Very exciting week! My autumn seed order arrived! I always feel so giddy when I get that big yellow bubble envelope rattling with seed packets inside. I like to spread them all out and admire them for a couple of days before I put them away. Anyone else with me here??
These are all new heirloom varieties that I’m trying for the first time… Parisienne carrot, Cylindra (Formanova) beet, Long Black Spanish radish, Giant of Sicily radish, Jaune D’Or Ovale radish, Tall Telephone garden pea, Mammoth Red Rock cabbage, Rapini broccoli, Carentan leek, Half Long Guernsey parsnip, and Asian Winged bean are among the packets I received.
I’m also going to sow seeds for my three winter squash (Guatemalan Blue, Galeux d’Eysines, and Butternut Rogosa Violina Gioia), even though they were supposed to be seeded in the spring for a fall harvest. But I have a feeling I can get them to grow through the rest of our summer and our usually warm fall for a winter harvest.
I also ordered a few varieties of Russian and cool-weather tomatoes (Principe Borghese, Japanese Black Trifele, Golden King of Siberia, and Emerald Apple) and White Wonder cucumber to try growing through our (hopefully) mild winter. Of course, now that I’ve said that, Los Angeles will probably see its rainiest, foggiest and coldest winter on record for 2011-2012.
What will you be growing this upcoming season?
You have completely renewed my enthusiasm for fall planting with this post. I went out and got leek, beet, and radish seeds and a couple transplants.
Yay! In just a couple short months, you’ll be psyched with all your new fall crops! And I have to say that of all my seeds, I really enjoy sowing my radish the most… I tend to be fairly impatient, and my radish are ready to pull just three weeks later. It’s so gratifying.