The days get longer

Tomatoes in the greenhouse

Now that the Winter Solstice has passed, my body can tell that the days are lengthening. My outlook subtly improves and I start to think about gardens and starting seeds. One of the “old timey” things that I miss is the appearance of seed catalogs in the mail. From a pre-reading age I can remember being fascinated by all the beautiful flowers and luscious fruit and vegetable pictures.

Now as I try to become “greener” I shop for seed on-line, but it isn't the same. Maybe it's just that my computer station isn't as comfortable as possible, but there is no comparison to holding that catalog in my hand and a cup of hot coffee in the other and curling up in my favorite easy chair and making innumerable lists of all the things I would like to grow. But soon my hand-held device will replace this laptop and I can return to my easy chair.

Without fail, the companies I ordered from sent good products. The only problems I ever had were out of stock popular seeds and the tendency to ship plants later than I wanted for my Southern location. It is more important here to get things started early to take advantage of spring rains and cooler temps before the burning days of August arrive to punish gardens and flower beds.