This is a picture to confirm that the seeds for my 2011 garden have arrived.  If you remember my last seed post, I had narrowed down my search for the right seed company to Johnny’s Selected Seeds out of what seemed to me to be hundreds of seed catalogs that came to Glen Road.  Right after that earlier seed post , I sat down and made my order and now they are here.  It is perfect timing since this coming weekend will be about the right time to plant these seeds and place them under the grow light in preparation for planting when the soil gets to the right temperature.  I am estimating this will be mid to late-May.  While most of my seeds came from Johnny’s, I did buy some heirloom seeds from a runner-up, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.  Let me share with you what seeds I have ordered for the 2011 garden.  Let’s start with the order from Johnny’s, http://www.johnnyseeds.com:

• Skywalker F1 Organic Cauliflower – best organic variety for fall harvest.  Uniform, medium-sized, self-wrapping heads.  I will start this one indoors under my grow light and place outside in mid to late-May.
• Tendersweet F1 Cabbage, Early Green – midsize, flat heads stand well without splitting.  Leaves are thin, sweet and crisp.  I will start this one indoors under my grow light and place outside in mid to late-May.
• Celebrity F1 Tomato, Red Short Vine – my father’s favorite tomato to grow.  Medium-large, 7-8 ounce tomato.  Flavorful, globe-shaped, firm red fruits that ripen mid-season.  I will start this one indoors under my grow light and place outside in mid to late-May.
• Granadero F1 Organic Tomato – wanted a great sauce tomato.  Produces a uniform, attractive, bright red fruit, 4-5 ounces in size.  Thick-walled construction makes it good for sauce.  I will start this one indoors under my grow light and place outside in mid to late-May.
• Allstar Gourmet Lettuce Mix Greens, Salad and Braising Mix – Johnny’s most popular brand of salad greens.  Able to hold its color and resist mildew.  Made up of Green Oakleaf, Red Oakleaf, Green Romaine, Red Romaine, Lollo Rossa, Greenleaf and Redleaf lettuces.
• Rover F1 Radish, Small Round Red – a great round red radish.  Smooth, round, dark red roots with a crisp, snow-white flesh.
• D’Avignon Radish, Speciality – a traditional variety from Southern France.  3-4 inches long with a mostly red root, but with white tips.
• Bull’s Blood Organic Beet, Heirloom – this beet shows a candy-striped root and the leaves are dark red and can be used to jazz up your salad.  This variety is often listed on different garden websites as one of the best.
• Touchstone Gold Organic Beet, Specialty – this beet shows smooth roots that are golden in color, even when cooked.  Sweet flavor.  Leaves are green in color.
• Nautic Organic Brussel Sprouts – a full-season sprout for late fall harvest.  Medium sized sprouts with an excellent taste.  I will start this one indoors under my grow light and place outside in mid to late-May.
• Purple Top White Globe Organic Turnip – this is a traditional American turnip.  Smooth, round roots, 3-4 inches in diameter, that are white below the soil line and bright purple above.
• Copra Organic Onion Plants F1 – onions are easier to grow from pregrown, spring dug plants.  These will be live onion plants delivered in May.
• Traviata F1 Organic Eggplant, Italian – traditional Italian eggplants from organic seed.  Glossy black fruit in classic bell shape.  I will start this one indoors under my grow light and place outside in mid to late-May.

Here’s a little glossary of some terms used above or some notes I have made that are relevant:

F1: F1 refers to “first filial” or first generation offspring. Hybrid varieties of vegetables and flowers are typically F1 hybrids.  Hybrids are the offspring of a cross between two or more varieties, usually of the same species.  Hybrids are developed by the long, slow process of traditional plant breeding, which relies on natural reproductive methods. Hybrids are crosses between two or more parents with different desirable traits. Pollen from one parent plant is transferred to the flowers of the other parent plant. The seeds that develop are an F1, first filial generation, hybrid.

HEIRLOOM: An old variety that owes its present availability to the seed-saving efforts of amateurs.

UNTREATED: Seeds that have no chemical treatments. All seeds in my order were specified to be untreated.

Here is my small order from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, http://www.rareseeds.com:

• Blue Lake Bush Bean – this dark-green bean has been a standard for over 40 years.  The bush plants set heavy yields of flavorful pods that are tender and crisp.  Developed in 1961 from the Pole Blue Lake.  I ordered these because they are listed on many garden websites as one of the best bush bean to grow.

You might see some obvious exclusions in my orders.  No peppers, squash or broccoli–I’m not really a fan of these popular vegetables.  Sweet corn, peas or cucumbers–not sure I have enough room in my garden.  You need a lot of these to get enough to eat and I have some space limitations.  Carrots–a lot of gardeners I talk to say it is just easier to buy organic carrots at the supermarket.  I take orders well, so I’ll believe them.  As Spring gets here, I have so much to share about my 2011 garden in the next few weeks.  I am busy!  I would imagine you are as well with your gardening chores.  What are you doing now to get ready for your 2011 garden?