The best way to get started making your selection of seeds for this year’s garden is to look through several seed catalogs. Sit down with a pen and a nice cup of tea and look through each catalog.
Every time a variety catches your eye read through the description, checking for length of time until the plant will mature, the zone it is hardy to and whether it needs sun or shade. If it even remotely meets your growing conditions then circle the description and fold the corner of that page down. Do this with all of your seed and plant catalogs and then set them aside.
Take some time in the next few days to think about the garden you had last year, or if this will be your first garden think about the flowers and vegetables and other plants that you have admired in other peoples gardens. Now you need to give some realistic thought about what you want to grow and how much of a garden you will have time to take care of. Looking through all the catalogs and circling everything that strikes your fancy is a great first step because if allows you to get that first heady rush of spring fever out of your system.
Even if the amount of money you can spend on seeds isn’t an issue, its important not to buy more seeds than you can take care of. There is nothing more depressing than looking at seed packs withering from neglect because you simply don’t have any time or energy left to plant them.
Make a list of what is most important to you for this year’s garden; having lots of cherry tomatoes to eat, a constant supply of butter head lettuce, large drifts of flowers for cutting, or a little of everything. Dived your paper into several columns, for flowers, vegetables, bedding plants, herbs… Then make a general list under each one. Don’t worry about specific varieties be more concerned about characteristics for now. Like tall blue flowers, or tomatoes with rich flavor, or flowers or vegetables that can be grown in containers. All of this should only take you about 30 minutes, finish up with a very short wish list of unusual plants you always wanted to try; growing peanuts from seed, the largest pumpkin, climbing tropical flowers, chocolate mint…
It is always good to buy a few very unusual things that will add a real sense of fascination to this year’s garden. Put your lists with your seed catalogs and leave them for a few days. Now you are ready to make your seed list out and send in your orders. Go through each catalog and look at each variety you originally circled, does it fit some where on your list?
If it fits on your list write the name of the catalog, the variety, the number of seeds per packet and the price. If it doesn’t fit on your list unfold the page and continue with the rest of the catalog. Write the selections for each catalog on a separate sheet of paper. You may have to go through this list at least one more time to pare down this year’s seed list to a manageable size.
Finish your seed orders and send them in as soon as you can. When your seeds arrive set them in a zip lock back with a little desiccant pack and put them in the refrigerator until you are ready to plant them.