How to choose what to plant in our high altitude gardens....and how to sift through the myriad options available in seed catalogs!

2. PLANT SMART
choose your plants wisely and have your best
growing season ever…
even in Evergreen!
Margaret Rode, Evergreen Community Gardener

3. Which Should I Grow?
“Stupice”
Season: 55 days
Indeterminate
Cold/heat tolerant
“Black Sea Man”
Season: 75-80 days
Determinate
Sensitive to Frost
“Yellow Brandywine”
Season: 90-100 days
Indeterminate
Heat/drought tolerant

4. The Search: Finding the Right Ones
WHAT’S YOUR PLEASURE?
Seeds or Plants?
Many seed catalogs/companies now sell
transplants, as well as seeds, so you’re no longer
limited to what you can get at the local nursery!
Organic? Non-GMO?
Heirloom? Open-Pollinated? Hybrid?
Treated? Or Untreated?
What’s important to YOU?

5. Which Ones Are the Best Ones for…
…Our Ridiculously Short
Growing Season:
Our USDA Hardiness Zone: 4
Last Frost Date (Spring 2012): 6/18
First Frost Date (Fall 2012): 9/4
Typical Frost-free Season (2012):
~86 days 
…Our Ridiculously
Unpredictable Conditions
Late and early frosts
Late and early snow
July hail
Dry conditions (except 2013!)
Wind
…If you have a half-shady, rocky garden
plot…

7. What Do I Want to Grow? (My
Process)
What do I buy most in the produce section?
What do I love to eat? What never goes to waste in the fridge?
Can I grow it here?
{ And by the way, how hard do I want to work? }
What’s my “short list” – and do I have room for it all?
What are the best varieties for my garden’s unique conditions?

8. Planning for a great season:
• Avocado
• Bananas
• Basil
• Beets (Golden and Red)
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Cabbage (Red)
• Carrots
• Celery
• Cilantro
• Corn
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Greens (Collards, Asian, etc)
• Kale (Curly and Lacinato)
• Lettuce (Romaine and Mixed)
• Onions (Dry)
• Onions (Green)
• Oranges
• Peas (Sugar Snap & Snow)
• Peppers (Hot and Sweet)
• Potatoes (White)
• Potatoes (Sweet)
• Strawberries
• Summer Squash
• Tomatoes
• Winter Squash (Butternut, etc.)
What do I love to eat? What never goes to waste? (initial list)

9. Planning for a great season:
• Avocado
• Bananas
• Basil
• Beets (Golden and Red)
• Blueberries (perennial)
• Broccoli
• Cabbage (Red)
• Carrots
• Celery
• Cilantro
• Corn
• Cucumbers (pickling)
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Greens (Collards, Asian, etc)
• Kale (Curly and Lacinato)
• Lettuce (Romaine and Mixed)
• Onions (Dry)
• Onions (Green)
• Oranges
• Peas (Sugar Snap & Snow)
• Peppers (Hot and Sweet)
• Potatoes (White)
• Potatoes (Sweet)
• Strawberries
• Summer Squash
• Tomatoes
• Winter Squash (Butternut, etc.)
What actually grows here (outdoors, no greenhouse)?
What do I love enough to fuss with? (space, sun, cost, TLC)

10. Planning for a great season:
• Asparagus (perennial)
• Basil
• Beets (Golden and Red)
• Blueberries (perennial)
• Broccoli
• Cabbage (Red)
• Carrots
• Celery
• Cilantro
• Corn
• Garlic
• Greens (Collards, Asian, etc)
• Kale (Curly and Lacinato)
• Lettuce (Romaine and Mixed)
• Onions (Green)
• Parsley
• Peas (Sugar Snap & Snow)
• Peppers (Hot and Sweet)
• Potatoes (White)
• Summer Squash
• Tomatoes
• Winter Squash (Butternut, etc.)
THE SHORT LIST

11. Planning for a great season:
Individual beds:
Asparagus, Blueberries, Garlic
Perennial Green Onions
Containers or interplanted:
Basil, Parsley, Cilantro
Window boxes/Gutters:
Lettuces and related
Beets (Golden and Red)
Broccoli
Cabbage (Red)
Carrots
Celery
Corn
Cucumbers (Pickling)
Greens (Collards, Asian, etc)
Kale (Curly and Lacinato)
Peas (Sugar Snap & Snow)
Peppers (Hot and Sweet)
Potatoes
Summer Squash
Tomatoes
Winter Squash (Butternut, etc.)
DO I HAVE SPACE FOR IT ALL?

12. The Search: Finding the Right Ones
WHAT’S YOUR PLEASURE?
Open Pollinated:
Pollination occurs by
insect, bird, wind, hum
ans, or other natural
mechanisms.
Allows plants to slowly
adapt to local growing
conditions and climate
year-to-year.
Heirloom:
Has a history of being
passed down within a
family or community.
An heirloom variety
must be open-
pollinated, but not all
open-pollinated plants
are heirlooms.
Hybrid:
2 different species or
varieties crossed by
human intervention to
breed a desired trait.
First generation hybrid
(F1) may grow better
and produce higher
yields, but seed cannot
be saved (genetically
unstable)

13. Which Tomatoes Should I Grow?
“Stupice”
Season: 55 days
Indeterminate
Cold/heat tolerant
“Black Sea Man”
Season: 75-80 days
Determinate
Sensitive to Frost
“Yellow Brandywine”
Season: 90-100 days
Indeterminate
Heat/drought tolerant

14. Which Pepper Should I Grow?
“King of the North”
“Heirloom. The best red bell pepper
we know for northern gardeners
where the seasons are cool and
short.…. Great sweet flavor. Stock
from Waterville, Maine. 70 days from
transplant.”
“Miniature Chocolate
Bell”
“Heirloom. Short, stocky plants
covered with lovely 2" long miniature
bell peppers with an excellent fresh
flavor. Family heirloom from
Ohio…..Great for salads. 95 days
from transplant.”

15. Which Corn Should I Grow?
“Candy Mountain”
“Open-Pollinated. Matures: 70 Days.
Montana. A super-sweet offspring
perfect for mountain gardeners. This
is the only non-hybrid supersweet we
know of…Tender golden kernels on
impressive 8-10'' ears.”
“Golden Jubilee”
“Hybrid. Matures: 90-105 days. The
grandpa of hybrid corn. Golden
Jubilee is …excellent for late summer
enjoyment. Stalks reach 6 feet
tall, and the 8 1/2-9” inch ears have
deep, tender yellow kernels.”

16. Which Carrots Should I Grow?
“Danvers Half Long”
“Heirloom. 75 days. Market
gardeners in Danvers, MA developed
this variety in 1886. The root is a
rich, dark orange and is 6-8" long. A
first-class carrot for all soils.”
“Interceptor F1”
“F1 Hybrid. 120-125 days. Long and
slender Imperator-type carrot, will
grow to 12" or more in proper growing
conditions. Roots stay slender … and
will not crack. Good resistance to
storage diseases. A real standout. ”

17. Practice a Little Bit
Pick up a seed catalog.
Think of a food you know you want to
grow, and look it up.
Choose the one(s) you think you’d like to
try, based on what we’ve talked about: short
season, cold-hardy, good in shallow soils...

18. Too Overwhelmed?
TRY THE WWW.SEEDSNOW.COM SEED FINDER
Not perfect, but useful, and kinda fun…

19. Evergreen Community Garden at
Buchanan
New in 2013
Come visit! Yes, INSIDE the fence!
All plots are filled for 2014, but we are
maintaining a waiting list.
Contact us:
Email: garden@evergreeneasy.org
Facebook: Evergreen Community Garden

20. Some Terrific Seed Sources:
http://www.pennandcordsgarden.com/mountain-seeds-for-sale.html
http://seedstrust.com
http://groworganic.com
http://highmowingseeds.com
http://botanicalinterests.com
http://territorialseed.com
http://sustainableseedco.com
http://rareseeds.com
http://potatogarden.com (Colorado organic seed potatoes)
http://thegarlicstore.com (Organic seed garlic)