Why now is a good time to buy your seeds
I could always tell what month it is just by looking at the deluge of seed catalogs I find stuffed in my mailbox every January. The mailman always seems a little happier after he leaves my house. For years I asked myself who in their right mind would send out gardening catalogs in the dead of winter. Unless you like in California, Arinozia, Texas or Florida you probably chuck it into file 13 or leave it in some obscure place hoping to remember where it is in the spring.
Well, a few years ago I cracked the code. As it turns out January is seed catalog month. Okay, I can see that you are not impressed, neither was I but there's more. Since hardly anyone is buying seeds when the temperature is below zero the seed catalogs guys and gals offer discounts, freebies and other incentives like free shipping to get you to buy.
So what happens when you by your discounted seeds? Won't they go bad, you ask? Well, actually not. most seed packs now have sell-by dates. Most of those dates are usually a year away. You should always store your seeds in a cool dry space but I take it a step further, I freeze them until a few days before I am ready to use them.
There is another advantage of buying seeds in January and that is the selection. Two summers ago I tried ordering yellow watermelon seeds only to find out that they were all sold out. Last year I ordered turmeric from Burpee (yes I know turmeric is not a seed ) they happily took my money but a few weeks later they refunded it with an apology. Sorry, no more turmeric.
The third advantage is time. Let's say you plant graffiti eggplant in starter cups in early spring. When the weather warms you gently transfer them outdoor where the neighborhood garden terror wipes them out in just one night. You probably have time to put up some chicken wire and start over.
One last thing. Once you are done with all of those catalogs you can toss them into your fireplace for a couple of minutes of free heat.
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