Hope for Spring

In this bitter cold, I am thinking more about my garden, counting the days until the ground will thaw and I can play in the dirt once again. In the meantime, I am consoling myself with seed catalogues, which offer hope for spring.

Every year, the catalogues begin arriving in my mailbox before Thanksgiving.  Somehow they know that I’m an avid gardener, and that the coming winter cold will have me hoping for and dreaming of spring. The seed sellers know that I need a diversion from the holiday festivities, and that my green thumb will start itching in January.  

I must admit that I have great fun leafing through the catalogues and my leisure, looking at the new varieties and contemplating which old favorites I will grow again this year.  Jimmy Nardello and Yummy peppers are on my list, as are Juliette and Golden Jubilee tomatoes. I’m trying a new tomato variety this year – Genuwine – a cross between Brandywine and Costoluto Genovese - from Totally Tomatoes.  I will grow Ping Tung Long Asian eggplants, and Bride, a white variety I grew some time ago.  After growing Tokyo Cross turnips last fall, I will try Shogoin turnips this spring. These are two lovely Asian turnips, producing plump, tender white roots, ranging from the size of large marbles to golf balls. I also plan to grow a variety of spring greens – Swiss chard in many colors, red mustard, and two types of kale.  

My order from Pinetree Garden Seeds arrived last week, keeping hope alive. In the next week or two, I will start my winter greens indoors, in a special spot in my basement.  That’s a topic for another blog.

    

It’s time to order seeds, if you haven’t already done so. You can grow vegetables by seed that you could never purchase in a garden center or plant sale - unless you plan to spend all of your gardening time running from sale to sale. You may discover some favorite varieties.  If you are a seasoned gardener, please let us know what you like to grow...