Spring is just around the corner. If planning a vegetable garden seems daunting, why not look for answers in seed catalogs. You can request a few free catalogs to explore new varieties, get up-to-date recommendations for seeds that fit your growing needs. Type “free seed catalogs” in your browser and see what is available, which can include Johnny’s Select Seeds; Gurneys Seeds, Park Seeds, Annie’s Heirloom Seed, Pinetree Garden Seed, Seeds of Change, etc. It’s a good idea to pick a company in your area or at least in the same geographical latitude as you will find items and ideas that are more closely related to your climate needs. Two examples are Irish Eyes Garden Seeds from Ellensburg and Territorial Seed Company from Oregon.
Catalogs often include a list of vegetables, herbs, flowers, cover crops, fruit and even gardening supplies. Vegetable listing may include a picture and a description of its characteristics, days to harvest, the cost by ounce of the seeds, whether the seeds are organic, heirloom or hybrid variety, etc. And they may even have a note on which are the best sellers or any new products. There may also be charts that show lists of crops for direct seedlings and lists of seeds that are best started early in a greenhouse or a sunny window and then transplanted out when the weather warms up. If you are growing a large garden, row length and yield per 100 feet or acre are important pieces of information. If you’d rather not tackle a large garden, and only want a few vegetables to grow with your flowers or even just for pots on the patio, the garden catalog is still your friend. Just look in the variety description and key in on words such as “compact plant” or “good for pots.” Be sure to check out if the variety likes full sun, part shade, wet or dry soil. It is important to match the crop to the physical location.
If you’ve had trouble with your lettuce bolting (going to seed) in the heat of the summer, peruse the different varieties in a seed catalog, which will tell you what to plant at each point in the season so you may eat fresh, sweet lettuce all season long. This trick of succession planting different varieties of the same crop will extend your season and introduce you to many new flavors and textures to enhance your eating experience. Be sure to look at the days to maturity to judge when your crop will be ready to harvest.
Some catalogs have a germination guide that tells you the optimum soil temperature for best germination. Johnny’s catalog, for example, uses a shorthand to provide nifty information — OG for organic, a snowflake for cold tolerant, a small house to represent a greenhouse.There are also abbreviations and/or letters that stand for resistance codes to let you know what variety has a better resistance to things like powdery mildew or leaf mold.
Beyond seeds: Having the right shovel, rake or clipper can make your gardening job so much quicker or easier. Check out the book and tool section of whatever catalog you choose. Be sure to peruse the margins for links to YouTube for how to plant demonstration or grab the link to watch the correct way to use that tool you just ordered.
Want to know about cover crops or flowers to attract beneficial insects? You guessed it — it’s in the catalogue. You say you are a gourmet chef and want to grow herbs and seasonally unique vegetables: Look for catalogues that specialize, including Seeds from Italy, or John Scheepers’ Kitchen Garden Seeds. For heirloom seeds and open pollinated seed, look in catalog such as Baker Creek or Seed Savers Exchange. Maybe you only want organic seeds as from a company like High Mowing Organic Seeds.
Some catalogues just offer pretty pictures and hyperbole, but finding the right catalogue for your own unique endeavor is worth the hunt. A few great catalogues can mean hours of enjoyment in planning that perfect new vegetable garden. It’s like a child looking at a Christmas wish book, pure winter time enjoyment.
• WSU Extension Master Gardener Program is an organization of trained volunteers dedicated to horticulture and community service. The Master Gardener Walk-In Diagnostic Clinic operates from 9 to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Questions about gardening, landscaping or this program may be directed to the Master Gardener Clinic at 509-574-1604 or you may leave samples for identification at the WSU Extension office. Leave a message with your name, phone number, email address and the nature of your problem or question. You can also email your questions to gardener@co.yakima.wa.us and include pictures if you have them. A member of the Master Gardener Clinic team will check voicemails and emails, and reply as soon as possible. The WSU Extension office is at 2403 S. 18th St., Suite 100, in Union Gap. Call 509-574-1600. New volunteers are welcome.
