BS: Mudcat Gardeners report - 2011

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat Gardeners report - 2011
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Sep 11 - 04:08 PM

Leaves are beginning to turn. Fall cleanup soon (Calgary).

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat Gardeners report - 2011
From: Janie
Date: 26 Sep 11 - 07:48 PM

Maggie,

Johnny's Selected Seeds has been my most preferred seed supplier for many years. Good product, good selection with many organic selections, great customer service, and their catalog provides just about all the information you might want regarding starting and cultivation as well as comparisons among varieties of their different attributes.

Johnny's caters to small market growers and home gardeners. In addition to veggie seeds, they have a very good selection of culinary and medicinal herb seeds as well as flower seeds (flower seeds are definitely tailored to small commercial cut flower and bedding plant growers.)

In addition to the above, their reviews of their gardening tools, aids, seed-starting equipment are good and honest. Some of the more common products such as assorted row covers are probably available at lower cost elsewhere, but I rarely bought without first reading what Johnny's had to say, and often paid their higher price as compensation for the good information.

Not sure a product is right for you? Call 'em up. Their CSR's are knowledgeable or will have some one who is get back to you, and they won't try to talk you into a product that isn't right for your needs.

Bet you can't tell what a fan I am, huh?


johnnyseeds.com

http://www.seedsofchange.com/ is an excellent company also. Their selection is more limited and their catalog is not nearly as informative. I don't think I have ever ordered from them, but have bought and planted their seeds for years from my local food coop. Their offerings are all, or nearly all, organic, open pollinated varieties.

Have always found the germination rates for both Johnny's and Seeds of Change to be excellent.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat Gardeners report - 2011
From: Janie
Date: 26 Sep 11 - 08:14 PM

In spite of having been completely ignored, unfertilized, unwatered and virtually decimated by cabbage loopers and cabbage whites earlier in the year, then nibbled by deer, my Red Russian kale has soaked up the rain and the more moderate temperatures of the past few weeks and regenerated itself nicely.

The single apricot mums are in bud. Autumn Joy sedum is blooming -but doesn't get enough sun so is a bit scraggly appearing.

I moved the Ginger lillies very early this spring, so am not surprised they didn't bloom. They are still looking for good homes if anyone is interested.

Question for Bobert or other hydrangea growers. I did cut back my smooth hydrangeas to 8-12 inches, but did it late - early to mid April, and the leaf buds were about half opened and 2-4 inches long. I got lots of new wood, slowly, but no flowers. Am I correct to assume that day length is a factor in production of flower buds, and the new branches did not have the opportunity to grow enough and develop flower buds before the days got too long (or too hot?)

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat Gardeners report - 2011
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Sep 11 - 09:20 PM

Isn't it nice to be talking about living gardens again? Even if they're in the "struggling back" stage, it's good to be out there in the dirt and compost.

Thanks for the recommendation, Janie. That's exactly the type of endorsement I was hoping for. I'm looking forward to putting this greenhouse to good use. It's small, it's plastic, but it's a big step up from how I've started plants before, if I didn't plant directly into the ground.

I went out the side door late this afternoon and my next door neighbor was in the garden picking okra. As I've invited -almost insisted- that she do when she wants. I'd picked around noon and thought I'd gotten most of it but she came up with another dozen a few hours later. We're both starting a bowl in the fridge, building up to big meals with fried okra. :) She sometimes comes home for lunch and will pick a bowl and take it in and boil it to go with her meal. When we know their grandkids are coming for the weekend we stockpile several days worth and it still vanishes before it has barely had time to cool (they have a lot of grandkids). And because I put in several more plants this year than last, we'll both end up with a sizable amount in our freezers for over the winter. Good gardens make good neighbors!

SRS