One of my favorite activities on a cold winter evening is to settle into my comfortable armchair in front of the woodstove with a steaming mug of hot cocoa and a big stack of seed catalogs. As I listen to the wind howl outside, I conjure up images of my next vegetable garden with big ripe tomatoes hanging on trellised plants, bushy basil plants covered in dew, and giant sunflowers swaying in the breeze.

You can, of course, look at seed catalogs online, and that’s how I order most of my seeds; but, when it comes to the planning and dreaming stage, I much prefer the old paper catalog method. I enjoy looking at the pictures, comparing the offerings in the different catalogs, taking notes, and sketching out my garden. By the time I’m done, most of the catalogs are bristling with brightly colored strips of sticky-notes marking the pages with vegetables of interest.

Every year, I try to select at least one vegetable I’ve never grown before. For example, next spring I will grow scorzonera, a root vegetable that is supposed to be quite tasty. I also experiment with varieties I’ve not heard of before. This year, I found the heirloom Czechoslovakian tomato variety stupice to be a very productive, sweet, small-fruited variety that I will surely grow again. I also like to order from catalogs I’ve not ordered from before, particularly small, family-owned companies and seed exchanges. Be sure to check out the sidebar below for a list of more than a dozen seed companies to investigate this season. And, be sure to take a risk and try something new from these catalogs.

If you plan on trying out seed stocks of unusual and heirloom varieties, remember that they are often limited, so order early. Ordering early also gives you time to grow your own transplants, which saves money, gives you a much larger selection of varieties to choose from than if you buy transplants, and lets you plant your garden as early as you want.
The best way to grow transplants is in a small greenhouse, but you can also grow them right in your own home. Here’s my easy system: get one or more two-bulb fluorescent shop light fixtures. You can pick these up at a home improvement store for about $30 (or borrow the one hanging over the workbench in the garage!). Put grow light tubes (expensive) or one warm white and one cool white tube (cheap option) in each fixture to provide the best light quality for growing plants. Put a timer on the fixture and set it to “on” for 16 hours each day. Spread a piece of plastic sheeting on the floor in an area free of drafts and where the temperature will stay in the low- to mid-70’s day and night. For me, this is in the living room or bedroom. Position the light fixture so the tubes are only four to six inches above the plants. I support the fixture on a stack of books at each end so it’s easy to raise the fixture as the plants grow.

Growing containers can be anything from standard plant growing flats to yogurt containers, as long as they have drainage holes in the bottom. Set the containers in some kind of tray for the water to drain into. You can make a simple one out of aluminum foil. Fill the containers with a high-quality, organic potting media available at most garden centers. Then, plant your seeds as directed on your seed package. Water carefully, striving to keep the growing media moist, but not wet. Early on, this is best accomplished with a spray bottle. If the media is kept too wet, the seeds will rot or the young seedlings will get damping off disease and die. Fertilize lightly every week with an organic liquid fertilizer like deodorized fish emulsion. When your plants are large enough to go outside, you need to harden them off so the move to the garden doesn’t shock them. This can be done by gradually exposing the plants to cooler temperatures and reducing watering. I move my whole growing system to a cooler room in the house and then start taking the plants outside for a few hours during the afternoon. When I set my transplants in the garden, I cover them with little hot caps made of plastic milk jugs with the bottoms cut out and take the caps off during the day then put them back on at night.

Growing a vegetable garden is one of the most basic and satisfying activities for both individuals and families. And what can be more satisfying than getting ahead of the game? The early bird catches the worm, as they say; so, gather up your catalogs, dream, sketch, plan and transplant, and soon you’ll be enjoying fresh, buttery lettuce and crisp, juicy radishes. Until then, enjoy your fireside gardening!

SEED CATALOGS

The following websites can help you make your garden dreams a reality. You can browse online, or if you’re like me and prefer something in hand, many of these sites give you the option to request a catalog by mail.

Abundant Life Seed Foundation, www.abundantlifeseeds.com
High Mowing Organic Seeds, www.highmowingseeds.com
Horizon Herbs, www.horizonherbs.com
Johnny’s Selected Seeds, www.johnnyseeds.com
Nichols Garden Nursery, www.nicholsgardennursery.com
Ornamental Edibles, www.ornamentaledibles.com
Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply, www.groworganic.com
Pinetree Garden Seeds, www.superseeds.com
Prairie Nursery, www.prairienursery.com
The Redwood City Seed Company, www.ecoseeds.com
Richters Herbs, www.richters.com
Ronnigers Potato Farm, www.ronnigers.com
The Sandy Mush Herb Nursery, www.sandymushherbs.com
Seeds of Change, www.seedsofchange.com
R.H. Shumway’s, www.rhshumway.com
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, www.southernexposure.com
Territorial Seed Company, www.territorialseed.com
Totally Tomatoes, www.totallytomato.com
Vermont Bean Seed Company, www.vermontbean.com

Dr. Jeanine Davis is a NC State University faculty member located at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center near the Asheville Airport. You can read about her research and education programs on organics, medicinal herbs, mushrooms and other specialty crops at www.ncherb.org.

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