winter food garden questions!

[Jeffrey Moore]

hi all,

 

The Coastal Federation (out on Hwy 24, across from Patsy Pond trail) is clearing out its book inventory.  All books are 40% off; there are quite few related to gardening.  I just picked up "Month-By-Month Gardening in the Carolinas", by Bob Polomski.

 

Anyway, according to Polomski, we here in the warmer coastal areas of the state can sow several vegetables in January.  These include:

beets,

carrots,

garden peas,

lettuce,

mustard,

radishes,

spinach,

and turnips.

 

My questions: 

 

(1) Can anyone confirm or refute that these various veggies can be sown now (or in a couple weeks)? 

 

(2) If we CAN start planting some things over the next few weeks, can anyone make a recommendation on where I'd find seeds this time of year?  I suppose I can just pop into a garden store in the area, but I wonder if anyone has some more interesting suggestions (e.g., online seed catalogs that could get me seeds within the next week? a good local store?  an inventory of seeds lying around your house that you'd be willing to share? :-)

 

(3) Can anyone recommend particular varieties of said veggies that do particularly well around here and taste particularly good?

 

thanks!

Jeff

 

 

 

******************************************

Jeffrey Moore, Ph.D.

Assistant Research Scientist

Duke Center for Marine Conservation

Duke University Marine Laboratory

135 Duke Marine Lab Road

Beaufort, NC 28516

Phone: (252) 504-7653

Fax: (252) 504-7689

Email: jem...@duke.edu

Web: www.duke.edu/~jemoore

*****************************************

 

[stephanie miscovich]

Yes, Jeff.. there are some good varieties that can be sown now (although I'm not sure about the peas).  As for where to get seeds, I suggest perusing some online seed catalogs for inspiration and information on specific varieties, but if you want to buy locally try local hardware or garden stores rather than big box chain stores because the locally owned ones are more likely to carry specific varieties that do well around here. Start with fresh seeds (rather than leftovers) for best germination results--the packs should say "packed for 2009".  and don't forget to look for other cold-tolerant salad greens like 'mache'!

Here are some great websites where you can find tons of information and order seeds and/or catalogs:

• Seeds of Change   http://www.seedsofchange.com/
  
• The Cook's Garden  http://www.cooksgarden.com
  
• Fedco Co-op Seeds   http://www.fedcoseeds.com
  
• Johnny's Selected Seeds  http://www.johnnyseeds.com/
  
• Southern Exposure Seed Exchange   http://www.southernexposure.com  (specializing in plants for the mid-Atlantic region) 
  
• Horizon Herbs   http://www.horizonherbs.com   (this is primarily medicinal seeds, but some key vegetable varieties as well. very informative website/catalog; outstanding family-run operation founded by Richo Cech--a rockstar among eco-herbalists and an international seedsman extraordinaire.) 
  

Another great reference is the highly regarded organic gardener Eliot Coleman. Look him up; his knowledge and methods are solid and time-tested, and his gardening philosophy and writing style are warm and welcoming and lovely. His book Four-Season Harvest, How to Harvest Fresh Organic Vegetables from your Home Garden All Year Long is a great reference that lists particular cold-tolerant varieties, and he has tables that specify planting dates for particular varieties in various geographic regions. He and wife Barbara Damrosch (also a prominent gardener and author) garden year round at their farm "Four Seasons Farm" in Maine. Their website is a great resource too.   http://www.fourseasonfarm.com/

Fresh (packed for '09) seeds traditionally begin shipping in January/February, so this is a fine time to place online orders for quick delivery. 

I'll be placing some seed orders soon as well, and would love to perhaps swap/share seeds with others..

stephanie

[catherine]

quick report on where to buy locally (as of 12-30-08):
Williams Hardware, Morehead City says they have some 2009 vegetable
packages available for sale now,
Ace Hardware, Beaufort says they will receive theirs in mid-January,
Gaskill's Hardware says they should have theirs by mid-February.
remember that Gaskill's sells many seeds in bulk too.
happy shopping! - Catherine

[Joyce Sasser]

Jeff.....only got a minute right now but my FIRST suggestion is to go to
Gaskills on 70 right there in Beaufort.....they have jars of seeds of
things that grow well here as well has packets of seeds and lots of bins
of stuff, ETC. AND they have some folks who actually KNOW what grows
well here etc. if you are lucky enough for those folks to be there when
you are......yes on all those things listed plus sugar snap peas which
are our favorite plant NOW thing here.....we have spinach, lettuce,
carrots, cabbage, radishes growing now as well under our little light
weight cover in the colder days, though not much growing now compared to
what we normally have....only one raised bed going right now.... and
will be planting the other two beds quickly now when time
permits......sorry I don't have more time.....go to Gaskills, Jeff! :-)

> Email: jem...@duke.edu <mailto:jem...@duke.edu>
> Web: www.duke.edu/~jemoore <http://www.duke.edu/%7Ejemoore>
> *****************************************
>
>
> >

[Jeffrey Moore]

thanks, everyone so far.

and a follow-up question: recommended places for getting a yard or two of
topsoil and organic compost? preferably close-ish to Beaufort?

I got some soil at a place out near Newport not too long ago (for a Duke
marine lab garden we started)...but would prefer something closer for my
home needs.

Jeff



******************************************
Jeffrey Moore, Ph.D.
Assistant Research Scientist
Duke Center for Marine Conservation
Duke University Marine Laboratory
135 Duke Marine Lab Road
Beaufort, NC 28516
Phone: (252) 504-7653
Fax: (252) 504-7689
Email: jem...@duke.edu

Web: www.duke.edu/~jemoore
*****************************************

[stephanie miscovich]

Nelson Gooding (Hwy 70 just east of Beaufort city limits on the right side... you'll see a big truck stranded on top of a pile of dirt, Santa driving some heavy equipment, and lots of piles of mulch, dirt, sand, etc. along the side of the road. $65 to fill my Ranger pickup truck (heaping!). The turkey compost is regionally produced from turkey farms in Eastern NC.   

what a glorious day! Happy new year everyone

Steph

[stephanie miscovich]

The product I recommended in my last post was Nelson Gooding's 'turkey compost/topsoil blend'. It is from regional conventional turkey farms... so it's organic (rather than synthetically derived), but certainly not 'Organic' in the legal sense of the word! We use it and like it, though.

Steph

[catherine]

Anne Edward's blog reports she'll be planting peas in early February
(find a link to her blog in the Files section here, under NC Ag
Extension Agents).
She also suggests that compost may be bought for $20/ ton (large
pickup load) at the Hibbs Road transfer station in Newport, BUT, be
aware! - this is really a shredded mulch that has been heated and
may/ often contains chemical nitrogen fertilizer added to increase the
heat in the windrows as they compost for a month. Wayne, the weigh
master at transfer station, asks customers to be patient (up to a half
hour? maybe more?) to have your vehicle loaded, especially in busy
summer months. So maybe we all want to get some now and start adding
our own nitrogen and kitchen scraps to make a really healthy compost
by early spring?...
Also, I concur with Stephanie that Nelson Gooding (Rt 70, Beaufort)
has some good soil, rock and compost products, and we're supporting
another local producer!
Catherine

[Becca]

Hi, Jeff,

You may already be doing so, but I am having great success making my
own compost with a vermicomposter. Right now it is in my laundry
room, but it spends most of the year in the garage. I chose a worm
factory, but there are all different sorts. It is just amazing what
those little wigglers can do to kitchen scraps and waste paper! It
won't help you with compost for right now, but certainly will down the
line.

Becca

> Email: jemo...@duke.edu
> Web:www.duke.edu/~jemoore
> *****************************************

[Stephen]

Becca,
I just started vermicomposting with the help and a bunch of worms from
Melissa at CMAST, the 4H program assistant. We use shredded newspaper
for bedding plus I added some coffee filter paper to mine. What do you
use for bedding? We are helping several schools with vermicomposting
projects so will learn from their mistakes as well as our own. Anne
Edwards is also doing this.

This is the time of year to plant your cool season crops such as the
lettuces, crucifers such as cabbage, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower,
etc. When I talked to a friend about vegetable gardening recently, he
told me to come back in a few weeks. I hope he isn't putting it off
too much. I planted peas as late as March 1 and they did well. I have
a few more pea seed to plant, probably this week.

Stephen

> > *****************************************- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Becca]

Hi, Stephen,

I use shredded paper, plus I give them all of my vegetable food
scraps. They can't have citrus or dairy or meat. They can have bread
or grains, but not too much b/c it makes it too hot. They love coffee
grounds. When I am energetic I puree their food for them so they can
eat it more easily and then mix it with shredded paper about half and
half. If I am lazy, I just throw it in there, but it takes longer for
them to eat it.

I have had this worm factory going for over a year now and they are
thriving. The worms keep multiplying. I've never seen anything like
it.

What type of worms are you using?

Becca

> > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -