Seed Catalogs & Stuff

I have to thank North Country Now’s website for listing this blog. Frankly, I have no clue how this Blog business works, so I am slogging thru a day at a time. I did not know what the rules were about blog content, so I read a couple of others, and find that basically, there are no rules – duh.

Back to seed catalogs. My favorite seed catalog is Fedco, PO Box 520, Waterville, ME 04903-0520. Their Web Site is “www.fedcoseeds.com.” They have the most reasonable prices I have seen, and quite a variety. Of course you can’t get everything you want, but I have 11 other catalogs to fill in the blanks. I like seed companies from areas which have weather similar to ours. I find that the catalogs from southern states, while nice enough, are a little optimistic – weather wise. I received a note from Wiseacre who asked “How old are your seed packets?” I presume the real question is, how long do seeds last? The seed catalogs usually say that seeds last 3 years if kept dry and cool. I have kept a few using prescription bottles or baby food jars. When I do this, I toss in a few grains of rice to absorb any moisture lurking around. To be honest, I rarely throw away any old seed packets, and just as rarely use them unless they are stuff I regularly grow. If you are wondering if any seeds you have on hand are still viable, simply start a few like you do your regular seeds and see if they sprout. Some sources say to put a few in a moist paper towel, but I have never tried this. In a later posting, I will cover seed starting.