Start of a New Season

It is now 2014 and the beginning of a new season for any gardener.  Even though some areas are not quite ready to begin planting I always start preparing for the coming months just prior to planting.  Since I live in zone 6 I don’t have to worry about planting for a couple of months.  The first thing I do on January 1st is get a list of all the seeds that I have currently from the previous year or years.

It’s good to write down all the vegetables, fruits, flowers, etc. that you plan on growing.  Once you write down everything that you plan on growing then check off the different seeds that you already have.  If this is your first time growing you can just ignore this step as you will probably not have many if any seeds lying around.

Once you create your list and have checked off the seeds that you already have (if necessary) it is now time to purchase these seeds.  In northern and temperate climates most stores will not be selling seeds or gardening supplies at this time.  For this reason many people wait until stores stock up on these items.

If you are like me and like to get prepared ahead of time, then you can always purchase seeds online.  One of the best places that I personally use is Burpee.com.  You can purchase all kinds of seeds including heirloom which means you can save the seeds from these plants year to year.  Fruits, vegetables, herbs, and even live plants can be found here.

I have also found OrganicaSeedCo.com to be the perfect place for people who only want heirloom seeds.  This company is more a local business (that does business online) and if you like supporting small businesses then I would recommend checking them out.

I purchased some perennial heirloom feverfew seeds from them which germinated quickly and comes back every single year without much help.  They have a vast selection of heirloom seeds that you can choose from.  These are just two places that I recommend if you are going to be purchasing seeds online.

I just purchased my seeds for the year from Burpee a few minutes ago and wanted to let you know how I start off the year.  Here is a list of plants that I plan on growing this season:

Beans – Pole and Bush
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cantaloupe(also known as muskmelon)
Carrots
Corn
Cucumber
Eggplant
Kale
Lettuce
Onions
Peppers
Pumpkin
Spinach
Sunflowers
Tomatoes
Watermelon
Zucchini
Flowers
Alyssum
Amaranthus
Calendula
Cilantro
Cosmos – seashell mix
Dill
Feverfew
Queen annes lace
New Projects
Celery
Rhubarb

In addition to the above I also have strawberry plants and blueberry bushes which I will be maintaining as well.  I also have a raspberry section which I might try to take care of depending on their condition.  Since they are perennial I don’t have to keep planting seeds every year.  The flowers I plant are used for attracting beneficial insects which I have found to be a great help.

Sunflowers are a great way to attract honeybees or native pollinators.  This year I will be trying out celery and rhubarb for the first time.  I always like to try at least a couple of new fruits or vegetables each year to make the season a little more interesting.