More seeds for Kitchen garden and bee garden.

Another order, seedsavers.org. 

Bean, Dragon's Tongue PKT
Bean, Pencil Pod Golden Wax PKT
Pepper, Hot Portugal PKT
Pepper, Maule's Red Hot PKT
Squash, Golden Zucchini OG
Tomato, Cherokee Purple OG
Tomato, Italian Heirloom PKT
Tomato, Mexico Midget OG PKT
Flower, Four O'Clocks PKT
Flower, Bee's Friend PKT
Flower, Starfire Signet PKT
Sunflower, Titan OG

Image from vintageprintable.com

All of these are in the "Master Plan".  The garden beds are planned and all but one are built and filled; that last one is built but needs a chicken-wire bottom for moles and to be filled.

The 4 O'clocks are reported as deer and rabbit resistant, and may be a bee forage flower.  Phaseala ("Bee's Friend") is considered a great forage source.  The signet marigolds will be used in companion planting for vegetables.

I have a lot of seeds from last year.  I may try some of those too. 

This helps keep me going until late winter when I can start planting.  Especially cold days like today.

Kitchen Garden Plan for 2014. Revised.

Kitchen Garden Plan for 2014

Here is the revised kitchen garden plan for 2014.  Same raised beds.  The main differences, bush beans were moved into one bed.  I'm accounting for some beds getting 2nd crops.  Again subject to change on whim.

Okra and eggplant are planted last.  Those beds could be used for a late winter / early spring crop as well.

Even colder. 8° F predicted.

I wonder if any of the fig trees will survive?  And what else will be effected?  I read this is colder than the record in 1972.

About to have the coldest day in years.

According to the forecast, today's low will be 15 and tomorrow's low will be 12 

I would be concerned about the fig trees I nurtured through this year, but I'm too tired.  Whatever happens, happens.

I should be more concerned about faucets. 

The only other plants that I'm concerned about are the Buddleias, that I nurtured through their first year.  I read they can freeze down in the midwest, but then grow from the roots. 

Other plants could be affected.  May not know until Spring.

We'll see.

from weather.com http://www.weather.com/weather/monthly/98663

December

Sun   1 OBSERVED Hi  57°F Lo  48°F Precip (in) 1.80in.	Mon   2 OBSERVED Hi  52°F Lo  33°F Precip (in) 0.02in.	Tue   3 OBSERVED Hi  43°F Lo  25°F Precip (in) 0.01in.	Wed   4 OBSERVED Hi  39°F Lo  20°F Precip (in) 0in.	Thu   5 OBSERVED Hi  33°F Lo  16°F Precip (in) 0in.	Fri   Today Hi  31°F Lo  15°F Precip 50 %	Sat   7 Hi  29°F Lo  12°F Precip 0 %
8 Hi  33°F Lo  19°F Precip 0 %	9 Hi  38°F Lo  27°F Precip 10 %	10 Hi  41°F Lo  31°F Precip 20 %	11 Hi  43°F Lo  35°F Precip 100 %	12 Hi  45°F Lo  38°F Precip 50 %	13 Hi  45°F Lo  35°F Precip 60 %	14 Hi  43°F Lo  35°F Precip 60 %
15 Hi  43°F Lo  36°F Precip 60 %	16 AVERAGES Hi  45°F Lo  32°F RECORDS Hi  57°F Lo  10°F	17 AVERAGES Hi  45°F Lo  32°F RECORDS Hi  59°F Lo  6°F	18 AVERAGES Hi  45°F Lo  32°F RECORDS Hi  60°F Lo  0°F	19 AVERAGES Hi  45°F Lo  32°F RECORDS Hi  60°F Lo  3°F	20 AVERAGES Hi  45°F Lo  32°F RECORDS Hi  61°F Lo  11°F	21 AVERAGES Hi  45°F Lo  32°F RECORDS Hi  61°F Lo  3°F

Bearded Iris Raised Beds Plan for 2014

Iris Bed #1.  Mostly historic varieties.

Iris Bed #2.  Mostly historic varieties.

 As with the kitchen garden beds, all of these are subject to change, including at whim.

Plus, these maps don't include the other bulbs, anemones, tiny ginkgo starts, and Chinese chives that I've planted in these beds.

These drawings include additions and subtractions planned for April, with 7 new plus 2 additional from Old House Gardens.  The 2 additional are on order to extend the Honorable and Flavescens, which didn't do well in 2013 but I like both.

Looking at them now, if I trade out Red Zinger and Red Hawk into bed #3, then Bed #1 will be entirely historic varieties.  I could replace Red Hawk with a tall variety, such as Immortality or Frost and Flame, and replace Red Hawk with a shorter variety, such as Mrs. George Darwin. 

Those trades would be after bloom season.

Then for bed #2, trade out Sunny Disposition for Accent, Los Coyotes for Immortality, and Owyhee Desert for Dauntless.
 

Iris Bed #3.  Mostly modern varieties

I'll have to see what that does with the colors. 

Another thought is eventually have one bed with the oldest historics, one with more recent ones, and one with moderns.  It's almost headed that way anyway.  Sort of.

That may be putting too much thought into it.  Plus the older ones don't have the color diversity of newer ones.

I already planned for next summer's addition, mainly Beverly Sills, a historic with vigor, fragrance, and clear flamingo pink.   Maybe also Amigo.  Depending on how I feel about Diety, that could go to the hedge row.  Romeo doesn't amount to much, so ditto.  The extra Edith Wolford bunch would be nice in the front yard.  Then I could move California Blue to Bed #2, and move a couple of favorite bunches from home to Bed #3.

Most will look much better when established as larger bunches, which may take a couple more years.

If I had to do it over, I would probably have ordered multiple rhizomes of some, to establish them faster.