There’s always excitement in ordering seeds in the winter but this year seems extra prime for new varieties. I started saving seeds in earnest this last year and the process has fueled my mission of buying heirloom and organic seeds to begin with. I love the idea that when I gather seeds from my own garden they are now and will continue to be more adapted to our soil and environment each year. What an amazing Creator!
This past week I got a start on my seeds with lettuce, eggplant, peppers and sweet peas. If you need a refresher on the process, check out my post on seed starting here. I find it an amazing way to get a jump on the season while I have a bit more time and it saves us so much money as we no longer buy plants. If you’re in the Nashville area but not a seed starter and still want the very best in heirloom varieties for your garden, keep an eye out for our very first heirloom flower and vegetable plant sale in April. We’ll be announcing info here on the blog as well as Instagram and Facebook. We are so excited to share some amazing varieties that you just can’t get at your local landscape or big box stores.
In addition to adding excitement in the garden each year, new (to my garden) seed varieties are a great way to support small businesses that are an intricate part of preserving heirloom seeds from all over the world. Joe Lamp’l (aka Joe Gardener) mentioned in a recent podcast that having an heirloom seed company is trusting your customers to try new things each year. I have done my duty with Baker Creek Heirloom seeds and went a bit crazy. But what a cool company! Jere Baker started the company as a hobby in 1998 and they now have over 1000 varieties of seed from all over the world!
My aim this year is to expand my “garden” space to include edibles throughout our two acres in edible landscaping. I’m imagining thousandhead kale taking the place of the very cool elephant ear plant and placing amaranth in my front beds instead of fountain grass. This property is always an experiment! I am especially excited to introduce more flowering native plants into our various beds to attract and nourish more beneficial insects to our property.
