Hello, Garden Gals and Guys! It’s been about 3 months since my last post….and that’s three months too long! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas (or Chanukah or Kwanzaa) and New Year.

It’s January and it’s cold, but it is time to start buying seeds and starting them indoors! I have shopped a lot of seed catalogs over the past ten years. However, my favorite (and the only one I buy seeds from now) is Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

Not only do they travel the world collecting heirloom seeds, but they also test all of their seeds to be sure they are GMO free. I like what this company stands for and their selection can’t be beat. The picture to the left is the cover of their latest seed catalog. The picture is made entirely from seeds and I love it!

You can order the regular catalog for free….OR…if you want a seed pleasure overload you can order their Whole Seed Catalog (which is not free but well worth the 7.95). It has more seeds than you can imagine, but it also has recipes, tips for organic growing, different methods for growing plants, and information for how to live off the land. But, I digress.

I am currently in the process of going through my catalog and selecting some old favorites, as well as lots of new things that I plan to grow in my farmagarden (that’s what I’m calling the gardening madness that is about to take place). In mid-January, I plan on starting some onions indoors under my grow light. Then, in February, I’ll get started with the rest of my seeds.

What’s that? You want to know why I don’t just buy plants from my local nursery in the spring like everyone else? Ahhh…that’s a great question! There are several reasons. The first is cost. I like to grow plants…. A LOT of them. It is much cheaper to buy a packet of seeds than it is to buy them by the flat at a nursery.

The second reason is variety. When you buy from a garden center or nursery, you are limited to the choices on the shelves….and they are usually the same old boring varieties. I like to try out different things and there literally thousands of varieties of peppers, tomatoes, onions, etc., available in seed catalogs that just aren’t available in stores.

Lastly, I get satisfaction from plantings seeds and watching the miracle of plant life. There is nothing like watching those little sprouts poke their way through the soil and unfold their cotyledons toward the heavens announcing “hello, world!”.

This is a plant moment I managed to catch on camera…one of my seedlings pushing its way through the soil.

Anyone who gardens should try to grow from seed at least once.  I’ll teach you more about starting seeds in the next blog post.

So, that’s it. If you don’t get seed catalogs at home, I would suggest just browsing online because any catalogs you order now might take more than four weeks to arrive. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below and I will be sure to answer right away!

Until next time garden gals and guys…..

Happy garden planning!!!