Garden Plan 2011, and a Kale Named Ragged Jack

As warmer temps bring rain not snow, and the last of the ice patches melt away from the ground, I'm starting to plan what'll go into my now-green-again yard. Tomatoes, basil and zucchini, of course, but I'm also dreaming of things I haven't grown yet, like avocados and potatoes, and as my head swells grander, orange groves and olive trees. But then there's rare heirlooms I haven't touched either, like King of the North Peppers and Iroquois Cantaloupe, both natives of New York, or Clemson Spineless Okra, Black Beauty Eggplant, Amish Deer Tongue Lettuce and Ragged Jack Kale that grows frilly and soft. They're all varieties unlikely stocked in a supermarket or even found in seed packets at garden supply stores, and may not have been available anywhere if we didn't continue to grow them.

The availability comes thanks to Ken Greene and Doug Muller, who started a seed-saving library in the Hudson Valley that now catalogs more than 150 varieties (60 of which were grown locally) with a goal to have 100% sourced from New York by 2014. Similar organizations are based in San Francisco, Iowa, and Arizona. And according to the Farmers' Almanac 2011, now's the time to start prepping pots indoors to be ready to plant come April or May, or whenever the ground seems warm enough for seedlings to spend the night.

(Photo by Liz Kuball, for sale at 20x200)