Getting ready for Springtime- Winter Catalogues

While it has warmed up to a toasty 36 degrees today, and the weatherman says we will continue for a few more days in the daytime defrosting, be careful. The real January weather will return and one of my favorite winter activities is looking through the new plant catalogues that begin to arrive right after the Christmas catalogues stop. My favorite continues to be Johnny’s Select Seeds, but Millers (for fruit trees), Park Seeds and Burpee’s still have a place in my heart for flower seeds.  

For supplies, try Gardeners Supply. If you want greenhouse supplies, stay local if possible. One of the largest greenhouse supply companies is right here in Schenectady, Griffin Greenhouse. They deliver in Greene county on Friday’s. You’ll find great supplies at Lowes, Home Depot and even Wal-Mart. My only warning on these are in reference to plants. All of these treat their plants poorly and therefore have sick plants with lots of bad bugs. They will have great prices but just one sick plant can ruin your whole garden.

For organic and heirloom seeds the choices continues to grow. Seeds of Change, Territorial, Bountiful Gardens, and last but not least The Seed Savers Exchange offers varieties that are decades old and will not only sell you great seeds but you will be helping a great organization when you do. If indoor tropicals are your thing, check out the Logee’s catalogue. Now is the time to get ready for spring and order your seeds. Flower seeds generally need to be planted 8-14 weeks before needed and may take between 4-10 days to germinate. All seed packets should be read carefully as many seeds have different requirements.

Don’t wait until spring to start start getting ready for the spring. Now is the time to get things going. If you want to extend the season it’s best to extend in both directions. While I generally use this time of year to plant flowering plant seeds, I also continue to plant lettuce and other greens. The short days are lengthening and I rarely need any additional lighting but if you do, now is the time to purchase the springtime needed supplies. That’s it for now, Happy Planting.