I look forward to December and early January, not because of the goodies and the presents, but because of the mail. Not the holiday cards, either, but the Seed Catalogues, which my wife refers to as my “garden porn.”

I have several reasons for wanting these much-anticipated booklets. Probably my most important reason is that I like to grow from seeds (as opposed to buying transplants from the nurseries) because I can grow unusual vegetables and I have a choice of organic and heirloom plants. So that is how I found Curcubita moschata ‘tromboncino', a zucchini-type squash with a big bulb on the end that gives it its name. It is also how I found Raphanus sativus ‘Schwarzer Runder,' a spicy black-skinned white radish reputed to go great with salt and beer. (Honestly? I didn't like it—too hot.)

Perhaps the best reason is that the catalogues give a great deal of information about best cultural practices that is more extensive than a seed packet in the store and more permanent in my mind that what the nursery person says. It is much easier to compare and then choose early-middle-late season varieties for continuous harvest, particularly of the leafy greens that you want to keep going all season long or beans and peas with differing seasonal production.

Here are some thoughts about the available catalogs that just happen to be sitting near my desk:
High Mowing Organic Seeds (www.highmowingseeds.com)---Each vegetable type is introduced with a paragraph or two about how to grow and enjoy the produce plus a discussion of diseases and pests particular to that vegetable. Included is a planting chart that I take with a grain of sodium chloride because they are located in Vermont. They offer free shipping, with no minimum.

The Natural Gardening Company (www.naturalgardening.com) --They, too, offer general cultural notes, but not as extensively as High Mowing. Their discussion about each seed compensates with greater detail. Their photography and layout is wonderful, not too cluttered. They claim to be the oldest certified organic nursery in the U.S. They do free shipping on orders greater than $30.
Peaceful Valley (aka www.GrowOrganic.com¬) advertises organic and non-GMO seeds. They accommodate both home gardeners and commercial growers—you can buy Capsicum chinense “Black Hungarian” peppers in quantities of 50 seeds or 4,789 seeds. Their images are line art rather than photographs, but their plant descriptions are plenty detailed. While they give free seeds with online orders over $50, they don't seem to give a break on shipping.
Territorial Seeds (Territorialseeds.com) is located in the Pacific Northwest, so I have to adjust their recommended planting times, etc. for the Benicia climate. Their catalog begins with a listing of new products for this year, such as Curcubita maxima ‘Big Moose Pumpkin'. That's helpful if you are always on the lookout for the newest thing. They offer a selection of grafted vegetables, including the patented “Ketchup'n'Fries”, a cherry tomato grafted on a potato, resulting in two vegetables from one plant (or should that be one fruit and one vegetable?).
Johnny's Selected Seeds (Johnnyseeds.com), Burpee (Burpee.com), and Stokes Seeds(StokeSeeds.com) complete my collection, but in all honesty mainly I use them for reference and inspiration. I generally try to keep my orders among the first four I have mentioned.

Finally, a catalog I don't have is the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. connected to the Seed Bank in Petaluma. Their catalog is gorgeous, big, and almost overwhelming, just like a visit to the Seed Bank. I haven't ordered from them for several years, but not for any real reason that I can remember. Let's face it---a visit to the Seed Bank is more fun than trying to place an order online.

So, my seed order has been placed and I'm about to get my growing supplies together and the raised beds ready for the season ahead.