Saturday, August 23, 2008

a-z. the list (so far)

My only gardening book up to this point is The Edible Garden by Sunset.  It has an alphabetized list of veggies (and fruit, but I'm not dealing with that at this point).  I looked through it tonight - and reviewed some lists I found online - and came up with a list of what I am interested in growing.  It's a long list.

My idea at this point is to do regular "a-z" posts for each of the vegetables as a way to summarize what I learn.  Included will be information regarding different varieties, when to plant, when to harvest, cost of seeds/starters, ideal soil/sun conditions, spacing, and a tentative spot for them in my garden plan.  

Here's the list, about 73 so far: 
artichokes, arugula, asparagus, basil, bay leaves, beans

beets, berries, broccoli,brussel sprouts,cabbage, carrots,cauliflower, cauliflower, celery, chard, chervil, chives, cilantro, collards, corn, cress, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, fava beans, fennel, garlic, gourds, grapes, haricots verts, jerusalem artichoke, kale, lavender, leeks, lettuce, marjoram, melons, mint, mushrooms, mustard, mustard greens, okra, onions, oregano, parsley, parsnips, pears, peas, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, radicchio, radishes, rhubarb, rosemary, rutabaga, shallots, spices (nutmeg, cloves) spinach, squash, strawberries, sweet potatoes, tarragon, thyme, tomatillo, tomatoes, turnips, turnips, watermelon, yams, zucchini.


Some of these are purely exploring options, and the list may not be complete.  But it's a start.


2 comments:

Allison said...

This is a great idea. I'm looking forward to more posts. Just in the past week I've gotten really excited about what I'm going to do next year with my garden. You should read the book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." It's about a family that move to a farm and either raise, or buy from local farmers, everything they eat for an entire year. It has motivated me to only use heirloom seeds next year and to try to stop buying out of season fruit and vegetables. We'll see how that goes this winter.

Nate said...

Sweet! My first comment. Thanks Al. I do need to check out that book - it sounds like it would be pretty good motivation. I think winter will be tough, especially here. But I gotta believe it's possible. People lived here before supermarkets and mass food transportation. I suspect we need to adjust our expectations of what will be available in winter and eat more seasonally.