvesting ripe tomatoes, lettuce and broccoli, we Floridians are confined to going outside before 8am or after 8pm, and growing only okra or peas. But alas, I sit back today, comfortable in my 80* house, clutching a cool glass of water, and harvesting big dreams of a fall crop. My good friend at Gradening Adventures introduced me to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. They are the largest supplier of heirloom seeds in the country. I will write a review of them and other seed companies next.

So I sit here with my catalog, planning my fall crops. In Florida, our summers are like winters everywhere else. We simply cannot grow much. However, come September or October, the cool weather crops can grow, and many last through the whole winter season.

So, here is my list of crops to be planted late September/early October, and anything I know about growing each, in case you want to give them a shot:

Cauliflower- cauliflower can be planted anytime between September-January. It can take low temperatures, but needs shielding from frost. I am going to get the self-blanching "Snowball" type. It turns white all on it's own, and is virtually bug free. I hear they need lots of space for ventilation, so I think I will do two wide rows.

Broccoli- broccoli is another great winter crop for Florida. Since it doesn't like any heat, I may start seeds inside and transplant them in mid-October to my garden. I am excited that you can cut off some of the heads and it will continue to produce. Talk about the plant that keeps on giving!

Lettuce- I have always wanted to grow lettuce. I have seen some beautiful lettuce leaves that rival that of any ornamental bush or flower. I want to try staggered planting, and a few different kinds. For a typical leaf lettuce, I will plant the "tango" variety. It's a deep green and the leaves are crinkly. For a splash of color, I want to try the romaine "cimmaron" variety. It's an old variety (18th century) and a strikingly bright red color. They both are pretty hardy to frosts (not that we get a lot of frost down here, but where I am, we have been known to go below 32* about 8 times a season).

Peas- There are quite a few varieties of peas that can be grown in Florida. I am leaning towards "wando" and "oregon sugar pod II". Both are high yeilding, compact and heat resistant. I may plant them early September to maximize the growth time.

Garlic- This is the one that I do not have access to. I do not want to plant a bulb from the store, since I have no idea what kind of chemicals or other processes have been done to it. But I do not know who sells heirloom garlic bulbs. They need as much time in a cool ground as possible, so I was going to plant them in late October. They get mature when the ground warms up, so I would have garlic heads next May. Does anyone know where I can find heirloom garlic bulbs?

So, I will place my order with Baker Creek soon enough, and wait for the heat to wane as I prepare to put all the knowledge I have gained in my first year of gardening to good use  :)

Green stuff for next to nothing

Since I will not be gardening much the next few months, I may be posting more things related to outdoors in general, or how to be greener in life. I was doing a search about trees and stumbled upon www.arborday.org. They have wonderful resources to get your children involved outdoors, a huge database where you can search for trees, and a pretty reasonable membership.

The membership is what interested me, so I clicked the link. You can join for 6 months ($10) or one year ($15). When you join, your are subscribed to a bimonthly newsletter called Arbor Day. Also, you recieve a book called The Tree Book, and get up to 60% off any order through them. The best part is, you get to choose to plant 10 trees in a forest in your name, or they will send you 10 trees for free! I choose the 10 free trees. You enter in your zip code and it gives you a few options of trees that grow well in your area. I could pick 10 bald cypresses, 10 live oaks, or 5 myrtles. I picked 5 myrtles. I can't wait- my myrtle I planted last year is well over 7 feet tall, and gave me beautiful baby pink flowers last year. I want to plant them along the border of my yard. They should arrive soon, along with my newsletter and tree book!

New apple tree

My biggest purchase from last weekend's Saturday Morning Market adventure was a fruit tree. More specifically an Ein Shemer apple tree. Most apple trees need another apple tree planted by it to pollinate it and help it produce fruit, but this one is self pollinating. Also, most apple trees grow best up north because they need 250-300 chill hours. Chill hours are the amount of time a tree needs temperature to be 45*F and below. This allows the leaves to go dormant. Obviously we do not get a lot of chill hours in west central Florida, especially where I live along the coast. This particular apple tree needs 100 chill hours, which is perfect for Florida.

I purchased it from Debra, the owner of The Edible Plant Store, at the Saturday Morning Market. She has a wide variety of plants suitable for zones 8-9, including herbs, fig trees, olive vines, pomegranate trees and banana trees. Her website is http://www.edibleplantstore.com/index.html, and she will deliver or you can pick it up at the market. She is very knowledgeable and has a large variety of plants, even more than her website lists.

We just planted the tree in my front yard today. It gets full sun from 9am until about 7pm during the summer time. It is about four feet tall now. Debra said it should produce blossoms next spring and some fruit next June. i can't wait to smell apple blossoms! And, in a few years I will have some actual shade in my front yard!

Here is a picture of the tree:

We made a little reservoir around it so when we water it, it will want to retain water into the root system. Here is a close up of a leaf:

I Think it looks kind of neat! I am used to my magnolia tree's leaves, which are waxy on top and very hardy. These seem delicate. And it is deciduous, so the leaves will turn colors in the fall!! A little bit of season in my yard :) Overall, I am very excited!

Review: Saturday Morning Market

So my family has decided to try to be healthier and greener with the way we live. Planting a garden was one way we tried to combine both of those ideas. What better way to eat right and save the Earth then getting your food from your own backyard? This season it worked well. But alas, summer time in Florida is when most crops come to an end. Wanting to stay local, we decided to give the Saturday Morning Market in St. Pete a try. We loaded up our wagon with plenty of cloth bags and set out at 8:30.

When we got there, we were pleasantly surprised to see plenty of shade trees. Apparently this is the smaller summer home of the market. They had all kinds of vendors selling everything, from artisan bread to pottery to herbs and trees. We ended up with bananas, pineapples, strawberries, a loaf of tomato basil bread and two frangipani (plumeria) sprouts. The vendors were super friendly and helpful, and there was even a man playing a guitar up and down the rows for entertainment.

I can't wait to go back again! Judging from their list of vendors on their website, it looks like it is pretty scaled down during the summer months. I look forward to going back in the fall when the weather is cooler and there are many more vendors.

Local happenings

For all my local friends, I am excited that I will finally be going to the Saturday Morning Market in St Petersburg this weekend! It's a local farmer's market, and has a new summer location and hours. I will report back on it for you afterward :)

Also, this weekend only, the city of Gulfport is having their Gulfport Organic Landscaping days (GOLD) on Saturday from 1-4. From their facebook page:

"Learn how to grow food. Highly informative free seminars for beginners, key note speaker and displays relating to sustainable living... Meet local farmers and buy awesome organic produce and edible plants for your garden. Kids will enjoy cookies baked on site in our solar oven also story telling with live music. There is a super yummy vegan food at our community table... and much more.
Aiming for zero waste with this event. Bring your own eating utensils and bucket or bag to gather soil amendments."

 

 

I am hoping to make it to this wonderful event too! Come out and support your community!

Trees, and mythology

Ever feel drawn to a tree? Or always seek out to sit next to a certain tree? Who among us doesn't enjoy the feeling of walking amongst hundred year old trees? If so, you have been captivated by the allure of trees. Our facination with them goes back to the ancient Celtics.

Way back when the ancient Celtics lived, not much was known about science. They lived a wholly pagan life, relying on the Earth to provide food and shelter, and for predictable patterns of weather. They looked to their gods and goddesses for answers to life's mysteries. To them, a tree had it all: it provided shelter from the elements, wood for a fire and tools, fruit for food, and bark for clothing. Indeed these beautiful giants seemed to span into another plane of existence. The roots traveled down into the Earth where only the dead were presumed to roam, and it reached high up into the sky, scraping the homes of their gods and goddesses. It truly united the heavens and Earth, making trees spiritually significant and highly worshiped. They believed that trees were sacred, and many rituals were done around trees.

Each area on Earth has trees that are native and special to that area. It has adapted to the local environment and worked to help shape the landscape. They also work to clean up the pollution out of our air, and provide fresh oxygen for us to breath. Have you ever tried to cut down a tree? Their roots run deep, and it isn't easy to clear out that much age old growth. They still provide us shelter, wood for tools and fire, fruit and beautiful flowers.

So next time you find yourself next to a tree, go ahead and touch it. Feel the texture of the bark under your skin, feel the surface of the leaves, look at the patterns the leaves are arranged in. But most of all close your eyes and feel the energy coming from that tree. It's seen a lot, and endured a lot, and you could learn a lot by stopping and listening.