Jersey Permies! It's almost planting time

What are you starting now, what are you planning on growing this growing season?

I found a long forgotten stash the other day, with seeds that are literally twenty years old. I figure what the heck, and will be planting them and seeign what happens. Bunch of tomato varieties, bunch of pepper varieties, cabbage, lettuce, some herbs, peas and beans. Worst thing, none of them germinate. Best thing, a bunch of them do. Really nothing lost in trying.

And then there's the stuff I actually went after for this year, and more to come - lupines, echinacea, swiss chard, peas. We're going to go for more "Mortgage Lifter" tomatoes, they were quite successful last year. Radish seed from last year's crop, various squash and pumpkin varieties, last year's watermelon gave us some seed we'll be planting again.

Planning on hijacking some bamboo from a clump near a defunct Japanese restaurant, looking for comfrey seeds.

Have Jerusalem artichoke in the ground already, and garlic that went in last fall, more garlic to go in in the next week or so. Sweet potatoes are in water hoping to get slips started. Regular potatoes will be going in.

Have pawpaw seeds coming from one of our Permies compadres.

I am thoroughly tired of this white stuff on the ground and ready to get to growing things!!!

Peter Ellis wrote:... looking for comfrey seeds.

Easier from roots.

I'm going to try for lots of cucumbers this year. Everyone in my family loves them and last year was a bust on the cuke front.

Cj Verde wrote:

Peter Ellis wrote:... looking for comfrey seeds.

Easier from roots.

CJ, I want seed, because I want to avoid the clone variant. I want symphytum officinale, not Bocking 14/Russian Comfrey.

Guess the other Jersey permies are too busy planting to read their computers

I have a few seeds started indoors. I'm hoping for nice broccoli crop this spring, I always seem to start them to late. This weekend I will probably direct seed carrots, lettuce, peas, and whatever else I can find in the basement that can tolerate the cold.
I am also going to try to do some blueberry and grape vine cuttings at some point this spring. I also want to get some sea buckthorn trees going this year. But I have to do some more research on if they can be grown from seed and/or other propagation methods for them.
Anyone else growing any interesting trees/plants/vines/perennials? I am always looking to try something new. I would be up for a cutting/seed exchange.

Out in the rain today getting stuff in the ground. Spring garlic just went in, fall garlic is looking pretty good. Swiss hard, Amsterdam forcing carrots, Brussels sprouts, beets, peas.
We are due for steady rain through tomorrow, rained a fair bit yesterday and forecast is for 62 and sun by Tuesday. Seemed like a good time to get some things in.
Have more peas I want to put in either today or tomorrow. Right now feeling like a well chilled half drowned rat, so maybe tomorrow.

Also put Lupines, a raspberry and a trumpet vine in today.

Our little yarrow patch is pushing up through its leaf mulch, a crocus or two have appeared and our tiny Japanese rock iris are blooming. Looks like the daffodils have sprouted too. All rumors to the contrary, I think we are beginning to have Spring!

Moved my chickens today, putting them to work tearing up the leaf mulch on one of the garden beds. We will be moving them though the beds for the next few weeks, preparing for planting. Sieved a bunch of the soil from their old run and put that into seedling flats for getting things started. Tomorrow I will be planting a few hundred of this and that. Thinking I will probably focus on tomatoes and hot peppers for this batch.

Wow, you have a lot going on Peter. How did your garlic make it thru the winter? Mine doesn't look the greatest, but I guess I will know for sure in the next few weeks.
I planted some pumpkins directly into a patch where my chickens worked over pretty heavy 2 winters ago. Ended up with some huge pumpkins, no chemical can match that chicken manure! What type of tomatoes are you planting? I just started some tomato seeds inside: Carbon, Cherokee Purple, Hartman's yellow gooseberry, and Jersey giant (couldn't resist the name). I will also be trying some gherkin cucumber this year, which I have heard people called a cucca-melon in the past. I think it is supposed to be the size of a large grape and eatable straight off the vine. I have never grown them before so if anyone has experience with them let me know. I am always open to some helpful tips.

My garlic over wintered well. Some tips got frost bitten after the snow melted and we had some more teen temperatures, but it looks like all that is being fixed bby energetic growth now.

I have a crazy variety of tomatoes, but no assurance they will even sprout, as they are 20 years old or so. Two white varieties are the really interesting ones.

More coming in, mortgage lifter (liked them last year) I think one called Amish paste.

Black Aztec corn, another lost and found seed pack almost 20 years old. Again, have to give them a try.

We have another 100 dollar seed order coming in. On a 1/4 acre suburban lot, we are talking A LOT of seeds

Fun and exciting, so much to do, so much to try, and hopefully so much to eat and figure out how to store!.

Note to self - solar dehydrator!