For gardening nerds, there are specific events that make us giddy. The first week of soil temps that make planting safe in the spring. The day your first tomato is ready to be plucked in the summer. The morning you check on your seed starts in late winter and everything has sprouted. But almost no event gives me the joy that getting a new seed catalog does. Over December, most companies ship out these missives, chock full of colorful plant porn. You think we’d tear into them immediately, but since most of us are about to do some serious shopping, gardeners I know sit on them and wait for a day when they can truly devote themselves to the task.
Strategize your seed shopping
Make a first pass through the catalogs without any considerations except what appeals to you. Dog ear what calls to you, dream about growing a rainbow of tomatoes, but at some point it’s time to get down to business. Ordering from every single seed house doesn’t make a lot of financial sense, so you’re going to want to consolidate as much as possible. I start loading up web carts for each of the seed houses and then start culling. Does a local seed house have a slow bolting cilantro that’ll compete with the one I see at Johnny’s? Get it there instead. Double check you’re not ordering two of any seed pack accidentally; I do that at least once a year. Consider which seeds you should buy a larger pack of, since they’ll last a few years. When I’ve done as much consolidating and culling as possible, I take a look at what’s left to see the damage I’m about to do.
Share orders to save on shipping
At that point, I reach out to my gardening friends to see who wants to combine orders. Since no seed house skips on shipping fees, this is a great way to save some money. As a bonus, I usually discover my friends are ordering the same things, and we can split a seed pack. If you’re really looking to save money, you can go really hard on this idea. For years, I strategized with a friend on the planning stages. We shared seeds each year and deliberately chose seeds together so we could split them.
Don’t leave out smaller seed houses—and leave room for experimentation
As hard as you try, you’ll end up with a few smaller orders—a flower-seed house that has a poppy you can’t live without, or an Etsy seller that has five different colors of agastache. That’s ok; part of the joy of gardening is trying new things each year. Every single year I swear I’ve settled on the eight tomatoes I’ll grow next year and every year I add to my roster.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Credit: Johnnyseeds.com
Harvest Moon tomatoes: Johnny’s bred three new tomatoes this year, but this one really appealed to me for its coloration and disease resistance. It imitates a larger heirloom in a smaller size, which means fruit more often. Johnny’s bred two other new varieties, Strawberry Fields, a standard beefy red, and Marmalade Skies, a golden orange beef tomato.
Chalupa Romaine Lettuce: This bolt-resistant, fast-growing variety is going to be better year round and mean earlier harvests. I’m excited to try it.
Gershwin Pickling Cukes: These will be seedless (if you keep them away from other cucurbits so they don’t cross-pollinate) and are early yielders.
Burpee
Credit: Burpee.com
‘Makah Ozette’ Potato: A new, disease-resistant fingerling potato? I’m in.
Pepper, Sweet, First Taste: I’ve spoken in the past about my affection for snack-sized bell peppers, which grow far more prolifically than full size, and tend to be earlier. This orange early snack bell is going in “must-haves.”
Salvia Gemstone: This new variety comes in purple, pink and red and I grabbed all three. Salvia has quickly become my favorite garden flower, and much as this info was passed onto me, I say to you, “grow salvia.” It brings all the hummingbirds to my yard and lasts the entire season on spikes.
Floret Flower Farm
Credit: Floret Flower website
Zinnia Unicorn Mix: Floret is releasing their own bred flowers for the first time in 2024, and their mixes are dreamy. These four-foot-tall zinnias are going right in my front circle.
Celosia Coral Reef: Growing celosia is so rewarding, these weird cockscombs command attention, and this color mix is going to be a smash.
Botanical Interests
Credit: Botanical Interest website
Black Kat Pumpkins: Last year I went all-in on white pumpkins, so these super dark green ‘kins that will go even darker are going to be a “yes” for me. I imagine a black and white pumpkin arch over my garden. Squee.
Purple Emperor Trailing Nasturtiums: I love this unexpected colorway in a trailer; this will look great in hanging baskets.
Renee’s Garden
Early Jade Chinese Broccoli: I didn’t even know I wanted to grow Chinese broccoli until I saw this, but it makes so much sense in my spring garden. It’s a short crop, so it’ll make room for summer.
Territorial Seeds
Credit: Territorial Seeds website
Daisy Lambert Butterhead Lettuce: I need more lettuce seeds like a hole in the head—but look at her, she is so pretty.
Coventry Carrots: I do well with Chantenay carrots, and these stout little suckers look perfect for my garden. I hope to get them in as soon as they arrive, while the rain can germinate them.
