by Seattle Urban Farm Co.
As everyone knows, January is an excellent time for new beginnings. What better symbol for this time of year than the beautiful, tiny, annual vegetable seed. Starting from an almost impossibly small size, these seeds sprout in the greenhouse during the cold months of winter, and quickly growing into giant, vibrant, healthy crops. January is a perfect time to assess your existing seed stock and start collecting a new stash for the coming season.
Seed suppliers frequently run out of the most coveted varieties, so it pays to order as early in the winter as possible. We begin compiling ideas for our seed order in fall, while the successes and failures of the season are still top of mind. Creating and submitting a comprehensive seed order early in the winter will ensure that you have all of the seeds you need, when you need them. Each season we reorder our favorite varieties, experiment with new cultivars and cull poorly performing crops from the list. We track the germination rate, relative yield, pest and disease pressures and taste profile of each crop so that we have real data on which to base our decisions.
“it pays to order as early in the winter as possible.”
As you realize the moment you pick up a seed catalog or search a seed suppliers website, crops come in seemingly endless varieties. Over the centuries, vegetables have been bred for distinct qualities. Breeding can focus on producing high yields, unique colors, flavor, tolerance for a particular climate or disease resistance. The main advantage to starting any crop from seed (rather than buying a transplant) is that you have a much larger selection of varieties to choose from. Although varietal choice varies based on a multitude of factors, I thought I’d mention a few of our very favorite, most reliable types which should work well in a range of climates:
Beets: Early Wonder
Carrots: Nelson
Snap Beans: Provider
Summer Squash: Jackpot Zucchini
Head Lettuce: Nancy Butterhead
Happy hunting!
Colin has been growing food organically for the past 15 years. He worked on a variety of small farms in the Midwest before moving to the west coast in 2003 to teach garden-based environmental education. Quickly realizing that Washington is the most beautiful state in the Union, Colin has been farming, teaching and designing landscapes ever since. He founded the Seattle Urban Farm Company in January of 2007 and still looks forward to planting potatoes every spring.