Mother Earth's Garden

Someone asked the question on my post Have You Ever Grown A Purple Carrot, about where they could find purple carrot seeds. So I thought I’d put together a few of my favorite heirloom and unusual seeds resources to help you find purple carrots, and other unusual, and heirloom vegetable seeds.
I’ve linked to the purple carrot seed page on most of these, but they’re also excellent resources for other seeds as well if you take a look around.

Victory Heirloom Seeds
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Seed Savers Exchange

Do you have a favorite source for rare, heirloom, or open-pollinated seeds? Please feel free …read more

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Do you have a few extra tomato seeds, but you need some pepper seeds? Do you have a beautiful heirloom flower you’d like to share? Check out the Garden Bloggers’ Seed Exchange and swap your extra seeds for something you need.
In this tough economy swapping something you have for something you need can be a lifesaver, so save some of that money you were going to spend on seeds, and find some great heirloom varieties while you’re at it.
If you don’t want to swap online, set up a seed swap, or plant swap with some friends and neighbors, …read more

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I told you the other day how much I love Echinacea, so when I saw this new Meringue variety of Echinacea from Heronswood, I had to spotlight it.
These beautiful flowers were developed in Holland by Ari Blom. As they bloom they start from a daisy like appearance, and develop into the pom poms you see pictured above.
I love white and cream colored flowers in the garden. They’re a wonderful addition to help blend all the colors and contrasts.
They’re similar to their purple counterparts in growth habits. They’re not fussy, drought-tolerant and easy to grow in full …read more

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One of the many new selections from Burpee’s for 2009 is a new Sweet Seedless Hybrid Tomato.
They claim the lack of seeds makes them extra sweet. From Burpees:
Because there are no seeds to store the sugars for later use, all the sweetness is immediately available for you to enjoy in every rich slice. This is a totally new tomato on every level – the perfect balance of flavor and sweetness, meat and gel, solid firmness and juiciness. And to top it off, the indeterminate plants have a full package of disease resistance to ensure plenty of healthy yields.

These sound …read more

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I love Tomatillos for salsas and chutneys, combine them with cilantro and you have what I think is one of natures perfect flavor combinations. The new Pineapple Tomatillo from The Cook’s Garden sounds very interesting.
From The Cooks Garden:

You will not believe the flavor of these little gems. The golden-yellow fruits, about the size of a large blueberry, taste just like pineapple. Low-growing plants produce huge yields of tomatillos surrounded by papery husks that turn from green to brown and split open when they are ready to harvest. Pull back the husks and dip in melted chocolate for a surprising …read more

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Preserving seeds may just become more important again. With food costs on the rise, and the economy up in the air, saving a few seeds for next years garden may not be a bad idea.
I save seeds every year from my favorite varieties of tomatoes, peppers, several flowers, and gourds.
Some seeds are a little trickier to preserve than others, because they can cross pollinate with other varieties. Corn, and squash need to be separated or they will cross pollinate, and the plants you get from your seeds may not resemble the parent.
Peppers and tomatoes are easy …read more

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Planting small seeds can be tricky. Sometimes you end up putting them all in one spot, or scattering in the wind. Here are a 3 quick tips for getting those little seeds where you want them in the garden, without a pair of tiny tweezers, and a ton of time.
1. Put your tiny seeds in a shaker jar, like an empty parmesan cheese container, or spice jar. Shake the container to spread the seeds evenly in the garden.
2. Mix your small seeds with sand to help distribute them evenly in the garden.
3. Cover the little seeds …read more

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