How to Read a Seed Catalog
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Article by: Kathy Anderson Long before the first daffodils of the year come into bloom, seed , Organic Gardening - The Pros And Cons catalogs are delivered to our mailboxes to herald the arrival of Spring. , This Is How You Grow Sprouts A good seed , The Cure for Common Pool Stains catalog contains so much information, , Weed Control Facts - Winning the Battle of the Weeds it can sometimes be overwhelming for a novice gardener to decide which seeds , Step by Step Pruning for New Gardeners - Part I to buy for their garden. , Organic ing - The Pros And Cons Today I'll explain how to , This Is How You Grow Sprouts interpret catalog descriptions for vegetable, , Popular Adirondack Chairs - Everything You Need To Know herb , Gardening For Birds and flower , Whack 'Em Back - Getting More s by Pruning seeds. Let's start with vegetable , How To Plan A Garden and herb , Mosquitos... Beware! seed descriptions, since they're fairly straightforward. A typical catalog listing for these seeds , Building A Foot Bridge will look something like this description for lettuce seeds: "Black Seeded Simpson (45 Day) Crisp, tender and sweet. Heat , Popular Adirondack Chairs - Everything You Need To Know resistant. Pkt. $1.25" In this description, "Black Seeded Simpson" is the name of the lettuce variety. "45 Day" refers to the average length of time from when the seeds , Amish Furniture on the Front Porch germinate until the plant , Want to Learn How to Compost? matures and is ready to harvest. Keep in mind that this number should be used only as an estimation. The actual maturity time will vary slightly with your particular growing , Gardening Supplies conditions and the weather. , Whack 'Em Back - Getting More Flowers by Pruning This number is a rough guide and should be used mostly as a comparison with other varieties and when planning when to plant , Poly Tarps For Home and Garden: More Than Meets The Eye successive crops. That's pretty simple, right? But catalog descriptions aren't that cut and dried for every vegetable. , The Great History of Roses Take sweet corn, , Growing Grass Under Trees for instance. The catalog description may indicate the length you can expect each ear to be at maturity, and even how many rows of kernels to expect on each ear. But you may also see some odd letters after the names of the corn , Winterizing Your Roses varieties offered in some catalogs. EH, se, sh2, su"¦it's like a secret code. Actually, these letters tell you a little about the flavor you can expect long before you ever bite into the first sweet, tender ear. First of all, when you see any of these designations after the variety name, you'll know you're looking at a hybrid corn , Want to Learn How to Compost? variety. These hybrids have been developed for certain desirable characteristics, such as flavor, tenderness, or durability for shipping. An "su" hybrid is a normal sugary hybrid. They tend to be creamy and sweet, but they don't store well. An "su" hybrid should be eaten within a couple of days of harvest. This would be a good choice for a home , Water Ponds and Wildlife - How To Attract More Animals to Your Backyard garden, but a poor choice for a commercial corn , Hydroponic Plant Systems - What, No Dirt? grower. They tend to not cross pollinate with the neighbor's corn. , Accentuate Your Home with an Address Plaque An "se" variety is a sugary enhanced hybrid. These varieties have a smooth, butter texture, very tender kernels and a longer harvest period. Sugary enhanced hybrids also tend to not cross pollinate readily, and need not be isolated from your neighbor's corn. , Accentuate Your Home with an Address Plaque Supersweet hybrid corn , Local Flower Shops is designated as "sh2". These varieties have a gene that enhances their sweetness and produces firm, crisp and juicy kernels. The texture is not as creamy as "se" or "su" varieties, but supersweet varieties do hold their flavor for up to ten days after harvest, making them a good choice for commercial growers. Supersweet corn , The Perfect Yellow Roses for Your Home or Garden will cross pollinate readily with other corn , Outdoor Entertaining varieties, resulting in starchy kernels, so it's best to plant , Step by Step Pruning for New Gardeners - Part I supersweet varieties at least 25 feet from other corn , Winterizing Your Roses in your garden. , The Cure for Common Pool Stains Now let's talk about flower , Organic Gardening - The Pros And Cons seeds. Flowering plants , How to Build Fences are categorized as either Annuals, , Brilliant Corners: House Plants and Your Health Biennials , Who Sells Flower Bulbs? or Perennials. , Whack 'Em Back - Getting More Flowers by Pruning Annuals , Treating Rust on Metal Railings will complete their entire life cycle in one growing season. , Nepeta Faassenii 'Kit Kat' Their seeds , Weed Control Facts - Winning the Battle of the Weeds are planted in the spring, , Affordable Landscaping to Add Curb Appeal to Your Home the plant , A Smoke Bush Unlike Any Other grows rather quickly and blooms that same season. , Outdoor Entertaining Marigolds and sunflowers are examples of flowering annuals. , A Smoke Bush Unlike Any Other A biennial plant , Treating Rust on Metal Railings will spend its first growing season , Mosquitos... Beware! establishing itself and storing energy. , Growing Grass Under Trees But it's not until the following growing season , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction To Hydroponics Gardening For Beginners (part 8) History that a biennial , Pesticides will bloom. Foxgloves and hollyhocks are biennials. , Growing Grass Under Trees Perennials are plants , Gardening Supplies that will continue to grow , Pine Furniture Care Guide year after year without being replanted. They typically go dormant over winter , Lawn Mower Guide - How to Prepare your Lawn Mower for the Season and grow , Local Flower Shops back from their roots , Brilliant Corners: House Plants and Your Health the following spring. , Hydroponic Plant Systems - What, No Dirt? Astilbe, hostas and daylilies are examples of perennials. , Some Simple Gardening Tips to keep your Garden Tip-Top after the Winter Months Before choosing seeds , Japanese Beetles - The Plain Truth About Traps... And A Tiny New Winged Hope! from a catalog, you'll need to know which growing , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction To Hydroponics Gardening For Beginners (part 8) History zone you live in. Growing , Mosquitos... Beware! zones, also known as hardiness zones, are based on the average minimum temperatures , Brilliant Corners: House Plants and Your Health for each zone. A growing , Grass Under Trees zone map is included in every good garden , Step by Step Pruning for New ers - Part I catalog, making it quite easy to identify your garden's hardiness zone. Growing , Step by Step Pruning for New Gardeners - Part I zones with higher numbers are in warmer climates, , Hydroponic Plant Systems - What, No Dirt? while growing , Injury to Trees and Shrubs zones with lower numbers are in the north. For all perennials, , Treating Rust on Metal Railings biennials, , Using Bulbs in Your Landscaping trees , Accentuate Your Home with an Address Plaque and shrubs, , Patio Furniture - Coordinating Cushions, Chairs, And Canopies catalogs will indicate the range of zones in which the plants , Accentuate Your Home with an Address Plaque will perform consistently. For instance, Blue , Pesticides Fountains delphinium is listed as hardy in zones 3-7. This plant , Want a Garden but Not Enough Room or Soil? Then Hydroponics Gardening could be for You would not be likely to survive a long, cold winter , Flowers For U in zone 2, nor would it tend to grow , The Perfect Yellow Roses for Your Home or Garden well in the heat , Water Ponds and Wildlife - How To Attract More Animals to Your Backyard of zones 8 or 9. For best results and the most satisfaction from your gardening , How to Build Fences efforts, always choose seeds , Outdoor Entertaining for plants , Growing Grass Under Trees that are hardy to the growing , How To Plan A Garden zone you live in. Buy seeds , Which of the Hundreds of Tomato Varieties Should I Plant? from a reputable company and avoid discounted seeds , Reasons to Garden Organically left over from the previous year. Most seed , Japanese Beetles - The Plain Truth About Traps... And A Tiny New Winged Hope! companies print planting instructions for each seed , Nepeta Faassenii 'Kit Kat' variety right on the back of the seed , 7 Tips for Creating Fresh Hydrangea Bouquets packet. By following these instructions carefully and choosing your seeds , Lawn Mower Guide - How to Prepare your Lawn Mower for the Season wisely, you'll be well on your way to having a terrific garden. , Outdoor Entertaining Kathy Anderson has been an avid gardener for many years and has grown tomatoes , Accentuate Your Home with an Address Plaque by the acre, along with many other vegetables, , How to Build Fences flowers , Growing Orchids In Greenhouses, Can You ? and landscape , How to Build Fences plants. Kathy recommends http://www.freeplants.com as a great place , Natural Pond Filters - Let Nature Do the Hard Work! to learn more about gardening. , Water Ponds and Wildlife - How To Attract More Animals to Your Backyard Article provided by http://gardening-articles.com. |
  
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