2012 Vegetable Garden

**BeachFun** · 01-01-2012, 05:22 PM

I celebrated New Years Day by ordering vegetable seeds for my garden. Gardens Alive sent me a catalog with a $25 off of a $25 purchase coupon. I ordered the organic seed collection for $19.95 and the remaining $5.00 was applied towards the shipping charge. The total cost to me was $2.90.

The organic seed collection includes: Bush Beans, Carrots, Radishes, Tomatoes, Peppers, Cucumbers, Spinach, Squash, Lettuce and Red Beets.

**StryderPup** · 01-01-2012, 05:41 PM

That is awesome!!!!

**madhen** · 01-01-2012, 06:25 PM

After a nuclear-strength attack on the ground squirrels this last summer, I am looking forward to trying a garden again this year, as well!!

**sabrelvssammy** · 01-01-2012, 06:32 PM

I too will once again go thru all the motions ~

I just hope that this year things work out just a little bit better than last. We started with way too much rain in the spring- the seeds washed all over the garden, came up in strange places...the caretaker gave up - Things were just bad all over.

I am going for the things I KNOW I can grow: peppers, squash, tomatoes...

**Labontet** · 01-01-2012, 08:15 PM

We are getting ours ready also. I sure hope this year is better than last years crop.

I have a question. Are organic seeds the same as heirloom seeds?
Will the seeds from what they produce, come up again like an heirloom?

**madhen** · 01-01-2012, 08:34 PM

Organic does not necessarily mean heirloom.

**BeachFun** · 01-02-2012, 06:46 AM

No, organic seeds are not the same as heirloom. Organic means that only natural fertilizers and pest control methods were used. The tomato seeds that I ordered were heirloom, however, the cucumbers are a hybrid variety.

**Labontet** · 01-02-2012, 07:35 AM

Thanks MH and BF. I did not really think so, but was not totally sure.

I will be on the lookout for Heirloom plants and seeds down here. I did not start looking soon enough to get books ordered. I will look online to see about getting some heirloom seeds.

**madhen** · 01-02-2012, 07:50 AM

If you have room for citrus trees, most of their seeds grow true to their parents. I have successfully raised blood oranges from seed. It takes a few years (around four) for them to get big enough to produce fruit, but if you look at the price of blood oranges (both the trees and the fruit), it is worth the wait, when your initial investment is a seed and a Dixie cup worth of potting soil!

**peanut** · 01-02-2012, 07:55 AM

We have never been able to successfully grow plants from seeds. So every year we plan to hit the cheaper greenhouses on sale day to buy what they have to plant in our small patio garden. Assuming it's something we eat. We find we get better results that way. I hate spending all that money, but my seedlings rarely make it past the four leaf stage.

My DD#1 buys heirloom seeds and plants her own veggies. I am in great admiration of her feat!

**freebs** · 01-02-2012, 07:59 AM

we finished our green house this weekend! I will have it loaded full of flats of seeds starting for spring!

**madhen** · 01-02-2012, 07:59 AM

I always overplant seeds and end up with a couple of dozen plants I don't have room for! I usually start my seeds indoors, in pots, but I plant extra "just in case", and they all pop up! Freecycle is a wonderful tool, and I can typically give away all my extras within a day or two.

**peanut** · 01-02-2012, 08:03 AM

Thanks madhen. I'll check Freecycle and Full circles this year and see if I can score any free plants.

**madhen** · 01-14-2012, 09:37 AM

My post office box is getting STUFFED with seed catalogues!! I have a bunch of seeds still, but I need to inventory and see what I need for this spring, if anything.