Dreaming of spring? Envisioning your garden thriving? Get ready to plan with me!
To dream or not to dream? Isn’t that the gardener’s question in late February, early March? The seeds catalogs have poured in, they are stacked by my favorite chair by the the fireplace. And this is the perfect time to get sucked into the gorgeous colors, the mouthwatering produce! Are you excited to start seeds?
The gardener is an eternal optimist, for every challenge and failure of last year is in the rear view and out of sight. What the season ahead holds is full of promise, hope and excitement!
So grab your favorite seed catalog – and if you don’t know where to starts, I’ll share with you my top three favorites!
#1 Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds You don’t really need another source for starting seeds! Baker Creek’s free seed catalog is pictured below (bottom left) and it’s a beautiful catalog with stunning photography! For $15 you can order their Whole Seed Catalog, and boy, is it worth it! The 532 pages are full of gorgeous pictures and recipes too – we tried the Gobi Manchurian on page 120 and it was mouthwatering good! The company’s owners are passionate about seeds and even supply free seeds to many of the world’s poorest countries. They have growers around the world and great bios on their contributors. It’s inspiration at it’s best! And free shipping! While I’d rate this as my top favorite seed catalog, I’ll offer a couple more for your enjoyment.
#2 Burpee My husband can attest that I don’t feel the garden is complete without an Early Girl tomato because I’m just chomping at the bit for that first bite of a sun-ripened tomato! Also, the summer after I graduated from high school, I got to work at Burpee’s trial gardens in Warminster, PA. I’m a loyal gal, what can I say? Their catalog offers delights such as dahlia tubers – and who doesn’t want to plant flowers along with veggies?
#3 High Mowing I’m excited to include an organic option for growers! This is a tried and true seed company in our own garden. While shipping is not free unless you spend $200, you can band together with friends. Which is actually great fun, in addition to saving on shipping!
Last, but not least, I will add that I have found seeds offered at the library and seen seed swaps pop up in my area. It’s great fun to share seeds with other gardeners, for seed sharing is another grand quality of the home gardener! Happy browsing and ordering!
