seed catalogs

The after holiday winter blues tend to set in about now as we anxiously await warmer air and longer days. The idea of flowers and fresh vegetables are on the foremost thought of every gardener. Seed catalogs are arriving and Sunday afternoons are spent marking old and new vegetables, fruits, and flowers to plant. Like many catalogs it can be overwhelming and a bit enticing to purchase more than we need or to purchase seeds we always wanted to try, only to find out they do not work in certain climates or soil types. Here are some basic terms to think about when shopping catalogs and seed packets: • Hybrid: This is a term used to describe any seed that has been cross-pollinated. An example might be cross-pollinating a drought tolerant vegetable with a vegetable that produces a high yield giving you a drought tolerant, high yield producing vegetable. Plants grown from these seeds do not produce seeds that can be used to plant again, or if you do, it may have poor results. One that comes to mind as an example is sweet corn. • Heirloom: Your grandparent’s tomato! Heirloom varieties are open-pollinated meaning the seeds you collect will produce plants with the same characteristics as the parent plant. It is like preserving the past. They tend to be less expensive than the hybrid seeds and gardeners swear by better flavor and more nutrition. As a new gardener, heirloom seeds give you an opportunity to save the seeds to plant later. These seeds planted each year tend to eventually adapt to your climate and soil. They are hardy and will resist diseases and pests as well. • Organic: Seeds that are produced without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. These seeds produce vegetables that are better for beneficial insects. There are…