If you are devoted to having a 100% organic garden, you must start with organic seeds. There are very few companies that specialize in only selling organic seeds; most of the ones that are do all of their business via the Web. Some very well-known catalogs are devoting more space to organics. This is a trend I hope to see broaden and continue.

Besides the desire for a "100% organic garden," the issue of "voting with your wallet" comes into play. If we want to see more availability of organic seeds, more variety, more new introductions, then we need to let seed companies know. The best way to do this is to buy organic when a company offers it, and support those companies that make a point of specializing in organics.

To help you find organic seeds for your garden, I've compiled a list of ten sources for organic garden seeds. I hope it is helpful. Visit the sites, order the catalogs, and have fun figuring out which seeds you want. If you have experience with any of these companies, or one I haven't listed, please share your experience with us!

It is, arguably, one of my favorite times of year. The smell of fresh seed starting medium, the orderly way flats can be lined up under lights, the time spent listening to my iPod bent over cell packs and flats of seeds.

Ah. Seed starting time. It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Okay, so I'm a geek. But the fact of the matter is that seed starting time is an indicator that, in mere weeks, we will see the end of winter, and I can get back out into the garden where I belong. We've spent these past couple of weeks talking about seeds, and catalogs, and books. Now, finally, we can start getting ready to do some gardening. (My friends in the South---I'm not trying to leave you out here. But you haven't been stuck indoors for the past two months. We Northerners are starting to lose it!)

So we're almost there. A few things can be started this month in my neck of the woods, most notably geraniums and begonias. February will see more annuals. March----well, March is when the real fun begins! But between now and then, it's a good idea to make sure we have everything we need for starting our own plants from seed. If you still haven't ordered your seeds, consider taking a look at one of the catalogs I've previewed for you, such as Johnny's Selected Seeds or Select Seeds. If you've done that already, then take a look at my article that tells you exactly what equipment you need to successfully start your own plants form seed.

I know I'm looking forward to starting my tomato plants. What are you looking forward to the most? Is this your first year starting from seed? Feel free to ask questions in the Forum.

If you love heirloom flowers, you must get a copy of the Select Seeds catalog. Its selection of heirloom annuals, biennials, and perennials will keep you happily turning the pages for hours. In fact, the only problem I have with this catalog is that I have nowhere near enough room to grow all of my "wants!"

What I especially enjoy about the Select Seeds catalog is the way it is organized. For example, there is a whole section devoted to nothing but fragrant plants. Another section is full of cottage garden annuals. And yet another is devoted to nothing but plants to grow for their foliage.

I suppose that when heirlooms are your business, there's no way you can make the grand announcement that something is "new" this year. But Select Seeds does a great job of pointing out when they've presented us with a new re-introduction, or the introduction of a hard-to-find plant. Here are a few of their re-introductions that caught my eye:

• Four O'Clock 'Pink Pinwheels'--A tender perennial that grows to approximately two feet tall, 'Pink Pinwheels' has bright white petals that are splashed with blotches of magenta. It looks like someone went Jackson Pollock on these. As a bonus, they are also fragrant.
• Schizopetalon 'Star Band'--'Star Band' is a half-hardy annual that is pretty old (originally introduced to consumers in 1817) but new to me. Select Seeds describes it as having a sweet almond fragrance. This is a night-bloomer; its feathery white blossoms start opening in the evening. It definitely has a unique appearance, and since it only grows twelve inches tall, I can definitely see adding this to a container garden on your porch or patio so you'd be sure to be able to enjoy the flowers and fragrance.
• Nicotiana 'Mutabilis'--This gorgeous cottage garden annual features scores of small, dangling blooms in shades of pink and white. Growing five to six feet tall, 'Mutabilis' is perfect for adding texture and movement to a mixed border or classic cottage garden.

I could go on, and all of the little sticky notes I've stuck into my copy of the catalog indicate that there's plenty there that has caught my eye. Select Seeds is a great catalog for both heirloom enthusiasts and anyone who wants to grow something a little different in their gardens. You can be pretty much guaranteed that you'll be the only one in the neighborhood growing many of these rare and heirloom varieties.

To get your copy of the Select Seeds catalog, visit their website.

My mailbox has been bursting at the seams for the last couple of weeks, as this year's round of seed and plant catalogs arrive to tempt, tease, and (sometimes) taunt me. So I thought it might be a good idea to share some of the highlights of each catalog. We'll look at what's new in a few of my favorite catalogs over the next few days. After all, for many of us, the photos in a seed catalog are as close as we're getting to gardening for several weeks yet.

I am a big fan of the Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog. This year's catalog did not disappoint me, boasting over 200 new products and 300 organic products.

Edibles

It seems that Johnny's biggest roll-out this year is its 'Honey Bear' acorn squash, which is a 2009 All American Selections winner. 'Honey Bear' produces four-inch fruits that weigh in at around one pound. It is reported to be "deliciously starchy and sweet," and I have to admit to being very tempted to order some seed and give it a try.

For the berry lovers out there, Johnny's is now selling 'Anne' raspberries, which are yellow and bear fruit in late summer and early fall. They are hardy in zones four through eight.

I have a fascination with specialty pumpkins (really--who can resist all of those fabulous colors and shapes?) and Johnny's has several varieties that have set my heart all a-flutter. The first is 'Tondo,' an old Italian variety that I can easily see decorating my dining room table around Thanksgiving time. The fruits of 'Tondo' weigh in at around five pounds, and mature fruits have deep orange skin with dark green stripes between the ribs. They've also introduced 'Moonshine,' which is a simply beautiful smooth, round, white pumpkin. I can easily imagine my kids having fun carving one of these. And then there's 'Bliss,' which I simply must have. 'Bliss' is a new Asian hybrid that has mottled dark green, orange, and light green skin that very closely resembles the toads we find on our nature walks around here. This would be another fun Halloween pumpkin. I wouldn't try using it in a pie recipe, though. Johnny's reports that it is not a sweet pumpkin. They recommend it for savory dishes such as curries. I'm thinking it might be tasty roasted with other fall vegetables as well.

Ornamentals

I'm a sucker for ornamental grasses, so I was excited to see Johnny's introducing a new annual grass called 'Frosted Explosion.' It just has this fun, airy look to it that would be perfect in both flower arrangements as well as in a flower border. It grows anywhere from 24 to 32 inches tall, so I'm thinking this would look pretty fantastic in the right container, as well.

Sunflowers are another weakness of mine, and Johnny's has released a very pretty one this year. 'Buttercream' has 3 to 4 inch pale yellow flowers with brown centers, and produces side shoots, which provides several weeks of blooms. It is a pollenless variety that grows approximately 48 to 58 inches tall. I definitely want to try this one.

Of course, the Tool section of the catalog is always fun as well, and they've added several food preparation gadgets this year as well. All in all, the 2009 Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog is worth a look. You can order yours by visiting their web site.