Monday, January 12, 2009

Spring Fever



















It is so close to spring I can almost taste it! Ah! I don't know about you, but I have been flooded with a ton of gardening catalogs! All of which have beautiful, vivid pictures of the new and old. And if you are not careful, yikes you can be caught up in them all; placing orders here and there. Eventually, you've spent a ton of cash. Being a teenager, in school, and having a small stream of cash; makes it hard for me to be able to buy all the things that catch my eye. So I have decided to practice restraint! So how can you overcome the winter blues, and still not break the bank?
  • First, decide what companies you want to order from, I like to pick only two or three. Pick the ones that are reputable or ones that you have ordered with before. There are many websites that have reviews for many companies that are out there. One that I have recently found was Dave's Garden. Here you can just click the the first letter of any gardening company, and it will instantly bring you a list of all the companies that have been reviewed!
Some good companies that I have had great success with are; Jung Seed Co., Seeds of Change, Park's Seeds, and Garden Alive.
  • Its okay to look at the onslaught of magazines that flood you in the spring, but try to remember that many of the nurseries in your area may grow some of the plants you are looking at. Always call your nursery and ask them if they will be getting of the plants that you are looking at, if not, it doesn't hurt to ask if they can...all they can say is no.
  • Last but not least, once you have decided what catalogs you will be ordering from, remember to look at their websites. Many companies have web specials. Just like it sounds, you can only get those specials if you order online. So be sure and look! Also be sure to order as soon as you can. Many times, if you wait too long, the things you want will be gone!
I hope that these little tips will help you when it comes time to ordering. Remember, if you have any questions, let me know. I am always eager to help!

12 comments:

Robj98168 said...

LOL I can just picture Vio, sitting in his rocker on the porch, reading his Seed Catalogs, yelling at the kids to get of his lawn you damn kids! Oh waith thats me! LOL

Anonymous said...

Hi Zach, good advice for seed ordering on a budget. I would like to add, order seeds that are unusual varieties or special that cannot be found in stores too. Seeds are much cheaper at the big box stores, although they are usually the more commonly grown things for your area. Good luck with your endeavors!
Frances

FJL said...

Hi Vio, thanks for stopping by. Your pics are awesome, the color and everything look great, happy gardening:)

Robj98168 said...

Vioboy - You won the packet of Swiss Chard Seeds in my Blog-Iversary Givewaway- Send me your particulars at robj98168@yahoo.com and I will get the seeds out to you

Dan said...

I received hardly any seed catalogs this year, they all forgot me. I always order online so maybe thats why I was taken off the mailing lists.

Its great that is it getting close to planting time again, I can hardly wait.

I looked up that 'Oca' that you mentioned and it is in the Oxalis family. I grow a couple different Oxalis but I don't think any that I have are edible. You will have to keep me posted if you grow it this season.

Anonymous said...

Yep I have a huge pile of catalogs sitting on my coffee table as we speak. :) It is easy to get carried away with ordering when you see all the gorgeous photos.

Zach said...

Rob:
Yeah I have determined to be that old man when I grow up! IDK, I think it would be fun

Frances:
I think your advice is even better. I had though about it...but forgot to put it in.

FJL:
Thanks for the compliment

tina said...

Excellent tips and recommendations. I too like Jung quite a bit. I will trying out Gardens Alive this year so I am glad to see you recommend it.

Zach said...

Perennial Gardener:

I completely agree with your assessment about being carried away. they sure do a good job with their advertising...then again, I am a sucker for plants!

Tina:

I highly recommend Garden Alive, They were the first company I bought from, and I think in this catalog, they have a $25 coupon with no minimum order! You gotta love that!

Zach said...

Dan:
I will let you know how the Oca turns out if I decide to plant it this year. I am not sure, since if I intern at Flying Jay Farm, I will not be able to do my garden at all... But this opportunity is a once in a life time type of thing.

Joe said...

Gotta love those seed magazines...I have some magazines from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and the Seed Savers Exchange.

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