Your 2026 Garden

[Bsmac]

Speaking of squash, I didn't plan to grow zuccini but my sister gave us some last year and after a week in our basement they got soft, so fed them to the chickens. What a hit!

Is there a particular zuccini that stores better in the basement or maybe we just got hers too late? I'll just pick out any old zucchini seeds otherwise. I've never planted it before.

Not sure it makes much difference on lasting in storage. Were they smaller or pretty large? And yes, chickens love zucchini and cucumbers another favorite is kale they love it! We have a pretty large garden always plenty for our girls!

 

[hollandhens24]

So you grew a different kind of sugar pie sweetie last year, eh?

The BEST little pumpkin

 

[Snowbelt]

Seeds are ordered and in hand for 2026. I grow a little bit of everything, but some that did the best last year were Candy Roaster Squash, Tahitian Butternut Squash, Jenny Lind Melon, Minnesota Midget Melon, Abe Lincoln Tomatoes, Bulgarian Carrot Peppers, Sugar Rush Peppers, Berkeley Tie Dye Tomatoes, Gold Rush Beans, and many more.

 

[hollandhens24]

I’ve done peppers without a heat mat but yeah they speed the process up by a LOT.



Do you scarify the melon and squash seeds? I tried it last year and WOW they sprouted fast (within 3ish days IIRC).

My house is definitely not kept warm enough for peppers, I will have to add supplemental heat this year! I do, the melons need as much help as they can get to get above ground and start soaking in the sunshine!

 

[WhatsUpDuck]

LORD JESUS willing I will be ordering seeds soon!! This year I want to focus on greenbeans, cucumbers and flowers!!! I will probably want to add a few other things, but those are the main ones! Oh and sunflowers! The children LOVE growing sunflowers!

 

[pollipazzi]

it's getting to that time to start tomatoes and peppers quick! i have to look through my seed stash and see what i need to order.
i do need someone to remind me that i do not need 12 tomato plants and 14 pepper plants stuffed into the greenhouse (we need a greenhouse to grow those in ireland). they don't do well at all when they are all crammed in but i keep doing it anyway!

i sometimes save seeds. sometimes not. i should do it more than i do.

i have never grown tomatoes in my house (please tell how it works out!) but i tried overwintering pepper plants inside as an experiment.
i didn't find it gave me anymore of a head start than the new plants i started from seed. that might just be our climate though.

 

[fuzzi]

In 2024, a lot of people were saying they had very poor germination with Baker Creek seeds.

I will look for that! I do get zucchini before the SVB kill the plants, but I'd like to try something else.

Yep. The reason I stopped buying from Baker Creek was the poor germination rates for some of the seeds.

The Zapallito squash did get borers, but as it vined it kept putting down more roots. The original plant was gone, destroyed by SVB, but the vines were still producing.

ETA:

Original stalk in the raised bed, dead, but still producing in the yard!

 

[fuzzi]

Hopefully, @fuzzi's do well!

It was hit and miss with Baker Creek. Some lettuce sprouted fine, a different variety didn't germinate at all. Same issue with different varieties of Swiss chard, BUT the Zapallito squash sprouted well.

 

[Snowbelt]

I have jalapeno, Bulgarian Carrot, and Sugar Rush Peach peppers overwintering in a bay window right now. I cut them way back, but they have grown new leaves and the jalapenos are flowering. I won't have good temperatures to set them out until May.

 

[fuzzi]

LORD JESUS willing I will be ordering seeds soon!! This year I want to focus on greenbeans, cucumbers and flowers!!! I will probably want to add a few other things, but those are the main ones! Oh and sunflowers! The children LOVE growing sunflowers!

The Seed Savers green and wax beans had excellent germination rates.