With winter rolling in steadily, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get work done in the field. Constant freezing and thawing of saturated ground is not the right recipe for landscape and hardscape installations. So, this downtime gives me the opportunity to focus more of my energy towards my personal vegetable garden. Several months ago, I decided I wanted to grow as many vegetables as possible for my family in 2010. Since then, I have been reading and researching as much as I can, amending the poor soil in the back of our house and trying to decide where to buy seeds. Well, the reading will never stop and the soil won't be tested an fully amended until spring. But I have found a great place to purchase heirloom vegetable seeds, and I recently did just that. Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and sharing selected heirloom vegetable seeds. I recently became a member of their organization by making a small donation that I am sure it will pay off many, many times in the future. If you garden at all, I highly recommend you check them out at: seedsavers.org.

My goal is to grow a beautiful, productive garden in 2010 and document the process here. At this time the space measures approximately 40' x 15'. I have split the main garden down the middle by creating a pathway out of flagstone left over from recent projects. With deer being so over populated in this area, they will no doubt help themselves to a late night snack if I do not fence off the garden securely, so that is something else I am working on. I recently built a gate and will install it soon, then impatiently wait for spring. Check back for more as the process continues...

Here is part of my ambitious list of heirloom vegetables I plan on experimenting with next spring:

Amish Past tomato
Redfield Beauty tomato
Italian Heirloom tomato
Ancho Gigantea pepper
Joe's Long pepper
Mini Red bell pepper
Mini Yellow bell pepper
Yellow of Parma onion
Ailsa Craig onion
Double Yield OG cucumber
A & C Pickling cucumber
Calabrese broccoli
Provider OG bean
Dwarf Sugar Grey pea
Green Arrow OG pea
Amish Snap pea
Dragon carrot
Paris Market carrot
Amish Deer Tongue lettuce
Grandpa Admire's OG lettuce


Merry Christmas and happy gardening!!