Buying Seeds / Starting your new crop

Just wondering, for your area, what times a year (months) are you purchasing your seeds?

Whenever I need them.

I think she meant when to plant & what to plant in the Houston, Texas area. Also, she probally wants to know what to purchase & plant now .

I usually plant based on this guide for Harris County even though I reside in Galveston county. Fall planting will be here soon, so start planning now and make a list of all the seeds you need. Then go buy them! I am not too picky with most seeds so I purchase from Lowes, Home Depot or local gardening centers. If I need variety or some type of special seed (like those Purple Peruvian fingerling potatoes), I go online. Good luck!

Ok...so I can't post .pdf now?!?

Sorry Tir, I am a little confused with this site right now but it could just be the dreaded user ID10T error...

Behill, actually not concerned about when to buy/plant for myself. Just wondering really for a small seed company when are the best times to really advertise our seed options. Without being a commercial I am just wondering from the DG group what times of year are you really purusing the catalogs or stores to buy vegetable seeds or plants.

Personally, I decide what I want for the year around the first of January. Any orders go in then. Locally purchase seeds as soon as they become available. It is a rare occasion when I purchase any seed after March.

Most of my seed buying is at a big box. They tend to have a larger selection than local shops. I certainly like to buy from independent when they have what I'm looking for and a price comperable to big box.

I'm always sorta suprised that in zone 9 areas they don't seem to stock up on the seeds until April or so. I like to have everything in the ground by March 1st (we can have a frost in March but it's really rare). So, if I was to see some interesting seeds at a good price in January I would buy - thus being able to get them started a few weeks before going in the ground.

Now that I have been introduced to winter sowing, I will probably start making my seed wish-list for Spring sometime after Thanksgiving so that I can buy in December and sow veggies like tomatoes in early January.

Tir_Na_Nog - I purchase seed from online vendors the first week of January so that I will be sent the current year's seed.

Hey, John,
Once you taste that Winter Sowing bug, you'll never go back. Just be forewarned! Start collecting those milk jugs now!

I'm hoping to sow my tomato seeds even sooner this next time. Last time was January 9th and 16th. This time, I'm shooting for December 10th and 17th, so I can plant out beginning Feruary 12th and 19th. I didn't get tomatoes in the ground until April 9th this year, with all our quirky weather.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too late for my long-season indeterminates!

Linda

Ya'll, thank you this has been very helpful :D

Yeah, Tir,
I'll start looking for my seeds around the 1st of November or so, to have them ready for plantout starting after December 21st.

You're going all-out with your planting schedule, huh Linda? But yeah, WS'ing really gave me a great way to start my seeds and I had pretty good success this past winter (which was my 1st time, too.)

I just need to buy a drip irrigation system and organize my veggies better next year and I will be set.

Jim,

BocaBob's Auto Drip System
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/917064/

Bocabob's Auto Drip System - Araness's EZ Instruction sheet
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=5804801