Photo by Jessica Walliser |
And so goes another year. Why is it always so hard to believe? Before I sat down to write this post, I looked at my January 2010 garden journal writings to see if I actually managed to accomplish any of the items the last New Year’s to-do list. I’m happy to say I managed to check off some while others—mostly the ones that have been on the list for several years running—remain untouched. I guess I’ll tack them onto the end of 2011’s to-do list and hope for the best.
While the list for the coming year is not as extensive as 2010’s (perhaps I’m getting more realistic as I age?), it’s fairly full. I know how unlikely it is that I’ll actually ever get all of it checked off; but still it feels good to put it all on paper. Put it in order. Make some sense of it. I think I need to do that to my desk, too.
I’m good at in putting lists in order but not so good at putting items in order. The 2011 spring seed catalogs have already started rolling in. With the best of intentions, pile them on my desk, knowing it’s highly likely I’ll neatly file them away like I always mean to. Eventually I’ll get around to sifting through them, pulling out my favorites first and starting to dog-ear the pages, circling my “must-haves” and cross-referencing my selections with a list of seeds I already have on hand. It’s quite the process to do all this, but it’s a welcome diversion from winter’s lack of actual gardening.
I know many gardeners who always order all their seeds from the same catalog. Although I do have my favorites, I usually end up ordering from three or more sources. I haven’t managed to find a single seed catalog that has everything I’m looking for. The only negative to doing this is the increased shipping cost. It’s hard to justify paying $4 to ship a single $3.75 seed packet, but if it’s a tomato that only one catalog carries, there’s not much of a choice. I’ve found splitting seed packets with friends helps alleviate some of this, but I can’t always find a friend with the same seed needs.
As I compile my seed wish list for the coming season, I’ll be sure to include a handful of new varieties I’ve never grown before, both in the veggie garden and the flower beds. I have found many treasures by taking a chance on something new.
