Park Seed Garden Journal

Everything a gardener needs to make the perfect vegetable garden, flower bed, herbs, or sprouts. Park’s gift collections are available just in time for the holidays. They include seeds and all the tools needed to succeed in the garden next spring. These make great gifts for seasoned gardeners and novices alike. The seed-starting kits are perfect for teaching curious children how to start their own garden, but they work so well that many veterans will want to try them too.

I have picked two, must-have, favorites from this years gift collection line-up. The herbal tea collection which includes 9 flavors for you to mix and match and a Bio-Dome seed-starter– this is one gift that is sure to warm you up this winter. My other pick is a popular favorite among Park customers–the portebella mushroom kit. Mushroom kits are fun because you can grow them any time of the year, and you get to impress your guests by telling them your grew your own mushrooms!

For many of us, it is getting too cold to plant most things, but spring flower bulbs and most trees and shrubs can still go in the ground as long as it isn’t frozen. Many of the items on sale could be kept in containers for the winter and transplanted in the spring.

All of our new spring items will be added to the site next week–I will keep you informed on the newest and most interesting items coming up in Park Seeds Spring 2008 line-up.

The cool weather is a sign that it may be time to start cleaning up that garden to prepare for winter. There’s plenty to of digging, clipping, raking, and composting to do at the end of the season. All this prep work can seem tedious, but it will save you a lot of work next season.

What To Do With Annuals
If you don’t get rid of them soon, they’re gonna get real ugly. Most of their blooms will be gone by now, and as soon as that first frost hits, most of them will start to turn to either a gooey mess or a dried brown husk. We had our first big frost last week, and Mom’s impatiens looked like someone spilled their green bean casserole in her flower bed.

Cutting Back Perennials
Your perennials can also start to become unattractive late in the season when they start to go dormant. If you are planning on cutting them back, please don’t do it too soon because they may sprout again wasting energy that they need during that dormancy period.

Dealing With Weeds
And, if you really want to reduce your workload next season, deal with any weeds now. Leaving them through the winter will ensure that you will spent the better part of next year on your knees.

Planting Trees And Shrubs
As long as the ground isn’t frozen, you can still plant those trees and shrubs. Actually, spring bulbs and some seeds, like wild flower seeds can also be planted in the fall for the spring garden. So, in the midst of all your cleaning, don’t neglect your planting.

There are only a few weeks left for fall shipping, so you may want to get your plant orders in now. For most of us there are still a few good weeks of planting weather left. We still have a huge selection of perennials and flower bulbs. And, as the season winds down, there will be great deals and site-wide sales so don’t miss out.

As this season closes a new one begins, now is the time for ordering all of those gifts and accessories. Park Seed is offering new gift packages and gardening collections everyday. Don’t miss out on the best gifts for the gardeners in your life. If you are a gardener, you may want to check some of these collections out for yourself. Park Seed now has plenty of new tools and accessories at some of the best prices of the year. I’ll try to focus more on some of the specific collections as the season progresses.

People with hobbies are often easy to buy gifts for because, they make their interests very obvious. The trouble comes when you are not as interested in their hobby. Maybe you don’t know enough about it to pick out a nice gift. In times like these a gift certificate can be a life-saver.

If you are not a gardener, but would like to buy a gardening gift for someone in your life who’s thumb is a little greener than your own, a gift certificate is the perfect solution. Park Seed has gift cards available–these will be sent to your friends and family in ornate packaging with a complete catalog so they can pick out exactly what they want.

Gardeners will often have a clear vision of their intended garden design and a list of plants they are going to order when they get the time or money, so a gift certificate might be the perfect gift for gardeners looking for live plants.

Park Seed is now offering collections that will make great gifts for both the chefs and the gardeners in your life. These collections and kits are fun, interactive gift ideas that will really engage your loved-ones. Fresh produce like mushrooms or herbs can be grown in your very own kitchen garden. Gardeners love growing their own produce, the variety, quality, and taste of your vegetables and herbs is always better when you grow your own.

For those special gardeners and cooks in your life you may want to check out one of our super-fun mushroom kits–either the delicious Shiitake mushroom or the salad-perfect button mushroom kit can be grown all year-round for perfect gourmet recipes anytime. An herb collection that gardeners can grow right in their kitchen window sill would also make an excellent gift. Give the Basil-Lover’s Gift Collection or the Organic Herb Collection, and the gardener in your life can start growing their own herbs as soon as they get their gift.