Planning The Urban Homestead Spring Garden
(for the new urban homesteader)
(for the new urban homesteader)
When planning your garden for the upcoming spring season you have to make a lot of decisions about what you're going to plant, whether or not you will be starting seeds yourself or buying transplants, and on top of all that you must figure out where you are going to get your seeds from. For a beginner urban homesteader it can be challenging to figure all this stuff out (though usually it's pretty fun too.) Here is a good selection of vegetables to start with:
Beans. Try growing a couple of different kinds of beans. For the urban homesteader, space is often an issue so if you have space restraints, stick with the pole bean varieties. A couple that I have had good luck with are: Kentucky Wonder (OP) and Blue Lake Pole (OP)
Broad Beans (Fava). Fava beans are very easy to grow and are an incredible treat to eat fresh shelled. Fava beans should be planted in early spring (as soon as your ground can be worked). I have mostly grown one variety and it is not being offered in any catalogs right now so I can't give a personal recommendation for this year but I can tell you that in England the standard is Broad Windsor (OP) and there is one variety that looks a lot the one I've been growing called Negreta (OP) which I will be trying in the fall.
cucumbers. Cucumbers are easy to grow and satisfying to pick fresh out of your garden for a salad. What to choose: slicing cucumbers. A couple of kinds that I have grown myself that were really tasty are: Straight Eight (OP), Fountain (F1), and Armenian (OP)
Kale. Kale is a very easy dark leafy green to grow. There is no better source of vitamin C or calcium in the vegetable kingdom. You can plant it fairly early in the spring as it is a cool weather vegetable and it may bolt in the hottest part of summer. You can do a second planting of it at the end of summer for fall and winter eating. I have (strangely) never planted kale before. I am going to be planting Red Russian (OP) and White Russian (OP)
Lettuce. All you need to think about with lettuce is that if you live in a very hot region you will want to look for slow bolting varieties. All lettuce should be planted in spring, earlier than your tomatoes. I have had good luck growing Simpson Black-seeded (OP), Tom Thumb (OP), Red Sails (OP) and lettuce mixes from a couple of different catalogs.
Hot peppers. Everyone who loves peppers wants to grow bell peppers but getting good results is tricky. Hot peppers are easier to grow in my experience. Plus I hate bell peppers. Growing your own cayenne is easy and jalapenoes are also pretty easy for most gardeners to get good results. I have not done these from seeds and have bought organic seedlings that were the "Long Thin Cayenne" variety.
Squash. Summer squash is one of the easiest vegetables to grow. Some I've really enjoyed growing are Black Beauty zucchini (OP), Yellow Crookneck (OP), Eight Ball (F1), Cocozelle Bush Zucchini (OP). There are so many other kinds out there and you can do so much with them so don't be afraid to try out a lot of different kinds!
Tomatoes. If you're new at growing tomatoes I suggest you stick to buying transplants from your local nursery. Most nurseries now have a huge variety of both hybrid and heirloom varieties to choose from. The hybrids tend to produce more fruit but in many cases have less flavor than the heirlooms. Here are some of my absolute favorites: Sungold (F1) (an orange cherry tomato), Black Plum (OP), Aunt Ruby's German Green (OP), Siletz (OP), Marzano (OP).
There are so many other things you can plant, such as the root vegetables. My list above is simply a guideline to the easiest vegetables to start with if you are doing a vegetable garden for the first time. It will give you a taste for the possibilities and your chance of success with all of the vegetables I've mentioned above are extremely good. My only caution to the beginner is to not try to grow absolutely everything the first season.
A couple of things I don't recommend anyone try to grow as a beginner is: celery, melons, or fennel. I've been growing a garden for eight years now and I still can't get any of these to grow well in my garden.
What should you start from seed yourself and what should you buy as transplants? I would start off only starting vegetables from seeds that can be direct sewn (put directly in the ground) which includes: lettuce, cucumbers, kale, beans, and squash. In the beginning I would buy your peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants as transplants because they are harder to start from seed indoors and take a long time to get big enough to put outside. Without the right conditions (proper heat and light) the results can be very disappointing.
I've labeled each variety I've listed with information about whether it is open pollinated (OP) or is a hybrid (F1). Does it really matter? Hybrids are not necessarily a bad thing but they are more limiting because until a hybrid has been stabilized over a long period of time, you cannot save their seeds to plant the next year and be sure of what you're getting. Often hybrids don't grow true from seed. When you plant open pollinated seeds you can be sure that if prevented from randomly crossing with other varieties in the same family of plants you will get the same results again and again. As a general rule I prefer to plant mostly open pollinated varieties. Hybrids are not the same thing as genetically engineered seeds.
Genetically engineered seeds are dangerous and evil.
Yeah, I know, you expected me to say that. How do you avoid growing them? You buy seeds only from seed companies that have taken the safe seed pledge. Is this important? It is if you want to keep the environment safe for pollinating insects, for humans, and for other animals.
There are a ton of great seed companies out there but I am going to provide links only to ones that I have had some personal experience with. All of the companies I buy my seed from have taken the safe seed pledge.
Territorial Seed Co. - they are local to me and so carry a lot of varieties of seeds that do well in the Pacific Northwest. They carry predominantly open pollinated seeds and have a very good reputation amongst consumers.
Seeds Of Change - This was my favorite seed company when I lived in California. Their seeds are very good quality and I love their catalog. I don't use them as much now because they carry a lot of varieties that do better in warmer climates than the one I live in now.
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds - I've bought seeds from these guys occasionally and was very happy with the results. They carry a lot of weird varieties and the only danger with this company is assuming that "novelty" translates into "tasty". Sometimes there is actually a reason why heirlooms have faded from use. However, for the sake of bio-diversity the work they do to provide unusual and heirloom vegetables is important.
Seed Savers Exchange - seeds aren't just plants we grow, seeds are little capsules of the earth's history. What's magical about heirloom seeds is that in each heirloom seed is the history of someone's family, a history of origin, and a history of human survival and enginuity. A history of life that can be germinated again and again. Seed Savers started as a group of people saving and exchanging family heirlooms and has grown into an organization dedicated to protecting biodiversity and our heritage in seeds. When you buy from them you are supporting their endeavors.
Beans. Try growing a couple of different kinds of beans. For the urban homesteader, space is often an issue so if you have space restraints, stick with the pole bean varieties. A couple that I have had good luck with are: Kentucky Wonder (OP) and Blue Lake Pole (OP)
Broad Beans (Fava). Fava beans are very easy to grow and are an incredible treat to eat fresh shelled. Fava beans should be planted in early spring (as soon as your ground can be worked). I have mostly grown one variety and it is not being offered in any catalogs right now so I can't give a personal recommendation for this year but I can tell you that in England the standard is Broad Windsor (OP) and there is one variety that looks a lot the one I've been growing called Negreta (OP) which I will be trying in the fall.
cucumbers. Cucumbers are easy to grow and satisfying to pick fresh out of your garden for a salad. What to choose: slicing cucumbers. A couple of kinds that I have grown myself that were really tasty are: Straight Eight (OP), Fountain (F1), and Armenian (OP)
Kale. Kale is a very easy dark leafy green to grow. There is no better source of vitamin C or calcium in the vegetable kingdom. You can plant it fairly early in the spring as it is a cool weather vegetable and it may bolt in the hottest part of summer. You can do a second planting of it at the end of summer for fall and winter eating. I have (strangely) never planted kale before. I am going to be planting Red Russian (OP) and White Russian (OP)
Lettuce. All you need to think about with lettuce is that if you live in a very hot region you will want to look for slow bolting varieties. All lettuce should be planted in spring, earlier than your tomatoes. I have had good luck growing Simpson Black-seeded (OP), Tom Thumb (OP), Red Sails (OP) and lettuce mixes from a couple of different catalogs.
Hot peppers. Everyone who loves peppers wants to grow bell peppers but getting good results is tricky. Hot peppers are easier to grow in my experience. Plus I hate bell peppers. Growing your own cayenne is easy and jalapenoes are also pretty easy for most gardeners to get good results. I have not done these from seeds and have bought organic seedlings that were the "Long Thin Cayenne" variety.
Squash. Summer squash is one of the easiest vegetables to grow. Some I've really enjoyed growing are Black Beauty zucchini (OP), Yellow Crookneck (OP), Eight Ball (F1), Cocozelle Bush Zucchini (OP). There are so many other kinds out there and you can do so much with them so don't be afraid to try out a lot of different kinds!
Tomatoes. If you're new at growing tomatoes I suggest you stick to buying transplants from your local nursery. Most nurseries now have a huge variety of both hybrid and heirloom varieties to choose from. The hybrids tend to produce more fruit but in many cases have less flavor than the heirlooms. Here are some of my absolute favorites: Sungold (F1) (an orange cherry tomato), Black Plum (OP), Aunt Ruby's German Green (OP), Siletz (OP), Marzano (OP).
There are so many other things you can plant, such as the root vegetables. My list above is simply a guideline to the easiest vegetables to start with if you are doing a vegetable garden for the first time. It will give you a taste for the possibilities and your chance of success with all of the vegetables I've mentioned above are extremely good. My only caution to the beginner is to not try to grow absolutely everything the first season.
A couple of things I don't recommend anyone try to grow as a beginner is: celery, melons, or fennel. I've been growing a garden for eight years now and I still can't get any of these to grow well in my garden.
What should you start from seed yourself and what should you buy as transplants? I would start off only starting vegetables from seeds that can be direct sewn (put directly in the ground) which includes: lettuce, cucumbers, kale, beans, and squash. In the beginning I would buy your peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants as transplants because they are harder to start from seed indoors and take a long time to get big enough to put outside. Without the right conditions (proper heat and light) the results can be very disappointing.
I've labeled each variety I've listed with information about whether it is open pollinated (OP) or is a hybrid (F1). Does it really matter? Hybrids are not necessarily a bad thing but they are more limiting because until a hybrid has been stabilized over a long period of time, you cannot save their seeds to plant the next year and be sure of what you're getting. Often hybrids don't grow true from seed. When you plant open pollinated seeds you can be sure that if prevented from randomly crossing with other varieties in the same family of plants you will get the same results again and again. As a general rule I prefer to plant mostly open pollinated varieties. Hybrids are not the same thing as genetically engineered seeds.
Genetically engineered seeds are dangerous and evil.
Yeah, I know, you expected me to say that. How do you avoid growing them? You buy seeds only from seed companies that have taken the safe seed pledge. Is this important? It is if you want to keep the environment safe for pollinating insects, for humans, and for other animals.
There are a ton of great seed companies out there but I am going to provide links only to ones that I have had some personal experience with. All of the companies I buy my seed from have taken the safe seed pledge.
Territorial Seed Co. - they are local to me and so carry a lot of varieties of seeds that do well in the Pacific Northwest. They carry predominantly open pollinated seeds and have a very good reputation amongst consumers.
Seeds Of Change - This was my favorite seed company when I lived in California. Their seeds are very good quality and I love their catalog. I don't use them as much now because they carry a lot of varieties that do better in warmer climates than the one I live in now.
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds - I've bought seeds from these guys occasionally and was very happy with the results. They carry a lot of weird varieties and the only danger with this company is assuming that "novelty" translates into "tasty". Sometimes there is actually a reason why heirlooms have faded from use. However, for the sake of bio-diversity the work they do to provide unusual and heirloom vegetables is important.
Seed Savers Exchange - seeds aren't just plants we grow, seeds are little capsules of the earth's history. What's magical about heirloom seeds is that in each heirloom seed is the history of someone's family, a history of origin, and a history of human survival and enginuity. A history of life that can be germinated again and again. Seed Savers started as a group of people saving and exchanging family heirlooms and has grown into an organization dedicated to protecting biodiversity and our heritage in seeds. When you buy from them you are supporting their endeavors.
