Seed Catalogs
Take The Chill Out Of Winter

Pouring over the seed catalogs is a great past time in winter when the snow is piled high on the ground and the temperature is zero or below.

It takes me back to spring and summer and I can imagine what the seeds will look like when they have been planted and grow in my garden.

Some seed catalogs start arriving in November and December. By January there is a deluge of catalogs arriving daily. There are catalogs for vegetable seed,heirloom seed,organic seed ,wild flower seed and even French and Italian seeds.

The list seems endless.

Over the years I have ordered from many of them, but now I confine my ordering to five - Johnny's, Seed Savers, Irish Eyes, The Maine Potato Lady and Sandhill Preservation Center.

I order most of my seeds and plants from Johnny's and Seed Savers.

But last year I could not get my favorite cultivar of spinach called "Whale." So I looked on the internet and found that it was available from Irish Eyes.

The Maine Potato Lady carried the potato onions I was looking for.

And while I could get sweet potato starts from many companies, I prefer to go to Sandhill Preservation Center which specializes in many cultivars of sweet potatoes.

I believe that seeds grown in Zone 5 (my zone) grow better when used in my garden. So I prefer to order from catalogs that are in the same general planting area.

The biggest problem is that I can always visualize more than I have room for in the garden. Unless I am very careful I end up with many more seeds than I can plant.

I do try, every year, to try at least one new thing for the garden. The choices are many. The decision is difficult!

I can easily spend many winter afternoons reading,looking and planning my garden. It gives me a promise of spring and hope!