KITCHEN GARDENS

For me, starting seed leaves me with transplanting baby shoots to pure sand. Fuggedaboutit.

I'm working on starting pots of seeds and transplanting them to a fostered environment. So far it's much easier to just buy quarts.

There used to be a seed company located right in Santa Fe. They sold seeds that were for xeric tolerance. I used to buy my Sandia Chiles from them when I hadda go out to Los Alamos

I'm a dummy re here, for sure.
Los Alamos.. well, another subject, my dad knew oppenheimer et al, but I can't converse with him now about any of that.

also, there's a reservation just north of us with a smart nursery. Will link when I nab it.

The place was right off thye Snata Fe trail near the adobe Holiday Inn. Is it still there? (Its been like 10 years)

I don't know santa fe as I only drive locally, increasingly locally. This is odd relative to my whole life as rampant investigator, but, so it goes.

But wait, I'll nose around re google.

High Country Gardens just off Cerrillos Rd (old Santa Fe Trail)?

Place I really like --- re the santa ana pueblo -

http://www.santaana.org/garden.htm

Really really like.

Thanks, Ill see if they have a website. Im all out of Sandia Pepper seeds

I tried the High Country Gardens. They seem to have gone with ornamentals . (They used to handle veggies too, chiles, tomatillos etc)

How Bout the chile addict? are they still in business in Abaturkey?

Well, its amazing what two days of 50 and 60 degree weather can do. I walked over the garden plots and started to remove the junk and burned the tangles of ryegrasses. (They return until I till em under ). If all goes well, I will plant my peas next weekend. This time of year is what STan Rogers used to sing about
"Put another seasons promise in the ground"

inch by inch row by row
I'm gonna make this garden grow
all it takes is a rake and a hoe
and a piece of fertile ground

anyone know this song?
or-
oats peas beans and barley grow?

we have a garden every year and I love it. Farmerman we moved from the redlion area to Northern b co here in MD and we grow lots of heirloom and sweet million type tomatoes and some basil and parsley, onions and peppers sweet and bell. Lettuce-I like buttercrunch and cukes, squash and try to grow melons. I have clay so we amend with compost and leaves every year. I add a little shale/sand/washdown to the melon area but they rarely go for me....

build your melon beds UP , use compost and sand. Im familiar with the soil of Baltimore County and , anywhere except the area around Cockeysville is red acidic soils with lots of clay. That can be fixed easily, but sounds like youve done that already. Have you tried those artichokes that can live in zone 6 and 7? . I am borderline 6+ and Im a crazy artichoke lover. I could live on them (and clamms)

onion sets, peas, and red taters are now another seasons promise , and in the ground, cmon no heavy rain until the taters sprout. Im gonna plant a long row one half mesclun nd the other half ahorty carrots. Probly do that on Sunday. Chickens are having a field day scratching for worms in the freshly tilled soil. (When I plant rows, I have to extend a mesh fence to exclude the hens. THey are so busy that, when Im down in the garden working, they dont evcen budge, they just busily make ,this low contented clucking sound . Gardenings good. Its impossible to be pissed off while gardening. Its natures natural mellowing activity (after sex)

I agree.

I see that Michele Obama 's White House kitchen garden has a healthy supply of various greens and lettuces. However, they will plant NO BEETS. Are beets the new brocolli? I must find out why no beets. This is big. Im on it.

The president doesn't like beets. There is no conspiracy. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/dining/20garden.html

Ah, but if two people conspire to dislike beets, that's a conspiracy!

I might have just been invited to share a plot in a community garden, have to figure out details but hopefully that means I'll be able to plant some food this year...!