Blue poppies, wheat, and pickled radishes; dreaming of the spring planting season

Hello dear readers,

I’m writing this to you from the middle of a storm. I’m at my kitchen desk, which faces out onto a row of cedars, which are being thrown wildly about in the wind. The rain is coming down in sheets, and every so often a snowflake falls between drops.

And yet, I find my mind wandering toward spring. Often this doesn’t happen until February, once we’ve had winter and the January birthdays that dominate my family are over and done. But we’ve had no snow to speak of—just clear days alternating with rain—and so my mind is filled with seeds and sun-warmed dirt.

What doesn’t help is that my dad kindly gave me some berries from his coffee plant (tree? shrub?) which I’ve planted in pots in the house. Each day I look closely, hoping for hints of green rising up, but so far all I see is dirt. I think perhaps the house is too cold, a fact I’ve never been willing to admit, though the time it takes for my bread to rise is a testament to this.

But back to seeds: I’ll be planting a lot of my regulars next year, including thyme, catnip, carrots, and cucumbers to name a few. But there are a few new ones I’m hoping to introduce, too. Some of the seeds I’m dreaming about for the coming season:

1. Wheat

I’m the kind of person who is full of hubris when it comes to anything homemade/grown (the phrase “I could do that myself” is used often), and so when I saw wheat seeds advertised in my local garden center last year, I knew I needed to try. There’s a good chunk of land at the back of my grandparents’ farm where I grow my pumpkins, and I think I can carve out enough space to get some wheat in there, too. I don’t need a lot; I keep telling my grandpa that, as long as I can bake at least one loaf of bread with what I grow, I’ll be happy.

2. Blue poppies

Now, this one is a bit of a stretch, mainly because they don’t always do well in my growing zone—they’re best in 5-7, where I’m 8b. But when we were in Alaska last year, I saw blue poppies growing in the governor’s garden and fell in love. A torrential downpour was happening, and the poppies seemed to glow through the grey day. So of course I need to try them myself. Technically they can grow in zone 8b if they have ample shade/water/not too much heat, and so I’m hopeful they’ll do well, or at least give me a few blooms. We’ll see what the season has to offer.

3. Radishes

While not necessarily an exciting crop, I haven’t grown radishes in years, mainly because I grow too many and then stare at them, unsure what to do with my overburdened stores. But while I was scrolling Pinterest the other day, I saw a recipe for pickled radishes, and knew exactly what I needed to do. I’ll pickle anything once, and radishes have yet to grace my pantry shelves.

4. Mugwort

This has been at the top of my list for some time now, and I still haven’t found any seeds! My local garden center doesn’t carry them, and if I’m being perfectly honest, I went looking for them way too late in the season last year to give them a chance. But this year I’ll be ordering my seeds early (read: next week) and am very much looking forward to having this one in my garden.

5. Seedless watermelon

This one is more of a dream than a reality, it seems, because I can’t find seedless watermelon seeds to save my life! I know you can buy seedless watermelons in the store, but how do you grow them when they’re seedless? Are there actually seeds, or are they some alien creature come down from space?? None of the seed catalogs carry them, so I may be out of luck. Still, I’m scouring the internet, hoping for a source tucked away somewhere in the depths of the internet. If you know where to source these guys, please let me know!

That’s all from me today. I’d love to hear what you’re planning on growing in your garden this year (if you’re thinking about it yet). Wishing you a gentle week!

—Catherine

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