I know the winter solstice is barely a week in the rear view mirror.
I know that the dreadfully dreary month of January is only a stone’s throw away.
I know the last frost date is still 150 days to the future, in my zone 6.
Yes, I know all of this. But today, it doesn’t matter.
Today, the 2009 seed catalogs arrived …
It seems just like yesterday that I finished putting my gardens to bed [actually, it was yesterday, as I only just got around to tucking the rosemary into a warm little pocket of chop on a freakishly warm late-December afternoon], but, I already miss my gardens terribly. The tomatoes, the peppers, the cucumbers. The fresh basil. The onions. The tarragon. The carrots. The blueberries. The tomatoes. Ach! (That’s the German “ach” with a hard “k” gargling sound, all drawn out melodramatically.)
Mmmm. Fresh basil (6 kinds). Heirloom tomatoes (like the sassy heart above). In a tomato mozzarella salad with balsamic dressing.
Erm, wait, where was I?
Oh, yeah. Seed catalogs. They signal the official start of the year’s crop. But more importantly, they’re things to cling to when the sun disappears for days on end and the snow piles high in the parking lots.
Between you and me, even though the catalogs just arrived, I’ve already picked the tomatoes I’ll be growing in my garden this year. And ordered the seeds I needed. They arrived yesterday. 😉 Patience is not one of my virtues. Did I open the envelope from TomatoFest.com by daintily pulling on the little tab made for such purpose, or did I rip the thing open like I had fangs and talons? I think you know the answer.
Here are the new tomatoes I’m adding to my crop this year. I can’t wait…
Amish Paste
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Black Krim
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Brandywine, Red
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Dona
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Flamme
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Gold Rush Currant
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Matt’s Wild Cherry
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Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter
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Orange Strawberry
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Speckled Roman
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| Photos courtesy of Tomatofest.com (except for the heart above, which was taken by yours truly) | |
Christy
Tuesday 6th of January 2009
Oh I can't wait to read it. I definitely need to know how early to start...how big should the pots be for the plants...suggested vegetable plants for starters...etc. I appreciate it so much!
soupaddict
Monday 5th of January 2009
Hi Christy,
I don't have a section for container gardening, but thanks for the topic suggestion. I maintained a garden on my 3rd floor balcony for years before I landed terra firma in a house. Look for a post about it in the next day or two!
Christy
Monday 5th of January 2009
Do you have a place on your site where you give tips to a first time gardener? I live on the 2nd floor so I could do a whole balcony full or big pots if I wanted. I love fresh veggies and herbs. A garden would be so nice!
soupaddict
Thursday 1st of January 2009
They're addictive ... I hold onto to mine all year long (even after everything's in the ground) for ideas and more planning. Some girls keep magazines with great hair styles and shoes or something - I keep my seed catalogs. :) Oh, if you run dry on the seed hunt, you might want to check with the folks at the Seed Savers Exchange - they usually have a good bank of just about everything rare and unusual.
Stacey
Thursday 1st of January 2009
You sound like me. Which is a good thing I think.... I love the seed catalogs!!! I am looking for whippoorwill peas. My mother tossed mine out of her freezer. I am now on the search!