I'll admit, I had horrible luck starting seeds last year. Like so bad I went and bought all my plant starts anyway. I couldn't get a damned thing to come up, stay up and not die back off again. I tried 3 different rounds of seeds. Needless to say, I am not going to give advice about starting seeds to anybody until I can learn to do better!
After I purchased all my starts, the entire month of May 2022 was a cold dreary rainy mess. I had to keep the whole mess indoors. I should have been able to plant in late April! While I held all the starts indoors, even they started to die on me. I was finally able to get groups of plants into the garden in early June and was still trying to plant in early July. THEN the resident fox decided he/she needed to dig up my plants to get at the fertilizer I had placed underneath them. Quite frustrating. It wasn't the most successful garden but it also wasn't the worst. The tomatoes produced like gangbusters!
I've been saving seeds all fall and winter of various tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, winter squash and melons that we have been given or purchased. I was able to get all those organized and put into makeshift packets. Take a letter size envelope and seal the flap. Then cut in half through the short side across the middle. This will give you 2 seed "packets" that you can fill and fold over the top. Then seal with a staple or tape. I labeled the front of the packets with ink pen. I imagine if you wanted to get really creative, you could print labels or even print on the envelopes themselves.
I have not recovered from the utter failure of starting seeds last year. The eternal optimist, I am going to try again; out in the shed without any kitty cat help and where I don't have to keep them wrapped in plastic in the hopes of improving airflow. I will definitely let you know how it turns out!
Last fall "they" were predicting a seed shortage for 2023. I went ahead and stocked up on the basics; I didn't order anything special just the needed veggies for eating/preserving. Several seed companies have sent catalogs. I've been on their websites and they are already selling out of some things and it isn't even February yet. I still must purchase more!
Here's a list of companies I'm ordering from this year: Hoss Tools, Pinetree, Johnny's, Baker Creek, Seeds n' Such. This is not an exclusive list of companies I trust to order from, there are several more. These are the folks that have the most interesting seeds I feel I "need" and want to try out in 2023. I'm sure I'll also find some seeds to buy in the stores too. It's an obsession.
Part of my pantry that I keep on hand is a stock of seeds ready in case there actually is a shortage or something else happens. I purchased one of those survival seed packs** off Amazon and added some extras (more corn, beans, squash) that I felt it was lacking. The whole shebang is vacuum sealed and kept in the freezer all the time. In a year or two, I will dig it out and use them and replace with fresh.
What are you planning and planting this year for the garden?
**I have signed up with the Amazon Associates Program. You can click this link to purchase the item that’s suggested. I may earn a small commission, which helps support this website.
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