Planning the 2010 Garden

I am fortunate to still have my dad alive and healthy. Every year, with the exception of 2009, when heart surgery kept him from it, he has planted a vegetable garden. I too, it seems, have inherited the green gene and usually plant a small garden at my home here in the city. We don't have a lot of sunny space, but in the spring and summer months I squeeze tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers amongst the shrubs wherever I can find room for them.

Like my father, I can hardly pass up the opportunity to pick up strange and unusual seeds I notice while on vacation and bring them home to plant. Every year I grow flowers from seed, and have a raised bed which yields fresh cut flowers during the summer months. All this means that I have just about exhausted my available real estate, and another plant would probably have the neighborhood association writing me one of those nasty letters.

This year, I am looking forward to helping my dad with his garden, while hijacking a little corner for my own. He knows a lot about traditional farming and I am practicing organic methods. We have always been very close regarding our interests, yet maintain just enough differences in opinions not to bore one another. I anticipate many wonderful conversations this spring as he shares wisdom from his fountain of knowledge while we work together.

My mother, knows just about everything there is to know about canning. Growing up, there were some lean years in the family budget and if not for her industry I don't know what we would have eaten- certainly not the awesome veggies that found their way to our table every night. To this day, one of my favorite things to eat is some sort of cow pea, with mashed potatoes, biscuits and corn. Fried country ham is good with it too, but not all that necessary.

Being February, it's time to order the seeds. I actually have some tomato and pepper seed from last years bounty, but since I will have considerably more space this year I'm expanding my horizons. Some things, like those cow peas will probably always have a reserved spot, but I have also become aware of my need to grow as much heirloom varieties as possible for two reasons; as commercial farming continues to push out the little guy, many of these varieties are in danger of being lost forever, and secondly, that question keeps popping up about what we would do if we couldn't order seed for next years harvest because of any number of possible or unfortunate reasons. This is the reason, for the most part, that I am shying away from hybrid varieties and genetic modified seed. I guess the other part is that it bothers me that a very small hand full of corporations hold the patents to the much of the available seed.

I'm sure there are other excellent and reputable suppliers out there, but this year, after much research I chose three suppliers to order from. Seed Savers Exchange, Park Seed and Territorial Seed. Hopefully, if I order anything next year it will be something I didn't order this year, as between them almost everything I'm growing can supply next years need by collecting a small amount of the harvest and saving the seed.

Just another small step on the journey.