Vegetable Seeds from Johnny's Selected Seeds
It's February and still cold here in the Northeast, but we're preparing for the next growing season here at my farm - my gardeners are busy starting all the many vegetables from seed.
Many of my vegetable seeds and other supplies are from Johnny’s Selected Seeds in central Maine - a company I’ve been using for quite some time. Johnny's Selected Seeds offers a wide selection of products and provides practical solutions for both the home gardener and the professional farmer. Starting from seed isn’t difficult. They can be planted closely together in seed starting trays and then pulled apart easily when they're ready to move into larger pots or outdoors.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- This time of year my head house tables are often filled with seeds ready to be planted in trays. Johnny’s Selected Seeds is a privately held, employee-owned organic seed producer. I use many of Johnny’s seeds every year.
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- This is my giant half-acre garden in June. Lots of the produce grown is started from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. Together with nutrient-rich soil, I have the best crops ever.
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- Some of the many vegetables I always grow – giant cabbages of all kinds including green cabbage, red cabbage, Savoy cabbage, and Napa cabbage, etc.
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- Here is a crop of kale from last year. Kale, also called leaf cabbage, is primarily grown for its edible leaves.
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- I grow tons of broccoli – perfect heads of delicious and nutritious broccoli.
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- I also grow large beds of artichokes. The artichoke is actually the bud of a flower. The bracts, or leaves, cover a fuzzy center called the choke which sits on top of a meaty core, which is called the artichoke heart.
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- And don’t forget the root vegetables such as carrots. These also grow so well in my garden.
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- Johnny’s Selected Seeds offers hundreds of varieties of organic vegetable, herb, flower, fruit and farm seeds that are known to be strong, dependable growers.
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- Some of this year’s offerings include this okra variety, ‘Jambalaya.’ (Photo courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- Johnny’s ‘Rangitoto’ spinach has uniform bright green leaves on tall, upright stems. (Photo courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- This eggplant variety from Johnny’s is called ‘Turkish Delight.’ They have an elongated shape and a rich flavor. (Photo courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- Johnny’s ‘Bacchus’ radishes are recommended for both early spring and fall harvests. (Photo courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- When starting seeds, be sure to read the planting dates for each variety. Valuable information is written right on the seed packet.
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- Here my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, writes the seed variety on markers, so he’s ready to place it in the trays after planting the seeds. It’s also helpful to put the date of planting on the back. Ryan determines what order they will be started in trays depending on how long it takes each plant to germinate.
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- Seeds are started in trays like these. These can be saved from year to year, so don’t throw them away after the season. Seed starting trays are available in all sizes and formations from Johnny’s Selected Seeds.
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- It’s best to use a pre-made seed starting mix that contains the proper amounts of vermiculite, perlite and peat moss. Seed starting mixes are available at garden supply stores. I use Miracle-Gro Starting Potting Mix, which is effective for germinating both vegetable and flower seeds.
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- When possible, prepare several trays in an assembly-line fashion and then drop the seeds. Doing this saves time and simplifies the process.
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- Using his finger, Ryan makes shallow indentations in each cell where the seeds will be positioned.
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- Seeds come in a variety of sizes. Ryan drops one to three seeds into each cell compartment. It’s always a good idea to keep a record of when seeds are sown, when they germinate, and when they are transplanted. These observations will help organize a schedule for the following year.
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- And once the seeds are planted and covered with a layer of additional starting mix, the tray is watered and placed into my Urban Cultivator where the seeds will germinate. Seeds are usually started about two months before the last frost in an area – we will be planting seeds well into March. Are you starting some seeds this weekend?
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