First Seeds Sale of Season

Spring seeds on sale at a local big box retailer. Score!

First Seeds of the Season on Sale

I wasn't at the store even looking for seeds but it was hard to miss the sign. Spring seeds were now mid-summer half price, the racks full of little envelopes with pictures of a wide variety of flowers and vegetables beckoning me to get closer.

Now I have a basket full of seed packs, some going back as far as the 1980s. I should clean them out but every time I shuffle through the packs, I can remember my mother giving them to me. Or a friend tucking one inside a book cover. Or maybe a find at an earlier seed packet sale, all promises of the garden I dream of planting, like this charming garden dreams throw.

I doubt most of those older seed packets will sprout but the good news is if you keep these spring 2016 seed packets in a cool, dry place, they should nicely sprout next year or longer. Most seeds have at least a 2-5 year life span as long as they are stored properly.

Although it's a little early to know how well some seed varieties are doing, I can never have too many zinnia and basil seeds. Zinnias are easy to grow, butterfly favorites and make wonderful cut flowers. Basil plants are even better than marigolds as bug deterrents so I now tend to drop a few seeds in pots with tomato plants to keep them from being bug-eaten.

Spring 2016 seeds are starting to go on sale mid-summer.

Check seed packet weight before buying and remember, you don't need to feed the whole country so only buy what you need. Then pick up a few more extra packs to give as birthday gifts and stocking stuffers.

Oh, who am I kidding, have fun. After all, the seeds ARE on sale!

Charlotte