I received my Johnny’s Selected Seeds catalog over the weekend, and this morning I find the Seeds of Change Certified Organic Seeds in my mailbox.  It’s certainly exciting, considering this seems to be the norm around here:

My garden is pretty much completely under snow, with more on the way. But I’m planning away and dreaming of spring.  Last year I ordered from Johnny’s and was very pleased with their service and the seeds as well.  I have not ordered from Seeds of Change yet, so I can’t speak as to how they actually are.  Considering that  they’re still going strong after 20 years, I have to think that says something.

Catalog alert!  The Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog is out.  It’s absolutely stunning and beautiful! They have so many new seeds to pick from, and a good deal of news about what’s going on with them.  I’ve been very slowly digesting it and going through it, and all I can say is that it’s a shame I don’t have more space to plant in!  It’s the first seed catalog I’ve received for 2009.  I’ll be sure and update as they come in- although this is my favorite to order from.  I had excellent results with their seeds last year.  Even the ones that they said had low germination did fabulously.  I only had problems with one of the cucumbers I ordered, but I think that was my error, not theirs.  They put out a magazine too if anyone is interested, I’ll be subscribing to that this year as well.

It’s only the second official day of winter…

When I look outside and see all the snow on the ground, I admit, I get a little excited.  Because snow means it’s actually winter, and spring shouldn’t be all that far behind.  Never mind the fact that I live in Wisconsin, and sometimes spring doesn’t arrive until May, but hey! I can dream, and hope for spring to arrive in March… that’s a just a few months away, which means that in a few weeks, I’ll actually start spending some time planning.

In the meantime, all I can do is look at the snow and think about when it melts, and it’s very interesting to see the tracks in the snow.  Other than birds, I didn’t even catch a single glimpse of animals in the garden last year.  Granted, I had fences, but once the garden started actually growing, even the squirrels stayed out.  But now I see bunny tracks through the yard, squirrel tracks, and then a few trails that make me suspect a cat or two in the neighborhood.  That’s encouraging, as feral cats are wonderful for keeping the rodent population down.  After dealing with those ground squirrels two years ago, I’m thrilled at the idea of a cat or two roaming past.

I wonder how those herbs are doing underneath that snow…