Want To Make the Deer Laugh? Just Tell Them Your Gardening Plans. February Newsletter

If I were not embarrassed of my office, I would send you a picture of the craziness that is farming at this moment.  I have piles of seed bags all over the floor and my desk, competing for space with the piles of papers that are also all over my floor and desk.  It is that beautiful time of year where my lofty farming goals take their first steps.  The 1-lb bag of Pencil Pod Yellow Bean seeds located inches from my computer is potentially 300-lbs of yellow beans waiting to be pickled, roasted, sauteed, frozen or made into hotdish.  Just think a future dinner of yours is just getting started right here at my desk.

However, while I sit here next to a bag of dried beans, fantasizing about eating a jar full of Dilly Beans, I must remember that there are many steps required before Dilly Beans are a reality.  Only after the tilling, planting, weeding, trellising, weeding again, picking, washing, prepping, and canning do I get to enjoy the gleeful exclamations my small humans make when they pop open a jar of Dilly Beans. 

Despite the long road ahead, I am beyond excited to get started for the 2022 season and I must share with you a few of the new vegetables and fruits I have in store for the 2022 growing season.  However, keep in mind that you can buy a seed, put in it the ground, water, weed, tend to it, and that seed may never bear fruit.  Even with all the time and care, mother earth ultimately decides what will grow and what will not.  Or those damn deer. 

New this Year!

Round Zucchini—Perfect for stuffing and roasting

Cantaloupe—Minnesota Midget, a personal sized cantaloupe

Watermelon—We are trying to grow a seedless variety; they are difficult to grow so I am keeping my expectations low.  But we’ll have some old favorites like Crimson Sweet, plus a highly sought-after heirloom variety, all thanks to our St Paul friends for seed saving!

Peppers—More bell peppers this year as I plan to double the number of pepper plants.

Tomatoes—I am trying the sweetest cherry tomato available.  It will be like eating candy (or so I’m told)!

Potatoes—I’ll have white potatoes (duh!), red potatoes, and blue potatoes!  So excited!

Squash—I tried Delicata squash for the first-time last fall and thought how I could have possibly missed this delicate tasty squash for all these years. 

These are just a few of the newbies. Click the link for a list of all planned produce.