Timely Gardening Tips for Where You Live

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Becky Wilder
Seeds for the South
Graniteville, S.C.

Gulf Coast

Search the catalogs for a few new tomato, pepper and eggplant seeds to start in January, but don’t be afraid to stick with tried-and-true favorites. I tried a couple of highly touted tomato varieties last year — yuck. I’ll stick with ‘Champion,’ ‘Dona,’ ‘Carmello,’ ‘Sungold’ and ‘Better Boy.’ In the meantime I’m busy harvesting ‘Gypsy’ broccoli, ‘Cheriette’ radishes, ‘Buttercrunch’ lettuce and the rest of the cool-season crops that contribute to a 12-month harvest here.

My basic garden philosophy includes using tons of organic matter to ensure that the soil is productive, and concentrating on crops that give the best quality and flavor. If the pests show up, I reach for the least toxic pesticide available.

William D. Adams
Burton, Texas

Central/Midwest

What’s on my Christmas gardening wish list? High-quality tools and supplies — the well-made kind that I can use my whole gardening life and then pass on to my daughter. These carefully made tools do exist. At work I use great tools from Sneeboer, a third generation Dutch company. I’m buying them (a piece at a time!) for my home as well.

Want a unique gift for the gardener who has everything? How about a bottle of nutrient-rich, cold-processed fish and kelp fertilizer? Yum! Their plants will love them for it!

In deep winter, take time to inventory and organize gardening supplies. They can be ordered with your seed to save the extra shipping charges.

Connie Dam-Byl
William Dam Seeds Ltd.
Dundas, Ontario

North Central and Rockies

The shortest day of the year is one of my favorites. Plants sense the changing day length, and the day after the winter solstice I begin to see a growth spurt in all my indoor tomato and perennial herb plants, including lemon balm, oregano and thyme. Take this hint and begin to plan your spring garden.

Finish sifting and cleaning the seeds you saved last summer. If you offer some of these to Seed Savers Exchange, you will gain access to other members’ seeds — a collective treasure chest of thousands of rare heirlooms not available anywhere else. During early dark evenings, I love to pick up my garden journal and read last summer’s garden events like a wonderful story. This always sparks new ideas, new possibilities and new chapters for the coming spring. In some ways I think I love gardening most during these quiet winter moments.

Bill McDorman
Seeds Trust, High Altitude Gardens
Hailey, Idaho

Pacific Northwest

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