Utah Seed Exchange: Garden Planning

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Garden Planning

Hopefully your fall/winter garden is doing well. I've got radishes, lettuce and swiss chard growing nicely. I'm going to keep planting my winter lettuces and see how long they will grow just out in cold. I have parsnips that are mulched and I hope to save their seeds next year.

It's time to start planning your spring garden for 2013. I'm determined to exercise self control and only plant one variety of each plant family to make seed saving easier. I've coordinated with my mom to plant a different variety and we'll share our harvest with each other.

I found some favorites this year that will definitely be planted again - my favorite is Rattlesnake Snap Bean, it was a prolific grower and delicious fresh and cooked. I have seeds I saved (not easy to save the first/best pods and not eat them!) and will have them to trade in the spring when we get together. Another favorite was Red Romaine Lettuce, it was easy to grow, delicious and slow to bolt in the summer, I have seed from this also. Blacktail Mountain Watermelon was another winner, easy to grow (see a pattern here) and delicious, not the best saver - I'm trying one next year that is a long saver. I didn't save those seeds, that will be project for another year.

Please post your favorites from this year as a comment and let us know why you love them and if you will have seed available!

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Vegetable Planting Chart

Specific Planting Dates for Spanish Fork, UT, may need to adjust for weather or location, from Clyde's Garden Planner donated by Baker Creek Seed:

Spring Crops (last spring frost May 10th):
March 1 plant seeds indoors Cabbage, Cauliflower
March 15 plant seeds indoors Broccoli
March 17 in the ground Peas, Spinach
March 22 in the ground Onions
March 29 plant seeds indoors Lettuce
April 5 plant starts Cabbage, Cauliflower
April 5 plant in the ground Radish, Turnip
April 12 plant in the ground Beets, Potatoes
April 12 plant seeds indoors Peppers, Tomatoes
April 19 plant starts Broccoli, Lettuce
April 26 plant in the ground Carrots, Beets
May 3 plant seeds indoors Cucumbers, Squash, Melons
May 10 plant seeds indoors Ochra
May 17 plant seeds indoors Pumpkins
May 17 in the ground Beans, Corn
May 24 plant starts Cucumbers, Squash, Melons
May 31 plant starts Peppers, Tomatoes
June 7 plant starts Okra, Pumpkins

Fall Crops (first fall frost October 10th):
May 31 plant seeds indoors Cabbage
June 7 plant seeds indoors Cauliflower
June 14 plant seeds indoors Broccoli
July 5 plant in the ground, Cucumbers, Okra, Pumpkins, Summer Squash - plant starts Cabbage*
July 12 plant in the ground Peas*, Carrots*, Chard - plant starts Cauliflower*
July 19 plant in the ground Beets, Bush Green Beans - plant starts Broccoli*
August 2 plant in the ground Radishes, Turnips, Cabbage
August 9 plant in the ground Leaf Lettuce, Bok Choi
August 16 plant in the ground Spinach
October plant in the ground Garlic

*protect from heat
Plant cold hardy varieties of lettuce and spinach to extend your growing season into the winter. See chapter 6 of 'The Forgotten Skills of Self-Sufficiency used by the Mormon Pioneers' by Caleb Warnock for cold hardy variety recommendations.

How to Become a Member

If you would like to become a member of the Utah Seed Exchange you will need to:

1. Commit to learning and actively saving seeds, at least one new variety a year. You must test your seeds for purity by growing a few and matching them to the parent plant before you share them with anyone.

2. Become familiar with the concepts of seed saving. Please catch up with the information and classes that have been taught. They are listed under the 'Pages' section on the right. Go through the pages and read and watch the information.

3. You will need to own and reference 'Seed to Seed' by Suzanne Ashworth (amazon.com) and it is recommended that you own and read 'The Forgotten Skills of Self-Sufficiency used by the Mormon Pioneer' by Caleb Warnock which is a great book on seed saving in Utah.

When you have done these things, email me your request for membership at utahseedexchange@gmail.com and let me know that you have completed the requirements.