Seed Catalog Competition

January is the time of year when reading seed catalogs is a big part of our winter days.  Ed's snowy trip to the mailbox is rewarded with an armload of colorful temptation.  Over the years we have made our way to the  top of the "sucker" list where garden and seed companies are concerned.  Ed and I each have our favorites. We swap, share and make wish lists.  Actual orders don't start until later.

However, this year the catalogs have a new form of competition for our attention!   Behold six years of  Plants and Stones printed in books.  Thanks to Amy and Blog2Print,  at least  part of the blog has been brought down from the cloud and is waiting for us to pick up and read anytime anywhere.   I take comfort in that.   I would be the first to admit that my memory is not what it used to be.  I started the blog in the first place to remember what happened in the garden and all of the fun we had here.   I'm sure we will get back to the catalogs soon although plans are in the works for the next four years of books.  2018 is the tenth year of our garden blog.  I never imagined when I started it how much it would change my life!  Having this record in hard copy will allow us to revisit these incredible years regardless of what the future holds.  These have truly been magnificent golden years well worth revisiting.

February, The Beginning

All day today snow has been falling.  Ed is back outside blowing and plowing snow again.  The idea of being snowed in here together is a romantic notion.  The reality of it is a little different. The garden is quiet under its blanket of snow, but Ed and John Deere are hard at work clearing the drive and releasing the vehicles from the snow.

As I write, I'm soaking what is likely the last of our Purple Viking potatoes in cold water to firm them up for baking.  It's an old trick passed down to me from my thrifty gardening grandma.  They might be a little wrinkled, but they will still taste better than potatoes purchased from the store.

Ever since the snow started,  Ed and I have been reading glowing plant descriptions and looking at colorful pictures in our big stack of catalogs.  February cold and snow can have a dangerous effect on our sales resistance, but we weeded  the catalogs down to just a few too many. We made lists of seeds and plants to buy.  Lists were checked and double checked.  Prices were compared.  Some items were crossed off and others added. Six catalogs made the cut. Today I called in seed and plant orders.  From the chatter in the background on the phone, I would say that lots of gardeners stuck inside are doing the same.  Soon seeds will come in the mail.  The plants will arrive in the spring. The anticipation and excitement  about being back in the garden is building.  In a few days we will have new seeds for a new beginning.

Winter Arrives Right On The Solstice

Last night it rained hard most of the night.  This morning we watched as the rain changed to sleet and then to snow.  It was dizzying to look out the windows for awhile.  Huge snowflakes were falling fast past the windows.  Without the movement the effect is lost, but the large snowflakes are evident anyway.  Some things that the eye can see just can't be shown in a two dimensional picture.

By 9:00 AM the garden was covered in white.   There was a lull in the storm and  at 2:00 PM, the snow continues, but now it is falling at a leisurely pace.  The previous sickening feeling is replaced with a calmness.  Snowflakes float leisurely to the now white ground.  Soon darkness will fall and winter will officially be here.  Tomorrow's daylight will be just a little longer than today's.  

We have reached the sun's turning point.  Spring is up next.  It's time to begin thinking about next year's garden.  Catalogs are already piling up on the coffee table.  My good friend, Linda Cook Devona 's illustration on GreenPrints  cover pictures how I love to spend a snowy winter day.  Clearly, it's time to begin ordering seeds!

An Auspicious Beginning

Watching the sun come up over the ridge is something I enjoy doing. This morning, on the first day of 2009, something special greeted me. For the first time in my life I saw not just one, but two sun dogs standing like pillars on either side of the sun as it peeked over the top of the ridge at sunrise. I managed to snap a picture of the sun dog to the south. Perhaps if I had suited up and gone outside I could have gotten the whole scene, but more likely by the time I got dressed and out there the whole thing would have been gone. It's cold today . That's not a surprise since the sun dogs are made by the refraction of light on crystals of ice.

Now begins planning on this years garden in earnest. It's a fine day to sort through the seeds on hand. There are always some seeds left over from planting last year, seed packets we never got around to opening, and seeds saved from the garden.It might seem like more seeds would be unnecessary, but they really are. Besides seed catalogs are some of the best entertainment there is for a gardener in January.

Catalog Dreaming

The compost still has to go out, hence the tracks in the snow, but we are inside looking at seed catalogs.  Every year the catalogs start arriving earlier.  They get little attention from me at that point. Next year's garden is too far away.   Of course a few get weeded out immediately.  Ones that have given me past bad results, or catalogs with colors that are so intense as to be surreal, hit the compost (Oops) recycling right away.  They are much like those nasty weeds that you recognize when they are small and pull as soon as you see them.  The others are saved for later.  I love to leaf through them now, when the promise of spring holds so much potential for this year's garden.


The stack is impressive.  My husband chooses the vegetable seeds while I look at the flowers and herbs.  Some companies like Stokes, and Johnny's Selected Seeds get an order every year.   Others like Seeds of Change, Richter's, Select Seeds get orders in rotation to make sure we get their catalog. We don't want to get taken off their mailing list. (It is possible isn't it?) The rest of the stack remaining, contains catalogs we have ordered from before and might this year, and my favorites, totally new ones. I'm staring at a new one called van Bourgondien. It has a "$25.00 worth of products free" offer.  Could they have something wonderful that my garden just can't be without?  Can I resist the temptation?  It's time to get started.  Choices must be made.  When spring finally arrives, we have to be ready!