Finally, winter has arrived with its blanketing snow to protect the crowns of our perennials and quiet the awakening bulbs and budding trees. It’s time to curl up with the seed and plant catalogs that have been filling the mailbox.
The first [and best] to arrive for me is Thompson & Morgan, headquartered in England, with an outlet in New Jersey. An earlier delivery each year, it’s enticing contents must await the closing of the garden, then the Christmas rush.
A quick overview, as I drink my morning coffee, turning page corners whenever a possible candidate is found, then a cooling off period of a week, while I cogitate on past seed failures and animal depredations, time constraints and greenhouse space.
Sanity returns and the list is formed, the package is sent and received; spring is definitely coming now!
Other seed purveyors I trust are Harris, Park, High Country, but unless the order adds up to $15 or more, the shipping and handling fees are not worth the cost.
The only reason to bother with seed starting is to grow either vast amounts of a perennial or annual, something that cannot be found in nurseries or is too expensive.
Many years ago, unable to wait, the seeds would be sown in February or March, under lights in the basement, then moved to the greenhouse in April, where often in a false spring they froze or fried. One year, I had a baby granddaughter to care for and didn’t start the seeds until Easter, right in the greenhouse on heat mats — and guess what? The stockiest, healthiest plants ever sprouted, with no shock of adjusting to sun and cold.
A protective plastic covering, opened for the day and clipped tightly closed by sunset, kept both the temperatures regulated and the chipmunks out.
Prev Next
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID