Have your Garden Catalogs started to arrive yet?

I moved the beginning of December =( so reading about all the catalogs coming in the mail made me sad whaaa LOL
Actually I had to go and sign up for catalogs, but I really did miss getting them. I can't wait until the first arrives.
Reading this forum also reminded me of catalogs to ask for that I had forgotten about.
I am a professional gardener so I like having a source for "hard finds" lying around in my pile of catalogs.
All this talk makes me want to run out to the mail box!!!!

See ya!

Chicory, I know how you feel. I moved in late August and didn't remember to sign up for catalogs until much later. A few have trickled in, and I'm anxiously awaiting others. It just makes my day every time I get one!

Just got 2 more catalogs.
Michigan Bulb co. and Wild Garden Seds (organic seeds for salad greens and herbs)

Michigan has a picture on the front of a Angel Trumpet that is a 3-in-1. One plant with white, yellow and pink flowers on it. It is Beautiful!!!

none for me today! I'm getting antsy!

Just came in from the mail box NO catalogs.
Dividedsky glad I have company! No fun being misarable by myself LOL!
The best walk ever is the one back to the house with a handful of catalogs to look at.
Maybe tomorrow...
Geez just realized I need to change my location not in CT anymore Toto LOL

Also got a catalog (loose sheets) from Spring Hill Nursery. Am making list of more and more stuff to get. Just got to find the money. Most of their plants are bareroot and alot of them are 3 for a set price. Maybe I can trade somethings for other things I want.

You people that are getting Michigan Bulb, Spring Hill & others would be wise tro check them out in Garden Watchdog.
http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/

Bernie

Received a catalog from Gardens Alive, which is light on seed selection and heavy on gardening products. Plus, a curious piece of mail called a response pack from the American Gardener. It has loads of postcards from various gardening businesses. Postage is required for some, others are paid for.

I agree with countrygardens. I wouldn't purchase from Spring Hill or MI bulb. Spring Hill sends tiny plants for premium price. They often don't survive and their customer service isn't great.

If you are looking for good perennial sources 'Bluestone Perennials' is wonderful.

Ditto to the advice about Spring Hill and Mich. Bulb; I've also sworn off ordering any plants from Gurney and Henry Fields, too many errors and just poor stock, although I'm always tempted by the "deals" they offer! I don't mind waiting for smaller plants to grow, but I'm getting too old to deal with ones that just don't grow at all, LOL !

Sandy

Of the ones I use, I've got Thompson & Morgan, and I'm waiting on Johnny's, D.V.Burrell, and Plants of the Southwest. Burrell's is local, I might call them and see if I can go ahead and order from the 2009 catalog.

I just got A.M Leanord-a good tool catalog. Still no other seed catalogs.

The latest issue of Hobby Farm Mary Janes Farm are wonderful!

Got John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds, another Select Seeds, and White Flower Farm today. Also a new Gardens Alive. May palms are itching for dirt!

I still don't have any =(
And it is snowing and blowing so hard I need the distraction...
Maybe tomorrow... Sigh

I just got my Cook's Garden catalog. And they have celeriac seed. Yes, I'm ordering it now. Makes great mashed 'potato' and no starch for my diabetic sister whose Dr. told her to cut down on starchy veggies and that ment potatoes.

Celeriac, hugh? Is it easy to grow?

much easier to grow than actual celery i hear.

no new seed catalogs today, boooo!

I have some "cutting celery" started. It's supposed to have more flavor and make good seeds for seasoning. It's supposed to take the heat whereas the regular won't. I started flat leaf parsley and cilantro the same time and the seedlings all look very similar. I've never laid eyes on celeriac before so I might try it. Anything I can roast or throw in the soup is good.

celeriac is a relative of celery. It forms a large root that is used instead of potatoes for those people who need to cut out starch in their diet. Like diabetics. In Calif, I used to buy it and loved it, but it went from $1.49 each to $2.99 a lb. Now I have the room to grow it and so now I will have a good supply. To get seeds from it, you dig it up in the fall and store it over the winter. Than in the spring you replant it and it will grow a top and flower and seed.

I am still waiting for Gourmet Seeds International; anyone got that one yet? They have a nice selection of European varieties.

Have a catalog.
http://www.gourmetseed.com/
Much more in the online catalogs than the paper ones. And for you "Green" people, this saves trees.
Bernie

It may save paper, but there's nothing like sitting in a big comfy chair by a crackling wood stove with some catalogues in your lap and a red marker, dreaming about next summer's garden. I can't really plan online. Last year I was trying to place a seed order online and I took rather a lot of time selecting varieties and checking back with paper catalogues to make sure that the particular site I was using was best for what I wanted to purchase. I guess it took too long, because when I went to check out, most of my order had been lost. When I tried to recreate the order I missed a couple of things that I had really wanted. It was pretty frustrating!

I just have to make sure they get recycled when I am done with them because I just gotta sit down and circle stuff! Nothing like holding the real thing in hand. It's like books v. kindle. Not a fan of the kindle. I love the real thing.

http://www.chestnut-sw.com/growform.htm

You put in the date and your first and last frost dates and it tells you what you can plant. I'd say it's a general guide. I just tried it for today's date and got slim pickings. Might trigger some ideas.

I never know what frost dates to use because we're in a microclimate by a small river that empties into an estuary.

Flowrgirl, I'm with you re both catalogues and Kindles! Nothing like the rustle of paper and being able to flip back and forth at will!

Indy ~ Willhite is in the mail ~ haven't had a chance to crack the pages yet.

dg has a new frost date feature but it's better used as a guideline because I didn't think it was extremely accurate for my area in Michigan.

I hope to switch to mostly online catalogs in the next few years. But I'm relatively new to this, so it helps to have something I can sit and study and mark up. Plus, I like to consult with my brother and sister in law as to what they'd like, too, as it's their land I'm planting on. And I don't have a laptop to take over there, so it's easier to use catalogs.

Some of these catalogs are a goldmine for beginner information, and I intend to keep them with my gardening books. Territorial Seed has the best catalog I've seen, in that regard. High Mowing has great information as well.

Regarding kindle - I reeeeaally really want one! I love traditional books. But with the dust they collect (allergies), and the space needed to store them, and how heavy you notice they are on moving day . . . Carrying a whole collection of books in my bag seems great.

I'm waiting for the price to go down a bit. I'm a read-a-holic. I especially love those serial cozy mysteries. I usually buy the British ones in hardback for my bookshelves. But the US ones I buy in paperback. I then donate all but a few choice series to the library or whoever wants them. Kiddle would be good for the ones I give away, but then the library or whatnot would miss out. It's kind of a hard choice I guess. I love going to the used book stores and looking for the hard to find authors. I guess the world is about the change (even more).

I love the Territorial catalog, too. I've called them with questions before and they were very kind about answering all my questions. I've called a couple of other catalogs for specific info or advice as well. Some are very gracious and helpful and other are not.

I don't know if you can "switch" to online catalogs. I've been ordering everything online for at least 5 years & they still send paper catalogs. Some companies 2 or 3. I got one today from someplace called Kitchen Garden Seeds.

Territorial's catalog is great. So much info on every variety plus actual culture info.

I imagine as long as you order from the company and they have a paper catalog they will send it unless they have an opt out but I haven't noticed any yet.

see below

This message was edited Jan 8, 2010 10:21 PM

I finally got a catalog "Seeds of Change" Yay the first one this season!

I have to go and look through it now

Oh I will no longer be whining about no catalogs

Finally! Seed Savers Exchange catalog came today. I love this company.

Where the heck is my Park's catalog?! DH thinks I'm nuts, I have a big stack of seed catalogs, but always find some varieties in Park's to order and that one I don't have yet.

I don't think you can compare seed catalogs to books in terms of wanting the hard copy, using a Kindle, etc. -- I too *have* to have my paper seed catalogs, but for reading books -- give me my Ipod full of audible books any day! I do most of my reading while I'm gardening (although not too good when you're rototilling, kind of hard to hear). No reading glasses required.

That's a good idea, weedwhacker.

I have always wanted to try audio books. I tend to get sleepy when I read so I wonder if they would work for evenings for me. I still have to have books though. I mix would be good.

flowrgirl -- with audiobooks I definitely tend to fall asleep if I'm not doing something else; at least with a "real" book you can easily just pick up where you left off! zzzzzz I tend to fall asleep in a lot of TV shows lately, too -- thank goodness for DVR!

Sandy

RE Frost Date: that is actually AVERAGE Frost Date, and in most of Colorado is is really a 50/50 chance of being right/wrong. The Extension service here gives out 9 frost dates depending on probability of 10, 50, or 90%, and degree of frost 24F, 28F, or 32F. That gives me a date range of March 31 to May 13th, and I've seen the last frost even later.

that's what the new dg frost page does too. It's pretty nice but yes, be on the watch either way.