March is a Difficult Month

I have always loved spring. I feel joy and gaiety in the newness it brings as browns turn to green and the cycle repeats. In recent years that gaiety is steadied with feelings of wistful melancholy for with that rebirth comes the pain of loss. My older brother died just two weeks ago, my Mother died 3 years ago in March and my sister died 5 years ago in March. So, with each seed I plant I memorialize my loved ones who have gone before me and the cycle of life becomes much more than a garden theme but a prayer for my family. So I go to my greenhouse and plant tomato seeds in hopes that over the next few months I can watch them grow and then later this summer produce tomatoes for me.

I purchased my tomato seeds this year from Territorial Seed company. The include:

Gold Medal, Silvery Fir Tree, Koralik, Manitoba, and Brandywine. These are all heirloom tomatoes and I also have Stupice, an early tomato that is not heirloom. I also have cabbage (Gonzales hybrid), cucumber (marketmore, green slam) and eggplant (millionaire). One thing I always look for when choosing seeds is the time to harvest since we can get very cold even in early June and as early as late August.

I also have some seed from Botanical Interest that I will plant in a cold frame; my raised bed covered with plastic. These include; basil, spinach radicchio, lettuce (mesclun mix) and arugula. I love Botanical Interest both because they are a local company and because the artwork on their packages is so beautiful; I should save the packages for a collage of sorts. Last year my Herb Society group took a tour through their facility and we had a great time. The owner, Curtis Jones, is very nice, helpful and knowledgeable. I should also plant calendula in the greenhouse since that is an herb I use frequently in my products and can never get enough of.

If you haven’t ordered seeds yet, here are some seed company names I have collected.

www.rhshumway.com
www.jungseed.com
www.seedsavers.org
http://www.botanicalinterests.com/store/shop.php
http://www.arborday.org/index.cfm
http://www.superseeds.com
http://www.territorialseed.com
http://www.kitchengardenseeds.com
http://www.rareseeds.com
http://www.abundantlifeseeds.com
www.ThymeGarden.com
www.nicholsgardennursery.com
www.cooksgarden.com
http://www.gardenlist.com
www.fedcoseeds.com
www.RareSeeds.com
www.JohnnySeeds.com
www.MountainValleyGrowers.com
www.NicholsGardenNursery.com
www.ReneesGarden.com
www.SuperSeeds.com

Gary Jones, 1953-2009