Johnny’s Seeds – The catalog from Johnny’s just showed up.Territorial is one of the few seed companies that puts out a winter gardening catalog, with a list of vegetables that will be happy out in January rain. The website has a lot of information, and a garden planner. They have an amazing selection of garlic, lots of lettuce and peas and a short list of tomatoes that you can expect to actually ripen in Alameda. Territorial Seed – Territorial Seed, based in Cottage Grove, Oregon, sells seed that performs on the West Coast.Victory Seeds – Highly recommended by readers of Dave’s Garden, Victory, in Oregon, specializes in open pollinated seeds, with hundreds of varieties of tomatoes, culinary and medicinal herbs.They have 11 kinds of soybeans, Asian green stemmed cauliflower, the right kind of pepper to make Korean gochujang, and Vietnamese mint. The company specializes in Asian vegetables. Kitazawa Seeds – – One of the oldest seed companies in the US is right across the estuary in Oakland.Here are some seed catalogs I have bought from for years, and a few that are highly recommended by readers of Dave’s Garden: Catalogs will also tell you which varieties of seed do well in cool weather. These plant varieties are often marked “early.” In Alameda, they won’t grow as fast as advertised, but they will grow, and usually ripen. When you order seeds, you can pick varieties that need minimum hours of heat. Large melons, which need hot nights, are not even in the picture, and don’t even think about tropical varieties like yard long beans and okra. Vegetables that need heat, like tomatoes and peppers, can be a challenge in Alameda, depending on your micro-climate. We have a long but cold growing season, which is not the situation with most of the USA. If you buy seeds, you can get exactly what will work for you in this area. If you buy starters, you are limited to a few standard varieties. Most catalogs have a lot of tips and hints on how to get their seed to grow. Most vegetables are not hard to start from seed, and the supplies for seed starting are not expensive. Farmers have been starting plants from seed for thousands of years. Some people are hesitant to start plants from seed. It is strongly suggested that you check with Dave’s first before you try a new-to-you seed company. Dave’s Garden ( ) acts as a clearinghouse for kudos and complaints about mail order businesses. There are catalogs that specialize in bulbs from Holland, catalogs that specialize in open pollinated seeds and catalogs that specialize in certain varieties of flowers. There are several dozen mail order seed companies, and most specialize in a particular area of the seed world. Each and every page shouts YOU CAN DO THIS! Ten minutes of seed catalog perusal will have you convinced that you too can grow award winning tomatoes, giant pumpkins and a flower border that will turn the neighbors as green as your lettuce. Seed catalogs are the most concentrated dose of optimism ever to hit a mailbox. You are eagerly awaiting the year’s delivery of SEED CATALOGS. A depressing prospect… but if you buy mail order seeds, you are not sad and depressed. The holidays are over, but the pandemic is still here.
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