The Agony and the Ecstasy

Okay, so I peeked. I opened up a catalog. Then another, and another, and another. It became obvious that I was spending too much time looking at catalogs, so I began hiding them in the bathroom and feigning stomach viruses. I began to feel dirty and shameful, but I couldn’t stop.

Then, the list making started. First, the desired flower and vegetable seeds. No, no, too much. Only the necessary seeds, must really needthe seeds, not just want. Hmm… , okay, let’s sort by catalog, and figure out who has the best deal on Scabious Black Knight. It’s cheaper at Johnny’s, but Select Seeds gives you so many more seeds for not much more money. But why would I need 400 seeds of a flower that I grow five of every year? But it really is such a better deal, and I am sure I will want to grow this every year. And besides, I only need three things from Johnny’s, and I am not going to pay $4.00 in shipping to 7 different seed companies this year.

I begin making phone calls. I drop in on my friends Eric and Alan, and we start dealing. “If you guys get my Fortex beans from Cook’s, I will get the Chocolate Painted Tongue from SelectSeeds”. Everyone loved that Chocolate Painted Tongue, and acted very put out when I didn’t grow more. Mine has been reseeding, but getting less Chocolatey every year. So, I will bite the bullet, and start seeds for my friends, who help me put my stakes into the ground when everything is already flopping, and they don’t shame me too much about not mulching, and occasionally help me weed when they just can’t take it any more!

So, for the second year in a row, I am not getting the Papparadja Pansy, which is available from Stokes (better deal) or Thompson&Morgan, because I eliminated ordering from those two companies. I am getting the Puntarelle from Nichol’s, because they are the only ones offering it, and I will pay $4.00 in shipping for one pack of $1.55 seeds because it is cheaper than flying to Rome to eat. I am spending too much at SelectSeeds, but their seeds are so unique, and just a few things from Seeds of Change because they have such good photography, and lots of things from Fedco Seeds, because I love typing $.80 over and over again. And even though I will hate myself for it, I know I will spend too much on seeds, buy more seeds than I have time to start, start more seeds than I have room to plant, and plant more things than I can possibly take care of.