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Get a jump on the garden
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Seed catalogs help ease winter's blahs
By JULIA BIGGS
jbiggs.edwi@gmail.com
We may be in the middle of the cold, dark, dreary days of winter and spring gardening may seem like a long way off, but there’s still something you can be doing now – planning.
What do you do during these doldrum days of winter? How do we get ourselves to think about spring? “One way is to surf through the garden catalogs and Web pages and plan your garden for next year.” Director of the Gardens at SIUE Doug Conley said.
There’s no doubt that vegetable gardening grew in popularity in 2009. For those interested in growing their own vegetables, there are countless resources on the Internet. A quick “Google” search will provide you with page after page of seed catalog sources.
Conley suggested the Web site www.gardenlists.com as a great source that lists more than 2,000 gardening mail-order catalogs. “It’s not completely inclusive obviously, but vegetable, fruit, heirlooms – it has all kinds of things so that’s a good source to start with” he said.
Other seed catalogs that Conley recommends are John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds, D. Landreth’s Commemorative Catalog and Burpee Seeds. Most of these catalogs can be found at garden centers or you can request a catalog by visiting their respective Web sites at www.kitchengardenseeds.com/, wwwlandrethseeds.com and www.burpee.com.
Conley said he found Landreth’s seed catalog particularly interesting. “There’s a lot of heirloom varieties included in this one and some additional information that comes in handy like how many days 'til fruit maturation when starting from seed,” he said.
When evaluating seed options also be evaluating what you liked or didn’t like about your garden last year.
For those beginning a new vegetable garden, Conley offers some thoughts. “Keep in mind that you need an area that’s primarily in full sun,” he said. “When you’re designing your garden all you need is a piece of paper, some graph paper, a pencil and some ideas of where you want it. Be honest about how big the garden should be and literally lay it out.”
“My advice to the new vegetable gardener is don’t take on too much,” Conley said. “If you haven’t gardened before, do a modest sized garden. A 10 by 10 plot can be a lot of work. It may not sound like much, but if you don’t have time or lose interest, it can turn into a weedy patch pretty quick.”
He also suggested that new vegetable gardeners grow something that will give you some success like tomatoes and peppers.
Start with how dedicated you’re going to be and then evaluate your goals. “Do you want enough vegetables to have a few fresh veggies through mid summer and late summer or do you want an abundance that you can or freeze for later use?” he asked. “Be realistic about that. It’s a tough thing to do but you can tie up a lot of time if you think you’re going to can and store.”
A Web site that offers a great seed planting chart is http://www.humeseeds.com/seeeneed.htm.
The advantage of purchasing from a seed catalog is that you get greater variety. “If you wait until the garden centers are open you are limited of course by what they have available unless you pre-order,” Conley said. “There are pros and cons to both. If you have a place where you can start your own seeds inside, then you can get a head start.”
For those who aren’t inclined to do a vegetable garden but enjoy reading about gardening, nature and the environment, there’s not a better time to read a book than these cold, dreary days. Conley suggested “A Sand County Almanac” by Aldo Leopold. “It’s a classic of the conservation movement,” Conley said. “Aldo Leopold owned a property in the Sand counties of Wisconsin and he writes about the comings and goings of the natural phenomenon on his property. It is beautifully written. There’s one section where he talks about an oak tree that has died and they are cutting it down for firewood. As he’s cutting through the tree, he’s counting backward through the rings. He puts the blade in and he cuts through 10 years and he talks about what happened 10 years ago and how the tree tells the story of the land. It’s really very poetic. He also chases things in the seasons so it’s a nice read about the conservation movement and the loss of the wilderness.”
Another interesting read that Conley recommends is “It’s Raining Frogs and Fishes” by Jerry Dennis. “He’s a Michigan author,” Conley said. “He talks about what makes the sky blue and explains what it means when the crickets chirp. It’s really an interesting read.”
And for those who are more interested in landscaping, the Gardens at SIUE, in coordination with the SIUE Office of Educational Outreach, is offering a spring gardening series of hands-on activities.
Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. a different two-hour, hands-on class is offered from Feb. 27 to March 27.
The first class begins Feb. 27 with “Pruning Small Trees and Shrubs without Fear or Remorse.” Presented by Julie Conley, horticulturist and Watershed Nature Center Board President, students will learn pruning basics and then apply what they’ve learned.
“Making More Plants” is offered March 6. Nancee Kruescheck, co-owner of Naturescapes, will teach participants to divide all types of plants, how to take cuttings and how to sow seeds.
On March 20, Jill Gerardi, Market Basket’s green house manager, and Jason Stevens, Market Basket’s general manager will present “Container Gardening Tips and Trends.” Learn about current trends and new plant varieties for 2010 from the country’s top growers and breeders.
The spring program ends on March 27 with “Trees in the Landscape.” Daniel Mueller, grounds manager for the Gardens at SIUE, will talk about characteristics of various trees commonly used in landscaping and how to apply them to home and business plantings. After the discussion, participants will be given a walking tour of the ground and time will be allocated for spring wildflower searches and invasive plant identification.
“We’re very excited about this new program,” Conley said. “This is our first effort at a gardening series and we intend to do this again in the summer and fall – making this a regular feature. We welcome input on topics that folks are interested in for future classes.”
The spring gardening series cost $19 per seminar or $15 per seminar when enrolling for two or more at the same time. SIUE Friends of the Gardens receive a $3 discount per seminar.
Visit the SIUE Office of Educational Outreach Web site at www.siue.edu/educationaloutreach/retirementlearning for additional information or to sign up. Click on the “gardening series PDF” link at the bottom of the SIUE page for a full listing.
What do you do during these doldrum days of winter? How do we get ourselves to think about spring? “One way is to surf through the garden catalogs and Web pages and plan your garden for next year.” Director of the Gardens at SIUE Doug Conley said.
There’s no doubt that vegetable gardening grew in popularity in 2009. For those interested in growing their own vegetables, there are countless resources on the Internet. A quick “Google” search will provide you with page after page of seed catalog sources.
Conley suggested the Web site www.gardenlists.com as a great source that lists more than 2,000 gardening mail-order catalogs. “It’s not completely inclusive obviously, but vegetable, fruit, heirlooms – it has all kinds of things so that’s a good source to start with” he said.
Other seed catalogs that Conley recommends are John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds, D. Landreth’s Commemorative Catalog and Burpee Seeds. Most of these catalogs can be found at garden centers or you can request a catalog by visiting their respective Web sites at www.kitchengardenseeds.com/, wwwlandrethseeds.com and www.burpee.com.
Conley said he found Landreth’s seed catalog particularly interesting. “There’s a lot of heirloom varieties included in this one and some additional information that comes in handy like how many days 'til fruit maturation when starting from seed,” he said.
When evaluating seed options also be evaluating what you liked or didn’t like about your garden last year.
For those beginning a new vegetable garden, Conley offers some thoughts. “Keep in mind that you need an area that’s primarily in full sun,” he said. “When you’re designing your garden all you need is a piece of paper, some graph paper, a pencil and some ideas of where you want it. Be honest about how big the garden should be and literally lay it out.”
“My advice to the new vegetable gardener is don’t take on too much,” Conley said. “If you haven’t gardened before, do a modest sized garden. A 10 by 10 plot can be a lot of work. It may not sound like much, but if you don’t have time or lose interest, it can turn into a weedy patch pretty quick.”
He also suggested that new vegetable gardeners grow something that will give you some success like tomatoes and peppers.
Start with how dedicated you’re going to be and then evaluate your goals. “Do you want enough vegetables to have a few fresh veggies through mid summer and late summer or do you want an abundance that you can or freeze for later use?” he asked. “Be realistic about that. It’s a tough thing to do but you can tie up a lot of time if you think you’re going to can and store.”
A Web site that offers a great seed planting chart is http://www.humeseeds.com/seeeneed.htm.
The advantage of purchasing from a seed catalog is that you get greater variety. “If you wait until the garden centers are open you are limited of course by what they have available unless you pre-order,” Conley said. “There are pros and cons to both. If you have a place where you can start your own seeds inside, then you can get a head start.”
For those who aren’t inclined to do a vegetable garden but enjoy reading about gardening, nature and the environment, there’s not a better time to read a book than these cold, dreary days. Conley suggested “A Sand County Almanac” by Aldo Leopold. “It’s a classic of the conservation movement,” Conley said. “Aldo Leopold owned a property in the Sand counties of Wisconsin and he writes about the comings and goings of the natural phenomenon on his property. It is beautifully written. There’s one section where he talks about an oak tree that has died and they are cutting it down for firewood. As he’s cutting through the tree, he’s counting backward through the rings. He puts the blade in and he cuts through 10 years and he talks about what happened 10 years ago and how the tree tells the story of the land. It’s really very poetic. He also chases things in the seasons so it’s a nice read about the conservation movement and the loss of the wilderness.”
Another interesting read that Conley recommends is “It’s Raining Frogs and Fishes” by Jerry Dennis. “He’s a Michigan author,” Conley said. “He talks about what makes the sky blue and explains what it means when the crickets chirp. It’s really an interesting read.”
And for those who are more interested in landscaping, the Gardens at SIUE, in coordination with the SIUE Office of Educational Outreach, is offering a spring gardening series of hands-on activities.
Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. a different two-hour, hands-on class is offered from Feb. 27 to March 27.
The first class begins Feb. 27 with “Pruning Small Trees and Shrubs without Fear or Remorse.” Presented by Julie Conley, horticulturist and Watershed Nature Center Board President, students will learn pruning basics and then apply what they’ve learned.
“Making More Plants” is offered March 6. Nancee Kruescheck, co-owner of Naturescapes, will teach participants to divide all types of plants, how to take cuttings and how to sow seeds.
On March 20, Jill Gerardi, Market Basket’s green house manager, and Jason Stevens, Market Basket’s general manager will present “Container Gardening Tips and Trends.” Learn about current trends and new plant varieties for 2010 from the country’s top growers and breeders.
The spring program ends on March 27 with “Trees in the Landscape.” Daniel Mueller, grounds manager for the Gardens at SIUE, will talk about characteristics of various trees commonly used in landscaping and how to apply them to home and business plantings. After the discussion, participants will be given a walking tour of the ground and time will be allocated for spring wildflower searches and invasive plant identification.
“We’re very excited about this new program,” Conley said. “This is our first effort at a gardening series and we intend to do this again in the summer and fall – making this a regular feature. We welcome input on topics that folks are interested in for future classes.”
The spring gardening series cost $19 per seminar or $15 per seminar when enrolling for two or more at the same time. SIUE Friends of the Gardens receive a $3 discount per seminar.
Visit the SIUE Office of Educational Outreach Web site at www.siue.edu/educationaloutreach/retirementlearning for additional information or to sign up. Click on the “gardening series PDF” link at the bottom of the SIUE page for a full listing.
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Quipper wrote on Jan 27, 2010 12:54 PM:
A paper was just released on the misleading use of data to support the theory of global warming. It is co-authored by the founder of the weather channel. Link: http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/stories/papers/originals/surface_temp.pdf "