This has been a cruel winter in Connecticut not in that the weather has been so severe but rather it has been a tease. The 18 inches of white stuff I saw in October represents over 75 percent of all the snow we have had this season. The plants know not what to do as mild (and even warm) temperatures predominate. It feels like it should be the end of March, early April in the middle of February. I can’t plant anything now even though I feel as I should. But I can buy seed.
The only solace that January and February has for a gardener is the stream of seed and supply magazines that pile up in the mailbox every day. Johnny’s,Territorial, Burpee, Bluestone Perennials, A.M.Leonard, Lee Tools, John Scheepers are just a few of the catalogs that I greedily pore over looking for inspiration and new vegetable cultivars to plant this spring. My current favorites are Baker’s Creek, Comstock (owned by Baker’s Creek) and Fedco. Because I no longer will have access to the greenhouse at Green Chimneys, I have decided to start my own tomatoes, leeks and other veg myself this spring and have purchased grow lights and a heating pad to help the process. I have become spoiled because I am used to the varied and flavorful varieties of vegetables that you can’t get at local nurseries and have to grow yourself.
Because I purchased greens and root vegetables last year to plant in the fall, I needed to purchase only seeds for summer harvest. My challenge is that like a glutton at a dessert bar, I have a difficult time making my seed choices fit the space I have for my vegetable garden even though I’m a big fan of Mel Bartholomew’s Square Foot Gardening approach. But I kept my choices to (what I thought) to a manageable few: Beans, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, endive, leeks, peas, and tomatoes. I had good luck last year starting flats of flowers so I will continue with cosmos, pansies, zinnias and nasturtiums.
Comstock got all my business this spring; Fedco got it last fall. I like to spread my seed purchases around to experiment with different cultivars as well as support all the different companies that send me colorful magazines that get me through the winter doldrums. I just placed my order. Spring feels that much closer.
