SEED SAVERS. And the winner!

It's Monday.  And it's a big day!  Not only are we venturing into our spring garden plans, but we also have our giveaway results!


First things first:  The totally random, not-in-any-way-fixed, honestly-selected, google-randomized-chosen winner for The Wooden Ladder's Orange Ranunculus Wreath Giveaway is...


NATALI! Who wants to open a brew shop!

Congratulations, my friend!  You are the very first winner on The Elliott Homestead E-V-E-R!  It feels so good to be a winner some days.  I will bring the wreath by to you, because frankly, I know where you live.  Also, thanks to everyone who participated.  You rockin' people, you.  I have even cooler readers than I thought.

Sister, I am sorry you did not win.  Come over with a bottle of wine and hang out and I will make you one.  Because I love ya.

Okay, now onto the garden.  You see, in my hometown this past weekend, we hit record lows.  It's been freezing.  It's been snowing.  It's been...stupid.  I want birds and sunshine and sprinklers and bulbs.  I am ready to smell the soil again and well, garden!  So in the mist of our freezing blizzard, I traveled to a local store - Valley Feed.  Wenatchee-ites, have you heard of it?  Well let me tell ya, for gardening supplies this is the place to go.  They know their stuff.  And I was oh-so-excited this year that they picked up an all organic, heirloom line of seeds called Seed Savers.  If I go missing.  Look here.  Right here.  Because this is where I'll be.

Seed Savers' mission is to save America's "diverse but endangered garden heritage for future generations".  I dig that.  They are an 800 acre farm near Decorah, Iowa.  Not only do they grow heirloom, endangered varieties of vegetables, but they also raise the Ancient White Park Cattle (which are, in my humble opinion, one of the most beautiful breeds of cattle). 

Yes, I think cattle are beautiful.  I love them.  I love their eyelashes.  I love their hooves.  I love their tails.  I love their noses.  I love the lil baby calves and the way the mamas lick them and snuggle them.  As usual, this has nothing to do with my post.

Back to the garden.

Point being, I am very enthusiastic about Seed Savers mission.  Read more about their product here.

If you live near me, please please please make a visit to Bruce at Valley Feed.  He'll hook ya up with all the goodies you need for a successful garden.  Tell him I sent ya.  And might I just point out the following:

1.  I think it's important to support small, local businesses.  Sure, you can buy your seeds at Lowe's, but then you are missing out on:
 a.  The conversation with a local grower.  You can always learn something new!  I'm learnin' how to properly trellis tomatoes as we speak!
 b.  The heirloom, unique varieties of goods available to you.  Yellow beets anyone?
 c.   Seeds chosen specifically for our climate and zone.  For us short-season-growers, this makes a huge difference!

Not from my area?  Search your own little 'Valley Feed Store' out!  Find a local feed or garden store that carries a line of seeds specifically chosen for their uniqueness and for your climate.  I have even heard some of these heirloom varieties referred to as "antique" seeds.  I loooooooove that.  I love knowing that all these wonderful, God-given varieties of purple beans and yellow tomatoes will live on!  Tomorrow, we'll be looking at this further.

While it is still far too early for me to be starting seeds inside, I am still planning in anticipation.  I feel like a little kid waiting on an upcoming trip to Disneyland.  I want to wet my pants with excitement!  Scratch that.  I don't want to wet my pants.  But I just might!

I am FAR from being as efficient and productive as I would like to be in the garden.  It's truly a lifelong skill that one must keep learning.  But that's the beauty.  Right now, I still just plant to the best of my ability and say my prayers.  However, might I just say that I love the internet.  Never have people had such information at their fingertips!  Especially for gardening.  The internet is a great place to poke around and find out the information you need.

Don't be intimidated by starting a garden.  Even if it's just a wee-one.  Plus, you can always do like I do, and just pretend like you know what you're doing.  Just play it cool.  No one will know.  It'll be our little secret.

This year we are hoping to grow enough potatoes, onions, carrots, and parsnips to get us through the winter.  Plus, a variety of vegetables soups, frozen veggies, and pickled vegetables (of course).  We are really hoping to push the potato crop this year, since that is a vegetable that we eat quite a bit of through the winter.  It's going to be a challenge!  But I laugh in the face of my challengers!  Bwah ha ha ha.

My goals for the garden this year are as follows: 

1.  Don't screw it up too bad.

2.  Get an eggplant.  Last year I had beautiful BEAUTIFUL blossoms.  And no fruit.  Poo.

3.  Get my soil tested.  I like to just wing things (hence the reason I am a horrible baker), but testing my soil will really give me an idea of what I'm dealing with and what nutrients need to be added to the mix.

4.  Put up at least 100 pounds of storage potatoes.  And onions.  And carrots.  And parsnips.

5.  Learn to like parsnips more.  Because they are a root vegetable and good for me.  Plus, you can harvest long after the last frost.  And they store through the winter.

6.  Plan an effective continual planting cycle so that I can harvest early in the season and late into the season.  I want to maximize my space and get as much out as possible!  This requires continually planting certain plants to keep a continual harvest coming, even past the last frost.

7.  Start my pepper plants from seed.  I'm a coward and have never done this.  But I'm going to. 

8.  Grow our own hops for our beer.  Because, frankly, that's rad.

9.  Tackle growing lettuce.  I've always steered away from it because of the fear of pests, but we eat so danged much of it.  It's time.

10.  Get Stuart to like beans.  Cheap.  Protein.  Fiber.  Health.  Dangit, Stuart!

It's going to be a good year, my friends.  A good year.

What are your gardening goals this year?  What are you planting?  Any cool varieties? 

Pink squash? 

Corkscrew green beans?

I’d sure love to hear your plans!  Do tell.  It’ll give me some good material to read over while I’m stuck inside for two more months waiting for the sun.  Boo.No seriously, tell me your plans.  Spill the beans!

Get it? 

Beans? 

Garden? 

Never mind.