Standing in the cold garage with dozens of seed packets lined up in front of me, I truly regretted giving my mother-in-law the Tomato Growers Supply Co. catalog in January. I never should have said, “Just pick out what you want, and I’ll start the seeds for you.”
With snow on the ground and wind rattling the windows, it was easy for her to forget about the tomato seeds we’d carefully saved from last season. The Marianna’s Peace, Celebrity, Black Krim, yellow pear, red pear and cherry tomatoes were a distant memory.
She read the catalog cover to cover and circled varieties on nearly every page. There was Mountain Spring and Prairie Fire. Black Zebra and Green Zebra. I could tell she was seduced by the warm, glowing photos and the mouthwatering descriptions.
Spring dreams keep a gardener going during the winter. It’s not until it’s time to start the seeds that I remember how small our gardens really are. Jodi Torpey
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