Catalog Mania

I think it is probably a good thing that I do not have an unlimited, disposable income, because we would run out of land before I ran out of plants!

Actually, that may happen, anyway.

I received my first seed catalog last week (thank you Seed Savers Exchange).  I finally understand what all new homesteaders talk about!  I want it ALL!  I went through the catalog cover to cover, highlighting seeds that looked interesting, necessary, delicious, or just plain fun.  When I looked at what I had highlighted, I was amazed!   I had marked out at least 50 varieties of vegetable! 

My husband was worried. We had terrible luck with our fall garden.  Our soil is clay so compact that water doesn't drain.  Do we really want to go hog wild our first summer here and chance an utter failure?

In a word, yes!  I am ordering everything I highlighted, budget willing, and damn the consequences.  I am jumping straight in.

But that isn't the only one!  Yesterday, I received an unsolicited nursery catalog and now I am dreaming of even more variety in our orchard.  (Can you call it an orchard if it has a large variety of different fruit trees, not just apples?  Is there a better word?)  Anyway, now I am dreaming of adding persimmon to the orchard, building an arbor for grapes, and planting currants and blueberries.

Doesn't it sound like heaven?  Doesn't it sound delicious?  Doesn't it sound like a crazy amount of work at harvest time?  Yeah, there is definitely that.

Ah, well, give me time.  I am not planning on moving, so I don't have to plant everything now.  I can ease into a larger orchard (or whatever we call it), get used to the harvest that we already have set to go.

But I do love the catalogs.  I love that they come in the dead of winter and bring that spark of spring, that anticipation of sunshine, that hint of deliciousness just around the bend.  A seed or orchard catalog is the perfect beginning to a new year.  A reminder to start planning now, because good things are coming if you do the work!