[UrbanCropCircle] Dreaming of Seeds Already

[rhonda at sustainableballard.org]

I know it's way too early to be coveting seeds for the next garden season,
but this article from Seattle Tilth is to blame.  Here are 3 heirloom
seeds I'd love to order for next year .... and if we do a group order
again we can save money.  rhonda

  Grow a Historic Garden with Edible Heirlooms

Seattle Tilth Editor Bill Thorness discusses the inspiration for his new
book "Edible Heirlooms: Heritage Vegetables for the Maritime Garden," that
was released in October by Skipstone Press.

By Bill Thorness, Editor

Last summer, I stood in the center of my garden contemplating the origin
of the species growing at my feet. I was surrounded by heirlooms, from the
first yellow flowers of the Brandywine tomato to the Alderman  peas
towering overhead and the Chioggia beets digging their way into the soil.
It was like a very diverse family reunion, with folks from the old country
blending with immigrant elders and long-lost cousins.

Since my first Seattle garden, I’ve been attracted to heirloom vegetables.
I was inspired by the idea of an old variety being kept alive from year to
year, as seed is passed from one generation to the next. Twenty years ago,
Seattle Tilth had a close connection with then-Port Townsend based
Abundant Life Seed Foundation, from whose catalog many unique varieties
sprouted in my garden. That organization and Tilth educators inspired me.

I’m still growing some of those varieties—producing the same plant with
the same-sized fruit in the same number of days as they did for Thomas
Jefferson, or Native Americans, or settlers, or perhaps even my ancestors.

What kind of trellis did Jefferson erect to hold up his Alderman—also
known as Tall Telephone—pea vines? Our third president and fervent
horticulturalist held a pea contest every year with his neighbors to see
who could cultivate the first ripe peas. There’s no record of him ever
winning the contest, but he often held the celebratory dinner, at the
center of which was a dish of peas. Jefferson had a vegetable garden one
thousand feet long, and he introduced many varieties that are in today’s
heirloom collections. He also famously called himself, at the age of 68,
“still a beginning gardener.”

The stories that come with these treasured seeds—a variety whose seeds
were used as voting tokens by ancient peoples, a cultivar that was so
popular it paid off the family mortgage—spur the imagination.

Below are three cool-season heirloom veggies good for early spring
sprouting, when soil has warmed to 45-50 degrees. Give them a try—perhaps
you’ll be starting your own heirloom tradition.

    * Fordhook Giant chard: Grown in American gardens since 1750, it
produces large, crinkled, dark green leaves with broad, white ribs and
stems and juicy, celerylike stalks. Heavy production and great flavor.
    * Green Deer Tongue lettuce: The thick, spearhead-shaped leaves of
this variety, which obviously reminded early growers of a deer’s
tongue, form a spiraling rosette of succulent, olive-green leaves
growing to eight inches. It has been a favorite of the Amish people,
who introduced their own varieties.
    * Dwarf Grey Sugar pea: A snow pea growing on a bushy plant under
three feet tall, this has been a standard home garden pea since
Revolutionary times. It is one of the earliest producing peas,
offering sweet, two- to three-inch pods in less than two months.


Bill Thorness’ new book, Edible Heirlooms: Heritage Vegetables for the
Maritime Garden, was released in October from Seattle’s Skipstone Press.
Get more information at www.edibleheirlooms.com. He will be signing books
11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12 at Santoro’s Books, 7405 Greenwood
Ave. N. in Seattle.