I suppose it might seem a little crazy, but I spent part of the shortest day of the year, a day that was 28 degrees Fahrenheit when I woke up, sorting my seed collection and ordering seeds for next year's garden. I bet I wasn't the only person doing this!
This year I've decided to order seeds from Seed Savers. I'll also get a few seeds from one of the local farms that has started selling seeds. I generally spend 60-75 dollars a year on seeds (including garlic, onions, and potatoes), depending on what's low in my collection. I very rarely plant a whole packet of anything, sometimes a packet will last me at least 2-3 years. This will end up giving me fresh vegetables for at least 6 months.
If I were starting a seed collection I'd order peas, beans, lettuce, carrots, radishes, a summer squash, and tomatoes (one cherry, one larger one good for canning). I'd also add seed potatoes and onion sets to that. At this point I have a lot more than that though!
In the past I've saved my own bean seeds and several different types of flowers. One of my goals for 2008 is that I want to work on saving more varieties. Seems like the smart thing to do! If you want to read something scary about seed supplies check this link out.
I also decided to visit one of our local nurseries. It wasn't even possible for me to resist this primrose, probably grown at one of our local wholesale nurseries. The yellow ones often have a sweet fragrance. I'll keep this inside for a couple days and then put it outside. I have a primrose that's been blooming since November in the garden, they are a happy thing in the winter! Flowers are important in the garden. Many are edible (although not always very good tasting in my opinion), they attract beneficial insects, and they lift the spirit.
Because I'm keeping track of these things at the moment:
Time spent "gardening:" 1 hour
Money spent: 40 dollars