Summary

The website content discusses the arrival of seed catalogs during winter, with a focus on tomato varieties, and includes personal bird photography from the author's rural Central NY State residence.

Abstract

The author of the web content reflects on the anticipation of spring gardening amidst a recent heavy snowfall, emphasizing the early arrival of seed catalogs. The article highlights three seed catalogs: Totally Tomatoes, Seeds 'nSuch, and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Each catalog is noted for its unique offerings, particularly heirloom tomato varieties like the hybrid "Belle of the Ball," the blight-resistant "Mountain Merit Hybrid," and the rare "Thorburn's Terra Cotta" from 1893. The author, who is also an avid bird watcher, shares personal photographs of winter birds, including Mourning Doves, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Dark-Eyed Junco, European Starling, and Northern Cardinal. The piece concludes with a reminder of the approaching season for seed starting and an invitation for readers to join in the anticipation of gardening.

Opinions

The author expresses a preference for heirloom tomatoes due to their superior flavor, despite their sometimes irregular shapes.
Hybrid tomatoes, particularly those that combine the qualities of heirloom varieties, are seen as a good compromise for flavor and disease resistance.
The author recommends the "Mountain Merit Hybrid" tomato for gardeners facing issues with tomato blight.
The Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog is praised for its extensive selection of rare and interesting heirloom varieties.
The author advocates for gardening practices that manage blight, such as crop rotation, disposal of vegetation, and the use of copper fungicide.
The author's enthusiasm for both gardening and bird watching is evident, as they share personal experiences and photographs from their rural surroundings.

Seed Catalogs Are Arriving/Winter Bird Photos

A Tale of Two Seasons

Welcome back. Although I have been posting mostly about birdwatching over the last month or so, gardening is always on my mind even during the winter months. I’m always thinking ahead to the next season in regards to which varieties to try, etc. With the recent snowstorm, which gave us a 30 inch snowfall, Spring seems so far away. It really isn’t however.

Over the last few weeks, I have been receiving seed catalogs. They seem to come earlier each year. Although I buy most of my seeds locally, sometimes I order from the catalogs, especially if I want to try a specific variety that catches my eye. I will cover each catalog that I have received to date, and highlight one variety from each.

The first catalog I received is Totally Tomatoes. How appropriate for me, as I love to grow tomatoes, especially heirlooms. If you are a tomato and/or pepper lover, this catalog is for you.

One new variety they are offering is Belle of the Ball tomato. This one is an heirloom hybrid (from two French heirlooms), which is an interesting concept in itself. In recent years I tend to stray away from hybrids, which were bred to produce uniformly sized, perfectly shaped fruits for mass sale. But in the process, some flavor was lost. The heirlooms offer the best flavor, however, they also are sometimes oddly shaped, etc.

Therefore a hybrid of two heirloom varieties is a great idea to blend the best with the best.

The next catalog I received is Seeds ‘nSuch. They have a good selection of veggie and flower seeds.

Keeping with the tomato theme, I will highlight a variety called Mountain Merit Hybrid. You may be wondering why I am mentioning a hybrid tomato after just touting the advantages of the heirlooms.

If you have had problems with tomato blight (early and/or late), this tomato may be for you. This one has resistance to blight. There are other “Mountain” varieties with blight resistance as well so you can choose which variety you would like. I have had problems with blight for years, although I still manage to get a decent tomato harvest. I try to rotate where I plant each year which helps somewhat. It is also important to dispose of vegetation instead of tilling into the soil in the Fall. Also, applying a copper fungicide (spray) to your plants several times during the season can help.

The third catalog I have received is Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds This all-inclusive catalog comes in at 162 pages and is more like a book.

They offer some rare and interesting heirloom tomatoes. One extremely rare variety is Thorburn’s Terra Cotta from 1893. It is very unusual looking, but the flavor is described as “out of this world”. It is a prolific producer as well.

This catalog is worth taking a look at, you can request a free copy.

I am looking forward to receiving more catalogs in the coming weeks. I will share them with you as I do. Although it is too early to start seeds, the following is a link if you are interested in purchasing seed starting supplies . The time will be here before we know it!

I will leave you with some recent bird photos. For those of you reading my blog for the first time, I am an avid bird watcher as well as gardener, I live in Central NY State in a rural area.

Enjoy. Thanks for reading.

Red-Bellied Woodpecker and Dark-Eyed Junco/Author Photo