I know I should be shopping for gifts this month but I have barely started. Last month I took the Nanowrimo challenge and wrote my 50,000 word novel. I had to take a few days off from writing and thought I could think about Christmas instead. Oh no, you see I am going into seed withdrawals. Yes, already. I can’t believe it myself. The bitterly cold nights have me feeling like I should hibernate until spring. I love spring and summer. Like many of my gardening friends I am counting the days until winter begins as it signals the start of more light with each day.
You see I am already planning my next plant sale. I want to offer the best of all the new vegetable plants. So this month I am reading all the seed catalogues and waiting for more to arrive. Its an obsession, a good one. I love to grow from seed and hope to offer a class on seed starting in the early spring.
I want to get my hands in the soil once again and grow hundreds of tomato plants. It’s hard to believe that each one of the tiny seedlings above grew to about seven feet high last summer.
I look forward to growing basil again. It’s so easy to grow. So whats new so far? I will be testing out the new Storm Kale and seeing how well it grows. It’s a collection of kale seeds pelleted together as one seed. My Kale-Brussel sprout all in one plant was a bust this year. The sprouts started to form but never matured. It was fun to try out a new plant but new doesn’t always mean better.
I am already ordering greenhouse materials like plant tags, pots and seeds and some plant sale advertising. While others use the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale to buy Christmas presents I am using it for garden supplies.
What will I grow more of next year? We didn’t get the kitchen bed built until June so the onions didn’t mature. Next year I want to grow a whole bed of onions. They are one of those foods I use almost every day and they store well over the winter. They will go in the ground in early March. I found this years onions were small in most gardens and wonder if our sudden warm temperatures had something to do with it.
Being able to walk in the garage to grab potatoes, onions and garlic for a meal is the best one could ask for. I froze most of the peppers I grew last summer and use them in sauces for pasta, in stir frys and lasagna. Remember the bumper crop of jalapeños I had? I froze them sliced and they work well on nachos or in soups.
Are you planning for spring yet? Pick up some seed catalogues and get started. They are always fun to look at during the dark winter days.
