Garden dreams

Too cold to do anything outside so I gathered my gardening map, old seeds, records, and catalogues and set about organizing. Seeds are saved from year to year in the refrigerator and include both packets of seeds purchased from catalogues and seeds saved from garden plants. Before new seeds are bought, the old seeds need to be checked for what there is, what is missing, and the dates and germination history. A packet of zucchini seeds holds more than are used in a season, so seeds are held over. There may be two or three varieties of zucchini that have been grown, and my records show one was pear shaped and one was white with green stripes. I guess I am a zucchini purist and just want cylindrical dark green fruit, so the other varieties are pitched. According to my stocks, peas, cucumbers, basil and fresh zucchini seeds will be ordered. Seeds are also organized into categories based on if they get started indoors in March (tomato, pepper), get directly planted early in the spring (peas, spinach, onions, carrots), need warmer soil (squash, potatoes, cucumbers, beans, corn). You can buy seed packets in many places including garden shops and big box stores, or order from catalogues. The seeds from catalogues may actually be more expensive (even without shipping costs), but the choices and variety far surpass a seed display. Pages of tomato varieties, dozens of peppers-both bell and hot, and vegetables and flowers not found at all in seed displays can be found in catalogues. A new garden map is made each year and older ones checked for comparison to insure crop rotation. Everything is planted in a different bed than last year. Tomatoes used to be planted in their own bed but since seeds are saved each year, and to lower the chance of cross fertilization, they are now scattered around the garden. The map shows where tomato plants were last year, and they will be in different locations this year. Planning the placement of all plants gives an overview of what will be in the garden, and an opportunity to ensure that the plants I like and use will be planted. Plants, like celery and some herbs, get purchased from a garden shop since one or two are all that is needed. Over the past couple of years the growing area has extended to beds remote from the main garden. Certain plants like the vining squash (winter squash, pumpkins), melons, and gourds need space, and need to not be near other members of their family, so smaller beds have been started. Raspberries got moved to a new bed where they will get more light and be able to expand in a controlled way. Pumpkin seeds will have to be planted somewhere new, not too close to the woods, but where they can be supervised. This is a fine time to do this sort of planning, dreaming of spring, summer and fall harvests. Enjoy.