Seed Catalogs

Years ago I started getting lots of seed catalogs.  During the holidays I would peruse them and dog-ear pages when I found seeds I wanted.  I got away from that some in the last couple of years for a number of reasons.  I stopped planting the whole packet - I recognized that I didn't need 30 tomato plants, or I needed to save some for a second planting, or even that seeds usually don't "go bad" after a year.  I haven't grown as many vegetables in the last few years as well, and what I have grown, a lot has come from feed stores.  Back in August I even stocked up on a lot of seeds from a nearby feed store.  But as the first seed catalogs arrive, I find myself circling seeds in catalogs again.

I do have legitimate needs when it comes to seeds - I need pole beans and I need corn, but that's probably it.  My interest in what I grow has expanded and I was even circling a number of different gourd varieties, but I no idea where I would plant all of them.  In some ways my gardening is approaching small-scale farming - my interest has expanded to a "what if I had to feed myself" kind of gardening.  This spring I was reading up on how to make corn meal from dent corn, and, after watching Ken Burns' "The Dust Bowl", I'm curious about growing wheat.  I just want to be the best gardener/farmer I can be, but also, almost unconsciously, I'll be ready for whatever global food crisis comes our way.  The glut of end-of-the-world, zombie and apocalyptic movies and TV shows doesn't help either.

I was hoping to have some sort of a greenhouse by early spring, but it's not looking good for that now.  I will be ordering seeds from Park Seed - I have a coupon from when the cukes I wanted were on backorder.  Since I'll be getting a discount, I think I'm going to get one of their bio domes - it was recommended by one of the local extension agents, and it's just the thing I need for starting seeds in the the spring.

I'm sure my seed list will change as the catalogs start to accumulate.  And I'll also have to adjust my order to what I have room for in our yard.  But I can always save it for next year, right?