One of the catalogs included a fitting quote from Thomas Cooper—“A garden is never so good as it will be next year.” The anticipation and the planning are half of the gardening experience for me. Maybe for you, too? Let’s skip over heady resolutions and lofty goals and go right to forward-moving actions of garden planning. Keep things small and reachable. Try one new vegetable or herb or perennial. Consider trying your hand at container gardening if you have a balcony or a deck with full sun. Introduce some native plants to your land with seed mixes meant for your climate and its challenges. Or maybe you want to try organic or heirloom seeds. These additions don’t need to be expensive—just something that rouses your inner gardening self and propels you into the spring months.

Renee’s Garden Seeds “Easy To Grow Seed Selection” packets for A Rainbow Kitchen Garden and A Container Kitchen Garden. Ideal for beginners.

The organic Virginia Heritage Seed Collection from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Another seed collection—this time ‘rich in flavor and history—associated with Virginia and the Appalachians’ with names like Grandma Nellie's Yellow Mushroom Bean, Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter Tomato and Yellow Moon and Stars Watermelon.

Caribe Blue potatoes, also from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Blue potatoes. Blue potatoes! So striking and easy to cultivate (I grew them in straw a few years ago ’cause I was not up for all that digging – during both planting and harvesting).

Making Bentwood Trellises, Arbors, Gates & Fences by Jim Long. I first discovered Jim as a contributor to The Herb Quarterly and always loved his thoughts on the garden. This title has me wistfully planning wattle fence touches at the garden’s edges. These could also prove helpful in your veggie garden—for peas and beans.

The Virginia Gentleman’s seed mix from Ernst Conservation Seeds. True native wildflower seeds for the South that can be bought in bulk. A friend of mine who is a permaculture specialist recommended this company to me and loves their seed mixes for her land. Photo at top left is butterfly milkweed, one of the plants included in the mix.

The wooden garden hod from Johnny’s Selected Seeds is just beautiful and useful (center photo at bottom). So like those Mainers and their ‘Yankee ingenuity.’ It will make harvest time in the vegetable garden especially sweet.

Jersey Supreme asparagus crowns, also from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. Something for the gardener who is a little more advanced, but lovely in that they produce year after year.

In the months ahead, we’ll talk a little about a fun season extender for your greens called a cold frame, vermiculture (a.k.a. worm composting), a few of my favorite garden books for cold winter nights and themed garden ideas. I’ll also take a crack making seed bombs for the spring.