Time to order seeds
21January 17, 2016 by Buffy
I have been getting in loads of seed catalogs. I am working up a plan for this year’s garden. I’m wondering if any of my gardening friends have seed favorites to recommend? You know that one variety that taste amazing or produces unbelievably? I try to add a few new plants to the garden each year.
This is one of my favorites.
Summer Dance Cucumbers
We learned about Summer Dance Cucumbers when a friend gave us some seed to try. These are amazing. They are very easy to grow vertically on a trellis, which makes picking them a pleasure. They produce an amazing number of perfect 12 inch long straight cumcubers with very small seeds inside. They are great for slicing and eating fresh. I also slice them thin and make my favorite freezer pickles. These are a real treat of fresh, crisp, cucumber taste in the middle of winter. I can’t imagine not having these in my garden.
Something new in the garden
Rattle snake green beans (pole green beans)
I plan to add Rattle snake green beans to my garden this year. These were recommended to me by a gardening friend. She says they are the heaviest producing green beans she has ever grown. Last year was our first year to grow pole green beans and I will never go back to bush beans. Growing them vertically makes picking them a breeze. This rattle snake variety is suppose to be very heavy producers for the whole Summer. My friend picked green beans up until the frost in November. I can’t wait to see how these grow for me.
So, if you have a favorite seed variety you would like to share, please leave me a comment. I would love to know your favorites!
Mucking Moms 
Those cuke look amazing! I am a sucker for Spacemaster and japanese pickling cukes but i might have to track down some of those! Grow with love and laughter! xo Shenanigarden
You really should try them! I picked 26 cucumbers on the very first picking and they just keep going. Thanks for taking time to comment!
Cucumbers are the kind of plant that only yields well if you keep picking them! Happy Gardening!
I so love this post!! I’m hoping others will give tips on their favorites. I am going to try those cukes and beans this year! Thanks for the tip on them
Thanks! Do you have a favorite to share? You know that one thing you can’t imagine not be in your garden.
I’m pathetic when it comes to seeds. I always buy seeds when they are on sale and don’t have anything that truly stands out as some years some things are good and the next year it’s not. The brands I usually purchase are Burpee and Ferry-Morse seeds
I completely understand. I grab a lot of mine from our local coop too, the same brands as you. But their are some great varieties out there that out produce what they carry. Another one of my favorites is San Marzano tomatoes. They are a very heavy producer and make great canned tomatoes for sauce and salsa. They are the best canning tomatoes hands down! And they just keep producing.
Oh great thanks!! On my list now lol
See my comment on heirloom tomatoes:)
I try raising a different vegetable every year other than my normal list. Last year it was fennel and it did very well. Butterfiles LOVED it. This year I’m going to try raising Golden Beets. Regular beets grow well in our soil so hopefully the golden variety grows just as well! All organic for us here! Oh, and we love the San Marzano tomato too. I plant around 40 tomato plants of various varieties since we freeze a lot of roasted tomato sauce for winter use.
I’m dying to get in the garden and flower beds again !
I know me too. We had our first dusting of snow today so I guessI I’ll keep planning for awhile. Thanks for stopping by.
I spent part of yesterday finalizing our seed order. I’m ready to get back in the garden!
Maybe this year I’ll finally get around to trying pole beans. Our current favorite is a flat bush bean called Roma II. For cukes we used to grow Straight 8 but switched to General Lee last year and we were pleased with them. I’d never trellised cukes until last year.
We like to try some new things every year too. This year we’re going to experiment with Painted Serpent, an Armenian cucumber (that is actually a melon), a red-stemmed bok choy and kabocha winter squash.
Our favorite summer squash now is called Zephyr, which we get from Johnny’s. It’s an attractive green and yellow squash. Very tasty. I’ll stop there, cause if I kept going listing favorites I’d leave a very long comment. 🙂
Thanks Bill I was hoping you would share. Market farmers usually have some great recommendations. I love Zephyr squash too. It’s a heavy producer and they stay nice and tender. Thanks for visiting. Happy Gardening.
Last year we planted a heirloom purple basil, “Purple Opal,” and it was amazing! I know it will be planted in our garden every growing season from now on.
I may need to try that! Thanks for the tip!
Purple Basil makes the most beautiful infused vinegar. You should give it a try.
I have been advocating heirloom tomato varieties for years and years and love experimenting with a new one or two each year. Cherokee Purples, of course, have long been a favorite. Blondkopchen, a highly prolific yellow cherry, is another I highly recommend. I usually order seeds from Tomato Bob or TomatoFest (in Carmel). Both offer collections of heirloom varieties so the small hobby gardener can easily try new varieties.My seeds came this weekend so I will be starting them soon.
Thanks Debbie! I think I’ll give a couple heirloom tomato varieties a try. I’m placing my order this weekend with hopes of starting seeds soon too. Happy gardening!
I’ll have to try the summer dance cucumbers, they sound great! My husband’s uncle gave me some rattlesnake bean seeds so I’m trying them too this year. My favorite tomato varieties are Opalka for sauce and Golden Nugget and Manyel for yellow varieties. Happy seed ordering!
Thanks for stopping by! I’m very excited to try the rattle snake beans too. Glad to hear someone else is recommending them too.