Slight Detour from Compost: Seed Starting

Posted by Katie Elzer-Peters
January 14th, 2009
Filed in Seed Starting
Tags: flowers, seeds, vegetables

Baker Creek's Gold Medal Tomato

I will be back at the compost inquiry shortly.  (Probably tomorrow.)  However, today, I am diverting my interest to starting seeds because, well, once I get all of this compost going I need to plant something out in it.  I am also enjoying all of the posts and tweets from fellow gardeners about their new seed catalogs arriving in the mail, and their issues with sticking to a budget when ordering.  I have a few issues to work out before I can contemplate ordering seeds; however, I need to work through those (do I need a personal space therapist?) before I can even order any seeds.

My Gardening Issues

For someone with lots of training and experience, I certainly have gardening issues.  For one thing, most of my career has been spent in public gardens, where I have had lots of space and equipment, and if not an unlimited budget, a much more generous budget.  Now, I am on my gardening all by myself in my very on yard adventure, and that is an entirely different ball of wax.  Here are my seed starting issues to work out before delving into my favorite catalogs.

• I have no good light spot in my house other than the window where my dog sits on the couch and looks out.  If I try to put seeds anywhere near my windowsill, she will dig them up or knock them over with either 1) her huge tail or 2) in haste trying to jump through the window welcoming my husband home from work.  Yes, she loves him more than me.  At least I have my plants.
• I don’t think I have started seeds anywhere other than a greenhouse since I took over the “bar” area in my parent’s house and turned it into my de-facto greenhouse. It had a nice south-facing window.
• Having never vegetable gardened in NC before, I don’t really know when to start the dang seeds.  That is, however, even though I am supposed to be living in a new, budget-conscious era, why I bought Felder Rushing’s “Guide to North Carolina Vegetable Gardening,” because it should tell me everything I need to know.  Plus, I met Felder at the GWA conference last fall, and he was nice, so I can buy his book.  (Don’t you hate it when you meet authors and they aren’t nice.  Doesn’t it make you want to stop buying their books?)

A Suggestion from a Fellow Garden Tweeter

Aerogarden

If you like to garden and you’re not on twitter, well, you’re missing out on some pretty fun non-garden related conversations by gardeners and garden writers.  Sometimes, we also talk about plants.  One person I follow  (It is called following, when you subscribe to someone’s updates on Twitter) said that she uses an Aerogarden to start her seeds indoors.  I love that idea, and I might try it!  That would answer several of my problems re: light and dog digging inside.  I could put it on my counter, too! Problem solved if I can come up with the $$.  Otherwise, it is going to be old flats and saran wrap this spring.  Ok, it is definitely going to be old flats and saran wrap this spring.

My Favorite Seed Plant Catalogs

I may be “lightweight,” but I always enjoy catalogs with pictures in them.  I like the ones without pictures and lots of information, too, but I like pretty flower pictures.  (I also like to decoupage, though, so that could be why I like the pictures–so I can cut them out and spackle things with them.)  I also like catalogs that have lots of information about how to grow the plants, including calendars and such.  I think you can never have too much information re: plants.

Johhny’s (Formally known as Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

I like the idea that Johnny’s started out as a teeny little nursery in Maine, and is now employee-owned.  Oh, they also have a great catalog chock full of information.

Plant Delights

If you’re ever lucky enough to be near their Raleigh-area Nursery, go visit!  Plant Delights is a nursery that ships live plants that actually arrive alive.  They also have acres of beautiful display gardens.  One claim to fame, besides their awesome selections of unusual cultivars and hundreds of hostas is their catalog cover.  You just have to go visit the site to see what I’m talking about.  (Their inclusion on this list is why I had to change from seed to plant.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

I got this catalog this spring because of my Garden Writers membership.  (I’m on the mailing list, so I get all kinds of interesting and weird stuff.)  I had never seen it before, which made me feel like a gardening newbie all over again.  It is my FAVORITE plant catalog, ever.  Very nice pictures, descriptions and growing information.  PLUS they have inspirational gardening quotes all over their magazine catalog.  (See where I’m going with this.)  They have subliminal messaging down to an art form.  You won’t even know you’re buying when you pick this one up!

I’ll leave you with a quote from the Baker Creek Catalog.

“The federal government has sponsored research that has produced a tomato plant that is perfect in every respect, except that you can’t eat it.  We should make every effort to make sure this disease, often referred to as “progress”, doesn’t spread.”  –Andy Rooney

That’s why we’re gardeners, people.  Organic gardeners, when we can be.