Seed Catalogs: Weapons of Mass Distraction, Part 1

I love this time of year.  The seed catalogs are rolling in.  They're the first things I grab when I reach inside the mailbox.

It's easy to burn time paging through these catalogs, weighing all the seed choices, balancing one variety against another, and plotting ways to add "just one more" heirloom to the garden plan.  The seeds that are always the most tempting to me, are those that grow veggies that can't be found for love or money in a grocery store, or even at a farmers market.  The kind of seeds that grow exotic vegetables that make friends and family sick with envy. 

In other words, those seeds that yield produce of unusual shape or color, provide distinctive flavors, or originate from a far off and exotic land. 

I'm going to take a closer look at this year's catalogs and let you know what catches my eye.  Hopefully, this will help inform your own selections for the 2010 growing season.  Or perhaps lead you astray into buying "just one more" variety.

And while we are on the subject of ordering seeds, I want to encourage you not to dilly-dally too long this year.  According to the Associated Press, a wet summer and higher demand in Europe is going to cause a shortage of vegetable seeds this year.  If you snooze, you're going to lose. 

If you have a favorite online seed catalog company, let me know and maybe I'll add it to the list of catalogs to review.

Comments

[Brion Keagle - author of the book Garden Imperative]

Good information about possible seed shortages. I hope you'll review one of my favorite seed catalogs - Seed Savers Exchange. For a yearly fee, you can become a member, which puts you in touch with other heirloom seed savers with whom you can trade or buy seed. You don't have to become a member to try some of the best heirloom varieties though... the Seed Savers consumer catalog is available to non-members, and is chock full of great OP varieties you won't find elsewhere.

[Mark Delman]

Thanks Brion. I will add Seeds of Change to the List of catalogs to review. By the way, your book looks interesting and I've ordered it through Amazon.

-PlanterTomato

[Mark Delman]

Hi Brion:

I did review Seeds of Change. It's a very good catalog. By the way, I started your book today. Thanks very much, I think it will be an informative read.

-PlanterTomato.com