Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle ... a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream ~ Barbara Winkler
PLANNING the summer garden is a good way to get through the coldest weeks of winter. As February lumbers along, the glow of the holidays is long past and we are struggling with wind, ice and snow.
We survive, in part, by looking through seed catalogues and thinking about what to plant this year. It used to be that one had to wait to do this until the catalogues arrived in the mail. But now, the pages of possibilities are just a click away on the Internet. Though the catalogues are now online, the dreaming has not changed. I sit by the window, looking at the winter outside -- and then glancing at the pages of garden catalogues online. This year, my garden dreams have focused on three websites:
- Seed Savers Exchange (www.seedsavers.org). A labor of love based in Decorah, Iowa, Seed Savers specializes in saving and sharing heirloom seeds.
- Seeds of Change (www.seedsofchange.com). "Spring dreaming" from the little town of Spicer, Minnesota
- Albert Lea Seed Co (www.alseed.com). This is the company whose catalogue gets me thinking about growing soybeans in the backyard or behind the coffee house. I haven't yet, but this could be the year.