Organic Gardening Q & A | Biggest Surprises, Top Five Plants to Grow, and Favorite Seed Companies

Hi Friends! Today I am going to share some questions and answers all about seed varieties, garden surprises, and my go-to seed companies for organic gardening. I posted a more detailed video yesterday all about this topic as well as an overview of my heirloom seed collection, but I know everyone learns differently, so you can also read through in the post below.

My Instagram followers asked me a few questions, including, biggest garden surprises, top five favorite things to grow, and my favorite seed companies to buy from. Today, I am going to share my answers to these questions with all of you!

A quick shoutout to Taylor, with Lost and Farmed, who provided some great questions for me to answer! Be sure to checkout her beautiful farming blog.

What Were the Biggest Surprises in the Garden?

• Brussel Sprouts

I had no idea how they grew before planting them, and it was so fun watching the sprouts grow on each of the stalks. They took the entire growing season to be ready to eat, and it was an exciting day when I finally harvested my first batch.

• Buttercup Squash

Buttercup squash is incredibly delicious and was a very prolific crop for us this year. I had never tried it before, and I had no idea what to expect. This is going to be a go-to winter squash each year on the farm! If you haven’t had it before, it is buttery and tender, with potato-like flesh, and the flavor of butternut. It’s amazing! Highly recommend this squash.

What Are the Top Five Favorite Plants to Grow?

1. Radishes: one of my favorites is Watermelon Radish. You can find organic. heirloom Watermelon Radish seeds here. Baker Creek also has a large selection!
2. Carrots: I bought most of mine for 2019 through Baker Creek.
3. Brussel Sprouts: I used this organic hybrid variety through Johnny’s Seeds.
4. Honeynut Squash: High Mowing Seeds has this variety.
5. Glass Gem corn: I was so happy with the seeds purchased from Fruition Seeds. 

Where Do I Buy My Seeds?

• Fruition Seeds

This seed company provides incredible organic, heirloom seeds, and is located locally to us, in Upstate NY. I was thrilled to discover this company and will be buying lots of seeds through Fruition in upcoming seasons.

• High Mowing Seeds

High Mowing is located in Vermont, and produces 100% organic seeds. They have some great options, and are often widely available on the East Coast.

• Baker Creek Seeds*

Baker Creek’s main location is in Missouri. They are best known for their rare, organic, heirloom seeds. They have some amazing varieties, be sure to check out their website and catalog!

• MIGardener*

Luke, with MIGardener, has a huge set of videos on YouTube, and provides some really useful tips for gardening in your backyard. You can also buy a large selection of seeds through his company, they are all organic and the best part is, they are only 99 cents!

• Johnny’s Seeds

I purchased most of my seeds from Johnny’s Seeds in 2018. I tried to primarily purchase organic seeds, but I did end up buying a lot of non-organic hybrid seeds. I do not plan to do this again in the future as I am looking forward to producing a garden filled with organic, heirloom varieties.

*I haven’t actually tested these yet, but I am so excited about them and have heard great things! I will let you know how happy I am with them in the spring/summer of 2019.

That’s all for now friends!

I hope you enjoyed this brief question and answer format. I learned so much this year, and a lot of it came through blogs and YouTube channels, so I hope I can pass on just a little bit of that information to all of you! Thank you for following our journey, we are so grateful to have you a part of it.

All my best,

Jenn