~ Container Count / Zone Wars ~ Zone Wars Summary: Zone 3 . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Zone 4 . . . . . . . . . 392 Zone 5 . . . . . . . . 2,286 Zone 6 . . . . . . . . 2,093 Zone 7 . . . . . . . . 1,792 Zone 8 . . . . . . . . . 764 Zone 9 . . . . . . . . . 166 Total Containers: 7,493 Good morning, winter sowers - at least it's morning here in the US, although in the EU it is already afternoon, so Good afternoon to European winter sowers. Welcome to the 2012-13 count, SandyTowes, Marshallkey, Harborrose, and Silverkelt! SandyTowes, sorry to hear you still have lots of snow. Zone 4'ers are hardy! Harborrose, there are no measly containers in winter-sowing - "every container is important" - haha. I was away visiting elderly parents this past week, came back to almost all the snow melted. It's finally feeling a little Springy outside. If I don't post tomorrow, Happy Easter everybody! Click the Container Count / Zone Wars Spreadsheet to see the container count in detail. ~ Happy Sowing Everybody ~ "Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day; And give us not to think so far away As the uncertain harvest; keep us here All simply in the springing of the year. Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white, Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night; And make us happy in the happy bees, The swarm dilating round the perfect trees. And make us happy in the darting bird That suddenly above the bees is heard, The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill, And off a blossom in mid air stands still. For this is love and nothing else is love, The which it is reserved for God above To sanctify to what far ends He will, But which it only needs that we fulfil." ...Robert Frost

Melissa, You're welcome. Here's the list of vegetable varieties suitable for growing in containers. This is not an all-inclusive list but it does give you several options for each type of vegetable on the list. With certain vegetables, like bush beans, for example, literally any variety available can be grown in containers. With tomatoes, literally any variety can be grown in containers, although the larger the mature size of the plant, the larger the container it will need. This year, I had several varieties of tomatoes, including Chocolate Stripes, Momotaro, Tropic and Red Defender reach 7' in height in molasses feed tub containers, which probably hold about 20 gallons of soil. Many other tomato plants, including Scarlet Red, Glacier, Sophie's Choice, New Big Dwarf and Red Defender reached about 3 to 4' or so in 7-gallon containers. Still others, including Ildi, Sioux, San Marzano Redorta, and Yellow Ball reached a height of 5' or taller in kitty litter buckets that hold about 5 gallons of soil. All of the container-grown plants produced heavily all season long. So, matching your plants' ultimate size to a container of the right size pays off. If I know where the seeds are usually offered online, I mention the company. However, some companies haven't updated their websites for 2010 so I can't say that they'll have the seed for 2010, just that they usually have it. Dawn Here's the abbreviations for the sources: BCHS = Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds www.rareseeds.com BURP = Burpee Seeds www.burpeeseeds.com CG = The Cook's Garden www.cooksgarden.com CON = Containerseeds.com (I only listed broccoli for this company but it probably has many of the varieties on this list) JSCH = John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds www.kitchengardenseeds.com NIC = Nichols Garden Nursery www.nicholsgardennursery.com PARK = Park Seed www.parkseed.com PINE = Pinetree Seeds www.superseeds.com VS = Victory Seeds www.Victoryseeds.com SSE = Seed Savers Exchange www.seedsavers.org SESE = Southern Exposure Seed Exchange www.southernexposure.com TGSC = Tomato Growers Supply Company www.tomatogrowers.com TT = Totally Tomatoes www.totallytomatoes.com BEANS: Roma II (BCHS, VS, BUR) Contender (BCHS, VS, BUR) Top Crop (VS) Gina (romano type) (NIC) Provider (PINE, SESE, SSE, BUR) Tendergreen (PINE, SSE) Bush Blue Lake (BCHS, BUR, PINE, SESE) Sequioia Purple Roma (BUR) Royalty Purple Pod (BCHS, NIC, PINE, SSE, SESE) Golden Wax Improved (VS) BEANS, LIMA Thorogreen (NIC) Henderson Bush (BCHS, PINE, SESE) Bush Jackson Wonder (BCHS, SESE) Fordhook 242 (SESE) BEETS Red Ace (PINE) Golden Globe (BUR, SSE) Cylindra (BCHS, BUR, NIC, PINE, SSE) Ruby Queen (PINE, VS) Burpee's Red Ball (BUR) Bull's Blood (highly ornamental foliage) (BUR) BROCCOLI Early Dividend (Territorial Seed used to carry it but I haven't bought it in several years so don't know if they still do.) Small Miracle (PARK, CON) Packman (NIC) CABBAGE Gonzales Mini-Cabbage (PINE) Red Acre (SESE, VS) Golden Acre (VS) Savoy Express (JSCH) Primero Red (JSCH) Caraflex (JSCH) CARROTS Adelaide Baby (JSCH) Short 'N Sweet (BUR) Thumbelina (BUR) Little Finger (PINE, VS) Minicor (JSCH, NIC) Mokum (PINE) Parisian/Tonda di Parigi (PINE) Red-Cored Chantenay (BUR, VS) Improved Nantes (VS) Scarlet Nantes (VS) Parmex (JSCH, CG) CAULIFLOWER: Early Snowball (SESE) Igloo (PINE) CHARD: any---they all get about the same size CORN (SWEET): Early Sunglow (BUR, NIC) Blue Jade (dwarf) (SSE) Quickie (PINE) Golden Bantam (BUR, SESE) CUCUMBER: Salad Bush (NIC, PINE, TT, BUR) Spacemaster (PINE, BUR, SESE) Bush Champion (BUR) Fanfare (TT) Picklebush (BUR) Bush Crop (PINE, VS) Homemade Pickles (PINE, VS, TT) Muncher (PINE) Bush Pickle (TT) Ellen's Family White (pickling) (SESE) Arkansas Little Leaf H-19 (pickling) (SESE) EGGPLANT: Bambino (BUR, CG) Fairy Tale (BUR, NIC)) Long Purple (BUR) Slim Jim (PINE) Raveena (PINE) White Fingers (PINE) Applegreen (BCHS, SESE, SSE) Casper (SSE) Diamond (SSE) Neon (CG) LETTUCE: any, but here's some of the more compact ones Tom Thumb (heads get tennis-ball sized) (NIC, SESE, VS) Little Gem (VS) Tennis Ball (SESE) This variety was grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello Bronze Mignonette (VS) Buttercrunch (SESE) MELONS: These would need large containers--nothing smaller than the size of a half-whiskey barrel or child's wading pool. Old stock tanks are great for growing melons too. Minnesota Midget (BCHS, SSE) Green Machine (BCHS) Sleeping Beauty (BCHS) OKRA: Little Lucy (NIC, PARK) Baby Bubba (BUR) Pitre's Short Bush Red Cowhorn 3' tall (BCHS) Vidrine's Midget Cowhorn Okra (BCHS) Choppee (SESE) Dwarf Green Long Pod (VS) ONION: any short-day or intermediate types or any bunching types PEAS: Little Marvel (SESE) Sugar Bon (BUR) Snowbird Snow Pea (BUR) Knight (PINE) Lincoln (aka Homestead) DeGrace Snow Pod (BCHS) Oregon Sugar Pod II Snow Pea (BCHS) Wando (BUR, SESE, VS) Laxton's Progress No. 9 (VS) Sugar Ann (SESE, VS) Dwarf Gray Sugar (BUR, SESE, VS) Tom Thumb (SESE) Oregon Trail (NIC) Sugar Spring (NIC) PEPPERS: almost any pepper can be grown in containers, but these few listed here are especially compact Hot: Biker Billy Jalapeno (BUR) Pizza (NIC, TT) Super Chile (TT) TAM Jalapeno #1 (TT) Thai Demon Red (NIC) Medium: Tangerine Dream (BUR) Blushing Beauty (TT) Redskin Red Bell (TT) Mini Belle Mix (TT) Mini Bell Choc (TT) Mini Bell Yellow (TT) POTATOES any fingerling type like Russian Banana, Austrian Crescent, etc. Red Pontiac or Red Norland any other potato can be grown in very large containers PUMPKINS Cheyenne Bush (SSE) Orange Smoothie (semi-determinate) (BUR, PINE) Jack-B-Little (trellised) (BCHS, NIC, PINE) Wee-B-Little (trellised) (NIC, PINE) RADISHES: any type excet the very large winter radishes or the very long Daikon types Cherry Belle (PINE, NIC, SESE, VS) French Breakfast/Early French Breakfast (BCHS, NIC, PINE, VS) Easter Egg II Blend (TT) White Hailstone (BCHS, PINE, VS) Pink Beauty (BCHS, BUR) Purple Plum (BCHS, SSE, VS) Early Scarlet Globe (VS) SQUASH (Summer): Peter Pan Green Scallop (BUR) Sunburst Scallop (PINE) Saffron (PINE) Eight Ball (NIC, PINE) Greyzini (NIC) Ronde De Nice (PINE) Cocozelle (NIC, PINE) Early White Bush Scallop (VS) Yellow Bush Scallop (VS) Papaya Pear (NIC, PINE) SQUASH (Winter): Bon Bon (NIC) Butterbush (BUR) Autumn Glow Butternut (BUR) Bush Table Queen (BUR, SESE) Bush Buttercup (BCHS) Early Acorn (BUR) Cornell's Bush Delicata (NIC, PINE) Blue Baby Hubbard (BUR) TOMATOES: You can grow some ultra-small tomato plants in containers as small as 4" (Red Robin or Micro-Tom), in hanging baskets (Tumbler, Tumbling Tom, Florida Basket) and in larger 5 to 20-gallon containers, taking care to put Determinates in 5 to 10 gallon containers and Indeterminates in 7 to 20+ containers. Here's some varieties that do well in containers. Micro-Tom (TGSC) Florida Basket (TGSC) Elfin (TGSC) Small Fry (TGSC, TT) Tiny Tim (TT) Tumbler (TT, BUR) Tumbling Tom Red (PINE, TT, TGSC) Tumbling Tom Yellow (PINE, TT, TGSC) Balcony (CG) Red Robin (TT) Orange Pixie (NIC, TGSC) Canary Yellow (TGSC) Totem (TGSC) Patio VF (TT) Patio Princess (BUR) Window Box Roma (NIC, TGSC) Bush Early Girl (BUR, PIN, TGSC) Better Bush (PINE) Bush Big Boy (BUR) Bush Goliath (PINE, TT) Bush Beefsteak (TT, TGSC) Bushsteak (BUR) Martino's Roma (PINE, TT) Sweet Baby Girl (BUR, NIC, TGSC) Lime Green Salad (BCHS, TGSC, VS) New Big Dwarf (TGSC) Southern Night (a rare black determinate since most black tomatoes are indeterminate) (TGSC) Green Grape (TGSC, VS) Glacier (SESE, TT, TGSC) Husky Red (TT,TGSC) Husky Cherry Red (TT,TGSC) Mountain Princess (BCHS, SESE) Sophie's Choice (SESE) Green Zebra (NIC, VS) Black Sea Man (TT) WATERMELON: You should grow these in containers no smaller than 20 gallons, such as whiskey half-barrels, children's wading pools, trash cans or stock tanks. Melons (and pumpkins too, in fact) need a lot of water and have very vigorous root systems so the large containers are necessary in order for them to do well. Bush Sugar Baby (BUR) Sugar Baby (BUR) Blacktail Mountain (BCHS) Golden Midget (BGHS) Yellow Doll (NIC)

Pam, I do start a lot of seedlings and, oddly, I don't really have a formal plan. One day my mind will just say "you'd better start the _____ seeds now (fill in the blank with whatever it is that day or week)" and so I do it. Some how it all works out. My indoor light shelf in the spare room holds 12-15 flats depending on the size of the flats. When I want to move plants out of the spare room, they can go to the unheated greenhouse, garage, potting shed, porch or sunroom. Or onto tables on the patio, but I cover those with bird netting if left out 24/7 so that possums and other night-roaming creatures don't climb up onto the tables and eat the plants. The general path the plants travel is from spare room light shelf to greenhouse (which is covered year-round with 50% shade cloth) to shaded patio to tables in full sun to the garden. I don't keep a formal list and say "okay, that's a week in the greenhouse, now outdoors to harden off more in shade.....I just wing it. Somehow it works. My system works because I've done it so long that it is just automatic and I don't even think about it. My subconscious mind must keep track of things and just tell my conscious mind what to do. Right now it is saying 'OK, your cucumbers are up, it is time to start seeds of watermelons', so tomorrow I probably will. Our weather has been crazy and I've felt like Alice in Garden Wonderland because everything is so mixed up. We have had warm season reseeding annuals sprout at the same time as cool-season reseeding annuals, which is insane. Usually the warm-season ones don't start sprouting until the cool-season ones already are in bloom. That's just one example of the craziness. Another is that the asparagus starting producing harvestable shoots in January. January! Normally that mostly happens in mid- to late-March, though a warm spell in late February occasionally starts some of the asparagus early. And, it was backwards....usually the purple asparagus is earlier and the green asparagus is later, and this year it was the opposite. This totally defies logic and I don't understand why it happened. And, now the asparagus is finishing up far too early, but we have harvested it for about as many weeks as we do in a normal year---just that the harvest started much earlier than usual. The broccoli has headed up and I'll begin harvesting any day now. The cabbage is heading up, but it takes longer to form heads so it will be a while yet. The collards are huge. I've been having trouble keeping up with the timely harvesting of lettuce, spinach, kale and collards because the heat has made them enlarge abnormally quickly. The early tomatoes in pots have produced two ripe red tomatoes so far, and several more are turning. Usually the first tomatoes are at the end of April. The lettuce got really big really quick and some of it already is trying to bolt, which I blame on a few days with 88-degree highs. However, I have plenty more lettuce plants in flats to plug into bare spots in the garden, so I can yank out some of the lettuce that is trying to bolt. I usually plant leaf, iceberg and romaine for early lettuce and Summer Crisp types for later season lettuce, so none of my SummerCrisp types have gone into the ground yet, though some will be companion-planted with tomatoes tomorrow. I was going to do that today, but it was cool and rainy so I stayed inside and potted up small peppers into larger paper cups. The onions also have loved the early warmth and are the size now that they usually are in mid- to late-May, making me think my little pepper plants are going to be lost in there amongst the gigantic onions when I finally start plugging them into that bed. This week's cooler, wetter weather is a blessing in disguise as it enabled some angry, uncomfortably warm, stalled snap pea plants to relax, grow more and bloom. I was starting to worry the hot weather would get them before they could produce peas. My bush bean plants aren't that old or big, but already have buds and will flower any day now. I don't think we've ever harvested bush beans in April, but it looks like we will this year. I really feel like I fell down the rabbithole and woke up in somebody else's garden. Since late January, I have felt like the garden is running straight ahead, pell mell, right into summer and I am running behind it trying to catch up with it. I just hope all the early warmth isn't a sign of a terribly hot summer to come. I worry that the transition from El Nino to La Nina will be very quick while I'd prefer a slow transition, or even better, a transition from El Nino to neutral conditions instead. Of course, we'll get whatever we get, and we'll just deal with it. All the early warmth didn't mean we escaped late cold nights, but we certainly had fewer late cold nights than we do most years. I never really feel safe until around May 4th (because May 4th is the latest late frost we've had here). Y'all must have gotten out of Ft. Worth just in the nick of time as a horrible hail storm, with hail stones up to the size of softballs (though most of the big ones were "only" golf ball to tennis ball sized) blew through a couple of days ago and damaged northern parts of the DFW meteroplex. It was awful and the video is incredible. One similar storm came very close to us, but sort of went around us and hailed on one county north of us and another northeast of us. As a gardener, hail is my worst weather fear. Dawn

I placed an order for two different varieties of both broccoli and cauliflower. On my phone so it's hard to flip over and see what they are. The supplier was Reiner? And I was definitely not a fan of their website. I was forced to create an account and they said I was automatically added to their email list and I couldn't find a way to unsubscribe. Should have bailed on that order but they had the varieties that I wanted. Terrible shipping prices. I might still have some seeds from last year. I started broccoli and cauliflower from see last year but did not realize that I needed to transplant into larger containers and remove the greenhouse dome. Seems like I had better luck with less tech. I need to go look for some see starting trays (recommendations?) Because Parks mini greenhouse started seriously deteriorating over the last year and I refuse to give them more money after the strawberry plants I received last year were doa. What do people use for transplanting? Are the peat pods large enough for a full size transplant? My seedlings did well last year, the just started small as I didn't transplant them out of Parks mini greenhouse. Thanks for the advice guys!