So I’m all like…
In my opinion there’s nothing better than snuggling up with a seed catalogue when it’s snowing outside! Okay there is one thing better, snuggling up with a seed catalogue and a glass of wine. But it’s only 2pm after all! What’s your favourite thing to do when the ground is too frozen to dig? And… what’s your favourite seed catalogue? Mine is Marshalls - they do do a nice layout.
Hello, welcome to My Tiny Plot. It's a blog about vegetable gardening and seasonal cooking.
Get expert advice on lawn care, growing vegetables & lots more. Sign up for exclusive content.
Keep warm outside with Patio Heaters from HSS Tool Hire.
Get your garden up to scratch with a wide range of garden tools from Homebase.
Contemporary teak garden furniture designs made from the finest plantation teak.
Send flowers and gifts to loved ones for any occasion all year round at Simply Thank You.
Intelligent gardeners have discovered our secret, used by professional growers for 30 years!
Buy wooden sheds at great prices, delivered UK wide.
Make Everest your first choice for fine quality double glazing windows & doors.
Advertise here? Yes please!
Some online shops recommended by mtp.
You can receive My Tiny Plot updates via email. Just pop your email address in the box below and click the 'Subscribe' button.
If you're geeky, you can also receive new My Tiny Plot posts via your RSS feed reader.
Just harvested all my black grapes - quite a lot of them really! 2 days ago
My garden looks very similar and my marshall’s catalogue arrived this morning. I really like the sarah raven catalogue to look at but get my seeds through the local allotment association which is through kings. Very work-like one line descriptions.
What about snuggling up with the Undergardner?! Thought I’d be able to beat out the wine for sure :)
Here in Seattle, the ground gets too wet to dig more often than frozen. But on those sopping wet days, catalog reading is one of my favorite activities too. (I use Territorial Seed Company since they have varieties that grow well in my area–maritime region, etc.) For me, the catalog and wine scenario must also include a pencil and graph paper . . . to plan out where everything will go next year! You’ve made me want to get started . . . Enjoy yourself.
Well, now, that’s isn’t a problem here down-under. Snow has never been seen in Perth, Western Australia. However, it is sometimes too hot to work in the garden - although you do have to make sure the heat doesn’t shrivel up the more tender plants. Fortunately, most of my non-vegetable/fruit garden is Australian native plants that don’t need any water except in the occasional long hot spell. Even fruit trees are mainly citrus, which do not require frequent watering, although you have to be a bit careful as their roots are fairly near the surface.
So what to do on those hot days (apart from read MTP and look at the cool pics - pun intended). A cool drink - beer or G&T depending on your preference; a shady spot (or indoors in the air-conditioning); watch the Aussie cricketers pull off outrageous victories (as they have just done against Pakistan in Sydney); read a good book - or sometimes a not-so-good one; wish for a touch of English snow; take time to relax - knowing that it will be cool enough to get out there when the sun goes down.
Well as I am in Italy and I am trying very hard to shake off my very English style of gardening (raised beds etc) and trying to adopt a more Tuscan way of growing veggies and herbs. So my choice of seed catalogue would have to be http://www.seedsofitaly.com/ I buy direct from the market here, but they are available in the UK if you fancy a little Italian influence. You can download their catalogue direct from the website.
Enjoy, mine’s a glass of chianti of course.
Sharon x
Got my Marshalls catalogue too I am very tempted by some pink cauliflower but I have already ordered lots from Real Seeds and Sea Spring Seeds this year. Any garden work is way off as we have about at least 10-12 inches of snow at the moment here in Yorkshire!
Hurray for snow days!
I’ve gone with Real Seed Company like Natalie. They refuse to have anything to do with GM, F1 hybrids, and chemicals. They encourage you to save seed from your produce, and with them all being open polinated varieties, this isn’t a problem. Up in the far NW of Scotland, we have 4 of 5 inches of snow, it’s been here since before Xmas. Roads are virtually impassable, not that I’ve tried..
I’ve tried several seed companies and have a biscuit tin full of half empty packets of seeds of old favourites or unused varieties where I’ve been tempted by the catalogue and over ordered.
I agree, Marshalls does have the clearest layout however I’ve managed before with The Real Seed Company’s text descriptions and this year, because I was impatient and only had one catalogue to hand, I’ve plumped for Plants of Distinction. Although I’ve yet to receive the Sarah Raven catalogue so may take some seed potatoes from that.
Wow! That rhubarb forcer has grown since the last post! it looks much bigger in-situ.
OK, it’s not in English. But is is certainly worthwile. http://www.vreeken.nl. Just click on pics and language becomes superfluous. To get you started: “zaden” stands for seeds and “vergeten groenten” means old fahioned/forgotten vegetables. If there is anything more you want to know I’ll be more than happy to translate it for you, or help you with ordering.
Only one thing: don’t get too greedy (I was left with more than half the seeds not sown this year…)
How wonderful it is that there are other people for the Cause out there!. Here in Russia a bit of snow’s pretty commonplace, and we gardeners learn to adapt, but i yearn for more!
Marshall’s is good and so is Sarah Raven, but I think the best catalogue is the Chiltern seeds VegBook
http://www.chilternseeds.co.uk. It’s highly entertaining as well as informative and they do lots of heirloom and “forgotten” varieties. A great read.
My fav way to winter garden:)
Wow. Even though the snow has just gone. These photos make me miss it. Am I going mad?