Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Out of the Polar Vortex with hopes of Spring with my first seed order!
My phone read -33 degrees F last week… Air temperature… not a mistake…
So, today it’s about willing Spring to come with my first seed order!!!!
There’s a new petunia called ‘Spellbound Dark Purple’. The flowers are huge at 4 to 6 inches in shades of dark purple. There’s a flurry of whirling dense blooms with dark centers that look hand-painted, and frilly edges. Bonus – the flowers don’t droop in the rain!
It’ll look gorgeous in containers.
I’m trying a couple of new tomato varieties, ‘Umamin’, which is said to produce 6 to 8 oz. bold, smoky and savory tomatoes on a disease resistant plant.
The next is perfect for northern gardens with a days to harvest of 60! ‘Stupice’ is a czechoslovakian heirloom plant delivering copious amounts of 2 oz. fruit.
I’m also receiving some AAS winner seed from the National Garden Bureau. A WAVE petunia called ‘Carmine Velour’. The color is just stunning!
I’ll also be getting the opportunity to try Chef’s Choice Black. This is another in the popular series. Large, dark, red-purple 8 to 12 oz. fruits have green shoulders and a flattened globe shape.
Delicate skin surrounds very juicy, deep crimson flesh that’s full of flavor and has a slight saltiness that enhances the taste. Another good point is the days to harvest are 65.
For those of us in cold climates, that’s an important piece of information. You could stretch days to harvest to about 95 days, maybe more BUT, that’s really pushing it and you could gamble and lose on that one.
Also look for disease resistant codes. Click on this link to Johnny’s Seeds for a Comprehensive List of Codes.
Although not necessary to purchase disease resistant seeds, there IS a layer of protection with those seeds. Be sure to look at the fine details of any seed you order and remember that local stores also carry seed. And without shipping costs!