image from ag.ndsu.edu
Winter is giving us very cold temperatures. Sun is shining in a very clear blue sky but very misleading. Temperature is 1 degree at 11:30 AM. Wind is out of the south so still having a wind chill below zero. BUT with the wind out of the south it is going to warm up. Tonight a low of 7 then tomorrow high of 22. Snow is in the forecast but don’t know if we will get it here in Iowa or more in Minnesota with the temperature going up.
What are doing inside while it is so cold? Working I am sure for you at your job, if you aren’t at work, maybe you are looking at the seed catalogs thinking of spring. Here are some suggestions of what to do before you order those seeds. Maybe you will do this on the weekend, when you aren’t at work.
Ordering Garden Seeds (and Getting a Jump on Spring!)
Tips on ordering seeds, understanding catalog and plant terms, and more.
Even in winter, gardening can brighten our days—with colorful, beautiful seed catalogs! Sit back in the armchair and let’s talk about how to order seeds. Even if you prefer to go into a local nursery to find seeds, these tips will help you learn more about plant terms and planning your own garden.
After the holidays, garden seed companies and nurseries start introducing their plant inventories for the year and it can be exciting to see what’s new.
But even if you prefer to go into a local shop to find seeds, they’re still very useful for inspiration and can help you learn more about plants and planning your own garden.
How to Buy Seeds
Obtain catalogs from trusted national brand names who may work with local growers, but also consider some of the local growers. Some of the small regional seed sources carry heirlooms and special varieties best suited to your area.
Before you order, why not contact your local county cooperative extension service office and ask about varieties that are known to do well in your area. Discuss any specific problems you’ve had with pests or disease.
Make a list of what you’d like to grow, but check it twice before you order. A pause or two will give you a chance to change your mind. Remember that the garden is actually one-quarter the size you think it is.
Plan to buy enough seeds to sow them thickly. Inevitably, you’ll suffer some losses (bugs, birds, weather), and you can always thin later if you end up with an excess.
Look for disease-resistant varieties, especially if you’ve had problems in your garden previously. If you simply see the words, “disease-resistant” and no other information, that’s meaningless and probably marketing hype. Good catalogs will explain disease resistance specifics. For example, when purchasing tomato garden seeds, look for varieties labeled with a VFN designation after their name. This means the variety is resistant to several types of wilt and nematode damage.
Avoid discounted seeds sold at chain stores. They probably haven’t been stored under ideal conditions, and you may find germination to be spotty.
Garden Plant and Seed Terms
Days to Maturity: Pay careful attention to the number of “days to maturity” included in every catalog description. If your growing season has 85 predictable frost-free days, chances are you won’t harvest a watermelon that needs 120 days to ripen. The warmer the climate, the more frost-free days you’ll have. See our Frost Charts which will tell you your last spring frost, your first fall frost, and your growing season in days.
Days to Harvest: Also, if you’re a vegetable grower and seeding indoors, consider the “days to harvest” which is the number of days from when the plants are set out into the garden for that plant to bear the fruit.
Days to Bloom or Bloom Seasons: For flower lovers, it helps to know how long it will take a plant to flower and what month(s) you can expect flowers. Try to plan your flower planting so that you get continuous color with early, mid-, and late bloomers.
Determinate/Indeterminate: Growing tomatoes? Determinate tomato plants grow to a certain size, fruit all at once, and then stop growing. These are good choices for growing in containers. Indeterminate tomatoes are “vining “varieties” and continue to grow and fruit until frost and will need to be staked or caged.
Direct Sow: This describes seeds that can should directly into the ground when growing conditions are ready. Some crops or flowers are best planted as seeds and others are best bought as small plants from a nursery and then transplanted into the ground. See seed-starting preference by plant.
Heirloom versus Hybrid Seeds: “Heirloom” plants are the standard vegetables and flowers that folks grew for centuries before commercial hybrids came along in the 1950s through 1970s. Hybrids were created for for better shipping, durability, disease-resistance, and marketability; however, hybrids often lack the complex taste and character of heirlooms. You don’t need to pick all of one or all of another. Learn more about heirloom vegetables.
To avoid wasting seeds, you’ll want to first plan your garden out.
More Tips on Choosing Seeds
Make sure you understand whether a plant requires an early start indoors or not. If are open to starting indoors, a grow light can be as simple as a fluorescent shop light hung over your seedlings. See our article on choosing a grow light.
Remember that fast-growing vegetables, such as lettuce, radish, spinach, and beans, can be planted several times throughout the spring and summer so it may be worth buying extra seeds.
Buy only what your family will eat. Don’t buy vegetables that no one likes.
Consider the size of your garden space. If it’s small, don’t choose space-hoggers such as pumpkin or sweet corn; select higher-yielding, more compact vegetables, such as salad greens, tomatoes, beans, and peppers.
Clean your garden pots and be sure to give your gardening tools some TLC and an annual sharpening.
Start thinking about seed supplies such as collecting containers for starting seeds indoors (if that’s the plan) and perhaps a heat map for germination or an inexpensive grow light if needed.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/ordering-garden-seeds
till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365
What are doing inside while it is so cold? Working I am sure for you at your job, if you aren’t at work, maybe you are looking at the seed catalogs thinking of spring. Here are some suggestions of what to do before you order those seeds. Maybe you will do this on the weekend, when you aren’t at work.
Ordering Garden Seeds (and Getting a Jump on Spring!)
Tips on ordering seeds, understanding catalog and plant terms, and more.
Even in winter, gardening can brighten our days—with colorful, beautiful seed catalogs! Sit back in the armchair and let’s talk about how to order seeds. Even if you prefer to go into a local nursery to find seeds, these tips will help you learn more about plant terms and planning your own garden.
After the holidays, garden seed companies and nurseries start introducing their plant inventories for the year and it can be exciting to see what’s new.
But even if you prefer to go into a local shop to find seeds, they’re still very useful for inspiration and can help you learn more about plants and planning your own garden.
How to Buy Seeds
Obtain catalogs from trusted national brand names who may work with local growers, but also consider some of the local growers. Some of the small regional seed sources carry heirlooms and special varieties best suited to your area.
Before you order, why not contact your local county cooperative extension service office and ask about varieties that are known to do well in your area. Discuss any specific problems you’ve had with pests or disease.
Make a list of what you’d like to grow, but check it twice before you order. A pause or two will give you a chance to change your mind. Remember that the garden is actually one-quarter the size you think it is.
Plan to buy enough seeds to sow them thickly. Inevitably, you’ll suffer some losses (bugs, birds, weather), and you can always thin later if you end up with an excess.
Look for disease-resistant varieties, especially if you’ve had problems in your garden previously. If you simply see the words, “disease-resistant” and no other information, that’s meaningless and probably marketing hype. Good catalogs will explain disease resistance specifics. For example, when purchasing tomato garden seeds, look for varieties labeled with a VFN designation after their name. This means the variety is resistant to several types of wilt and nematode damage.
Avoid discounted seeds sold at chain stores. They probably haven’t been stored under ideal conditions, and you may find germination to be spotty.
Garden Plant and Seed Terms
Days to Maturity: Pay careful attention to the number of “days to maturity” included in every catalog description. If your growing season has 85 predictable frost-free days, chances are you won’t harvest a watermelon that needs 120 days to ripen. The warmer the climate, the more frost-free days you’ll have. See our Frost Charts which will tell you your last spring frost, your first fall frost, and your growing season in days.
Days to Harvest: Also, if you’re a vegetable grower and seeding indoors, consider the “days to harvest” which is the number of days from when the plants are set out into the garden for that plant to bear the fruit.
Days to Bloom or Bloom Seasons: For flower lovers, it helps to know how long it will take a plant to flower and what month(s) you can expect flowers. Try to plan your flower planting so that you get continuous color with early, mid-, and late bloomers.
Determinate/Indeterminate: Growing tomatoes? Determinate tomato plants grow to a certain size, fruit all at once, and then stop growing. These are good choices for growing in containers. Indeterminate tomatoes are “vining “varieties” and continue to grow and fruit until frost and will need to be staked or caged.
Direct Sow: This describes seeds that can should directly into the ground when growing conditions are ready. Some crops or flowers are best planted as seeds and others are best bought as small plants from a nursery and then transplanted into the ground. See seed-starting preference by plant.
Heirloom versus Hybrid Seeds: “Heirloom” plants are the standard vegetables and flowers that folks grew for centuries before commercial hybrids came along in the 1950s through 1970s. Hybrids were created for for better shipping, durability, disease-resistance, and marketability; however, hybrids often lack the complex taste and character of heirlooms. You don’t need to pick all of one or all of another. Learn more about heirloom vegetables.
To avoid wasting seeds, you’ll want to first plan your garden out.
More Tips on Choosing Seeds
Make sure you understand whether a plant requires an early start indoors or not. If are open to starting indoors, a grow light can be as simple as a fluorescent shop light hung over your seedlings. See our article on choosing a grow light.
Remember that fast-growing vegetables, such as lettuce, radish, spinach, and beans, can be planted several times throughout the spring and summer so it may be worth buying extra seeds.
Buy only what your family will eat. Don’t buy vegetables that no one likes.
Consider the size of your garden space. If it’s small, don’t choose space-hoggers such as pumpkin or sweet corn; select higher-yielding, more compact vegetables, such as salad greens, tomatoes, beans, and peppers.
Clean your garden pots and be sure to give your gardening tools some TLC and an annual sharpening.
Start thinking about seed supplies such as collecting containers for starting seeds indoors (if that’s the plan) and perhaps a heat map for germination or an inexpensive grow light if needed.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/ordering-garden-seeds
till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365
