While I am actually surprised anyone waits for one of my columns, I was amazed to find so many readers are waiting for my usual January fare: annual garden catalog columns.
I have been writing this column for 48 years. When they first appeared, we only had snail mail. Gardeners actually had to send a letter or card to a catalog house to get their catalog, and some made you do so every year. Back then my catalog columns were necessary or else readers would not have addresses. They were fun for me to write because I had to do my research so I would know which ones were best for Alaska readers.
I got almost all of the catalogs myself.
Best of all, again for me, was that every year there were new plant introductions and different ones depending on the catalog. This meant there was no shortage of writing material during a time of year when things are pretty dead, hort-wise. I would even write about those that had the best pictures and those that had the best hardy stuff that met all our criteria. It was not difficult to find enough material to write an entire month’s worth of columns just on catalogs.
Then along came the internet. I was an early user and it greatly aided me when people requested (by mail) a particular flower or vegetable source to look up. Quickly, however, everyone hopped onto the internet and it became apparent to me that it was a much better purveyor of answers as to where to find a plant than I was.
It still is. Instead of asking me, all a gardener needs to do is type in a name of a plant or a dictate a phrase about gardening and your search engine finds seed and plant sources, cultural information and more.
I am not needed (I am not sure I ever was, but that is another column). Sure, I need to mention a catalog or, as I call them, “web-o-logs,” from time to time to punctuate a point I am trying to make.
Of course, there are all kinds of gardeners. Some insist on getting the new introductions. That is now so easy; just type in “new plant introductions for 2025″ or “new annuals (vegetables, perennials) for 2025.” You get the idea, I am quite sure.
If you want to rely on the standards we know will perform well in subarctic yards, there are all manner of lists. For vegetables, click here (ignore the suggestion to use 8-32-16 fertilizer). For flowers, try here. No need to mail away, and if you read online, just click the link.
And, of course, if you have an outdoor greenhouse, anything goes. Most of us are satisfied growing the new tomato varieties, but you should consider other things. Have you tried autoflowering cannabis? How about Indian corn. You don’t need me to give you a web address to find seeds. Just type in “Autoflowering cannabis” or “Indian corn” or anything else you want to try.
The truth of the matter is that if you ask me where you can find a particular seed or plant, I am just going to regurgitate what I find when I look it up myself on the internet! I hate to say it, but you can skip the middleman.
Somewhere along the line I coined the phrase “Google is the best tool a gardener has.” It should be “The Internet is the best tool a gardener has” as I use and recommend a search engine that plants trees when you use it. The sentiment still holds. If you have a question, the internet has an answer.
So, because of the internet, I lost the opportunity to write four or five columns every January on a subject I didn’t have to kill myself to come up with. I am a big boy and can handle it. Now, however, I am wondering what happens when using AI becomes equally ubiquitous and you won’t need a garden columnist at all? Stay tuned!
Jeff’s Alaska garden calendar
Alaska Botanical Garden: Did you join? Come on! It is amazing a garden can look so good in the winter and provide so many great things to do. www.alaskabg.org
Poinsettias: It is assessment time. Do you really want to keep yours?
Midwinter bulbs: Amaryllis and pre-chilled narcissus. If you find them, buy and grow them.
Starting this summer’s seeds: Think celery and lobelia if you are in the mood. Spring is still a long way off.