Its Seed Catalog Season: Now What?

Every year plant enthusiasts and gardeners are inundated with new catalogs. There are so many new choices, the pictures are colorful and striking along with their descriptions. After all, they are in the business of selling your products.

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How do you cut through all the embellished descriptions? First, read the description carefully. If any other catalog offers the same new introduction, read their description. Look at this example quoted below from the Garden Veg Blog by Jeremy Dore. Watch out for the colorful embellishments.

“By way of example, here’s the description of a commonly grown pea variety ‘Hurst Green Shaft’ from two different suppliers here in the UK:

Catalog 1: Medium green pointed pods in pairs containing 9-11 peas. Resistant to downy mildew and Fusarium Wilt; recommended for exhibition. RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. Recommended by the National Institute of Agricultural Botany. Second Early/Maincrop Variety. Height 75cm (30").

Catalog 2: Outstanding pod length - 4 to 4½ inches, with 9-11 peas in a pod. Double podded too; Pea ‘Hurst Green Shaft’ is a super heavy-yielding variety. Only 28 -30 inches tall, with all the pods in the top 10-12 inches - no more backache. An early, wrinkle-seeded variety, which matures in 100 days from sowing. Pea ‘Hurst Green Shaft’ resists downy mildew and fusarium wilt. And the taste! It has to be eaten to be believed.

The differences are clear with one sticking just to basic facts and helpfully mentioning independent awards while the other elaborates ‘super heavy yielding... no more backache... has to be eaten to be believed’.”

Unfortunately, neither of these descriptions tells you the shortcomings of this variety. Every variety has its own drawbacks, such as susceptibility to diseases, insect issues, or a preference for sandy soil. Some catalogs leave it up to you to discover these details.