The Compost Bin

Just thought I'd share some of the composting news of the day.

1. Horse manure from the Inauguration Day Parade will be scooped up and sent to local farms for composting
2. The House of Representative receptions are using biodegradable containers, plates & utensils, that are made from corn and all food scraps and containers will be composted
3. Leftovers from today's inaugural events will be composted at a small farm in Maryland

Image by cafemama via FlickrWith the temperature at around 10 degrees all week, there’s not a lot of gardening that can be done. Thankfully, I can still spend some time pouring through the many seed catalogs that started showing up right around Christmas. Thanks Santa, they’re exactly what I wanted.

In the past I have mostly bought my seeds from Burpee and some from Seeds of Change or Johnnys. This year I made the decision to try someone new and get the majority of my seeds from Baker Creek. Why? Well for one thing, they’re a lot cheaper. Buying seed packets at $3.95 each, adds up. My usual Burpee invoice winds up costing about a $100. Most of the vegetables that I want are only $2.00 per packet at Baker Creek.

Another reason is the fact that they sell open pollinated heirloom seeds. Most of the seeds I usually buy are hybrids. And because of that, I’ve never done any seed saving. What a waste. So I figured it was definitely time to change that. Maybe I’ll even get to participate is one of those seed swaps that I’m always reading about.

And the last reason is because they have some very unique offerings. Last year, gardening was a bit of chore. I really didn’t have much fun in the garden. Growing new and exciting vegetables will hopefully change that in 2009. Have you seen some of the melons in that catalog? They look like they came from Mars or the bottom of the ocean or something.

Spring is a long way off and it’s still another month or so until I start some seeds indoors under grow lights. Until then, it’s back to the catalogs.

Hey feel free to offer up your favorite seed catalog in the comments section if you like. When it comes to seeds sources, you can never have enough.