What the Seed Catalog Really Represents

Winter can be a total tease come February here in the South. Just yesterday, I hiked the hill where Mamma was born. Amidst the remaining artifacts of her childhood were blooming a million blue buttercups.

She had planted these from a tiny parcel of bulbs with her precious little hands guided by Granddaddy’s formidable fortitude many moons ago. Soon, morels peeking out from beneath the floor of a nearby cedar thicket will also tantalize my appetite for renewal. Yet, their lives are often cut short by early swelter or late fallen snow. Indeed,I swear on Shelby’s grave, I will not give up on moments as wonderful like this. As early blooms in snow are without a doubt the laughter through tears of emotions, Steel Magnolias will forever reign supreme in the hearts and minds of us Southern types.

So, when the Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog hits my mailbox each December, you might as well take me flip flop shopping and sign me up for a pedicure finished in the most delicate shades of pink.

Actually emboldened in vibrant hues of purple, this year’s cover featured the happiest of phlox called The Amazing Sugar Stars. As I perused the first couple of sections, I was reminded of certain sordid tales, in good clean fun of course. There was the Armenian Yard-Long described as a classic Armenian “cucumber” but actually a melon genetically.

“Reaches epic, mammoth proportions” read another headline for the Superschmelz German heirloom hailing from Saarland. Providing rich soil and plenty of space, the pages explained how you’d yield such size for this kohlrabi sure to amaze your neighbors.

Verily, gardening isn’t a one-size-fits-all sort of thing. Yet, seed catalogs like this one have a little something for everyone and are the very foundation upon which most any gardener builds their lexicon of love. So, if love really is patient, wouldn’t the nights of winter slowly being replaced by the sunshiny days of spring be a call to the seed man.

With hope and purpose, green thumbs everywhere will quit their twiddling, turn the page to a new chapter and get to it. Pruning, sharpening, digging, chopping, clearing, weeding and otherwise nourishing spring’s bud break is how we love best this point in the sun’s rotation.

However, just because you can buy those Walking Stick Kale seeds boasting the possibility of 12 feet of tasty leaves, doesn’t mean they’ll survive the zone where you live, let alone the mere handful of dirt you dug up. It’s all about knowing your limits and practicing the utmost discretion. After all, there’s nothing in the world wrong with looking but not touching.

By the time you read these words, my Mongolian Giants could quite possibly already be sprouting. In no time birds of all the feathers will be dining in my backyard. Though I’m at the risk of dispelling my horticultural prowess, I’ll fill you in on one of my deepest and darkest secrets.

There’s a whole big box of seeds that I had no business buying one year still hanging out in my collection. I just couldn’t help myself from the impulse those pretty pictures evoked from Lord knows where in me. Usually, I pride myself in a certain command of my senses. But, by golly, we all have our breaking points.

Every time I open that box, I’m reminded of such intermittent pauses in self-control. My diligent attempts at coaxing the arrival of a few select beauties that fateful summer fell on fallow ground in the end. Seeds from another region just weren’t meant to blossom here and I had to face those facts.

If you, too, identify with such tawdry temptations, there are a few key takeaways. Start by merely looking for inspiration in the pages of your favorite supplier. There really must be a theme for your garden’s story to resonate. So plotting out your plan is vital prior to picking the seeds you plan to cast.

Consider components like climate, maintenance, longevity and size during selection. Some seeds need to germinate in a controlled environment before setting out in the garden. Plan for this extra time spent in proverbial rehearsal out in the greenhouse, or other warm and humid environment replicated indoors.

But, no matter how much attention you pay to individual cast members, chemistry and compatibility are vital for a show-stopping performance. By assuring proper soil chemistry, compatibility has a fighting chance.

Once your order arrives, it will be time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. Until then, I wish you dreams of grandeur with a healthy dose of reality for good measure. Harvest will be here before you know it. So, go ahead and indulge a little, for goodness sake.