I have an extensive library of gardening books and many binders and file folders full of articles I’ve clipped with gardening tips and advice. Another place I look to find gardening information is the seed catalogs that fill my mailbox this time of year. Some of them are so detailed and full of information that they read like a gardening textbook!
The Gardens Alive catalog has a section entitled “Your Guide to Common Insect Pests and How to Control Them Naturally.” There are a lot of creepy, but excellent, photos of insects and the damage they cause, a description of the pest and damage, and several suggested solutions. There is a similar section for plant diseases and some guidance on how to prevent these problems in the first place. To order this catalog, see www.gardensalive.com or call 513-354-1482.
The Johnny’s Selected Seeds catalog is packed with growing information for each type of seed it offers. For red peppers, a full third of a page is devoted to how to sow the seeds, transplanting, use of row covers, insect pests and diseases that may be encountered and how to deal with them, when to harvest and how to store.
Along with growing information and excellent photos, a 12-page section on lettuce and other greens describes the various types of lettuce, differentiating between. head lettuce, romaine, bibb, and iceberg. There are several charts in the section comparing different varieties of lettuce offered. One chart compares five lettuces in regard to color, susceptibility to bolting and tip burn, performance in hot weather, size/weight and taste.
Elsewhere in the Johnny’s catalog, there is a glossary of terms you might encounter in any seed catalog. Words like certified organic, hybrid, heirloom, green manure, resistance, tolerance and more are defined. See www.Johnnyseeds.com or call 877-564-6697.
The John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds catalog is a little different. It offers wonderful drawings of plants rather than photos. Along with growing information and unusual descriptions of taste – shiso, a salad green, has “the bold, complex flavor of cilantro and cumin with a hint of cinnamon” – there are suggested recipes. For example, daikon radishes can be finely grated and 1 to 2 tablespoons used to cover to cover the surface of each fish fillet prior to steaming. They suggest serving with a soy-based sauce and citrus zest. The website is www.kitchengardenseeds.com. Phone 860-567-6086.
Our own Wisconsin Jung Seeds & Plants company also offers some education in their catalog. Just a few of the tips I found include instructions for pruning summer bearing and ever-bearing raspberries, how long to wait for pear trees to start producing, a design for a perennial border, instructions for pruning each of the three types of clematis with a corresponding type number in each of the 13 varieties of clematis offered, and how to plant hostas. A catalog can be ordered at www.jungseed.com or by calling 1-800-247-5864.
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