The botanical equivalent of a pill box hat.

I have the equivalent of Jackie O’s pill box hat. I’m the community garden organizer for my local (organic) community garden, here in East Boston.

Now Michelle Obama is putting in an organic garden – the first since Eleanor Roosevelt’s.

I’m so excited. I mean, my own garden is exciting enough, but this is incredible. I had watched this video about the history of White House gardens which urged the Obamas to bring gardens back, but I didn’t realize it was something that would actually happen. I can’t tell you how much pleasure I got out of ordering seeds and getting ready for the spring (seriously, I think it’s the major factor in my cheerfulness during winter). Now my smug

Now, to give you just a hint of my late-winter fervor, I’ll list for you the plants I’ll be growing (and blogging about) this summer:

Bean Tiger’s Eye
Cabbage Premium Late Flat Dutch
Cucumber Double Yield
Eggplant Thai Green
Flower Coreopsis Tinctura
Herbs Basil, Globe
Herbs Dill Grandma Einck’s
Herbs Lavendar, True
Herbs Spearmint
Herbs Thai Basil
Lettuce Seed Savers Lettuce Mixture
Melon Tigger
Onion Australian Brown
Pepper Aurora
Pepper King of the North
Pepper Bull Nose Large Bell
Pepper Joe’s Long Cayenne
Pepper Orange Thai
Potato Carola
Potato La Ratte
Potato Purple Peruvian
Soybean Shirofumi
Sunflower Arikara
Swiss Chard Fordhook Giant
Swiss Chard Rhubarb
Tomato Brandywine
Tomato Cherry Roma
Tomato Hungarian Heart
Tomato Italian Heirloom
Tomato Wapsi Peach

Oh yes, I keep a spreadsheet.

They’re all being grown from seed, and they’re all heirlooms from Seed Savers. I have a technogarden to start the seeds indoors – it’s hydroponic, and has grow lights. (I bought it refurbished at a Marshall’s for $50.)

Now who’s ready to come visit and eat their weight in tomatoes? Beware, canker sores come from too much acidity.