Saturday Gardening

[pictures above are from last year's patio garden; squash & cukes above, a yellow cucumber flower below]

I love watching plants grow, especially edible plants.  The seedlings come out, the first "true leaves" emerge, the pretty flowers bloom, bees and other pollinators visit, fruit/veg start to emerge where the flowers used to be; truly an amazing thing!

In my opinion, the best place to get seeds is Seed Savers Exchange.  Even though other seed places might offer "organic" or "heirloom" varieties, there's usually no way to know if they're actually that great.  Some places even sell Monsanto seeds without labeling them as such on the packet.

Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit member-supported organization committed to keeping America's garden heritage alive.  Their seeds might be a bit more expensive than what you can find at the big-box garden centers, but trust me, they're worth it.  The seeds sprout vigorously and the end product (veg/herbs) is always top-notch.

This year I hope to grow the following on my balcony, all in containers:

Hungarian hot peppers
Small red bell peppers
Large orange bell peppers

John Baer tomatoes
Riesentraube grape tomatoes

Double yield cucumbers (pickle size)
Parisian pickling cucumbers (a.k.a. gherkin)

Black beauty zucchini

Golden zucchini

Red globe radish (spring/fall)

Purple plum radish (all season)

Strawberry spinach
Bloomsdale spinach

Raspberry
Strawberry

Basil
Rosemary
Dill
Thyme
St. John's Wort
Parsley

Here are some pictures of my plant babies so far:

Parisian Gherkin (left) & Double Yield Cucumber (right)

Riesentraube Grape Tomatoes

John Baer Tomatoes

Black Beauty Zucchini (top) & Golden Zucchini (bottom)

Radish sprouting!

Bloomsdale & Strawberry Spinach

(kind of hard to see; the small green spots are the sprouts)

I'll keep posting the garden's progress on this blog.  Here's to hoping for a productive growing season!