Seed Orders! Woot!

Ordering from seed catalogs is so strangely gratifying. I know I don't have enough room to grow everything, but this year I am determined to make it work. I have decided some things will even make it to the front yard to grow among the flower beds. I do it all organic, anyway!


Though I order from several places, I am simply going to list them, one supplier per blog post.

Tomato Growers

This is my first time ordering from this company. I got them out of Margaret Roach's resource links on her blog, A Way to Garden. The prices were fair, and there was a gift packet thrown in.

Sweet Pickle Peppers - I read about this pepper on somebody's blog, and I wish I could remember who. I couldn't get the pepper out of my head. A little sweet pepper that is a gorgeous ornamental, said to be tasty to the tongue, and great for pickling. How could I go wrong? A few of these will be planted out among the flower beds.

Stupice Tomatoes - Again, I read about these on that same blog. I didn't really think anything of them, but then I was looking at early season tomatoes. These were on the list, so I said, "Hey, why not?" They are supposed to mature early, be more tolerant of the cold than other tomatoes, and they are said to be delicious and sweet. They are also said to be prolific throughout the season.

Tumbling Tom Hybrid - Same blog. I really need to find out who it was and link here. I wanted a tomato plant that would do well in a topsy turvy. They say most cherry tomato plants are perfect for the topsy turvys, but I planted a sun gold cherry tomato plant in it, and I decided an indeterminate was not the way to go. I wanted something bred for the planter, that would produce a high yield. We're going to try out this guy.

Cisinero Tomatillo - This is a large and meaty tomatillo. I like using them for tomatillo pico de gallo and stir-fries. Last year, my friend Liz Lemon* made a delicious hot tomatillo salsa that I would definitely like to try canning myself. These tomatillos are supposed to be perfect because of their nice size and flavor.

 Purple Tomatillo - It's the color. I just like purple. I like the idea of making tomatillo dishes with different colored tomatillos. I LIKE PURPLE! I have grown this variety before, and while they were small, they were very prolific.

Thai Hot Pepper - A lot of my favorite recipes say "chop up two Thai chili peppers," and the problem was that in all my years of gardening, I had never grown Thai chilis! Obviously, this needed to be addressed. Another fun one for the front flower beds.

Cherokee Chocolate Tomato - My favorite beefsteak tomato is Cherokee Purple. The Tomato Grower's website was having a "Buy 15$ worth of stuff from us and we'll throw in a packet of Cherokee Chocolate tomatoes." So, why not? I've read there's no difference between the taste and texture of the two tomato varieties. Apparently, the Purple has a clear skin, and the Chocolate is a mutation where the skin is "yellow." So, the Chocolate variety looks similar except for a brownish hue, whereas the Purple is more of a red-maroon-purple mix.

In all seriousness, I didn't need more tomatoes. But, I think I am going to give away a bunch of my old tomato seeds, and start growing the varieties that truly interest me. I have all these other tomato seeds from other gardening ventures, gifts from people, and tomato varieties I have tested out. From now on, I want to grow my favorites, and try a couple new ones each year. Any that didn't pass muster one year will be passed on to someone else who might appreciate them more.

Now, off to finish crocheting a baby hat!

*This is not the real Liz Lemon, nor is it my friend's real name.