It's hard to believe that Christmas is just 3 days away. I'm sure all of us have been busy with preparations for the big day lately. However, once Christmas is but a sweet memory, it will be time for gardeners to start dreaming and planning for next year's garden.
Believe it or not, I have been receiving 2011 seed catalogs for the past several weeks. In the "old days," seed catalogs would arrive in our mailboxes right after New Year's day. Now the mail-order companies are popping them into the mail earlier than ever, hoping to catch our attention.
A lot of folks ask me for suggestions of good mail-order catalogs to send away for, so here is a list of my favorites. I've set this up so the name of each company will link directly to their web site in a new browser window so you can refer back to this posting while perusing the different sites.
1. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (rareseeds.com) - I've ordered from them for 3 years in a row and am pleased with the quality of their seeds. They only sell heirloom seeds and you won't find a genetically-modified seed in the lot. They also publish a magazine called "The Heirloom Gardener," which contains all sorts of useful information.
2. The Cook's Garden (cooksgarden.com) - This company sells vegetable, herb and flower seeds and plants as well as seed-starting supplies.
3. Harris Seeds (harrisseeds.com) - In addition to vegetable and flower seeds, they sell plants, bulbs, tubers and growing supplies.
4. John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds (kitchengardenseeds.com) - These folks have been in business since 1908 and offer vegetable, herb and flower seeds.
5. Johnny's Selected Seeds (johnnyseeds.com) - This company sells vegetable, herb and flower seeds, cover crops, fruits, tools and supplies. I particularly like the wide variety of floating row covers and different types of plastic mulch they sell.
6. Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply (groworganic.com) - They sell organic seeds and transplants, organic and natural fertilizers, products to organically control weeds and pests, gardening books, seed-starting supplies, and watering and drip irrigation supplies.
7. Pinetree Garden Seeds (superseeds.com) - This is another good source for veggie, flower and herb seeds, a lot of garden books, gardening supplies and even soap-making supplies.
8. Seed Savers Exchange (seedsavers.org) - This is a non-profit organization that stores and sells heirloom seeds. They also have books and gifts available. You don't have to become a member to order seeds from them, but will get a discount if you do. The mission of this worthwhile organization, which began in 1975, is "to save the world's diverse but endangered garden heritage for future generations by collecting, growing and distributing heirloom seeds." Membership costs $40 per year.
9. Seeds of Change (seedsofchange.com) - They have vegetable seeds and plants, cover crops, herb and flower seeds, I like the quality of their seeds.
10. Territorial Seed Company (territorialseed.com) - I like this company because they are somewhat local (Cottage Grove, Ore.). In addition to selling vegetable, herb and flower seeds, they have fruits, berries, and all kinds of really cool gardening supplies.
11. Totally Tomatoes (totallytomato.com) - If you're looking for a huge variety of tomato seeds, this is the place for you. They own Vermont Bean Seed as well, by the way.
12. Vermont Bean Seed Company (vermontbean.com) - Don't let their name fool you: they also sell other vegetables seeds as well as fruits, flower seeds and seed-starting supplies. But this company definitely has an extensive collection of bean seeds - bush, dry, filet, lima, pole and runner. I've ordered seeds from them for years and the quality is always high.
Whew, that's a lot of catalogs. But what could be more fun on a stormy winter day than curling up with a pile of seed catalogs, your garden journal, and a cup of cocoa?
If none of these catalogs pique your interest or you're looking for something very specialized, go to the Mailorder Gardening Association's web site for the mother of all lists of garden catalogs! Enjoy.