I can feel it. The itch. The snow is coming down. The holidays are about over. Ah, yes, it is that time. Gardening catalogs. Almost the only printed mail I indulge myself with (allergies to paper/ink) because I have to be able to flip back and forth 1,000,000 times and sticky note everything and write down and plan sitting in bed late at night or while sitting at the table with the boys...and looking online just doesn't cut it.
We have such a teeny tiny yard, but I work hard to maximize the space (containers, corners, nooks, borders, hanging pots, you name it). We grow just about everything from seed in our basement starting around late March/early April - it is a great family project and A has always helped with each step and now G will be old enough to help more this year too. I like to explore uncommon varieties and things that we might not otherwise eat. With our CSA we get the main veggies, so our small garden is to supplement with different foods, as well as for preserving (canning, drying, freezing) for the winter.
Of course, seed catalogs are not only for obsessively searching through 180 heirloom pepper varieties or 79 types of squash to try something you haven't had before, but also to read the tidbits. I tell you, the catalogs I get have some good reading. Organics, sustainability, conservation, history, industry issues - very interesting.
This week a couple favorites arrived:
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds - rareseeds.com
Seeds of Change - seedsofchange.com
This is just the beginning of my garden planning - it is early. Books are on hold from the library and rolling in, my catalogs are coming, and I have a fresh notebook in my gardening binder, along with notes and empty seed packets of what I have tried/grown the past several years. I have a box of saved seeds from last season. I'm ready to plan!
One of my favorite things to do is get out my graph paper notebook and sketch my gardens. Granted, I have no sketching ability, but somehow the graph paper and the colored pencils are so forgiving.
ReplyDeleteI was feeling a little bleary today, and this perked me right up. Thanks!!
jodianderson.com
Oh, I remember how the Burpee's seed catalogue would in late December or early January when I was a kid. My dad had this huge garden--it has become much smaller as he has gotten older--and we would sit around the kitchen table and discuss the merits of Burpee's Big Boy Tomatoes vs. the Sugar Tomatoes. One year we got the sweet onions--you could eat them right out of the ground. Looking at those catalogues would remind us that even in winter's January grip, spring really, truly would come!
ReplyDeleteHappy dreams of spring!
You know, Denise this is really great because just tonight I was going through my seed catalog and circling my favorites and new things.
ReplyDeleteMy top (and local) catalog is Territorial Seed Company. They have alot of organics.
We really enjoyed discussing the gardens together, my kids always remind me about the catnip, Toby tells me the tomatoes he's had the most luck with, we talked about how watermellons don't like the cool wet, but the salad greens love it. My daughters wanted to order helpful insects. We looked at pumpkins. I want to plant grapes and kiwis.
Oh it's just so exciting!!
I'm glad you are having this fun too.
Oh.. Spring seems so far away, thank you for the reminder that warmer temps. and thawed ground will return.
ReplyDeleteOwen grew his first ever green pepper last year! I hope we will be able to try some more gardening this year.
Thanks for the reminder. It's time to start dreaming about this year's garden! I can't wait to start digging in the dirt again.
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