Seed catalogs

The seed catalogs have been arriving for over a month now.  I like to sit down in January and look through my favorites and maybe check out a new one or two if I have the time.  My two favorites are Jung and Pinetree.  I also like Select Seeds.  For garden chemicals and such, Gardens Alive! is one on my go to sources.  Sometimes ordering can be a little cheaper than shopping at the garden center.  It is definitely more convenient when the temperatures are below zero.

Some of the things I look for in a seed catalog:

• Quantity- buying more than you need for a season or two is just not worth it.  Pinetree is a favorite because things are packaged in smaller quantities (smaller price) so you are not stuck with a lot of leftovers for years to come.  If you like to try new things, this is a plus.
• Price- remember though, you usually get what you pay for.  If you haven't ordered from a company before, try a few things and see how you like their product and how good their customer service is when they are out of stock or back ordered.
• Location- it does matter where seeds are grown even if a plant has a wide zone range.  Buying seed from a source in the deep south is not the best option for a northern gardener.  Seed genetics vary by the climate they are grown in.
• Delivery- nothing is more frustrating than ordering early and getting your long gestation crops too late.  It is also important when you are looking at root crops such as potatoes.  You really don't want these shipped in February if you don't need them until April or May.  Many companies will time the shipments for your region so you do not have to worry about cold storage for months ahead.  Jung is very good about this.
• Quality- low germination will negate anything you saved on the per seed price.  Jung has a very good germination rate and is more locally sourced which gives them two points in my favor.  Many companies will offer a guarantee on their product if you read the fine print.  There are limits as they can not control the growing conditions that their seeds get once they leave their warehouse.

Pull up a chair with that morning cup of coffee (or the glass of wine after work) and enjoy some time dreaming of your perfect summer garden.

Seeds have arrived!!!!

I am so excited!  When I got home from work tonight a large envelope was sitting on the kitchen cupboard for me with my Pinetree Gardens seed order. https://www.superseeds.com/home.php

For several years Pinetree has been my main catalog for orders because they have done such a good job of getting me what I want with only a couple substitutions to date.  I like the smaller quantity of seeds with a smaller price and shipping rates are very competitive.  

This year I am excited about starting several things.  I bought some wave petunia seeds.  The silver wave is in the upper right corner of this picture.  One plant covers a lot of ground by fall.  The blue wave is not as aggressive in growth but it is full and smells wonderful even on a sunny day when most plants shut down.  I also have Dolce Flambe which we grew in the city greenhouses when I worked out there.  I really liked them and would like to try my hand with them again.

I have several varieties of tomatoes again this year.  I am going to try growing my sungolds from saved seed.  I hope I don't regret the gamble, but I do want to become a seed saver and I have to start sometime.  Romas and Celebrities will be the mainstays as they are reliable producers in my garden.  I have not had much luck with heirlooms but I may find one at the garden center to try again in my new growing site.

Whirlybird nasturtiums are a must.  They look great and I love to munch them for a peppery treat.  I am also going to try growing agastache from seed this year.  I bought a single plant and it seemed like I needed more.  I have conflicting sources as to whether or not they will be hardy in zone 5.  The flowers kept up all summer long and the foliage smells like licorice when you stroke your hand across it.  It will go into the herb garden rather than a pot this year to see what happens.  I bought Zowie Yellow zinnias again.  They are a great plant and start easily from seed.  Asters are also wonderful and those will be direct sown into the garden.  Mammoth stock is another flower I have grown in the past and am going to go with it again.  The smell is great and the flowers on this variety look nice in a mixed bed.  I am also going to start my own Butterfly Mix impatiens and Accent White impatiens because I did not get my first color choice from the garden center last year.  These will have to be started indoors so I am going to have to make space for them under the lights.
My onion seeds have arrived just in time to get them going.  I am going with Alisa Craig again this year.  I remember them having produced well, I just don't remember if I had good storage with them.  I prefer to start onions from seed as they are better than sets.  They put more energy into the bulb and are less likely to flower.  I also do bunching onions from seed for salads and Mexican dishes.  Both are sown early, the Alisa Craig indoors and the bunching will be sown outdoors when I transplant the Alisa Craig onions in April.

I ordered flowering kale again this year.  I bought two varieties of the stemmed rose head that I grew last year.  I am going to have both sunrise and sunset to grace my fall garden.  With the mild winter we had I also carried this pot into my Christmas decorations with the addition of some evergreens and lights.  What a pretty and unusual porch decoration.  I am trying Dwarf Blue Scotch in the vegetable garden as my eating kale variety this year.

I have two varieties of pole beans (flat podded Italian Romas and Purple Tri Violetta on right).  Two bush varieties are both slender podded, Slenderette and Maxibel (French).  It does seem like a lot of beans but they fit the space well.  I also use about half the seeds one year and carry over seeds to the next with very little germination loss.  I also am going to put in soy beans for fresh eating again.  I need to have something to eat with a cold beer after work.  
I am going to get sweet peas in the ground early again this year.  I have two from Pinetree and another on the way from Select Seeds.  The flowers have been chosen for their scent and for their vining habit.  I grow them on a trellis behind other flowering plants.  Last year I had them on the same trellis with cucumbers.  They like cold weather, so after the cucumber vines were done, I pulled them off and the sweet peas went into a beautiful fall bloom.  Experimenting with the unexpected can sometimes result in wonderful discoveries.
I am going to wrap this up as I want to do a little research on growing microgreens.  I have two packages in my sweating, little palm that are begging for some water and light.  I look forward to letting you know how this new adventure goes.