National Seed Catalog Day

I have long advocated that a National Holiday be declared when the new seed catalogs come out. I have received 12 so far this year; all of them jam packed with seed, plant, supply, fertilizer, and equipment offers. What is a little stunning is the price of seeds! The days of the 10 cent seed packet are certainly behind us – waaaay behind us. I use seed catalogs to price compare seeds, and would give you a piece of advice about how to do this, whether you want it or not. When you compare prices, it is necessary to make sure you have the same exact seed name – you can’t compare apples and oranges, heh, heh. It is as important to search until you find out what the size of the packets is. Some companies will offer “Sampler” packets, which is usually the size of the smallest packets sold everywhere. What you have to do is figure out the seed count of the packet so you can get a good comparison. For example, Marketmore 76 is a common slicing cucumber. Vermont Seed Company offers 30 seeds for $1.55, FEDCO offers 65 seeds for $0.90, and Shumway is $1.65 for 50 seeds. This may sound like small potatoes, but if you have a large seed order, it will add up very rapidly. A packet (30 seeds) of “Big Beef” tomato from Burpee costs $3.50. The identical packet (30) from Totally Tomatoes is $2.10. More about seed catalogs later – I don’t want everyone asleep.