New information and new plans...

 I recently stumbled over a video on putting in a Grocery Row Garden that sent me hunting for more and more information.  

Upshot of all this hunting was me buying two kindle books "Grocery Row Gardening" by David the Good and "Grow a Little Fruit Tree" by Ann Ralph.   

Seriously look the videos up they are really interesting.  Now mind you David the Good does say this is more an idea then a proven concept as most of them are currently in the southern part of the US.  So in a more ways then one we will be breaking new ground and adding to the information about this style of gardening but everything he does makes such perfect sense. 

In his system the beds are 4 ft wide with 3 ft walkways between them.  You include small fruit trees (hence the book on growing little fruit trees) and bushes or cane fruit IN THE BEDS in fairly specific places then plant around them... producing a garden that does double duty as annual veggie garden and as a very small orchard.    LOVE this idea and Toli loves the idea of growing his own fruit...  

When it warms up we will go out and measure out the place I am thinking of converting to this method and hmm maybe a single row in the front yard...   

It is still winter so garden dreams abound, check back in a few months to see what really happened. 

What was I thinking?

 I have spent the last few years learning about permaculture and land races and other not quite mainstream gardening ways.  And I have been learning a whole new language and way of thinking about growing vegetables.    

So this year I took the plunge and got some of these grexes, landraces, and some packets of  seed mixes that are all the same species.  The thing with all of these type of seed is to plant as many as you have room for, select the ones that do the best in your garden to save seeds from.  Of course for most of us taste is as important as how well it grew.  So this is a very different type of seed saving then I have been  doing for my tomatoes.  And really does take a huge shift in attitudes to be able to go yep that makes sense.  

For this year I have 

From Going to Seed:

Kale - blend of seeds from gardeners all over. 

Corn - blend of seeds from gardeners all over

Potato seeds (yes they can make seeds) - blend of seed from gardeners all over

Summer Squash mix - lots of different types of pepo and some hybrids with other types of squash. This should be interesting to grow out. 

From the Experimental Farm Network:

Maxidiwiac' (Buffalo Bird Woman) Summer Squash - a mostly bush squash breeding population that has been selected for squash that you can dry for winter use. 

Maggie x Provider' Bush Bean Breeding Mix - this is a breeding population of a string bean and stringless snap bean.   The eventual goal is to find a pink podded snap bean with no string. 

Wild Garden Chicory mix - this is for a friend to help give her some fresh flavors in her salads.

From Wild Mountain Seeds

Speedy Dry Bean Grex - grown on the Western Slope at over 7000 ft altitude so should work well here. 

Ping Tong shaped Grex - this is an eggplant grex that produces long thin eggplants that should grow here.  Looking forward to some fresh eggplant.,

Plus I got a couple of their tomato varieties they have been developing to grow in their growing conditions. 

From Quail Seeds

Vibrant Joy Bok Choy Mix 

Cottagers Kale

And sigh I have no idea where I am going to put all these things PLUS my tomatoes and flowers.  

Wonder how many of my friends and family will let me grow things at there place...