February is just around the bend and I need to get serious with these seed catalogs.
I have been collecting them since Christmas and they are a favorite guilty pleasure. I shop them the way we did when we were little and the FAO Schwartz catalog arrived. I wanted, and still do, it all!
But at some time, I need to get realistic and place an order.
All Winter long I have been highlighting phrases like "slow to bolt", "excellent keeper", "sweet, smooth flesh". It sounds kind of provocative, really.
But seriously, I need to start some broccoli and brussels sprouts. They are the first starts to head outdoors in cool, Spring weather and I need to get them going in the basement.
Honestly though, I need to settle on a couple of seed catalogs and go from there.
I remember a brussels sprout that caught my attention and flipped through every seed catalog in my pile, looking for it. When I couldn't find it, I started to panic, until I found the other pile of catalogs I'd collected pre-Christmas. There it was, in one of my favorite catalogs, Pinetree Garden Seeds .
When looking for seed companies, I have a few favorites.
First on my list is Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds http://rareseeds.com/. They are a family owned company committed to seeding saving, organic and non-GMO (genetically modified), open pollinated seed. Their catalogs are BEAUTIFUL. And they stock some interesting, hard to find, heirloom seeds. My father has been looking for a squash he remembers from his younger days, "something crook-necked and white that he could only find when we visited my grandparents" was his best description. Sure enough, it showed up this year in Baker Creek's catalog. He was ecstatic. I'll be ordering him a packet of 'Illinois', along with a packet for myself.
I'll definitely place an order with Pinetree Garden Seeds https://www.superseeds.com/, the stocker of my potential favorite variety of sprouts. It's another family owned seed company with lots of heirlooms and a catalog chock full of advice and information.
No one took my advice and got me a subscription to Seed Savers Exchange http://www.seedsavers.org/. That subscription would have gotten me the mother of all seed catalogs with over 20,000 varieties of rare and heirloom seeds. Again, their catalog is beautiful, informative, and totally delightful. A catalog of that girth can really buoy the heart of a gardener all winter long.
It's time to get started thinking about the garden. So, first, pick some seed companies and surf their sites. Request a catalog.
Second make a list of what you'd like to grow this season.
Third, choose some varieties.
Fourth, place an order. Be prudent. Check shipping costs. You'd be shocked to see how the tab adds up when you consider shipping costs from several different companies.
Then get ready to start some seeds. The time to start broccoli, cabbages, and brussels sprouts is quickly approaching!
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