My Spring Seed Order and Plans for My Zone 7b Garden

I’m sharing my spring seed order and plans for my zone 7b garden. What I chose, some interesting varieties and what my plans are for them… I hope you’ll get some inspiration to get your hands dirty and grow something beautiful this year!

Ready for Gardening Season!

I am so ready to get some seeds going! It is the end of February and here in the mountains of North Carolina (zone 7b), the weather teases us, going back and forth between mild days and winter days.

Last summer was the first year since I got married 10 years ago, that I didn’t plant a garden of some sort. I had #2 baby the fall before and I just couldn’t manage it! It was totally fine, and at the time it was a relief, but now that it has been so long since I saw my little garden laden with blooms and good smelling herbs and such, I am frantic to get back to it!

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WHERE DO I LIKE TO GET SEEDS?

In years past, I have gotten seeds from many sources. I always try to get heirloom or open-pollinated, organic/non-GMO varieties and support smaller scale seed companies.

This year, I have chosen two such companies to order my seeds through. I have never ordered from either of them before, so it will be a new experience.

SOW TRUE SEED –

For the bulk of my veggie and herb seeds, I have chosen to go with a local place, here in the mountain of western North Carolina, called Sow True Seed.

Here are the varieties I chose from Sow True Seed:

Maxibel Haricot Vert Bush Bean

I decided to go with a bush bean this year. In the past when I’ve grown them, they’ve always been very easy and productive. I won’t have to trellis them up, and fight with the beetles that descend. Bush beans produce all of their fruit all at one time as opposed to staggered picking through the growing season. I plan to succession plant these in one of my raised beds, tearing them out after they have produced.

Lemon Cucumber

This is a darling little variety of cuke that I have grown may times in the past, but it’s been a few years. It produces little globe shaped cucumbers, with a yellow color. They are crisp and delicious! They do well in pots, too!

Mammoth Melting Sugar Snow Pea

I mean, how can you go wrong with that name?? Snow peas are one of the first things you can plant around here in the very early spring and there is nothing like a mess of them sautéed up with butter. Oh. My. Goodness.

Easter Egg Mix Radish

I love growing radishes. I can’t grow carrots for the absolute life of me… That’s a story for another day I guess… But I love radishes! They always do well for me and there is something so satisfying about seeing the beautiful little guys peeking out from the soil like little jewels! This mix will be fun, I’ve never grown a white radish before!

Early Prolific Straight Neck Summer Squash

I always love to cook homegrown yellow squash for meals in the summer! Such a delicacy with thin sliced, sautéed onions… Yum! this is a new variety I’m going to try this season. They website had an interesting recommendation that I would like to give a try. We live in a very wet climate that is given to many irritating varieties of pests. Squash plants always seem to struggle here as the season goes on, with mildew and squash bores. They suggested to do a succession planting of these, pulling out the older ones before they have a chance to get infested and diseased! I like that idea and I want to see if I have success with it!

Mountain Princess Tomato

I is hard for me to choose a tomato, they are one of my favorite things that comes out of the garden. I always enjoy owing over the options. But this is my choice this year, for a big slicing tomato. I couldn’t pass up the Mountain Princess for heaven’s sake!

Lovage

Lovage is a deliciously unusual herb that a gardening friend introduced me to. She made the most mouth-watering pesto with it and I have waited to grow a big bunch ever since.

Roman Chamomile

I’m excited to try this as a ground cover. Apparently Roman Chamomile is a perennial and German Chamomile is annual. They say “This evergreen forms a thick, 6″ steppable mat of sweetly scented, finely cut, bright green leaves with delicate yellow flowers.” I mean, that sound pretty lovely, right?

FLORET –

As far as my flower seeds go, I have ordered a nice variety from this company that I have looooong admired greatly! I’m excited to try the new-to-me varieties. Floret is a small-scale (but incredibly productive) flower farm in the pacific northwest US. Erin has long been on my radar, having read an article in a magazine years ago about her flower farm and going gaga over the glorious fields of flowers and her way of making the ordinary, beautiful. She has many resources available now, including a blog and website, seeds, bulbs, a lovely book and much more. I might have a little bit of a crush on her farm. Like a big one.

Here is what I ordered from Floret:

Earl Grey Larkspur

Larkspur is a flower that I’ve never grown before. It is a tall, spiky specimen with many small blossoms.This variety is a dusky blue. It can be dried and is cold tolerant. I’m imagining bundles of dried larkspur in vases next winter!

Amaranth Coral Fountain

These are real show stoppers, cascading in ropes of soft, dusty pink. I need to learn more about this edible species! How I imagine them to be draping over the edge of a bouquet…

Tomato Currant Red

Oh. My. Gracious. You have to go look at these. They are the cutest  things ever. Tasty eating, plus a charming and unexpected addition to an arrangement as well!

Poor Man’s Orchid Angel’s Wings Mix

Here is another beauty, in tones of  violet, candy-pink, rose and apple blossom.  It is supposed to be self-cleaning, never looking tired by shedding its own spent blooms. Extremely easy to grow is the claim!

Purity Cosmos

I love to grow cosmos. They are one of the easiest to grow, and most prolific bloomers! This year I have picked out this stunning pure white variety from Floret. I think it will look so gorgeous in the garden… And the bees love these! The more cutting you do, the more blooming they do! I have learned that these don’t stay long in a vase, just a couple of days, but I read on the website that if you pick a big stem of blooms and buds, you can get continual blooming in your vase for bit. I will be trying that!

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME…

Do you ever choose a variety for your garden based solely on the name? Or is that just me. Teehee! Sometimes the name of a variety is just so good, I can’t pass it up! I have a flash vision of me strolling through my little garden saying, “why, yes! Aren’t they lovely?! This variety is called the Earl Grey Larkspur, and that over there is the Maxibel Haricot Vert!” Heehee! Raise your hand in the comments if you’ve had such a silly and fun daydream!

SEED STARTING INDOORS… HOW DO I DO THAT?

I have been starting seeds inside for about 8 years now, and have picked up a few tricks. It’s always a learning process and rarely goes perfectly, but in my post Starting Seeds Indoors with Grow Lights, I shared my best tricks. There is one important thing you MUST do to have a happy little plant, and that is use a grow light. Setting your seeds near a window  is usually not going to cut it.

OUR GARDEN PLANS FOR THE YEAR

Last summer I didn’t grow anything in my raised bed garden. I chose to take a year off, feeling overwhelmed at the thought of tackling it with our new baby that joined us the fall before. I am happy that I did take that break, but since it has now been quite a long spell since I grew something yummy to eat, I am itching to get back to it!

We have some pretty exciting plans for this year.

• All my raised beds need to be replaced, and I think we are going to rearrange the garden a bit in that process.

I have 5 wooden raised beds that are between 6 and 7 years old, that finally fell apart this winter. We are planning to follow an idea from Rocky Hedge Farm’s blog post Raised Vegetable Garden Beds Made From Cedar, and build simple, cedar fence picket boxes this spring. They should be fairly easy to build and inexpensive, plus the cedar should resist rot better than other lumber would.

• We plan to finish assembling a lovely little greenhouse that a good friend and neighbor gave us a couple years ago!

It’s a small, domed hoop house with plastic cover and a metal frame. I have never grown anything in a greenhouse before, but my mom has one and I’m sure she will be able to give me her green-housey wisdom to help me get started!

• And lastly, we are finally taking the plunge into chicken raising!

We have talked about chickens since we moved into this place 7 years ago and the time has come! We are working on coop and run plans, breed varieties, how many and what we will feed them. All the chicken things! If you are a chicken person, I would love for you to drop me a tip in the comments, please!

 

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Thank you for stopping by today! I hope you were inspired to plant something! Let me know what you plan on for your garden this year and if you are trying any new varieties!

Always Dig the Good Life!

Love,