Spring might still be a few months away, but in my mind, the gardening season begins with the turn of the New Year. Laugh if you will, but I know I’m not the only one with this mindset because when I check my mailbox every afternoon a few more seed catalogues have arrived. At last count, I now have over 38 different catalogues from around North America!
Although I’m not a big believer in New Year resolutions, I have decided to get more organized this year and spent 2 hours this past weekend going through my leftover seeds (3 shoeboxes full) and cataloguing what I have and what I’m going to need for the coming year. Surprisingly, I need very little, which is a bit disappointing, as I love pouring through seed catalogues.
I tend to order from the same 3 or 4 seed companies each year and because shipping prices can be high, I generally place my order with a few like-minded gardening friends. I thought I'd share a few of my favourite seed sources with you, as well as some of the varieties that I always grow. Some of these companies are website only, while others have free seed catalogues that you can request. Enjoy!
Renee's Garden - www.reneesgarden.com - This is one of my favourite sources for antique annuals (sweet peas, sunflowers, cosmos, zinnias) and gourmet veggies (sungold tomatoes, lemon cucumbers, salad green mixes, emerite french pole beans). Website only
Kitchen Garden Seeds - www.kitchengardenseeds.com - free catalogue - A great source for annual flowers, herbs and gourmet veggies. It's also a good read with a lot of helpful information. Again, sungold tomatoes, lemon cukes, costuluto tomatoes, purple podded pole beans, emerite beans, black nasturtiums, giant Italian parsley and much more.
Heirloom Acres Seeds - www.heirloomacresseeds.com - another web only company - This is a great find! They are very inexpensive and have a low shipping cost. They also offer bulk seed at good prices. They are a bit slow to ship though, so you'll be waiting at least 3 weeks. Try their Heirloom Acres Spring Mix Lettuce - my favourite mix! I use it to edge my garden beds from early spring to late fall. Also, they have lemon cukes, Black Krim tomatoes, arugula and much more!
Halifax Seed - www.halifaxseed.ca - A Canadian tradition, Halifax Seed now offers my two favourite veggies to grow - sungold tomatoes and lemon cukes! They also have our favourite yellow bean - top notch golden wax and much more! The catalogue is free.
Happy Gardening!
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