Seed Catalogs and Purchases

I'm such a hopeful person. I really truly believe we'll have our property (whether the one we've offered on and are waiting for a response about) or another one, by Spring. No matter, we'll be at a place where we have room for 6 (or 7, or 8) "pasture" areas, an herb garden, vegetable raised beds, strawberry tower, and fruit/nut trees and brambles.

We couldn't have much of a garden last year because our house was on the market. The year before that, however, we went nutso. We'd never really gardened, and I got all kinds of seeds. I had no clue what I was doing, but I read everything I could get my hands on. I got my seedlings mixed up, and some plants crossbred, but I comfortably fed my family on what we grew for quite a few months. We still have some tomatoes and soybeans in our freezer from that Summer (2008).

So... yes, I've already bought SOME of my seeds. (Hanging head in mock shame.) I love pouring through seed catalogs and deciding what will best meet our needs. I'm a picky eater, as is the Kid, and we don't care for cooked vegetables, so nearly everything we grow is either eaten fresh-just-picked, dehydrated to be "hidden" later, or stored for winter eating. Back to the seeds... last time I waited too long, and some of the herbs and the corn I chose were out of stock. So I'm already pretty much done for this year. I still need to find seed for quinoa and oats, and for the pasture/green manure with timothy hay and alfalfa.

I have too many seeds to actually type the list here. Suffice it to say that I have seeds to grow: tomatoes, carrots, onions, greens, beans, radish, peppers (bell and hot), squash (winter, summer and pumpkins), loofa and other gourds, cucumbers, melons and lots of herbs. And others! I have the corn I want (black aztec which is good both for sweet, and once it's dried, cornmeal and feedstock). I have rutabagas and turnips, which I hate but are good for feeding goaties. I have lots of different winter squash (I'll grow all kinds this year to see which 3 (one from each family) we will grow heirloom the next year. Also included are lots of those little pumpkins, which are also good for goaties.

Waiting. I hate it. I'm waiting to see if we get our 2.05 acres with the huge house. I'm waiting to order the fruit and nut trees and brambles, and the grape vines, blueberry bushes, strawberries, etc. Waiting to find supplier of the pasture seed. Waiting to build the mini-barn and chicken coop/tractor. Waiting to contact the Nigerian Dwarf goat breeder I found near here. Waiting to order the baby Americana chicks (they lay the blue and green eggs). Waiting build an additional hutch and to find a mate for our Ruby-Eyed French Angora Rabbit. Waiting to build the aviary for the 50-quail that we still need to order. Waiting to go to the humane society to find a tiny yippy dog and big guard dog. Waiting to rototill the "pasture" land then fence it off into 6 sections (for rotating which I'll discuss in another post).

I hate waiting.