Shortly after Christmas, I look forward to seeing all the catalogs in my mailbox.
In this largely digital age, where I shop and order nearly everything using the Internet, it seems that seed catalogs are the last print catalog that I still browse. Call me old-fashioned, but I still like to flip through a catalog first and then go to the Internet and order my seeds. I have a stack of catalogs sitting in my office and I love to look through them when the weather is snowy so I can pretend that spring is just around the corner. Here are a few of my favorites to browse through.
Find out what's happening in Hunt Valley-Cockeysvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Seeds of Change catalog is a beautifully illustrated catalog of organic seeds that specializes in heirloom varieties. Heirloom varieties are types of seeds that are used in home gardens only and grown for a long time, at least 50 years. Heirlooms are usually tastier but can be more prone to disease because they haven't been hybridized for disease resistance. The Seeds of Change catalog is like a gardening how-to manual with lots of information packed into each page. Who knew there were so many varieties of potatoes? Ruby Crescent, Desiree, Cranberry Red, the list goes on and on. Or that you could have a gardening planner at your fingertips?
Find out what's happening in Hunt Valley-Cockeysvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The oldest seed house in America, D. Landreth Seed Company, has been around since 1784. They have sold seeds to every president from George Washington to Franklin D. Roosevelt, and have grown with America over three centuries. Go to their website to view their offerings and history, as their wonderfully illustrated catalog is no longer available. Landreth Seeds specializes in heirloom and classic flowers, vegetables and has a great African American Heritage Collection of seeds that were carried by enslaved peoples from Africa and the Caribbean.
I especially love looking at the archived newsletters in the gardeners’ resource library and reading about how to grow specific heirloom varieties along with photographs and recipes.
If you are on a budget, try Pinetree Garden Seeds, a family run business located in Maine.
I like them because they carry the heirloom varieties as well as newer hybridized seeds at a great cost savings. For example, Broccoli Belstar in Parks Seed Company’s catalog is $2.50 for a packet of 100 seeds. Pinetree carries the same seed for $1.50 for 30 seeds. Most home gardeners only need 30 seeds to raise a good crop of broccoli for a family of four. If you want to go crazy and grow a huge crop for freezing, it would make sense to get the larger packet. Pinetree also carries bulbs, seed potatoes, gardening books, and general gardening supplies.
Park Seeds carries a large array of different flower and vegetable seeds. It is very helpful if you are a new gardener because they have selected some low maintenance seeds to be “Park's Picks.” These have a proven track record of being easy to grow for beginner as well as more experienced gardeners. Park also sells the All American selections and great collections, like the “Top 10 Herb Garden Collection” which comes out to less than $1.00 a packet.
I also recommend this catalogue Park Bio-Dome, a mini greenhouse with a climate-controlled atmosphere, for people who would like to start their seeds with minimal fuss. I use this every year for starting my seeds as well as using plain old seed starting mix and trays. The seeds that I start in the Bio-Dome are always healthier and more vigorous. Another bonus with Park Seeds is their close-out sale on seeds that range from less than a dollar to two dollars a seed packet, a 15 to 50 percent savings on seeds. Park also has lots of new varieties to try and I usually select a few to sample each year.
No one catalog has it all, so I pick and choose the best from each company as well as pick up some seed packets at the local nurseries to try out.
