Tuesday, 6 January 2015

Ha.  Yesterday I said in a post that I didn't receive a catalog from Harris Seeds.  Guess what came in the mail today?  I was happy but I have already placed my order.

Yesterday, when I posted the names of my favorite seed catalogs, I did forget one that I have used every  year for the past several years.  They don't issue catalogs, but they offer super affordable flower seeds.  (They also sell herb and veggie seeds.)  So if you want to grow your own flats of flowers, look them up.

http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/

Monday, 5 January 2015

Here are my favorite seed catalogs:

I love:  http://www.tomatogrowers.com/  

• they offer so many different types of tomatoes, peppers, and even eggplant.  You are bound to find a variety that is suitable to your area.

http://www.jungseed.com/

• This is my first year using them.  So we will see.

http://www.totallytomato.com/

• Again, lots of varieties to choose from.  This is great if you want to try something new.  They offer tomatoes, peppers and a few other veggie offerings.

http://www.noursefarms.com/

• They sell my favorite varieties of strawberries.  

http://www.twilleyseed.com/

• I love these guys.  It is a great company that also offers flower seeds.  My only complaint is that you actually have to call them to place an order.  I prefer to do it online.  Every year, when I call them, I ask about that and they say they are 'working on it'. I don't think that means what they think it means.  The upside to this is that the people answering the phones are so very nice and helpful.

http://www.parkseed.com

• great catalog with lots to choose from.

http://www.johnnyseeds.com

• Again, many varieties of veggies, herbs, and flowers.  

http://www.harrisseeds.com

• This is the first year I didn't get a catalog from them.  Maybe I'm on their 'naughty list' because I don't spend as much as they would like. I don't know, but I still use them for seeds and supplies.  Every year I purchase my peat pellets from them.  

NOTE:  I am not sure if these  web addresses are exact.  My internet is down at the moment.  So annoying.  But you can google the name and find it that way.

Monday, 5 January 2015

I have gardened for many years.  In that time, I have grown many things, but I have never kept a journal of what works better, what grows better, what tastes better, etc.  So here we go.  

I want to conduct taste tests of the different varieties of veggies I usually grow and I want to see which plants are more productive than others.  I am limited on space so I want to get more bang for my buck and more bang for the effort.

A few years ago, I started growing my own plants from seeds instead of spending $-hundreds-$ of dollars at the local nurseries.  I certainly wasn't saving any money by growing my own.  But it was cheaper than therapy.  In November, my seed catalogs start arriving and they keep coming throughout December.  It is like Christmas morning when I get my first one in the mail.  I get 'pirouette giddy' at the mailbox.

I started with just a few catalogs, but these 'seed people' must sell their customer lists to others, because now I receive more catalogs, than I know what to do with.