An Exciting New Year -- Seeds, Glorious Seeds!

Before relocating to the North Country, January was always a blah month. The adrenaline and anticipation of the holidays has dissipated. The crisp sparkle of the early winter snow has started to fade and glimpses of February’s dinginess become more frequent. Comfortable days and nights in the 20s and 30s have been replaced by bone-chilling sub-zero temperatures. The light and color of spring seems a distant memory.

Since moving up here however, I have discovered the wonderful world of gardening. This is no longer a “when I have a moment” hobby as it was in Connecticut. Gardening has become an unquenchable passion for me. Nora would call it an obsession, but she’s prone to exaggeration. And although most non-gardeners would think that gardening doesn’t begin, especially in a northern climate, until May, that is simply not true. No, the season begins in January with the arrival of the first seed and flower catalogs!

 

I plan on spending hours this weekend pouring over (and over) the seed catalogs. I’ve narrowed my “approved” companies down to those that offer organic and heirloom seeds. I’ve added two wonderful companies to my list this year – Annie’s Heirloom Seeds and John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds.

I can’t begin to describe the visual pleasure I derive from leafing through page after colorful page of vegetables, herbs and flowers. Visions of a rainbow assortment of tasty vegetables dance in my head – the deep green of kale growing alongside the soft sage of butter leaf lettuce, the bright oranges, yellows reds and purples of carrots (yes, they do come in that many colors!), the reds, greens and deep purples of tomatoes – you get the idea. Inevitably, what was intended to be a“slightly smaller” garden becomes slightly bigger, as together, Nora and I end up with over 40 different vegetable and herb varieties. We also intersperse our vegetable garden with an assortment of annuals –zinnias, calendula, chamomile, marigolds and sunflowers. By mid-August it is quite a sight to behold. Those colors, scents, tastes and the feel of warm dirt in my hands seem almost tangible in January while I peruse the seed catalogs.

It doesn’t end with the vegetable garden either. I’ve already placed an order for 5 more blackberry bushes (we already have 5 Prime Jim bushes that were planted late last year, so should bear this summer for the first time) and an additional 5 northern variety of blueberries (we currently have 20 in the ground that are 2-3 years old). My yearly order with St. Lawrence Nurseries has been placed. No more fruit trees this year (although I may end up ordering another 2-3 winter crab apples for the deer), but I ordered an additional 9 winterberry for the chicken enclosure and several yellow potentilla for the rock garden in the dog enclosure. Of course I've also slipped in a couple of flower orders already as well -- a variety of red and yellow climbing roses, as well as some clematis. So thank you gardening for bringing the color and warmth of spring into my life in the deepest depths of winter!