FREE Seed Catalog List. 30 Companies That Will Mail You Their Latest Print Seed Catalogs Cost Free.

With experts and avid gardeners all ready to begin growing seeds indoors, it's time to get a game plan underway for your Spring garden. Browsing through catalogs is one of the finest ways to get great gardening ideas. If you're like me, there's nothing like flipping through real-life magazines, newspapers and catalogs (it's just not the same in digital form!). That's why I still order print editions of my catalogs, and yes (in case you're wondering) I do still get my newspaper delivered to my house daily. All of the following 30 links are verified to be working as of yesterday, January 19, 2012. Just fill out the requested information and these companies will send out a catalog at their earliest convenience. It's that simple. NOTE: Where indicated, many of these companies also do offer a downloadable .PDF version (or other type of digital download) of the same catalog. Also keep in mind that some of these companies have not yet released their 2012 catalog, so make sure you don't request a 2011 version if you want a 2012. DISCLAIMER: Unless otherwise stated, LushGreenVA neither personally endorses or opposes any of the following merchants. Please do your own due diligence if you intend to commit financially to these organizations. THE LIST - FREE PRINT SEED CATALOGS: Abundant Life Seeds (.PDF version also available) Organic and biodynamic vegetable, flower, & herb seeds. Also garden supplies and tools. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (.PDF version also available) Pure heirloom, open-pollinated vegetable, flower, & herb seeds. Botanical Interests (.PDF version also available) Vegetable, flower, & herb seeds. Bountiful Gardens Heirloom, untreated and open-pollinated vegetable, flower, herb and other seeds. Comstock Garden Seeds Selling seeds for 200 years. Primarily Heirloom vegetable seeds, some flower & herb seeds. Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. Popular company selling vegetable seeds & much more. Harris Seeds Since 1879, selling primarily vegetable seeds. High Mowing Organic Seeds (.PDF version also available) 100% certified organic, non-GMO vegetable, flower, & herb seeds. Irish Eyes Garden Seeds Vegetable, flower, herb and other seeds, plus more. John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds 350 varieteies of vegetable, flower, & herb seeds. Johnny's Selected Seeds Vegetable, flower, and herb seeds. Kitazawa Seed Co.  (.PDF version also available) Specializing in over 250 Asian vegetable seed varieties. neSeed Selling vegetable, flower, & herb seeds in small or bulk quantities. The Online Greenhouse Some non-GMO and heirloom vegetable & flower Seeds, and other seed starting supplies. Peaceful Valley Grow Organic A section of organic vegetable and herb seeds, and open-pollinated flower seeds. Also a bunch of other stuff. Richters (.PDF version also available) Herb seeds, extracts, oils & more. Seed Savers Exchange (.PDF version also available) Non-profit organization dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom seeds. Vegetable, flower, herb seeds, and more. Seeds of Change (.PDF version also available) Organic vegetable, flower, and herb seeds. Also live plants, tools and supplies. Select Seeds Rare, choice heirloom flower and plant seeds, as well as a few herb seeds. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange My favorite, located here in Virginia. Specializing in mid-Atlantic seeds (zones 6-8) Huge and informative catalog full of vegetable, flower, & herb seeds. Sow True Seeds (.PDF version also available - just click on catalog image!) Vegetable, flower, and herb seeds. Open-pollinated/non-hybrid & untreated seeds featuring heirloom, organic & traditional varieties. Territorial Seed Company (online version also available) Family owned business selling vegetable, flower, and herb Seeds. Also live plants and garden supplies. The Cook's Garden Packed with seeds and live plants, including vegetables, annuals, perennials, herbs, garden-ready plants, gardening supplies and more. Thompson & Morgan Quality English seeds for over 150 years. Vegetable, herb, shrub and tree seeds + much more! Totally Tomatoes (online version also available - see link near lower left) Tomato, pepper and vegetable seeds, plus live plants, roots and berries. Urban Farmer Vegetable & herb seeds as well as Spring bulbs, and seed potatoes. Veseys Certified organic vegetable, flower, & herb seeds as well as bird feeders, tools and supplies. Wild Garden Seed Located in the Pacific northwest. Open-pollinated, untreated and organic vegetable & herbs seeds. Willhite Seed Inc. (.PDF version also available) In the seed business for 86 years. Vegetable as well as a few herb seeds.

The Loved & Hated Parsley Worm, Otherwise Known As The Black Swallowtail Caterpillar

Side view of the parsley worm (Black Swallowtail Caterpillar) With the first frost on the horizon, I went out for my final parsley harvest of the season - and much to my visual delight, I found two of these beautiful caterpillars resting on the stems of the plants. Turns out they are actually the Black Swallowtail Butterfly in caterpillar form, appropriately called the Parsley Worm. The caterpillars I photographed here are in their last stages of growth, shortly before starting their 9 to 11 day chrysalis stage. Frequently found resting & munching on parsley, they also enjoy the leaves of carrots, dill, celery & parsnips. Signs of their presence include chunks of leaves missing along the edges. While just a few of these caterpillars pose no major threat to your herbs, many of them can simultaneously eat your plants down to their nubs. Take action when 25% of your plant is damaged. Range map of the Black Swallowtail & a picture in butterfly stage. Eliminating parsley worms can be done by using chemical pesticides or picking them off by hand. However, do not use chemicals if you plan on eating your herbs or vegetables. In these cases, you must remove them physically by hand. Keep in mind that when threatened, these Parsley Worms reveal a forked snake-like small tongue. Though the tongue itself is not harmful, this gland emits a foul odor so you may want to consider handling these insects using gloves. Close up view of the head & neck area. If these little critters are doing no major harm, get up and close and enjoy your time with the beautiful Parsley Worm.

My $90 raised-bed herb garden (Memorial Day weekend project)

Now in my 3rd year of operating a 23' X 64' vegetable garden, I felt this was the right time to tackle another gardening project -- an herb garden. Though I'm still fairly new when it comes to culinary use, I am eager & willing to learn more -- and I just love gardening!! Besides I know plenty of people who will gladly accept whatever herbs I don't use, and that alone would make me happy. How it all came about. I made this garden spontaneously (though I began planning it in my head weeks ago). It all started Sunday morning when I went to the local farmers market and noticed that their herbs had been marked down from $2.50 to $1 each. Hmmmm I thought -- this is my chance to start an herb garden, why not buy 10 of these to get started. Then my mind started vigorously racing & planning. From previous calculating, I already knew where & what size I wanted my herb garden to be. I checked my Memorial Day Weekend Home Depot sales flyer, and there they were -- soil & landscape timber on sale. Off I went to purchase. Here is the cost breakdown: 12 8' Landscape Timber Boards (Memorial weekend sale)= $24 9.5 bags 1 c. ft. Scott's Garden Soil (Memorial weekend sale)=  $24 9.5 bags Generic Top Soil (Memorial weekend sale)= $10 1 box 4" nails = $4 24 herb plants, $1 each (clearance sale @ Farmers Market) = $24 Wire fencing: Already owned (bought at yard sale, used about $1 worth) Estimated Tax Paid: $3 TOTAL PRICE: $90 Construction notes: *I made two 3' X 8' raised beds from my landscape timber boards (I had 4 2' pieces leftover from which I made an extra 2X2 bed). I was thinking about making these beds 4' wide but thought it would require a little too much bending, so I settled with the 3 foot width. I used my nails to hold them together. *Yes I'm cheap, so I mixed 50%-50% my decent Scott's Garden Soil with a bag of generic Top Soil. I combined them together in a wheel barrow using a hoe. I'm happy with this mix - time shall tell with the results. *As mentioned earlier, our local farmers market started marking down their leftover herb plants. They were $2.50 each just a few weeks back and now they are all just $1. Seeing that they are all mostly still healthy looking, I loaded up by buying $24 herb plants - mostly perennials but a few annuals such as chamomile, dill & basil. *Using careful calculations and some basic internet research (height, spacing etc.), I planned & diagrammed the garden accordingly with taller plants farthest from the sun (to prevent sun blockage to lower lying plants). I cut my caging to appropriate sizes to act as barriers/mini trellises. From start to finish (mid-day Sunday to mid-day Tuesday) it took about 2 afternoons of working in 90 to 98 degree heat. Here is the end result: Not bad for $90, dontcha think? I will post updates on the progress.