Wednesday, January 30, 2008

URBAN OH ATE!

Wednesday night, the girl Carrots met at Sweet for dinner and our first official 08 planning session. Many exciting discoveries were made, including but not limited to "Decorate your Own Martini Glass" night, Pig Candy, and this intriguing tangy tomato sauce called 'Ketchup'. Or, as it is sometimes more enigmatically spelled, 'Catsup'.

Also, some important decisions were made. We each prepared and compiled a list of must-haves for the coming seasons.

Starting and focusing on early plants-- things we can purchase, plant, or start anytime in the next few weeks-- here are the most likely candidates for our cool Spring garden.
  • lettuce mix (possibly Mesclun, Arugula, and Spinach)
  • cabbage
  • carrots
  • radishes (breakfast? varieties from Seeds of Change)
  • peas
  • beets
  • potatoes (possibly a whole bed-full)
  • brussell sprouts
  • snow peas or sugar snaps
  • garlic
  • 'zipper cream' peas

We have not finalized our warmer-weather harvest, but it will most likely include the following plants.
  • peppers (chili, thai hot, jalopeno, poblano, bell-- some varieties from Seeds of Change, some from local sources)
  • green beans
  • tomatoes (several varieties including Caspian Pinks (?), Arkansas Traveler, Brandywines, cherry tomatoes, and possibly others from local sources)
  • okra (possibly a red variety)
  • strawberries (should get berries this year, as we started on these last summer)
  • cucumbers (salad variety and mini-pickling variety)
  • pumpkins (as last year- maybe the small variety)
  • zucchini squash
  • sweet corn (possibility)

We also plan to devote some space to an herb bed that includes the following tasty and medicinal herbs.
  • basil (mix from Seeds of Change)
  • borage
  • oregano
  • yarrow
  • french marigolds
  • nasturtiums (maybe-- I think they spread a lot...)
  • lemongrass (in tubs)
  • mint (in tubs)
  • pineapple sage (should return from last year)
  • lemon balm
  • thyme

Amanda brought up the idea of a cut flower bed. We all enthusiastically agreed that would be very nice.
  • zinnias
  • cosmos
  • sunflowers (pg 67 Seeds of Change)
  • hollyhocks


We also discussed the layout of our garden, which I will scan and post here in a couple of days.