New Year's Day is a good time for looking forward and making lists. I haven't made a resolution list. I'm not so big on them since I'm usually not disciplined enough to follow through. I do like to write up seed lists. I love a new year and a new garden to think about.
I've just finished up my 2017 variety list - between New Year's family activities, and a lot of food, drink, and generally celebration. My list has 118 different varieties of vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Of these, I need to
buy (or share with other gardeners) 22 seed packets. (Most of my seeds I save year to year.)
I am ordering seeds from five companies. Just one package from Amazon: Superbo, my favorite basil and hard to find. But a number of packets I'll buy from three companies: Johnny's Selected Seeds, Sand Hill Preservation, and Hudson Valley Seeds. I was impressed with the difference in seed and shipping costs. These are the averages for my selections:
Company Ave small seed packet cost Shipping
Johnny's $4.47 $6.75
Hudson $3.32 $3.87
Sand Hill $1.70 $3.00
I ordered most of my seeds from Sand Hill Preservation this year. They do everything in paper and by snail mail. All their seeds are OP (which means no hybrids). So not only are their prices great, but the seeds breed true when saved (if they aren't cross pollinated). Sometimes I really want to grow a newer hybrid (I love Johnny's!), but it's nice to compare varieties - and prices!
My potatoes will come from Fedco again this year. They're a whole different category of pricing, but then shipping 5 lbs of a perishable costs more than shipping seed packets. My potatoes cost $6.75 (5 lbs) and shipping is $14.30. A cost saver for potatoes was recommended by Roger Swain at my gardening class. He buys certified disease free potatoes and then saves the ones he grew for seed 3-4 years. After that time, he disposes of the potatoes and starts over with certified disease free potatoes. He said it takes about that amount of time for potatoes to accumulate pathogens that can affect growth.
My list is a couple posts down. A may yet do a resolution list - though I'll probably call something less definitive. Maybe a "things-to-think-about-doing list".
Happy New Year! I hope it's healthy, happy, and hopeful for everyone.
Sand Hill is in my area! Never been there though, mainly because I keep forgetting it's so close, but also they have enough to do without stopping to show visitors around. Maybe if Mr. Drowns ever retires from teaching, that might change....Although with that last round of avian flu, maybe not. I wonder if more seed companies are not set up for visitors than ones that are?
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