Sunday, January 5, 2020
And the Award for Earliest Seed Order Goes To . . .
Not me.
Yesterday when I was playing with Jack and Poppy, Cubby found a Seeds 'n' Such catalog that had recently arrived and informed me that he and Charlie were planning their "dream garden."
I didn't pay too much attention, as I was being smothered in 80 pounds of small children. But then, about fifteen minutes later, Cubby reappeared with his list of seeds and announced that he was ready to place an order. He had added the seeds up already and knew how much it would cost. He told me that since it was his idea, he was going to pay all the dollars for the order, and Charlie was going to pay the cents, plus shipping.
Charlie sure got the better end of that deal.
I showed Cubby how to look up the catalog number for each kind of seed they wanted, where to enter it on the order form, where to put the sub-total and totals, and where to check the tiny box informing Seeds 'n' Such that we do not want them to share our information with other companies "for marketing purposes."
Sneaky.
Anyway.
You want to know what they ordered, don't you?
Only three things. They ordered one pack of seeds for a giant cabbage variety, one pack for a variety of sweet corn, and one pack for a variety of watermelon*. Because they ordered early, they're also getting a free packet of basil seeds and one of tomato seeds. They thought this was a great deal.
I wrote a check for them and collected the cash myself. A. promised he would help them stake out their garden area and spread manure and everything on it, though they were disappointed to learn that they can't actually plant their seeds for quite some time yet.
They found another catalog today and wanted to order more things, but we persuaded them that they had plenty of seeds coming and shouldn't overextend themselves in their first year of real gardening.
That's a common newbie mistake, you know.
Anyway, they're very excited to get their seeds in the mail soon. The next generation of gardeners has discovered the joys of seed ordering.
I'm so proud.
* A seeded variety, of course. My watermelon prejudice has definitely been passed down to my children.
Oh, how exciting!! Here's hoping for that giant cabbage!!
ReplyDeleteLinda
As you know, oldbies tend to overextend themselves with the seed catalogs, too. I am proud of the boys! What variety of watermelon did they choose? The picture of the baby on the cabbage must have impressed them, as it did me. And since you have the best coleslaw recipe, I think it's great that they went for it. Of course, A does have a preference for giant vegetables, so I predict that plenty of manure (yay sheep and horse) will be applied to the cabbage.
ReplyDeleteMiL: Moon and Stars. We had no luck with watermelon last year, and I don't know if this variety will be any better, but that's what they chose.
ReplyDeleteThat's a long season watermelon. I recommend starting in cowpots. They decompose better than peat pots, eliminate transplant shock, and feed the seedlings a bit as well. That said, I've never grown watermelons, so the above is all theory. It might be a good plan to for the boys to plant some down at Raphael's place, where it is more protected.
ReplyDeleteThose seed catalogs always suck you in. It's so much fun to dream of the perfect garden. Luckily each year has a fresh start and even if everything isn't a success, something always comes through and does better than expected. Good luck boys, may the gardens gnomes be with you.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you're going to be searching for new and different ways to serve cabbage. Maybe this will make the boys grow closer, or not. Either way, it's a great outdoor activity; one we all hope provides a bounteous crop for all y'all to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI love that they planned this, right down to the payment. Now: will they follow through? My guess is a wholehearted YES!
ReplyDelete