The dead days of winter are the seeds of the year. Small, cold, withered, and brown, they still hold the hopeful potential of spring.
This time of year is a welcome break. Pretty much everything is dead or sleeping. But sometimes the long dark nights overwhelm me, or it doesn’t get quite cold enough to freeze the deep, sticky clay-mud. I look at the pale, white sunlight and try unsuccessfully to imagine it huge, yellow, and so bright that I have to wear a hat. My world becomes a series of brown blurs. And this is where seed catalogs rustle in to save the day.
Meet my favorite seed catalog. Isn’t it beautiful and quirky? I drool over it.
However, seed catalogs have a certain enthralling and endearing fault: They make every single variety sound irresistible.
For example, let’s choose some lettuce, shall we? At first, Seirra looks good. “Leaves glossy green with reddish veins . . . Very tasty, crisp, and juicy. Holds well under high heat.” But then it says that Deer Tongue has “excellent sweet flavor” and is “one of our favorites”! And is there any way that you can pass up a lettuce variety name Drunken Woman? What about Thai Oakleaf, which is reported to be a favorite of hydroponic growers and boasts an “almond-like flavor”?
Choosing varieties is one of the most exciting and excruciating chores for a gardener, requiring strict self-control to keep within budget.
Here’s how I chose the varieties for this year:
First, I started scribbling out every popular market-seller that I could think of, using my market notes for accuracy. I also made note of those that sold poorly.
Then I looked through garden notes from last year and marked the varieties or crops that grew particularly well. And again, I made a list of those that flopped.
Next, I wrote down the varieties or crops that I just really enjoy growing.
Lastly, I perused the catalog and made a list of a new varieties or crops that I’m interested in. This is where self-control became of essence.
From these four categories, I blundered out a list of varieties/crops for this season. For example, beans grew and sold well. So while they are one of my least favorite crops to grow and harvest, I’ll still include them in my garden this year. Also, while spinach was a little difficult to germinate, it was a really popular and fun to grow, so I’ll definitely be increasing that this year.
Then I made several copies of this master-list until I had it all paired down and decided where I would buy everything. (I also looked through my seed stash for anything I already have).
Next step? Decide when and where I’m going to plant everything.
ARGH.
Wish me luck.