Seeds, Glorious Seeds

Today I have taken the first my first real step towards starting a garden this year...ordering seeds. I don't quite remember when or how I decided to garden, but Garden Fever has gripped me over the past months, and I am ecstatic to get started.

I've been perusing garden blogs and online articles, reading my Backyard Homestead, You Grow Girl and All New Square Foot Gardening books carefully, and best of all, I've discovered the pure pleasure of flipping through seed catalogs and dreaming of vegetables that come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. I mean, how can you not be swept up by photos and stories of heirloom seeds, preserved for decades, sometimes centuries?! There's the bean that was rumored to come over on the Mayflower or the tomato that helped one home gardener pay off his mortgage.

I purchased my seeds through Baker's Creek Heirloom Seeds. Their catalogue is beautiful and contains heirloom and non-GMO seed varieties. I'm still learning what all of this means, but in essence, these are seeds that have been passed down through many generations, haven't been genetically altered to be a particular size, shape, color, to travel hundreds or thousands of miles or sit on grocery store shelves forever. These are imperfectly perfect veggies with a story, and I cannot wait to stroll out to my garden and grab a green and purple flecked bean or a striped tomato. Pure heaven.

So, in 5-8 days, my seeds will be on their way and soon there'll be little seedlings sprouting in my kitchen. But for now, I can at least look at my seed order and smile.