It’s now the time of year when I do a big shop. No. I’m not talking about stocking up for gluttony over the festive season, I’m talking about seeds.
Tea and seed-shopping – a lovely combination on a winter’s evening
This time of dark evenings and rain (here in west Wales at least) is ideal for settling down and choosing what I’m going to grow next year. I used to use paper catalogues, but these days I sit down with my laptop and a mug of tea (or possibly a glass of wine) and browse some of my favourite seed suppliers… The Real Seed Catalogue, Chiltern Seeds, The Organic Gardening Catalogue…
I think about the successes and failures of the past year. What do I want to repeat? What worked well? What was a disaster? And I look to the future – always trying something new each year. I find the idea of a new growing season particularly uplifting. It’s not many weeks now, in fact, until I need to start planting chillies and peppers, which benefit from a very early start, even though we are still harvesting fresh chillies from both of this year’s varieties: Lemon Drop and Alberto’s Locoto (both of these are on the list to grow next year).
In 2014 I’m also definitely going to grow Yellow-podded Mangetout, Lipstick Pepper, Lady Godiva Pumpkins, Lady Godiva Sunflowers, Mira and Colleen Potatoes and Mizuna. What about you? Or if you are in the southern hemisphere, what’s doing well for you now?
The Snail of Happiness 
Brande Plotnick
/ December 16, 2013Buying seeds is the kind of shopping I most enjoy! Sure is better than buying shoes… 🙂 This year is an experimental one in my garden since we’ve moved to a new home and all the beds are new. I wasn’t an expert gardener before our move either, so I’ve got a lot to learn. I’ve been using the Mother Earth News Garden Planner to help me, it’s pretty fantastic!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ December 16, 2013I’m sure your garden will be great… it’s always an adventure growing in a new plot! And you’re right… seeds are much more exciting than shoes!
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katechiconi
/ December 16, 2013I’m a member of The Diggers Club, which is devoted to preserving heritage fruit and vegetables. You get 5 catalogues a year, and they have two gardens you can visit. Unfortunately, those are down in Victoria, too far for me, but I order my seeds from them. Take a look: http://diggers.com.au
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The Snail of Happiness
/ December 16, 2013Wow, what a great site. I am a member of the Heritage Seed Library here in the UK, but the Diggers Club looks way more interesting.
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katechiconi
/ December 16, 2013I don’t think there’s any ban on importing seeds into the UK, is there, unlike Australia? So if you see something you particularly want, let me know. I could post it to you.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ December 17, 2013Ooh thank you… more to browse!
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katechiconi
/ December 17, 2013Knock yourself out: I get a member’s discount!
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gary finch
/ December 16, 2013it’s possible to ‘perennialise’ your chillies if you have the space and they are in pots – as soon as the leaves begin to drop or after you have finished harvesting the fruits cut all of the smaller branches etc back to a ‘trunk’ and a couple of ‘leaders’ then put your pots in a well protected and insulated place away from any frost (and ideally the air temp not dropping below 5 c for a prolonged period – A sth facing porch or shed is ideal) – come the spring you should start to see the beginnings of new growth – I have kept a ‘lemon’ type one going for 3 years now
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The Snail of Happiness
/ December 16, 2013Yes, several of my chillies are indoors in the hope they will survive – sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. Alberto Locoto is great anyway because it is a different species, so doesn’t cross with any other capsicums and the seeds come true… so a bit less shopping there!
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Tajana
/ December 17, 2013I’m totally and completely unable to grow plants!!!!That is the only thing I haven’t figured out how to manage!Even the strong fat plants die in my hands…and I’m so sorry for that…any advice for such a lost cause as me… 😦
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The Snail of Happiness
/ December 17, 2013You need a gardener!!!!
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Tajana
/ December 17, 2013😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
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gentlestitches
/ December 17, 2013tomatoes here (and weeds) 🙂
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The Snail of Happiness
/ December 17, 2013Yup, got lots of weeds here at the moment… just about to set the chickens on them!
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Charli
/ December 17, 2013Some people collect shoes, or jewellery or tupperware.. I seem to collect seeds. My seed collection seems to vastly outweigh the available space I have for growing- but I can’t seem to resist trying out new plants. This year I’ve got ramsons, crookneck squash and lipstick peppers that I’m particularly looking forward to. And lemongrass. And sweet potato slips, and .. well you get the idea.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ December 17, 2013All of those sound lovely… and I really know the problem of too many seeds for the available space!!
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