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Seed Season.

3/3/2017

3 Comments

 
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Can you believe it is finally seed season again? Ah, the trays of soil, the hundreds of little packets and grow lights. I have done less hard core planning this year and more seed organizing (my time has been spent working on a new biz). We hope to have about the same amount of growing space total as we had last summer (crossing fingers), so I have hundreds of seeds in my little seed box, organized by seed starting date ready to go.  

My first big check is always what did I put in ground here at the house last summer and the summer before. Our first summer in this house was all waiting for grading and driveway and all of that, so it was a wash, but last summer I did a lot of planting. There were also many things I grew out at the goat farm garden all summer that I brought home and put in ground in the fall as well. I also have some things in buckets in corners along the house (eep) waiting for spring to get planted in.

I hope/plan that for the summer we will again have space at the goat farm, we will garden into our landscaping more at our house, and ... we bought a wooded lake lot last summer (see below) where I am planning to plant endangered/rare woodland medicinals. It is too far away and too shaded/wooded for any more organized plantings, but it is good for plants that can just be left alone and not watered by hand. 
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Last summer was the big #happyflowerproject where we grew flowers for the food pantry all summer. We plan to grow things for the food pantry again, but expand to food and other plants and not just flowers. And I am planning on growing even more medicinal plants and have bigger harvests! So first. In ground at the house - most planted last summer: ​
Hidcote Blue Lavender 9
English Lavender 12
Astragalus 8
Wooly Lambs Ears 10
Tennessee Echinacea 14
St. John's Wort 2
Clary Sage
Blackberries
Blueberries 2
Aster 4
Monarda/Bee Balm 18
Cardinal Flower
Various bushes

Chamomile, German
​Thyme
Raspberries
Rhubarb 2
Seedless grapes 2
Anise Hyssop
Moldavian dragon head balm

Elecampane
Spiderwort
Alum
Feverfew
Goldenrod
Coral Monarda
Blue Sage salvia farinacea
Golden Wonder Strawberries
Gayfeather
Hyssop (officinalis)
I also have lemon, lime, lavender, rosemary, pomegranate, ashwagandha, and cuban oregano that have been inside all winter and will go out to the deck for the summer. 
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I plan to grow most of the flowers from last summer in smaller quantities plus more at the house. One thing we plan to do this spring is fence our yard. We have neighbors who let their cat roam - and it uses my garden beds as a litter box and dumps half eaten carcasses daily throughout the yard all summer where I always go barefooted. So, fence. And that will help keep any future neighbors from drifting anything into our organic garden. I enjoyed the flowers more than I expected last summer - I am a practical midwestern gal after all. But they were all so beautiful and loaded with pollinators that I am keeping them this summer. 
​Queen Lime Zinnia 
Redman Super Cactus
Green Envy Zinnia 
Giant Aster 
Pink Señorita Zinnia
Siberian Wallflower 
Dahlia Unwins Mix
Crimson Queen Sunflower 
Indian Prince Calendula
Bells of Ireland 
Showpiece Dahlia DoubleF
Tom THumb Strawflower
Bees Friend DS 
Irish Poet Tassel Flower 
Sciabosa Mix dbl flower
​Digitalis

​Love in a Mist delft Blue
Alaska Red Nasturtium 
Golidlocks
Resina Calendula
Blue Monday Sage Salvia
Black Knight Sweet Pea
Eve dames rocket
Globosa mix comphrea
Scented stocks starlight
Pixie lupine
Imperialis sweet sultan
Pink queen larkspur
Cherry caramel phlox
Dwarf stocks
Nigella Miss Jekyll
Pastel Mix Statice ​
​Hollyhock Double Brown Red
Cupids dart Alba
Sugar Stars Phlox
El Dorado Zinnia
Rudbeckia Goldilocks
Sweet William Mixed
Sweet Pea Black Night
Dahlia Cactus Mix
Blue Monday Sage Salvia
Dahlia Showpiece Double Mix
Zinnia Pink Señorita
Statice Pastel Mix
Zinnia red Man Super Cactus
Sweet William Tall Single Mixed
Sciabosa Imperial 
Delphinium Pink Queen
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And of course medicinal and tea herbs. I grow most of these every year, but I am increasing the plantings at the home garden as I expand all of the beds.  
​Lemon Bee Balm 
Fenugreek
Lemongrass
Greek Mullein 
Marsh Mallow
Grandview Catmint
Thai Red Roselle Hibiscus
Red Bergamot 
Lavender Bergamot 
White Horehound

Blue Spice Basil
​​Boneset
Moldavian DragonHead Balm 
Tulsi Sacred Basil
Hibiscus Red Drops
Holy Kaprao Basil 
White Yarrow
Great Burdock
Comfrey 
Toothache Plant 
Borage
​Resina Calendula
Sweet Mace
Licorice 
Spearmint 
Plantain 
Tulsa Kaprao
Chinese Motherwort
Blue Spice Basil
Indian Prince Calendula
​Sage
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Of course the culinary herbs are important too. These I mostly grow at home so I can snip daily at all mealtimes. 
​Wild Thyme
Herb Dill 
Cilantro
Pesto Basil 
Emily Basil
Mexican Tarragon
Lovage 
Perilla Purple Shiso 
Marjoram 
Persian Basil 
​Wild Oregano
​Lettuce Leaf Basil 
Genovese Basil 
Genovese red freddy basil
Savory
Lovage
Alaska Red Nasturtium
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Veggies & annual fruit. We are increasing veggies this summer. We will still have our CSA for our own family, but will donate more food from our gardens to the food pantry!
​Pusa Asita Black Carrot
Oxheart Carrot
Crapaudine Beet
Beit Alpha Cucumber 
Suyo Long Cuke
Noordhollandse Onion
Long Pie Pumpkin 
Red Welsh Onion 
Crimson Forest Bunching 
​He Shi Ko bunching 
Purple Sprouting Broccoli 
Rapini Broccoli 
Long Black Sp Radish
German Giant Radish
Malaga Radish 
Cayenne Long Thin 
Jalapeño Craig's Grand 
Black Beauty Tomato
Pusa Jumani Radish 
Push Gulabi Radish
​Watermelon Radish 
GOlden Celery 
Argenteuil Asparagus
Magnolia Blossom Pea
Sugar Ann Snow Pea
Chives
Garlic Chives
Horseradish
Brads Atomic Grape Tomato
Japanese White Eggplant
​Golden Wonder Strawberries
Melon Ha Ogen
And of course some greens - I'm starting out with only a few and I add them all summer. 
​Chervil 
Nero Di Toscana Kale
Chinese Kale
Japanese Giant Red Mustard 
Mizuna Red Streak
​Arugula
Red Butterhead 
Cut & Come Agn Mix
Rosso Chicory
Kale Blue Curled Scotch
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Last year I grew dahlias from seed, so we dug up over 125 tubers last fall and have them in the cold waiting for spring planting. We also managed to plant over 200 tulip/narcissus/hyacinth bulbs and I am very excited that we will have an early burst of color! With the fence will also come some fruit  and shade trees which are much needed atop our windy sunny hill - and I will start planting those in early spring.

All of this makes me sounds like I have it all together. ;) My box system of dated folders counting back from last frost date really helps keep it simple. I can just load all the seeds into their starting week folder and pull them out every week as I start another round of trays. 

So that is the basic list of what I'm growing this summer! I love that I can increase the varieties every year without really adding that much extra work. One step at a time. This still doesn't include any woodland plants I want to put in at the lake, but I am thinking things like goldenseal, black cohosh, oregon grape, woodruff, eyebright, elderberry, slippery elm, hawthorn, possibly some plants in desperate need of habitat and care. The lake lot is much bigger than our home yard here, and it is in an obscure and low traffic area. It seems perfect for that!

So really all I wanted to do was post a lot of photos of the garden to remind myself that YES the never-ending winter has an end in sight and spring and summer are coming. And of course I tucked in some seed lists and all that in between. See how I did that? 

Did I forget anything? What are you growing this year that you are excited about?
3 Comments
Michelle
3/3/2017 08:33:34 pm

Denise you grow more than a csa! And with your back!! I am super impressed and more than a tad bit envious. In my own defense, if I could garden in winter away front the heat and mosquitoes then I could grow a wonderful garden too!

Reply
Denise
3/3/2017 08:52:28 pm

I have to be *SO* careful with my back and I made it through last summer amazingly with just one outage. I had a very careful system of weeding. And the heat!! I am not a hot weather person, and I'm photosensitive due to Lupus, but I managed to weed and pick flowers for the food pantry even in the 90s last summer - covered in pants, long sleeves, and a hat. I felt like wonder woman. Seriously. The good thing about having to work in the sunshine is that it isn't mosquito time of day. We didn't do evenings as they always came out.

Reply
Jennifer
3/3/2017 09:46:49 pm

Looking forward to watching and reading about your growing adventures this season!

Reply

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    whollyrooted.com

    denise cusack

    I am a certified aromatherapist, clinical herbalist, permaculture designer,  organic gardener, plant conservationist, photographer, writer, designer, artist, nature lover,  health justice activist, whole foods maker, and mother of two young adults  in south central Wisconsin. 

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  • Home
  • About
    • About Our Family
    • About Denise Cusack
    • Sustainable Practices >
      • Plant Conservation/Botanical Sanctuary
  • Analu Perfume
    • Analu Perfume for Good
    • Natural Perfumery
  • What I Do
    • Health Justice + Mutual Aid >
      • Seed Grants & Donation Distribution Network
      • Grow Herbs for HWB
      • Volunteer With Us
    • Regenerative Herbalism & Aromatherapy
    • Permaculture Education
  • My Work
    • Teaching/Speaking >
      • Upcoming Presentations
      • Past Webinars, Podcasts & Classes
    • Writing
    • Clinical Aromatherapy
    • Clinical Herbalism
    • Flower Essences
    • Freebies
    • Other Work >
      • Where We Are Located
      • What I'm Reading
      • Unschooling
      • Denise Art + Design >
        • Denise Art
        • Photography
  • Blog
    • Blog Archive
    • Recipe Archive >
      • Food + Pantry
      • Herbs + EO's
  • Contact+