Garden of Eatin' / Seeds & Seedlings

Autumn Seeds

Packets of autumn seeds

Very exciting week! My autumn seed order arrived! I always feel so giddy when I get that big yellow bubble envelope rattling with seed packets inside. I like to spread them all out and admire them for a couple of days before I put them away. Anyone else with me here??

These are all new heirloom varieties that I’m trying for the first time… Parisienne carrot, Cylindra (Formanova) beet, Long Black Spanish radish, Giant of Sicily radishJaune D’Or Ovale radish, Tall Telephone garden pea, Mammoth Red Rock cabbage, Rapini broccoli, Carentan leek, Half Long Guernsey parsnip, and Asian Winged bean are among the packets I received.

I’m also going to sow seeds for my three winter squash (Guatemalan Blue, Galeux d’Eysines, and Butternut Rogosa Violina Gioia), even though they were supposed to be seeded in the spring for a fall harvest. But I have a feeling I can get them to grow through the rest of our summer and our usually warm fall for a winter harvest.

I also ordered a few varieties of Russian and cool-weather tomatoes (Principe Borghese, Japanese Black Trifele, Golden King of Siberia, and Emerald Apple) and White Wonder cucumber to try growing through our (hopefully) mild winter. Of course, now that I’ve said that, Los Angeles will probably see its rainiest, foggiest and coldest winter on record for 2011-2012.

What will you be growing this upcoming season?

About Author

I'm a plant lover, passionate road-tripper, and cookbook author whose expert advice and bestselling books have been featured in TIME, Outside, HGTV, and Food & Wine. The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook is my latest book. Garden Betty is where I write about modern homesteading, farm-to-table cooking, and outdoor adventuring—all that encompass a life well-lived outdoors. After all, the secret to a good life is... Read more »