Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

A gardener has the right to change her mind!  No offense to Seed Savers, but it looks like Baker Creek is going to be a little more affordable this year.  I feel a bit of relief with every decision that gets made around here--  And with that in mind, let's talk BEANS!

Dragon Tongue!

I tried to order this one last year from Baker's Creek, but they ran out!  Hopefully this year it won't be quite as popular, but based on the reviews I imagine it'll be selling well again.  Dragon Tongue is a Dutch heirloom wax bean.

Saint-Esprit a Oeil Rouge!

Don't ask me how to pronounce this one.  The name means "Holy Spirit Red Eye," apparently because the red marking near the bean's eye resemble...  Well...  Use your imagination.  If my beans end up with the image of Jesus or the Virgin Mary on them and I can sell them on Ebay as "Miracle Beans," well then all the better.  If they don't make me rich, they'll at least make a good soup!

I suppose I'll also be adding on a plain old ordinary green bean, as they are Jason's favorite.

Blue Lake Bush Bean!

Two New Tomatoes

I'm wondering now what is an acceptable number of hours to put into seed selection?  Ten?  Twenty?  Four thousand nine hundred and seven?
The good news is, I have chosen two varieties of tomato seed.  The bad news is, I'm now questioning my decision to order from Seed Savers exclusively.  Baker Creek not only has online customer reviews for some products- which are very helpful- but also may be more affordable...
Both companies offer these two varieties of tomato, so I feel confident in publicly announcing at least this much:
(Drum roll?)
This summer, in addition to Green Grape, Cherokee Purple, and Gold Medal tomatoes, for which I have hopefully managed to save some viable seeds myself, I will be ordering

BLACK FROM TULA!

An indeterminate 80 day Russian Heirloom, Black From Tula has been described as having a rich, full, old fashioned, sweet and spicy flavor.  Excellent review here.  Available from both BCHS and SSE.  I can't wait to taste one!  And

NYAGOUS!

A funny name for a funny looking tomato, this one is also indeterminate 75 - 80 days, and also an heirloom from Russia.  The Nyagous has been described as sweet, meaty, rich, and very productive.  Sounds good to me!  Find it at BCHS or SSE.
I will now devote a few more hours (days?) to making the final decisions on other veggies, as well as doing the math in order to choose which supplier -  maybe both? 
All this hard work and still six months away from tasting one?!  *sigh*  I'd rather be weeding...

Seed Savers Exchange Catalog

Cherokee Purple Tomatoes

It's January in the heart of the Heartland--  Hardly a time when most people are thinking about gardening, but I've spent the past two weeks pouring over seed catalogs, and I'm so anxious that I can almost smell the dirt!
Last year I ordered seeds from Seed Savers Exchange as well as Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.  This year I've decided to narrow it down to just one source in an effort to save money on shipping, and Seed Savers wins in large part due to their catalog's beautiful and thorough photography. 
It's so much fun trying to decide what to order...  at least at first.  Of course my ideas are much bigger than my garden plot as well as my budget, so narrow it down I must.
I'm especially anxious to try at least one new variety of purple tomato.  I grew Cherokee Purple tomatoes last year, and they were the ugliest, most delicious tomatoes I've ever had!  Unfortunately I got a pretty small yield (surely due in part to the overabundance of shade trees in my back yard), so I'm hoping that another purple variety will be a better producer for me.  (I'm also planning to get a garden plot through my park district--  More on that later.)  I did manage to save some of my own seeds, so hopefully they'll be viable and I'll have some more Cherokee Purple along with one or two new varieties.

While I'm naming names, I'll also recommend the Green Grape and Gold Medal varieties of tomato that I also grew last year for the first time.  The Green Grape were so good--  In side by side taste tests, my run-of-the-mill red cherry tomatoes couldn't come close.  The Gold Medal had a more mild flavor, but they were absolutely gorgeous!  
Well, back to the catalogs...
My next post will (hopefully) contain a list of seed semi-finalists!