The Fridley Farmer : Garden Order List and Schedule

Here’s our final garden/yard order list for the year. So far we’re at $290 plus some shipping in plants and seeds alone. $133 of that are one time costs — plants that should keep growing year after year (the blueberries, strawberries, grapes, lingonberries and rhubarb).

Price: $290.58    Planting Date    Company    Item Number

$2.25    3/26/2010    Totally Tomatoes    01433

$2.25    3/26/2010    Totally Tomatoes    01730

$2.95    4/2/2010    Burpee    60103A

$2.95    4/23/2010    Burpee    62026A

$1.75    4/23/2010    Totally Tomatoes    02220

$2.25    4/23/2010    Totally Tomatoes    02134

$8.10    4/9/2010    Victory Seed Company    Victoria

$3.95    4/30/2010    Burpee    51995A

$2.95    4/30/2010    Burpee    65904A

$3.95    4/30/2010    Burpee    57117A

$4.95    5/28/2010    Burpee    65010A

$7.90    5/28/2010    Burpee    51474A

$7.90    5/28/2010    Burpee    61240A

$4.95    5/28/2010    Burpee    60491A

$2.95    4/16/2010    Burpee    61929A

$25.50    5/14/2010    Hartmanns    BB-R-1900-1218

$17.00    5/14/2010    Hartmanns    BB-R-2100-1218

$3.25    3/26/2010    Burpee    60310A

$31.98    5/7/2010    Linder's Garden Center

$16.50    5/14/2010    Hartmanns    BU-R-9000-0040

$2.95    4/16/2010    Burpee    60723A

$2.95    4/30/2010    Burpee    50393A

$2.95    4/30/2010    Burpee    53744A

$2.95    4/30/2010    Burpee    51847A

$1.95    3/26/2010    Totally Tomatoes    03028

$2.15    3/26/2010    Totally Tomatoes    03083

$2.15    3/26/2010    Totally Tomatoes    03217

$2.95    3/26/2010    Burpee    60816A

$2.95    4/16/2010    Burpee    60855A

$16.00    5/14/2010    Hartmanns    RB-R-4400-0011

$16.00    5/14/2010    Hartmanns    RB-R-4300-0011

$4.95    4/30/2010    Burpee    67017A

$2.95    5/21/2010    Burpee    61069A

$17.85    5/28/2010    Nourse Farms    Annapolis

$12.30    5/28/2010    Nourse Farms    Cavendish

$12.30    5/28/2010    Nourse Farms    Winona

$2.25    4/16/2010    Totally Tomatoes    00050

$1.50    4/16/2010    Burpee    54981A

$2.10    4/16/2010    Totally Tomatoes    00112

$4.95    4/16/2010    Burpee    57125A

$2.35    4/16/2010    Totally Tomatoes    00481

$2.15    4/16/2010    Totally Tomatoes    00618

$2.75    4/16/2010    Totally Tomatoes    00696

$2.45    4/16/2010    Totally Tomatoes    00747

$1.95    4/16/2010    Totally Tomatoes    00768

$2.65    4/16/2010    Burpee    61218A

$2.95    5/21/2010    Burpee    62364A

This list has the actual catalog numbers of where we bought stuff, the recommended planting dates (if given) and days to maturity for the specific seeds we bought. I’m keeping track so that at the end of the summer we can decide what we liked and didn’t like. Usually we lose the little seed envelopes and then we’re like “um, it’s some kind of tomato, and it tastes good”. Not this year!

Before the garden is set up, we’re going to have a few other garden setup costs to take care of too. We need to get materials for a rabbit proof fence, rent a tiller, get and apply fertilizer, get some seed starter trays and get at least two more 4 foot fluorescent lights.

We’re going to start the seeds in our basement under the fluorescents. I have two 4 foot lights in the garage which aren’t being used and I think four of them will give me enough coverage.

For fertilizer, I am e-mailing some local alpaca farms to see if I can get some alpaca manure. Apparently horse, cow, chicken and pig manure have too high of concentrations of nitrogen to be applied directly to a garden. You have to compost those types, or apply in the fall so they can break down over the winter. Alpaca manure is supposed to be gentle enough to mix right in, is supposed to stink a lot less, and is supposed to have fewer weed seeds in it than horse or cow manure. Anyways, hopefully I can find some free alpaca manure somewhere close by.

For the rabbit proof fence, we’re going to get 3 foot tall chicken wire, bend an bury the bottom 10-12 inches of it, and hope for the best. We have tons of squirrels in our yard too, but I’m hoping they’ll be more merciful to us than the rabbits. I’m not sure what we’re going to do for the strawberry plants yet. They’re going to be in the front yard where chicken wire fencing would be undesirable. If anyone has a good idea for that, let me know.