Baker Creek Seed Order 2014

 

 

I finally placed my order to Baker Creek Seed. Their are some old favorites on the order, but most are things I've never grown before. After all that's what makes gardening fun, their is always something new to try.

 

 

Description Qty Price Total Purple Peacock Broccoli Item No: BR107   1 $2.50 $2.50 Batavian Full Heart Endive Item No: EE101   1 $1.50 $1.50 Riccia Cuor D'Oro Endive Item No: EE107   1 $2.00 $2.00 Red Wonder Wild Strawberry Item No: GR110   1 $2.50 $2.50 Yellow Wonder Wild Strawberry Item No: GR122   1 $2.50 $2.50 Serpente di Sicilia Edible Gourd Item No: ED102   1 $2.50 $2.50 Red Orach Item No: OG103   1 $2.00 $2.00 Butter King Lettuce Item No: LT154   1 $2.25 $2.25 Gentilina Lettuce Item No: LT130   1 $2.00 $2.00 Albino Bullnose Pepper Item No: PP105   1 $2.00 $2.00 Charleston Belle Pepper Item No: PP133   1 $2.50 $2.50 Bellvue Mixed Abutilon Item No: FL904   1 $2.25 $2.25 Red Skin Mix Dahlia Item No: FL302   1 $2.50 $2.50 Chabaud Picotee Fantasy Mix - Carnation Item No: FL327   1 $2.75 $2.75 Mary Helen Marigold Item No: FL467   1 $2.25 $2.25 Spun Orange Marigold Item No: FL920   1 $2.50 $2.50 Bright Jewels Cactus Flowered - Zinnia Item No: FL807   1 $2.50 $2.50 Redman Super Cactus Zinnia Item No: FL820   1 $2.50 $2.50 Lime Green - Nicotiana Item No: FL521   1 $2.50 $2.50 Fig-Leafed Hollyhock Item No: FL428   1 $2.25 $2.25

Order Total Merchandise Subtotal $46.25 Shipping $3.50 Tax $0.00 Total $49.75 Used Certificate Amount $49.75 Charged Amount $0.

 

 

 

I'm going to try broccoli for the first time and thought this one would be great since red and purple attract far less cabbage worms. 'Serpente di Sicilia Edible Gourd' also known as Cucuzzi is something I haven't eaten since we would visit my grandparents in Brooklyn. They were commonly grown in the tiny back yards. Red orach should look great in the ornamental borders and supply spinach like leaves well into the summer. 'Butter King' lettuce is supposed to be very heat resistant. 'Charleston Belle' peppers are nematode resistant. The wild strawberries should be fun to grow. Fig leafed hollyhocks are supposed to be rust resistant. Finally think how great those green nicotiana will look with green 'Envy' zinnia's.

 

Despite the warnings of more snow, I know that spring can't be that far away!



The Gift of Indecision

 

One of the last things that I need right now are more seeds.

Due to my very limited gardening last year, I still have plenty. So... what does my sister get for my birthday earlier this month? A $50.00 gift card to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

 

I have been poring over their catalog and website for the past two weeks. If I'm going to place an order, and you KNOW I will, it should be placed very soon. Don't get me wrong, they have a lot of stuff it would be interesting to grow. My tastes have been changing. I've gone from wanted to grow heirlooms and older varieties, to falling for the newest thing.

 

I NEED to have the latest petunia 'African Sunset'. It is the first true orange petunia.

Petunia 'African Sunset". Photo from All-America Selections.

 

I'd also love to get my hands on the newest filet bean 'Mascotte'.

Filet Bean 'Mascotte'. Photo from All-America Selections.

There are number of other cutting edge varieties that are at the top of my want list. I should wait and see how actually grow. Heirlooms at least have along history and their attributes and faults are well documented. Then there is the price. I am going to have to pay for newness and novelty. The petunia averages around $4.95 for ten seeds and the bean $3.95 for 100 seeds. Then we have my "thriftiness", yes folks I've become VERY cheap since the great recession.

 

Case in point-

Last year I purchased several of the mew colors of sweet alyssum.

'Aphrodite Lemon', 'Aphrodite Salmon', 'Aphrodite Wine Red", 'Wonderland Cotton Candy' and 'Aphrodite Apricot'. I also purchased seeds of my old favorites, 'Carpet of Snow', 'Rosie O'Day' and 'Royal Carpet'. I was disappointed with the new varieties. They did not spread well and the colors were only really noticeable in the late fall when it got very cool. The older varieties spread as expected and the colors were vivid. Hmn... I spent over ten dollars for the new, and less than three dollars for the old.

 

If I were to spend the same amount on the newest I'd be getting less than ten packs of seeds. I've already modeled several Baker Creek orders and for $50.00, which includes shipping, I can get at least twenty packs of seeds. My head tells me what I should do. My greedy heart tells me otherwise.

 

Thank goodness she didn't give me two gift cards!

 



Testing the Waters

 

 

Just so you can see I wasn't completely idle in 2013.

I did grow some flowers around the pool and along the front walk.

I only have about a hundred pictures from last year as opposed to the over a thousand I've taken in previous years.

 

I'll be posting some of the pictures in the coming days. This should be a good way get used to using blogger again.

 

'Bon Bon' zinnia close up. Seed from Baker Creek.

Another close up of another shade from the 'Bon Bon' zinnias.

An overview of the pots surrounding the pool.

Has it Really Been a Year?

For those of you who had been following my blog I do have to apologize. I did not plan to stop blogging. Life had other ideas though...

 

My computer died in last January. Going from my ancient machine to a top of the line new model was an extreme adjustment. I'm still not really sure how to use Windows 8. My job became much more demanding which did leave to a promotion, but also a LOT more stress. I really did not do much gardening just planted some flowers and some greens and herbs in pots.

 

Things on the Mountain have finally started to go back to normal. This passed week I have been catching on my favorite blogs. A post from Grannie of Annie's Kitchen Garden fame made me decide to reactivate my Blogger account.

 

I have really don't need to by any seeds this year as most of last years never got planted.

 

I guess I'm back!