Gardeners, we can now see 2020! I don’t mean our vision, but the gardening year 2020! We got our first seed catalogue from T&T a short while back, and it is quite interesting to see the year “2020” on the cover! It’s not too soon to start planning — after all, in 10 days we will have the shortest day of the year. That’s a turning point for optimistic gardeners!
So let’s make a cup of tea and browse the catalogue together; one of the first things I see is a hot pepper, “Ghost Hybrid”, considered the hottest chili pepper in the world. It’s up to 417 times hotter than a jalapeno and 10 times hotter than a habanero! Yikes!
Or, there is a new ground cherry “Little Lantern” that they describe with as “sweet-tart pineapple taste” and the catalogue says it is well suited for containers! There’s an interesting cantaloupe called “Sweet Granite” that is early ripening and suitable for short summer or cool weather gardens. The three pound cantaloupes have a sweet orange flesh. They sound yummy!
Turning to the squash pages, I see there is a scallop squash called “Sunburst”, and these look like the cheery little scallopini squash “patty-pan” from years ago. The description says that these plants are “space-saving bush type plants” so that sounds like a good fit for many smaller gardens. And they are such appealing squash, beautiful to look at and delicious, too!
Now to the tomatoes: there are always so many yummy types to try, but I see that there are several varieties that they call “saladette” and I guess the name says it all! They are substantial enough to enjoy, but small enough to slice into a salad. I think I told you about the beautiful oblong tomatoes that we had last year, the ones that turned bright orange when they were mature. They were delicious, held their shape, and were just a nice size for a salad or a toasted tomato sandwich.
I know many gardeners like the large tomatoes like Oxheart or Beefsteak, but sometimes they are too big, even for those of us who love tomatoes! After one slice there is still so much left, sometimes a smaller tomato works out better. Sweet Pea’s favorites were always Prairie Pride or Patio because the plants produced many flavorful, medium-sized fruits.
Let’s turn to the flowers: there’s a beautiful celosia “First Flame Purple”. Can you picture feathery grape-colored plumes in a container with Dusty Miller or white bacopa? Beautiful! There’s also a dwarf sunflower called “Choco Sun” that is described as “possibly one of the smallest and quickest flowering sunflowers available.” These are also listed as ideal for containers! Wouldn’t they be a welcoming addition on our back step! And if you like asters, there is a variety called “Novo Mix”, a large spider type that looks like it will definitely get second looks, both while on the plant or in a vase on our kitchen tables!
As we look through seed catalogues, let’s always remember to choose some plants that will be good for the bees. This past summer, our wild “bee corner” (which is a collection of all kinds of flowers that bloom early and consistently) was literally humming all summer.
We could look through the catalogue for hours! Get your name on a mailing list and on a blustery winter day you’ll enjoy the delight of looking through those gardening pages and thinking ahead to spring!
Prairie Garden books are still available, as is the chance to trade heirloom bean seeds. Visit our website at www.yorktonhort.ca for details and have a great week!
