Winter Reading

It is hard to believe that it is the last week of November! The weather is incredible. I just finished spreading compost over the majority of the main garden and the raised bed. Normally this time of year I am staring at a blanket of white that covers the lawn daydreaming about warmer weather while I thumb through last years seed catalogues.

Yesterday I ordered a few 2012 catalogues in preparation for just such an event and thought that I would pass them along to you in case you were interested in heirloom seed stock. My old reliable is the Seed Savers Exchange out of Decorah, Iowa. Their new catalogue is coming out in early December. For those of you interested when I was on the site yesterday, www.seedsavers.org , I noticed they are selling last seasons seeds 50% off. Of course the catch is , especially with heirlooms, that the older they get the less potent they are, but if you are willing to be patient and work your crop over a year or two's time you will have made a solid seed investment for under $2. The other catalogue I ordered was from Baker Creek, rareseeds.com . Personally I have never ordered from these folks but I will say that I have friends who have and they have a really good reputation. Their catalogue is absolutely beautiful but the main reason I am getting it is that I am interested in checking out some Asian greens for next year and potentially a new variety of beans and I think that may be the place to go.

There are other companies out there, for example the countries oldest seed bank, the D. Landreth seed company, www.landrethseeds.com . These folks have been trading seed since 1784. I have read they are facing some financial difficulty so if you are curious about heritage seed check them they are a great historical resource, though I can say you are able to get similar seed for a bit cheaper at the above mentioned companies.

I hope these suggestions help you get through the hazy, crazy days of winter which I am sure can't be too far away.

Tobias Whitaker blogs for Mother Earth News and Grit Magazine. Click on the Mother Earth News logo at the bottom of the page for all of his post. You can also find him on Facebook at Seed To Harvest: Bossy Hen Homestead  https://www.facebook.com/seedtoharvestbossyhenhomestead/ which is a central location for his homesteading blogs and his homeschooling blog, A Mile In Her Shoes: Tales Of A Stay-At Home Dad found here https://amileinhershoestalesofastayathomedad.wordpress.com/