By February, I find my thoughts turn more and more to spring and the new gardening season ahead. This is even more true this winter. The mild weather we’ve enjoyed recently has made it seem like warm spring days aren’t far away. It’s still a bit early for starting most seeds, but a perfect time for scrutinizing seed catalogues and making plans. For the purposes of daydreaming, it’s good to have a selection of catalogues to browse through. This year, I noticed an advertisement somewhere for Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and decided to order a catalogue. You can request a copy via their website at rareseeds.com. Many seed catalogues are free. Baker Creek charges $5, but it proved to be a worthwhile investment!
The catalogue, which arrived promptly in my mailbox, is just beautiful! It’s more like a magazine than a catalogue, handsomely produced in full colour, with many gorgeous large photographs of an amazing array of heirloom plants. Very tempting for any gardener! In addition to seed listings, the catalogue includes interesting tidbits of information and short articles on topics such as saving tomato seeds. My favorite things to grow in the vegetable garden are tomatoes. There is absolutely nothing like a lush tomato, fresh from the vine.
This year, Fiddlegirl and I have agreed to share a pack of Sweet Gold seeds, a wonderful hybrid variety of cherry tomatoes that we have both grown in the past. And last year, Seabrooke had good results with Sub-Arctic Plenty. I’d like to try them this year. Others I am considering include Chocolate Stripes and Ananas Noir (aka Black Pineapple). Do you have a favorite tomato variety? I’d love to hear of your experience. Leave me a comment!
There are plenty of quality sources for seeds. I have catalogues from a variety of Canadian sources such as Veseys and Dominion Seedhouse and Stokes. Another great place to find interesting seed varieties is a Seedy event near you. Listings for Seedy Saturdays and Sundays can be found at the Seeds of Diversity site, linked here. In addition to an event listing, you’ll also find plenty of information about various seed sources across the country and news about heritage seed issues.
Willow House Chronicles 