(12/18) I came across an interesting definition of autumn: "Fall is the time of year between picking the last zucchini and the arrival of the first seed catalog." If that’s the case, fall is over and winter is here – and it arrived earlier than expected! Yes, the mailed seed catalogs are only starting to arrive, but several emailed links to 2024’s selections arrived before Thanksgiving, followed by one company offering Black Friday deals, and another had a Cyber Monday offer.

How should I approach next year’s seeds and supplies? Surely those were good deals, but what if I haven’t taken the time to assess last year’s garden effort and results? One recommendation for seed shopping says; if you haven’t been keeping a garden diary, take a walk through your garden – now. Look at the plot and remember each section and row, what worked? What tasted great? What was an abundant producer? Which plants succumbed to the heat and/or drought we experienced this summer? Now, you have an idea about what you’d like to plant again next year – and what wasn’t worth the time, effort and expense, too.

Next determine what to plant next year. I make a list of plants that did well, favorites that I’ve been growing for a while, and plants that might work better if I did something differently. And there’s always something frivolous to try, just because. Then I check the leftover seed from last year. I rarely use all the seeds that come in a packet in a season, but many last two, maybe three, years if kept cool and dry. There seems to be a trend to package larger seeds in smaller quantities now, making it easier to buy only the seeds I need for one year, or two at most. As I review the list of plants I want to grow next year, I mark for which ones I already have seeds. Now I’m ready for the seed catalogs.

As much as conservation tells me I should be using web-based catalogs, I want paper catalogs. I love the pictures and descriptions, though I am a sucker for a pretty pumpkin, and I can be easily tempted by a promising description. This tactic of enticing a buyer is one reason paper catalogs will be available for a while. The practical reason I like paper catalogs, though, is that I can open them all up to a veggie I’m planning on buying seed for and do some comparison shopping. Seed catalogs can be used to a buyer’s advantage, as well as enticing the buyer into something that wasn’t on the list. What makes a good seed catalog??? There are a few things I find helpful.

We want good quality seed, backed by the seller. Look for some sort of guarantee of quality. If you have questions about the product, are you able to call or email and get a timely and useful response? On some companies’ websites, there are product reviews. Read them, especially the 3-star reviews; those customers are more likely to list pros and cons they found from their experience. Also look at where the reviewer lives. If she lives in Montana, her growing conditions aren’t very similar to ours.

Is the seed company one that is selling primarily to market growers, those who are planting a lot of produce for a farmers market or a roadside stand? Well, the home gardener may not want the quantity of seed that market grower needs. Be sure you can get a useful quantity for your gardening needs. Most catalogs list the approximate number of seeds per package.

My favorite seed catalogs list plants by botanical name as well as their common name. For instance, butternut squashes are Cucurbita moscata, while decorating and eating pumpkins, zucchinis and yellow squashes are Cucurbita pepo. Why does this make a difference? These are two different species with different tolerances to diseases like powdery mildew and insect damage from squash bugs and squash borers. (I have fewer squash borer problems with C. moscata varieties.)

My favorite catalog includes growing guides for each species of vegetables they carry. This includes conditions like preferred soil pH, texture, best soil temperatures for germination, planting depth and spacing, days to germination, thinning, fertilizer needs, etc. Even though there is a web version of this catalog with the same information, I find it easier to use the paper copy in the garden than to wrestle with my tablet. Some seed companies have their growing guides online.

There’s other information you can find about the seeds, too. Are they organically grown? Were they open-pollinated or are they a hybrid of two genetically different parents? If you want seeds of an heirloom variety, they need to come from parents of the same variety. Cherokee tomato seeds must be pollinated by dusting pollen of one Cherokee blossom onto the stigma of another Cherokee blossom.

There are now several small, localized seed companies that market seeds produced by seed-saving growers in their vicinity. These companies usually have interesting and unique varieties of vegetables, some found only in the areas in which they operate. One company has unique varieties of vegetables developed in the Southeast. Another is a melting pot, with seeds from plants developed from different geographic areas for unique ethnic cuisine, as well as US heirlooms.

Finally, since almost every company charges a shipping cost, you might only want to deal with a small number of companies that handle all your favorites. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t on several mailing lists. You may find something new worth trying.

I’ve made my list of seeds and plants I need for the next growing season. I can now lay the catalogs from companies I use out on the table and do my comparison shopping.

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