seed catalogs to love, with jennifer jewell

HO-HO-HO: It’s seed season, among other festive reasons to celebrate in December. Today I invited a similarly seed-obsessed friend, Jennifer Jewell, to help me curate some seed-catalog recommendations you might not otherwise browse, and to talk seeds in general.

Jennifer’s latest book is “What We Sow: On the Personal, Ecological, and Cultural Significance of Seeds” (affiliate link) and she is the creator of the popular “Cultivating Place” podcast. We talked about how to choose a seed catalog, why regionality matters, and more. (That’s a peek in Jennifer’s seed drawer at home, above.)

Plus: Enter to win a copy of “What We Sow” by commenting in the box near the bottom of the page.

Read along as you listen to the Dec. 18, 2023 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts here).

seed shopping with Jennifer jewell

Margaret Roach: You’re there in Northern California, and I’m here in upper New York State-ish, mid-New York State-ish. So we’re opposite ends of the country.

Jennifer Jewell: But in the same season, right? The seed season.

Margaret: Exactly. “What We Sow,” your book—I don’t remember what month it even came out, but it’s not long ago, really; not that long ago.

Jennifer: Yeah. No, September.

Margaret: I mentioned in the introduction that I’d invited a similarly seed-obsessed friend to the show today[laughter]. That would be you. And I wonder how, if you remember, how you got keenly interested in seed. Beyond the obvious fact that you and I are both gardeners, but what happened? Do you remember what pushed the button for you to go really into seed?

Jennifer: Well, I went really