Two topics - Shopping for seeds by catalog/online and Gardening Software

[Lisa0825]

OK, since this has been my first venture into gardening this summer, I have been weighing whether or not this is something I would keep up with, and I feel that my interest is definitely deepening rather than waning.

First topic:
I have seen many people talk about seed catalogs and ordering seeds online, and I would like to know more about this. From what I have looked at online so far, they don't give a lot of info on whether certain varieties will grow in your area, like you are supposed to know this already or research it yourself. But with the multitudes of varieties, this seems to be a humongous task. So my two-part quest is, what are your favorite seed sources for veggies, and what is the best way to go about ensuring one is buying the right seeds for the region? I am in a 9a hardiness zone on the Gulf Coast of Texas.

Second topic:
Is there any gardening software out there that will help one plan a garden, including details like best dates to plant different veggies, or even helping to choose varieties for your region, etc?

[hippywife]

1. Not sure about the software

but we've been ordering our seeds from Seeds of Change online. We are going to join the Seed Savers Exchange soon, tho, I think. Seeds of Change is now owned by Kraft Foods, IIRC.


http://www.seedsofchange.com/
http://www.seedsavers.org/

[Lisa0825]

2. So how do you know you are picking seeds for the right hardiness zone

or other aspects of the region? When I click on items there, it doesn't give me any info on if it will grow well in my region. So what I am struggling with is, how to choose the right seeds to grow here? Do I just have to select a bunch of varieties and then individually research them, or am I making it more complicated than it should be? I have just read a couple articles lately about things that don't grow well down here, so I am afraid to order a bunch of seeds and then have nothing to show for it. I was hoping I'd find some direction online, but I haven't found any yet. :shrug:

Thanks for the links. I will look further into them and see what they have to say.

[hippywife]

3. The paper catalogs

do tell you, if I remember correctly, but it doesn't seem to say online when I click a veggie variety. I would think in TX you wouldn't have to be concerned with too many things. Primarily we judge by which things are cool weather crops and which are warm weather and plant accordingly. For you and for us, a big concern is things getting too much sun right now...like my onion tops with really need some shade!

When I was reading Eliot Coleman's Four Season Harvest he seemed to be primarily concerned with the length of day first. I think most crops need at least six hours of sun each day as a rule of thumb, IIRC. He was comparing the fact that he was in Maine but could grow the same things that are grown in France because he was along the same longitude as some of the sunny regions there. Someone correct me on all of this if I'm wrong.

Look at the info you have in all the books you ordered. I know the square foot gardening and I believe the Jeavons book, too, will give you some guidance there.

[Lisa0825]

4. We have had record highs here so many times in the past 6 weeks...

I think that is why some things haven't done so well for me. Plus, I really didn't think planting things a few weeks late would make such a difference (unavoidable due to vacation plans), but maybe combined with the extra heat, it was a double-whammy. Things started out good, and then when the heat got here, several plants just seemed to stop thriving. So I thought if I were to go through the extra effort of choosing and ordering seeds, I should make sure they could handle a long hot season.

[hippywife]

6. Most of your

cool weather plants are going to include all of your greens and peas, broccoli and cauliflower. Tomatoes, cukes, melons, etc. are going to be your warm weather plants. I have a chart of many of them around here somewhere, just can't put my hands on it at the moment. There has to be similar info in at least one of those books you ordered when you started.

[Lisa0825]

9. Yes, there were some charts....

But I think it is about my style of learning or something. I tend to get overwhelmed when I have to pull out info from text and plan things based on it. I was getting really frustrated with trying to decide what I could plant, so I just decided I'd plant all the seeds I bought and learn from experience what really didn't work. You bet the results are now in my brain in a much more clear way than they were from the charts!

I think when I was looking at the charts, the ones saying when to plant things and the ones showing spacing, sunlight, etc, it just was too much for me to keep straight. That's why I was hoping to find a program that I could select my choices in, enter my climate data, and have it organize the information for me so it wouldn't frustrate me.

[Lisa0825]

5. OK, I found this....

Zone Chart: Annual seed can generally be planted in any garden in any area of the world. The maturity of the plant will depend on the length of the growing season; each of our seed varieties lists its "Days to Maturity" to help you plan your garden. Successful perennial gardening requires an understanding of the hardiness zone in your specific microclimate. An easy way to find your zone is by knowing what your minimum temperature is during the wintertime. You can check your zone here on the USDA Zone Chart.

So I guess I would need to calculate planting dates based on the info on days to maturity and zone.

Sounds simple, until you multiply it by the number of things you want to plant... and then it starts to get overwhelming.... especially when I am still on a major learning curve. I feel like I would have to spend hours just figuring out what to plan when and then record it all in a calendar so I plant things on individual dates. I am just not that organized of a person, and I stay so busy that I know I would miss dates and plan things wrong... *sigh*... I hope I'll find an easier way to do this. I did find a couple gardening software products online, but I am not ready to shell out $30 for them yet. I'm looking for reviews.

http://foodforeveryone.org/garden_master/

[hippywife]

7. Then try

throwing companion planting into that mix and it can get downright confusing to layout a plan on where you want everything to go. LOL Good luck!

[Lisa0825]

8. LOL! Yeah, I am not going there yet!

After I planted marigolds, I read that some plants shouldn't be planted near marigolds. ARRRGH! I feel so stoopid! LOL

In my third patch, I did try planting beans and corn together, since I read about the Three Sisters.

I found another software program. I am playing with the trial version now. It starts with a database, and you can add varieties. I added a carrot variety off of Seeds Of Change, and it recognized it and filled in the info for me. http://www.cniche.com/seed/index.htm

[hippywife]

10. You really almost can't help it.

Especially with square foot gardening since things are so close to each other.

[Blue Gardener]

11. Try this chart from the Texas Cooperative Extension Service

Recommended vegetable varieties for Texas:

http://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/vegvar.html

More Texas gardening information on their website:

http://texasextension.tamu.edu/topics/lawngarden.php

Hope this helps!

[Lisa0825]

12. Awesome, thanks! :-)

:woohoo:

[bhikkhu]

13. Used to order online, now I buy local

Partly the economics and timing, and partly the difficult mountain climate I live in -"high desert", more or less. What I have found is that the local hardware stores, "seed 'n feeds" and nurseries will stock the varieties of seeds and plants that do well in my climate. They also have been generally helpful about timing and special needs of certain crops and pest deterrence, and my garden has done much better as a result.

Shepherds Seeds was my online source at one time, now defunct, and while I remember certain special varieties they recommended that did well, I enjoy my local sources at least as much now.

I have no idea about software...I keep a garden journal with all the varieties planted, dates and frosts and yields, etc. as a reference and guide.

[Lisa0825]

14. The guy on the local radio garden show kept saying to buy local varieties,

so that is why I started thinking about local vs catalog. The hardware store near me just didn't have the greatest selection (or knowledge), and the nearest real garden store is about a 20 minute drive, but I will have to go check see what hey have.

[hippywife]

16. Most of the sustainable gardeners

are trying to get people to plant heirloom varieties before our available food varieties are wittled down even further. It's amazing how many different varieties of food plants have disappeared over the decades.

[bhikkhu]

17. I have to confess to never having saved seeds before

I always just went out and bought more. This year I am definitely doing it, and I did plant a good mix of heirloom tomatoes to see what does well in my climate.

[Gormy Cuss]

15. Renee Shepherd still sells seeds by mail

She still offers less common varieties and high quality seeds. I don't know how well the catalog operation works because her seeds are available here on racks at the nurseries. If you're ever interested in looking outside of the local area again, you can find Shepherd's selection here:
http://www.reneesgarden.com/