Three week old seedlings almost ready to plant in the garden
January is the perfect time to plan your spring and summer gardens. While there are many wonderful local nurseries around the country that offer a few racks of seeds and a limited number of edibles as transplants, I find the largest selection of ornamental edibles are available from mail-order and on-line seed companies. And when you order in January the companies are seldom sold out of some of the most popular choices.
I personally prefer to start the garden planning process by perusing paper catalogs. I put sticky notes on select pages to mark possible candidates, including varieties of seeds of both edibles and strictly ornamental flowers. In addition to the paper catalogs, I go on-line and check for transplant choices at chileplants.com, naturalgardening.com, and tastefulgarden.com. After I have limited my choices, always a painful process, I then go on line and order directly. I find on-line faster than ordering by mail and further, I can tell if the company is sold out and make adjustments to my final plan.
Baby red boc choi, chartreuse lettuces, and peacock feathered mustards are specialty vegetables started in my seed box
Most seed companies offer some varieties for the whole country but many specialize and choose the best varieties for a specific climate. I recommend that gardeners order from their closest seed companies when possible. Southerners from Southern seeds companies, West Coast gardeners from their region, and so on. The drop down “Other Useful Websites” under the Features section of this website contains is a very long list of seed companies and their links. In my book Edible Landscaping there is much information about these companies and many more, including their physical addresses, phone numbers, etc.
Golden zucchini from Renee's Garden Seeds is the star of my front border. In back are the burgundy leaves of purple orach, an heirloom variety from the Seed Savers Exchange.
I specifically recommend:
- Generally, for cool and/or short climates in the Northeast and Northwest try Bountiful Gardens, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Nichols Garden Nursery, Pinetree Garden Seeds, and the Territorial Seed Company
- For Southwestern gardens look to Native Seed Search, Plants of the Southwest, and Redwood City Seed Company
- For Southeastern gardens try Southern Seed Exchange and Whillhite Seed Company.
- For seed companies that are generalists with many great varieties look to Burpee’s, Cook’s Garden, and Renee’s Garden Seeds
- And finally check the website list for specialists like companies that carry mostly tomatoes, or heirlooms, and herbs specialists to round out your choices.
My containers are filled with special varieties of vegetables. In the large barrel there are plants of bush 'Henderson' lima beans climbing among the black-eyed-susan-vine, and a 'Super Bush' tomato overflows its container.
by Rosalind Creasy
jill - Thankyou for sharing your amazing garden photo’s and your love of gardening with us. You are an inspiration to gardeners everywhere!
laboratory technician - Great site. A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to some friends!
beth benjamin - Roz, what gorgeous pictures these are!!!
Beth
Renee - Thanks for recommending Renee’s Garden in your gardening resources, general seed companies category.I also take great pride in specifically having seeds for the short season areas of the country. That’s why we maintain the full trial garden in the coldest part of Vermont, in addition to having our main trial garden in northern California and smaller trials in Florida and Washington. This way, we make sure our seeds will grow well all over the country before offering them. Would you also consider recommending us in that short season niche as well?
Warm regards,
Renee Shepherd
Renee’s Garden
http://www.Reneesgarden.com
Jacqueline - This is the best inspiration I’ve seen for getting my garden planning in order. Recently moved from Zone 5 to 7b, so it should be a whole new adventure this year!
laboratory technician - Great information! I’ve been looking for something like this for a while now. Thanks!
Cristina - You’re photos are amazing and I read about you in “Mother Earth Magaizine”. It is what initially led me to google you. I am by no means a gardener or experienced in any way. I’m new to it and and am learning an awful lot of information at once. My fiancee’ just bought a gorgeous five bedroom house on a whopping 12 acres in Athens, Georgia and we are clearing the land and making way for plant life. I know nothing about what I am doing and am kind of picking it up and learning as I go. I am a fast learner and thank the lord for the internet. We have put so much sweat and blood into the little we have already done. I have planted zinnias, watermelons, tomatoes, peppers, peas, morning glorys, nasturtiums, sunflowers, snapdragons, moss rose, digitaris apricots, elephant ears, and so much more. I have strawberries, rasberries, blueberries, and plan to buy black berries. We have Japanese maples, and Hibiscus, Jasmine, beets, onions, and parsley, cucumber, et cetera. As far as what goes where, I have no idea how to map it out and kind of form a basic structure for my garden. I have rows planted with tomatoes and watermelons and peppers but after reading about your gardens and oggling over your photos. I’m dying to learn more about what you do. Where do I begin. I know not to expect my garden to be as magnificent as your own but might you offer me some suggestions as to what edible plants I could plant in the late season. The weather is just now starting to warm up. Our best days are in the 80′s and our nights are chilly. Also I’m kind of planting on a hill, how will that affect my planting? And I want water or some sort of channel running through and then waterfalling into a coy pond or water hole. Will the water affect the plants negatively? I have this beautiful idea because the front porch has a bridge with stairs leading down into a pasture filled with open space and beautiful growing area. Any suggestions you can offer however large or minute would be greatly appreciated!!