Almost imperceptibly, days have been getting longer. Where previously it was pitch black, there is now a hint of pre-dawn light when I get on my bike to go to work in the morning. The buds on our neighbor’s giant magnolia tree are swelling. And I’ve seen some Canada Geese returning to Lake Washington.
It means it’s time to think of the coming gardening season. We do want to continue to transition more from annuals to perennials; but we still have a lot of annuals we want to grow again this year. Last year was a good one, despite the awful spring. Hopefully 2013 will be as good.
- Amaranth:
Elephant head, Burgundy, love lies bleeding Arugula Basil: Genovese Beans, bush: Rolande (G p.vulgaris), Provider (G), Carson (Y) Beans, dry: Black Turtle, Gaucho Beans, dry: Hidatsa Shield (p.vulgaris) Beans, garbanzo: Hannan Popbean Beans, pole: Goldmarie (p.vulgaris), Italian Rare Beans, runner: Scarlet emperor (p.coccineus) Beet: Ukranian,Detroit, Rote Kugel, Cylindra Burdock: Okinawa Long Cabbage, Red: Mammoth Red Cabbage, Savoy: Perfection Cabbage, White: Late flat dutch Carrots: Danvers, Paris Market, Nantes Celeriac: Brilliant, Tellus Chard Chervil: Great green Cilantro Corn, popcorn: Dakota black Corn, sweet: New Mama super sweet Cucumber, Oriental: Cucumber, Pickling Dill: Dukat Eggplant: Listada de Gandia, Fairy Tale, Little Fingers Garlic: Bavarian Purple, Music, Ontario purple trillium, Siberian, Chesnock Red, Red Russian Ground Cherry: Aunt Molly’s Jerusalem Artich.: Red Fuseau Kale: Dino (Lacinato), Winter Bor Leeks: Liege Giant Lettuce: various Lovage Mashua Nigella Sativa (black cumin) Oca Onions, storage: Red Globe, Rosso di Milano Pak Choi Parsley: Broad leaf Parsnip: White Spear Peas, shelling: Desiree, Canoe Peas, snow: Green Beauty Peppers: Jalapeno, Cayenne Potato: Bintje (early), Cob Cottage red (late), German Butterball (mid-season), Austrian Crescent (early), Rose Finn (late), Yellow Finn (late) Purslane (portulaca) Radishes: French Breakfast, Sparkler, Watermelon Rutabaga: Marian, Purple Top Shallot: French gray Spinach Squash: Patty Pan (C.pepo) Squash, C.max: Sweetmeat Oregon Homestead Squash, C.pepo: sugar pie, Candy Sunflower: giant varieties Tomatoes: Sun Gold (I, 65), Peacevine (I, 75), Polish Linguisa (I, 75), Pantano Romanescu (I, 75), Speckled Roman (I, 85), Pink Icicle (D), Beaverlodge (D, 55), Glacier (D, 55), Japanese black trifele (I, 75), Black cherry (I, 65) Yacon Zucchini: black beauty (C. pepo)