By The Garden Planning Bug!
As yesterday was the halfway point of January, it was no surprise that I felt a familiar stirring in my fingertips, the desire to feel organic hummus crumble between my phalanges starts to build around the middle of January. A phenomenon that helps feed my wanton garden desires is what I like to call the veg-onslaught of printed material consumption. Seed catalogs have begun pouring into my realm like frass from a woodpile. Everywhere I look around my house I am blissfully assaulted by pictures of plants that beg to be ordered, seeded, and grown.
Over the years, my garden philosophy has evolved. In the beginning my vegetable growing eyes were much bigger than my production plate and I over ordered and over planted ALL the things. The last few years I have been more structured in my food production approach, only growing the cultivars of produce that my family actually enjoys eating.
However, each year, in true obsessive gardener form, I try out a few new things. There is something so exciting about seeding a new cultivar of tomato, or trying to grow a plant you have never grown before. This year's victim, er, selection are Fava beans. We have a pretty extreme growing season here in North Idaho, you can have snow in June and also 100 plus degree days in June. Forest Gump's words of wisdom about life being like a box of chocolates could also work with North Idaho weather, you truly never know what you are going to get.
Fava beans intrigued me because they like a cooler growing season, and can be put in the ground soon after the soil can be worked. In fact, somewhere I read the plant can take a cold snap of down to 21 degrees Fahrenheit. The Kat is so going to try growing this plant deal was sealed when I read that Fava beans had 39 grams of protein per cup! Wow! As a bean, I knew they were going to be fiber rich, but that protein level is fantastic! I can already visualize being chased around the farm by my raptors, er chickens, if I keep a pocket full of Fava beans for treats.
A couple new varieties that I am going to try growing this year are Serendipity Hybrid Sweet Corn and Purple Beauty Pepper. Here lately I have been craving sweet corn in the worst way. I am going to blame that craving on a future family member, for at Christmas dinner my soon to be sister-in-law's brother's girlfriend (yay!) made a corn pudding souffle thing that sent my taste buds into orbit. Any sweet corn that has the word serendipity in the name has to be worth trying so that I can feel serendipitous as I nosh on corn pudding stuff all the following fall and winter long.
The purple bell peppers come from a much more scientific and complicated motivation. I just love purple. I also love bell peppers and eat masses of them in everything from eggs to pasta. I'm sure that there is an algorithm somewhere that shows how I came to that conclusion. Or at the very least a government study that correlates the fondness of purple to small brunette haired women's penchants for peppers. Or something even smarter and more fantastical!
So how about you all? Are there any new plants that you are going to try growing this year, if you garden? Or perhaps there is a new growing method that you are going to give a go? I've heard of lasagna gardening, but maybe there is quiche gardening or free range composting or something. I love to hear from others about what they are going to try, are doing, or didn't like.
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