I'm having a great time tonight seed shopping online! I have a few favorite places: Penny's Tomatoes, Pepper Joe's, and good old Burpee, but there are lots of great places to find seeds, including your local home repair warehouse or supermarket. My husband and I have plans to expand our vegetable gardens this spring, so I'm sure that I'm getting carried away with seeds. :)
If you're a nut like me, here are a few tips on seed shopping and storage:
- Read. Read. Read the growing information. Seeds become plants. Make sure that those plants will grow well in your climate and soil. Don't waste your money on anything that clearly will not suit your garden.
- Store your spare seeds in a dark, dry place. I keep a seed case in my kitchen, tucked away next to my cookbooks, away from the fridge, stove and sink. Moist seeds are ruined seeds, so a damp basement or next to your stove where steam will get to them are bad places. Your motto: dark and dry.
- If you don't use all of the seeds in a packet, don't be too hasty with trashing it. Tape the package firmly shut and store it away. While an old seed packet tends to have a few more duds than a newer one, I have yet to fail with growing successful plants from seeds 3-5 years beyond the date stamped on the package. Might save you a little money.
- Consider taking the time to put together a card or electronic catalog of your specific seeds and their growing information. I know there are some smartphone apps out there too, but I have yet to find one that I like. While this kind of information is also readily available online, you'll want something close at hand. When you can spread out your cards and see how long each plant will take to fully grow, it's easier to plan out your garden space and know when to sow, especially if you don't have a lot of space to work with!
More on starter plants later. In the meantime happy seed shopping!
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