Mermaid's Tale and other temptations.
Finding new things to grow is the best part of gardening. Stock up on the staples and then splurge with a few special ingredients.
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” -Picasso.
Hello Everyone.
Every gardener starts with a wish list of seeds and plants, largely based on ones that have successfully grown from year to year. In my Vermont garden, because of a short growing season, I’ve adopted the 80/20 rule: I cover the basics and then experiment with the exotics. This allows me to take risks without completely losing out. With over two decades of growing experience, I know I can’t reasonably grow the same plants as a southern gardener, yet sometimes I like to try.
Successful gardeners know that seeds and plants must adapt to their seasonal climate and geography, and have a level of skill to germinate seeds both indoors and out. If I followed the rules, I would miss out on hundreds of varieties that I truly want to experience. My motto as a gardener is why to grow the same tomatoes, lettuce, carrots or zinnia, and marigolds that are commonly available in the local markets, when I can try something unusual and hard to find.
It’s a little risky, since I only have one chance during the growing season to get it right. Yet trying someting new is at the very heart and soul of every true gardener. It’s what makes gardening fun.
As a cook and gardener, I approach each spring planting the way I organize my kitchen: stock up on staples, then add something extraordinary that takes my cooking up a notch. In the garden, I rely on a crop of lettuce, kale, beans, and tomatoes and then fill in with the cool stuff: radicchio, pink celery, purple artichokes, lemon basil, shishito peppers, and golden cape gooseberries.
For the past twelve thousand years, gardeners and small-scale farmers have been the keepers of seeds and stewards of the land. Growing open-pollinated seeds is a tradition that I fully respect and honor, and as a seed saver myself, I am proud to save a portion of my seeds each year.
The Exchange produced by Seed Savers Exchange lists thousands of seed varieties saved by gardeners all over the world. It has been the backbone of the nonprofit mission since it began in 1975, beginning with a grassroots community dedicated to preserving seeds that were beginning to be lost, in favor of mainstream varieties. It is a hefty volume with over 500 pages, with no color photos – simply names and descriptions.
Seed catalogs are a recent business model, designed to charm the gardener with color photographs because it takes far less time to be seduced by garden porn than text. Gardeners are visual dreamers, and I’ve learned to resist temptation and avoid the impulse to order everything by first making a stack of all the catalogs, then waiting a week before digging in.
After I spend the afternoon poring through all the catalogs, dog-ear the pages, and post-it notes everywhere, I set up a spreadsheet to compare price and seed count because not all catalogs offer the same amounts, and seed packet prices vary widely. This is my left brain acting until the right brain says — “hey, look at that gorgeous foliage” or “try this new color since you loved it last year.”
When thinking about the 80/20 in my garden, I aim for a high proportion of “tried and true” varieties, while balancing the “new and different” to complete the picture. Because a garden is equal parts enjoyment, learning, and pushing the boundaries as it is having complete success.
Next week, I’ll share my favorite garden tools. Stay tuned!
With best wishes for an artful kitchen garden,
Ellen O.
Ellen Ecker Ogden is a cookbook writer, educator, and garden designer. Her books and articles have been featured in numerous national magazines. More can be found at www.ellenogden.com or link-tree.
