In Western, New York, January is the month
when I begin ordering seeds for all my gardens.

Have you been searching through the various seed catalogs yet? They have been arriving in the mail for the past 2 months and the stack on my desk is quite large. Probably due to the fact that I used to run my own plant nursery and ordered seeds by the 10,000's .... ;-) Thank goodness I only have to order enough for my family and neighbors now.

I enjoy looking to see what is going to be all the rage for the upcoming growing season. Especially when it comes to container planting. Every year has it's flavor, so to speak. I can hardly wait to see what the favorites will be for 2017.

"Seed Packets"

Whether you buy your seeds from one of your local markets, online, through the mail, or you just love to exchange seeds with a friend, there is nothing (to me) more exciting than growing your own food and flowers. I actually save most of my seeds from year to year from my own plants. I am able to do so because I like to use a lot of heirloom, open-pollinated seeds. This allows me to save a lot every year, as I have a lot of gardens to fill up.

The feeling of knowing how you're growing your own food from start to finish is so satisfying. You and you alone have total control on what you put into your soil and how you care for the nutritional needs of each plant.

"Cat Grass"

This grows very quickly and my cats love this grass and the catnip I grow for them every year.

When To Sow?

Some veggies, herbs or flowers need a bit more time than the average 6-8 week growing period before planting outside in Spring. So some of them need to be started in mid-February to early March. My growing timetable gives me approximately 14 weeks to be able to plant safely outside in early May with sizable plants.

Mind you, I do have a backyard green house where I grow everything. I usually start the early seeds indoors and move everything outside in mid-March. I can keep them safe in the greenhouse if the weather is still too cold for planting.

Here is a little time table of when I start my seeds here in Horticultural Zone 6 in Western, NY.

Twelve Weeks:

Rosemary, Thyme, Cauliflower, Chives, Green Onion, Shallots, Leeks, Cardoons and Brussels Sprouts.

Flowers:

All Salvia varieties, begonias, verbana.

Eleven Weeks:

Lemongrass, Celery, Celeriac, Thai Peppers, African Peppers, Jalepeno Peppers, Habanero's.

Ten Weeks:

Ping Tung Eggplant, Classic Eggplant, Cabbage, Broccoli, Oregano, Fennel, Italian, Lemon and Thai Basil.

Flowers:

Impatiens, foxglove, delphinium, alyssum, coleus and lobelia.

Nine Weeks:

All Tomato and Pepper varieties, Sage, Rhubarb.

Eight Weeks:

Escarole, Endive, Lettuce blends, Spinach, Cilantro, Parsley, Catnip, Mustard greens, Snow peas (hanging baskets)

Flowers:

Marigolds, Zinnias, 4 o-clocks, Moonflower vine, Cardinal Vines.

Five Weeks:

Cucumbers, Melons, Squash (summer & winter), pumpkins and 2nd round of Snow peas (hanging baskets).

Flowers:

Sunflowers, Nasturtiums.

"Seedlings in Greenhouse"

I will be sure to show you posts on the entire process throughout the growing season. The above picture was taken last year in my greenhouse. I am looking forward to meeting my fellow Steemian gardeners and seeing your posts too!

Thank you for stopping by my post, I hope you enjoyed seeing how I schedule my seed planting. It is a weekly job until everything is done. Garden on!

Until next time, this is Sunscape...
Sun. Scape. Ing your day

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