If you have ever ordered any kind of gardening information, especially seeds or nursery stock, your name was entered into a time honored tradition of the January garden catalog drop. For seasoned gardeners this can be an exciting time as well as a challenging time. It can be compared to a child in a candy store – so many good things to pick. For brand new gardeners overwhelming! Many of us are tempted by the special offers, free with order, gorgeous pictures of all things horticulturally edible. Gardeners hear this loud and clear – CAVEAT EMPTOR! (Latin for BUYER BEWARE!) If it looks to good to be true, it usually is.
The first thing to know is your USDA Planting Zone. Many garden catalogs will arrive from out-of-state and offer wonderful selections not suited for our Colorado climate. Second, your garden plan needs to be sketched out (dimensions) so you can plan for rows, hills, climbers, ground spreaders and quantities, and third-most important of all-understand how much should you plant. For example, Pumpkins. For each household you need 1 – 2 hills to yield 100 pounds of pumpkin. Tomatoes – per household (fresh) 3-5 plants, and if you are planning on storing, canning or freezing 5-10 plants. Most reputable seed companies will instruct on the quantity of plants each seed packet will grow. Included on the packaging is also important information regarding planting depth, seed spacing within the row and spacing between the rows.
Creek Side Gardens features Botanical Interests Seeds which are packaged right here in Colorado. We love Botanical Interests because not only do they include the usual seed sowing information on the outside of the package, they include detailed gardening tips and information specific to each variety on the inside of the package. Plus recipes, historical information and botanical facts.
“One of the healthiest ways to gamble is with a spade and a package of garden seeds.” Dan Bennett, b. 1940 American journalist
