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Planning your vegetable and herb gardens – Tips to save your family money by gardening »
Jan 13 2009

Have you ordered your seeds yet ?

Posted by: Rose in beans, corn, fruits and vegetables, peppers, potatoes, radishes, squash, tomatoes, tags:

You might think it’s weird to think about the gardening season now, but it isn’t.  Even though your garden patch might be buried in snow right now, depending on where you are, you still need to get off your hindquarters and start planning now.

2009 might very well be the year when, for the first time in a long time, many people will have to rely on their own crops or go hungry, so plan well, and order early, and order heirloom seed that you can save so you won’t have to spend money again next year. When I went through our seed catalogs earlier this week, I noticed just how many crop failures are mentioned, and how much more expensive seed has become compared to last year.

I suggest looking at Fedco’s, or Seed Savers Exchange, to get an idea.  Both places let you order online or via snail mail.  Fedco’s is a little less pricey, but they have hybrids too, so make sure you don’t get a hybrid accidentally.

In addition, buying a little seed dispenser might help you not to waste seed, and a germination mat, for example Hydrofarm MT10008 Seedling Heat Mat, 20 By 20 Inches, will make sure that the seeds you start indoors will grow nicely even if you start early.  Hydrofarm even sells a Hydrofarm CK64050 Germination Station with Heat Mat which gives you the seedling pots and the heat mat all in one go. If you are new to the whole idea of growing your own food and don’t have a basement full of little seedling pots already, this might be the way to go.

If you have difficulties deciding what you want to grow, consider this:

  1. What do you like to eat ? (Don’t grow what you won’t wish to eat.)
  2. What will fill your family’s belly well ? (You might like radishes a lot, but they are hardly satisfying if that’s all you have to eat.)
  3. What stores well ? (What can nourish your family well through the next winter.)
  4. What can you process ? (Will you can, freeze, dehydrate, or store in a root cellar.)

Tomatoes and peppers are tasty and wonderful additions, but you will want to have beans, potatoes and corn too.

Be wise, and don’t go hungry !

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 at 3:14 pm and is filed under beans, corn, fruits and vegetables, peppers, potatoes, radishes, squash, tomatoes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “Have you ordered your seeds yet ?”
  1. Bill McDorman says: January 14th, 2009 at 6:52 pm

    You can find detailed seed saving instructions on the website of this 20 year-old non-profit:

    http://www.seedsave.org/issi/issi_904.html

    My favorite heirloom seed company turned 25 this year:

    http://www.seedstrust.com/

  2. Josi Paulson says: February 6th, 2009 at 1:05 pm

    I dicovered this wonderful Seed company last year and I higghly reccomend them! The seeds I received had nearly 100% germination and the amounts included in each packet is quite generous. Their shipping prices are quite reasonable too. For a nice selection of OP and organic seeds try:

    http://www.growitalian.com/

    A great company!!

  3. Rose says: February 6th, 2009 at 8:19 pm

    Hi Bill, hi Josi

    I bookmarked those seed saving instructions, they are indeed very helpful. Thank you very much for the link.

    Interesting, to order seed from Italy… I was surprised to read that shipping doesn’t kill you on these, so that’s a great suggestion too.

    Thanks, the two of you :)

    Rose

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