Catalogs Are Arriving, Plan Your Spring Garden Now

By mid-winter, the gardening catalogs will be coming in faster than the snow storms. Take advantage of the cold winter days to sit down with those catalogs and start planning the garden. While enjoying the catalogs, keep some practical things in mind. What is the company’s policy on returns if plants arrive damaged or seeds fail to sprout? Will the company substitute if the item you order is out of stock? If you are ordering perennials, trees or shrubs, are they hardy to this area?

Make the most of the information in catalogs. Most catalogs will provide information on disease resistance, improved hybrids, the number of days to maturity on vegetable crops and even the proper growing conditions for each plant.

Combine this information with past experience in your own garden and you should be able to make good selection for next spring. Avoid getting carried away and ordering more seeds or plants than you can use. Try a few new things each year, but don’t abandon tried and true plants and varieties that have performed well in your garden.

It is never too early to start planning. Ordering early will help insure that you have your seeds and plants in time. Spring will be here before you know it and you will save time if you have your garden ready for those first warm spring days.

December 2004 - January 2005: Choosing a Christmas Tree Variety | Diseases and Insects of Shrubs and Small Trees | Catalogs are Arriving, Plan Your Spring Garden Now | Keeping Holiday Plants | Prevent Ice and Snow Damage to Trees and Shrubs