Update: Johnny's 4th of July Shipping Schedule

Please Note: Johnny's will be closed for the July 4th holiday. Regular shipping hours as well as Order Pick-Up Counter hours will resume on July 5.

Photos: Late spring snow storm!

We wish this were an April Fool's Day prank, but it's not. Maine, and other parts of the northeast, are receiving wet, heavy snow today. Here are a few shots taken this morning in the front of Johnny's Retail Store in Winslow, Maine. As you can see, it's really piling up. Weather forecasters were calling for up to a foot in central Maine where we're located.

Despite the snow, this is a good time to think about spring planting of cool-weather crops. We have many cold-tolerant varieties. Today, snow peas come to mind as a crop you can get in the ground early, once the soil is workable. But that looks like it may be a while longer here in Maine.

Today's Garden Planning clinic canceled due to winter storm

Today's Garden Planning Clinic scheduled for 2 p.m. at Johnny's Selected Seeds Retail Store in Winslow, Maine  has been canceled due to the weather. The make-up date is Tuesday, January 25, 5 to 7 p.m.

For more details about the clinic, click here.

Enrollment limited: To reserve a spot for the January 25 clinic, please call the store at 861-3999.

Gardening clinics at Johnny's Retail Store this month

This month, we will be holding two separate, free clinics entitled "Planning Your 2011 Garden" at Johnny's Retail Store in Winslow, Maine.

Topics to be covered:

• Identifying your ideal garden location
• Garden types: Raised beds, container, square footage
• Choosing varieties
• Seed starting basics
• Record keeping

The first session is Tuesday, January 18, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The second clinic, which covers the same material as the first, is Tuesday, January 25 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Enrollment is limited to 10 students. Please call 207-861-3999 to  preregister.

The store is located at 955 Benton Ave. in Winslow, Maine. Click here for directions.

Low tunnels work well on a smaller scale too

Our winter caterpillar tunnels and low tunnels trials on Johnny's Research Farm have been frequent stars in the blog recently. And for good reason.

Mother Nature, in the form of a Nor'easter, gave them a heck of a test a couple of weeks ago. We were quite pleased to see that the 40' caterpillar tunnels and 100' low tunnels shrugged off more than a foot of snow and withstood 40-plus mph winds.

But what if you need something smaller than what we've been testing at the farm?

Here are a couple of photos captured at different times of the year. These are shots of smaller low tunnels that were built on 4' x 8' raised beds in front of Johnny's Retail Store. The tunnels were constructed with metal hoops bent with our four-foot Quick Hoops™ Bender, row cover, and greenhouse film.

January 3, 2011

The above photo is of our overwintering trials. In mid-September, we planted Bright Yellow Swiss chard, Napoli carrots, White Globe turnips, Winterbor kale, and Purple Kolibri kohlrabi in the front tunnel.

In early November, Sessatina Grossa broccoli raab, Deer Tongue lettuce, Vit Mache, Claytonia, Elegance Greens Mix, Arugula, and Spectrum Greens Mix were planted in the tunnel to the right in the background.

Check back in March after we've peeked under the covers to see how everything fared.

June 25, 2010

The photo above shows how things looked last summer after an early spring planting. Among the crops growing in these tunnels were: Avignon radish, Space and Tyee Spinach, Touchstone and  Ace beets, Nelson carrots, Bright Lights Swiss chard, Mei Qing Choi pac choi, and Evergreen Hardy white scallions.

If you are a backyard grower or have limited space and want to extend your growing season, it's easy and inexpensive to build these structures. Learn more about low tunnels.

Johnny's retail store will be open day after Thanksgiving

The Johnny's Catalog Store will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, November 26, the day after Thanksgiving. For shoppers who like to get an early start on holiday gift purchases, we'll have a few prizes and special offers available at the store on Friday.

• The first 25 customers to visit the store on Friday, November 26, will receive a free gift worth up to $25.
• Free standard shipping on a purchases made in the store on Friday, November 26.
• A drawing for up to an additional 40 percent off your highest priced item.

If you're in the area, stop by for a visit. The store is located at 955 Benton Ave. in Winslow, Maine. Click here for directions.

A few photos of the store display, dressed up in holiday colors.

A customer asks Cathy, Johnny's Store Manager, about a kitchen composter.

Inside of store with balsam decorations.

A little holiday cheer. Poinsettia looks divine.

Holiday seed rack display.

While the store will be open on Friday, the rest of Johnny's business operations, including the call center, are closed both Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday. We will resume normal business hours on Monday, November 29.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of here at Johnny's Selected Seeds!