tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8720234.post-1101275144828115142004-11-23T21:42:00.000-08:002004-11-23T21:45:44.826-08:00Autumnal armchair gardening<p>One of the fun activities of gloomy Autumn days is planning next year's garden. I'm ordering a few seeds by mailorder. That's where you can find the widest variety anymore; garden center seed racks have become a bit sparce in recent decades. One of the wost problems with seed-rack seeds is that “one size fits all” in terms of climactic suitability. Don't be surprised to see watermelon seed in Maine or spinach seed for Arizona.</p>
<p>I live where summers are cool. I like to have a variety of warm-weather and cool-weather crops, so I plan my warm-weather crops to be of relatively tolerant varieties. Usually, but not always, varieties bred to be extra-early tend to be the best bets for cooler climates. Tomato 'Sub-Arctic Plenty', which was bred for producing tomatoes at an Arctic military base, reliably ripens its crop even in places like the Pacific Northwest or the British Isles. There are also corn and melon varieties bred for short or cool summers. Sometimes a cold frame is the way to go; then you can also grow lettuce in the winter in many climates.</p>
<p>I take the issue of “peak oil” (demand for petroleum outrunning supply due to exhaustion of supplies) very seriously. It takes roughly 10 calories of fuel to raise 1 calorie of grain. It takes roughly 10 calories of grain to produce 1 calorie of meat. I don't eat meat, so don't blame me! Unfortunately the odds are still against me.</p>
<p>That's why I give plenty of thought about how to raise fruits and vegetables without extravagant use of fertilizers, irrigation. Of course you can only get out what is put in: potatoes for instance will grow on nitrogen-deficient soils, but they are low in protein. Creating protein requires nitrogen. Leguminous crops can fix nitrogen from the air, so they are a good deal.</p>
<p>Some crops are much easier to raise than others, all other factors being the same. Tomatoes are popular partly because they are easy almost anywhere except where summers are too cold, too short, or very hot. Zucchini is so easy it has a reputation for excess! Celery is tricky to grow unless you're not picky about the possibility of small, parsley-like stalks. Cauliflower is apt to produce small heads when grown my amateurs. A lot of crops that are easy in cool, moist weather turn bitter and bolt to seed in hot weather. I like a lot of different vegetables so I can be satisfied with what is easy to grow and what is available in each season.</p>
<p>Because I plan to save seed, I'm avoiding so-called "F1 hybrids" in favor of seed that breeds true. Obviously, I won't touch patented seed. I am worried that in the near future, public domain plant genetics will dry up and be replaced by patented seeds. Think of heirloom vegetable seed as “green gold”.</p>Atarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09845221495990410926noreply@blogger.com