Seed Shopping

I have found a new favorite pasttime: perusing seed catalogs!  Even though I am a complete newbie at gardening – first major gardenting attempt last summer – I have such fun pouring over catalogs of seeds!  Who would have thought that the girl who was used to business attire in an air conditioned building would one day spend her evenings dreaming about getting all sweaty and dirty come spring/summer!(Ummm…had to be an act of God:)  The potential of what can be grown(even in small spaces), the varieties of foods and the low prices of seeds have become so much fun for me!  Trying to decide what to plant, where to plant it, what to plant it with, making diagrams of our raised planter beds and dreaming of eating our own veggies(and some fruits) next summer is just delightful…especially when it’s snowing outside!

This year, I am buying the bulk of our seeds from Bountiful Gardens(a Calfornia business is a plus too).  I like the layout of their catalog, the way they describe their plants and give good tips(i.e. green pole beans are good companions with cucumbers because they shade them) and that they have symbols next to certain varieties to show whether a plant is easy to grow or tolerates hot/cold weather.  I also appreciate that their seeds are heirloom seeds.  Heirloom seeds have been around a long time and were bred before chemical pesticides were common so they are well adapted to an organic garden.  They also will not carry GMO varieties.  Genetically modified seeds are made by technicians that mess with the DNA of plants and insert genes that don’t even come from plants – they may even come from bacteria or fish!  Personally, I just feel better knowing that my food’s DNA is just what God intended for it – not genetically altered in a lab.  Lastly, their seeds are not coated with pesticides or fungicide chemicals. 

I’ve also decided to order some flower varieties.  I had made up a landscape design for our front yard and was waiting for extra money in the budget to get started.  But, our house is currently on the market as we pray that God might provide us with an actual “homestead”(would LOVE to have chickens! and maybe even a goat! Who have I become? LOL!) instead of our suburban dwelling in town.  But since we have no idea what the housing market will do or if it’s even God’s timing at all, I’ve decided to grow some annuals from seed- the cost is right! – for both curb appeal and so that we have something nice to look at(planning to start them indoors first).  We will also be adding a planter box near our raised veggie beds to attract the right “helpful” insects to our garden.  Who knows, I may just put some in and around the veggies as well. 

I hope to encourage other town-dwellers that this can be done – even with a small-ish backyard!  Here’s my current wish list:

Fruits/Veggies: Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, green beans, basil, cilantro, carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, spinach, watermelon, bell pepper mix

Flowers: Sunflowers, nasturtium, cornflower, calendula, love in a mist, California poppies, morning glories, alyssum

What are you planning to grow this year?

Blessings!

-J