What are you all doing to get ready for spring gardening? Any favorite seed catalogs, have you ordered or started any seeds, any garden projects in the planning stage?

I cleaned off my light stand and am planning to order some seeds soon. My husband has requested some small sweet peppers for pickling-last year I couldn't find any plants so I know I'll start them and probably a few tomatoes. We have a fairly small garden so I've been buying my seedlings the past few years, but I do miss starting my own. I learned to garden in CA and the first few years we lived in MN I started my seeds way too early and usually had 3 ft tomatoes by planting time

I have some winter sowing: callirhoe, Jeffersonia dubia, species lilies.
Under lights I have started : pelargoniums, several begonia varieties, bronze draceana,
roseolus roseaum, alyssum spinosum.
I have peony and canna seeds soaking.
I shall start a few other things this week.

I have lettuce I just started under lights. All my seeds have come. Seed savers and baker creek. I saved some purple calabash tomato seeds, Dr. Wyches tomato seeds, jimmy nardello peppers, and Chinese Giant pepper seeds. I will winter sow some lettuce. I want to start some herbs soon. They are so expensive to buy as plants!

Reid, I've been reading some nice things about Baker Creek, have you had good luck with them?

Deb,

I have had good luck with them. Last year I tried Black Pineapple (Ananas Noir) tomatoes from there. The plants were healthy and robust and very productive. I ordered Japanese cukes, and they didn't do very well. May have been my fault. I ordered some butternut squash that was supposed to get wrinkly and huge (Rugosa Violina Gioia). It didn't have a long enough season, but I did get some normal looking squash. The lettuces I had did well. All in all, I was very impressed. They have great customer service.

I see you are from Buffalo! I spend a lot of time there in the summer, because my parents have a cabin on Lake Pulaski, we are on the opposite side of the lake from the public landing, almost directly across. Small world!

I moved plants around today that I had taken cuttings from last fall so that I would have room to start some seeds. Now I'm going to have to work up the nerve to travel down to my barn through a couple feet of snow with a hard crust on it to get my trays and pots to start my seeds with. Then I'll have to carry them back up the hill. We plow down to it most years but the path goes right over our septic and it's been so cold we haven't dared. I brought some things up last fall but it wasn't enough and I've been putting it off hoping it would warm up but that doesn't look like it's going to happen so I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and head down.

Anderwood said:Deb,

I have had good luck with them. Last year I tried Black Pineapple (Ananas Noir) tomatoes from there. The plants were healthy and robust and very productive. I ordered Japanese cukes, and they didn't do very well. May have been my fault. I ordered some butternut squash that was supposed to get wrinkly and huge (Rugosa Violina Gioia). It didn't have a long enough season, but I did get some normal looking squash. The lettuces I had did well. All in all, I was very impressed. They have great customer service.

I see you are from Buffalo! I spend a lot of time there in the summer, because my parents have a cabin on Lake Pulaski, we are on the opposite side of the lake from the public landing, almost directly across. Small world!

Reid, we live by Buffalo Lake-corner of Hwy 25 and Cty Road 12 (Montrose Blvd) so we're on the other side of town:)

4susiesjoy said:I moved plants around today that I had taken cuttings from last fall so that I would have room to start some seeds. Now I'm going to have to work up the nerve to travel down to my barn through a couple feet of snow with a hard crust on it to get my trays and pots to start my seeds with. Then I'll have to carry them back up the hill. We plow down to it most years but the path goes right over our septic and it's been so cold we haven't dared. I brought some things up last fall but it wasn't enough and I've been putting it off hoping it would warm up but that doesn't look like it's going to happen so I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and head down.

I wish I had a barn:) I keep my seed starting stuff in my very rustic basement-at least I don't have to go outside to get it! Tomorrow I'm cleaning and disinfecting my containers/light stand. I have fluorescent lights and heat mats. My seeds are on their way, but I may buy a few more:)

I made it down and back and only tipped over 5 times! If you've ever fallen and tried to get up in snow up to the rear on a hill you'll know that it's pretty tricky! If I didn't get everything I needed I'll have to do without 'cause I'm not doing that again until the snow melts!

4susiesjoy said:I made it down and back and only tipped over 5 times! If you've ever fallen and tried to get up in snow up to the rear on a hill you'll know that it's pretty tricky! If I didn't get everything I needed I'll have to do without 'cause I'm not doing that again until the snow melts!