Ready, Get Set.....

"Let us never forget that the cultivation of the earth is the most important labor of man. When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of civilization." Daniel Webster

I love seed catalogs. I can lay in bed and read them. (I know; I’m pretty boring!) The pictures are so gorgeous! Can I really have vegetables/flowers that look like that? After drooling over my favorite catalogs I do several things. 

• Make a list of what I want to grow next year
• Make a list of what seeds I have left over from last year  and what I need.
• Go to my seed catalog and choose my seeds and varieties.My favorite seed catalog happens to be Stokes Seeds, mostly because it always worked well for my mom and now me. There are many good seed companies out there. I use others for odds and ends (or if there is a great sale!)
  

Seed Selection: Many flower and vegetable varieties perform better in some areas than in others. Read descriptions carefully. For short-season areas, select earlier maturing varieties. A couple of important dates every gardener should know by heart is the last frost date of the spring and the first frost date of the fall.
There are several resources on the web where you can find this information, but I discovered a cool little tool over at Dave’s Garden. Simply enter your zip code, and you’ll get some useful information about your frost dates.

Here’s what I got back when I entered my zip code:

• Each winter, on average, your risk of frost is from September 21 through May 12.
• Almost certainly, however, you will receive frost from October 5 through April 29.
• You are almost guaranteed that you will not get frost from May 25 through September 7.
• Your frost-free growing season is around 132 days.

Remember the following as you order:

• If you need help or have questions, call and ask.
• Order early to avoid "sold out" notices.
• Keep a record of your purchases.
• Locate and understand the company's guarantee policy.
• Read catalogs carefully for helpul information.They're filled with tips and suggestions to help you make the best choices, and to have a more beautiful garden.

Try not to go overboard. You could use your entire paycheck buying seed and plants.
Place your order and wait (impatiently) for the seeds to arrive.