I love catalogues! They are my winter reading.

Although, have to admit, I am a product of my generation and order all my seeds online. Of course everyone else does too and by the end of October I already started seeing "sold out" and "back ordered" notices showing up when I was looking. So, while the only catalog I have received so far is Dixondale, I have already ordered and received my (first batch) of seeds for next year.

I guess, all in all, if you waited until January to shop, all the folks who buy via internet would beat you to all the seeds you want so maybe that's why they send the paper version so much earlier.

The best way to predict your future is to create it. - Abraham Lincoln

In a British University, a final exam question on Business was: "Define what risk is".

The shortest answer ever at one word was : "This."

The student handed the essay in and got 100%. - Anonymous

I tried it once. Nearly wrote, I tried "this" once! My answer to a final question was flippant because I felt that my other 99 answers were golden. Fate and college professors share a sense of humor that I could put in my eye! My test score was a D brought my B grade down for the entire semester to a C.

Having a successful garden is an annual challenge for me. Do I have to score 100% every year? No ... but boy do I want that B!! Remember how much whining I did after the wind storms of 2014 and what they did to my tomato patch?!

To properly prepare for another season I turn to seed catalogs in only a very minor way. Before the internet and with only a magazine or two and looking over my backyard fence, catalogs played a greater part in my motivation. Now and for the last 15 years, I have discovered gardeners' interests beyond what I can see from my own yard.

Songbird, I'll be waiting with bated breath to learn what you find interesting in that Pinetree catalog ...

Steve

People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily. - Zig Ziglar

Came today!

This catalog is and has been a primary motivation for my garden choices. It's been around nearly as long as I've been ordering seed and gardening! (That Robert Johnston coulda been my kid brother. ;o)

Johnny's entire orientation is similar to my own ... It's great that over our long relationship, I've had such a positive influence.

Steve

Johnny's is my favorite, hands down. Their selection of shorter season varieties is unmatched from any I have seen, a real boon for us here in the Mountain States.

Jung's Totally Tomatoes and Vermont Bean Seed came yesterday!

They never send me the Shumway paper catalog ... I don't know what's up with that ... I was a Shumway customer decades before Jung's bought it. There selections have changed, not surprisingly, but after all that time, not a lot.

My orders from any of the Jung family may be off some this year. Egardersplace dot com now takes me directly to Jungseed dot com ..! That may mean I can no longer order from any Jung catalog, in one place. Shipping costs from every source?!!? All of them in Randolph, Wisconsin??! We will see what their "cart" looks like when the time comes!

Steve

I believe that I now have all of my usual catalogs. Richter's Herb & Vegetable and Kitazawa were in my mailbox, yesterday. Kitazawa is usually the last to arrive and, it seems, I have always been able to count on it showing up in February. They must have caught on to this trend of earlier is better.

So, "Hot Peppers! Herb of the Year for 2016." Richter's does have a few new ones. What they do have are herbs, herbs, herbs! I'm okay with thinking of hot peppers as herbs. I wonder why they have Bird's Eye Thai listed in two places ... Kitazawa has peppers but, ... no new ones ... maybe their Japanese chards and I could try their leaf radish ... I hope I still have that Russian white radish. It has the root and the non-hairy leaves.

Gotta figure out what I have. In·ven·to·ry first!

DW helps. I put an old sheet down on the living room carpet, bring boxes of seed in. We both go thru things ... she holds up what she's got and waves it at me while I scratch out a first draft on a note pad. "How much?" "It's okay." "Date?" "2005." "Oops!"

First seed order has to include onions to start in the unheated greenhouse, soon! Funny how those seeds have such short viability but are in the mix before anything else ... oh, I could plant some anise hyssop and pansies ... and, why not?! hmmmm ... what else? Japanese onion seed?

Steve

Okay, I seem to be all set.

There are 3 more "hope fors" on the catalog stack. Notepad, inventory typed out, calculator on tv tray --- compare products and prices!!

Steve

I really need to narrow down the catalogs I get. I really only order from Johnny's, buy packets at the store from a few local companies and look through Tomato Growers Supply, High County Gardens and Prairie Moon for ideas.... But, you send out a request one year, they just keep sending them, sometimes multiples a year (one year I had a company send me three of the exact same catalog within two weeks).

I've contemplated leaving extra copies on the steps of the neighborhood church, Zach ... I bet half the catalogs which show up at my front door are from outfits that I've never had any relationship with. I'm unwilling to accept too much responsibility for them and appreciate how a company like Stokes has only one or two issues every year. The population of commercial correspondence must keep our letter carrier in business but it's all crazy ... Remember Kramer on Seinfeld?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Junk_Mail

Anyway, some onion seed goes in the starter mix in the greenhouse first! The very first tray is about one week away ... so! I went through Osbourne who has what I want in the onion patch, made a number of other selections, then compared packet sizes and prices with the other catalogs. The paper catalogs are more fun than multiple windows, monitors and electronic devices. Nevertheless, my Osborne order went out Saturday morning through their website. Let the madness begin!

Steve

I love Seinfeld, lol. And that's exactly how I feel with the catalogues sometimes. This year has been better, although Johnny's must have made a processing error, they sent me last years catalogue back in December quickly followed by this year's. Otherwise the rest have been pretty well behaved.

My onions from seed the year before last was a dismal failure. I started them too early then needed the room for other things so I wound up planting them way too early and they all bolted instead of bulbing. This year I ordered from Dixondale so they can do all the prep work and I just have to stick them in the dirt when they show up.

Harris Seed order is in. There's no anxiety but I wonder if the Stokes Seed confirmation has these words for everyone, "We will do our utmost to rush the completion of your order." Ha!

It would be nice to think I get special treatment, but ... It was about 5 years ago and Stokes people were real slow about shipping things to me. After about 2 weeks, I inquired. When there was no response and 3 weeks had passed, I lambasted them by comparing them with other seed companies. After that, Stokes has been lighting fast! Maybe, it's not just for me.

I imagine that they have me down as a crazy, impatient American. I am also a person who tries to learn from my experiences. Don't tell Stokes but I plan on making use of their pepper seed starting the last few days of February. There's a Leap Day this year and I'm allowing those same 3 weeks as I've given them recently after hitting the end of my tether that once!

There's pepper seed in my Tomato Growers seed order, too. I missed an order for them in 2015. So, that went off today. Hate the risk of losing their lovely catalog showing up each year.

Steve

with 7 varieties of onion seed in the soil mix in the greenhouse ...

"Your item arrived at our USPS origin facility in ROCHESTER, NY 14606 on February 10, 2016 at 11:47 pm."

Hey ズ !

There was the Stokes delivery guy just before midnight.

Steve ت

I ordered from Fedco last Wednesday, and received my seeds yesterday! I think that's pretty good service, not to mention their incredible prices, and free shipping over $30!

I also ordered from Sand Hill last Thursday, but that one will come via Pony Express, so it's gonna take a while!

Skybird

Yay!

The Stokes package arrived in my mailbox, this afternoon!

Tomato Growers Supply says that they turned over their shipment to USPS in Ft. Myers and it's on its way. DoubleYay!

Better get busy on Jungs order. I think a bell pepper is in there, too.

Steve