Comments on: Planting a Small Seed

By: Poppy Barach

Poppy Barach — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 07:08:27 +0000

Lorene, thanks for your enthusiasm, I completely understand and share your excitement. Gardening in the NW can be very rewarding.

By: Lorene

Lorene — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:28:29 +0000

Yes, yes, yes! It’s all about seeds, dreaming, plotting and planning. Even with our crazy apocalyptic winter weather (I’m in West Seattle) I still have mache, kale and mustard in the garden that came through our 2 1/2 weeks of snowcover. After 18 years in professional Horticulture – a friend used to call is Haughty-culture – nothing gets me going like watching veggies grow…ok, the snowdrops are starting to bloom this week and that’s pretty exciting as well. I still have within me, and never want to lose, that little kid with the dixi cup and a bean.

By: Audrey

Audrey — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:18:50 +0000

It’s funny to be mid-January and feel behind on the garden! Good reminder to use a sleepy weekend to think about this year’s edibles. As for my basics, I’ve had good luck with greens of all sorts, from salad greens to kale and spinach, even in semi-shady spots, and beans in the height of summer.

By: Poppy Barach

Poppy Barach — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:48:27 +0000

Bob,
Thanks for the update on your garden after all the cold, wind & snow. I had no idea that fava beans were that hardy. Good to know!

By: Bob Weeks

Bob Weeks — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:35:47 +0000

Poppy,
I hope you inspire people to plant a few seeds. Its quite easy. The Maritime Garden Guide that you mentioned is an excellent guide based on our west of the Cascades climate. I followed your link to the Tilth site, and they offer basic garden classes, including one-hour ones at the Tilth plant sale May 2nd.

Mangochild, we are eating kale this evening, it has survived a freeze, several frosts, and a few windstorms which have done the most damage. A few heads of lettuce are still alive, which I have thrown a blanket over on the cold nights, and left on during cold days. The chard leaves wilted but new ones are emerging, and the fava beans as cover crop were more damaged by the wind than snow or cold, but most are still alive, and about 6″ tall now. Our broccoli was killed by the cold.
Bob

By: Krista Anderson

Krista Anderson — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:51:40 +0000

We got seeds last year at the Seattle Tilth seed swap potluck. They were free with a contribution to the potluck. hopefully they will hold one this year as well.

By: Poppy Barach

Poppy Barach — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:29:22 +0000

Mangochild, Yes, we usually can have kale throughout the winter. This year has been very cold & snowy here but kale it is still available at the Farmers Market.

By: Mangochild

Mangochild — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:32:05 +0000

Great info, I enjoyed learning about what gardeners in the northwest have to look forward to in the spring. Lettuces and other greens are always such a hopeful thing early in the season for the summer that is to come. Can you do a fall planting of kale there? We have a second season of that planted in early fall for greens possibly through December….