This year’s unusually cold winter and several feet of snow kept the ground frozen and prevented us from doing our typical winter prep, though we can see grass now on most of the yard and in some of the garden, a hopeful sign of a warm spring to come. And of course that turns our thoughts to what we want to plant this year.
If you are like me, you’ve been pouring over seed catalogs since they hit mailboxes in January. We have several places we like to order form, and The Cook’s Garden is one of our favorites. They carry a wonderful variety of vegetable and herb seeds and plants as well as cottage flowers and some garden supplies. We’ve especially enjoyed their year-round lettuce collection, which contains a variety of lettuce seeds to plant throughout the year.
To celebrate the coming of spring and to help you prepare your garden, I’m giving away one $50 gift certificate to The Cook’s Garden, which should help you purchase all the seeds you need and maybe some tools as well. And if you are growing your own food (or farming, hunting, foraging), we hope you will join us for Grow Your Own this year!
Rules
- The Cook’s Garden only ships to the 48 contiguous United States and Canada. Apologies to my readers in Hawaii, Alaska, as well as other countries.
- To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment below telling us about what you want to plant in your garden this year. Any kind of garden is fine, whether indoor, outdoor, containers, hydroponic, etc.
- You must leave a correct email address in the email field so I can contact you if you win. Please don’t put your email address in the comment field unless you want a bunch of spammers to find you.
- You can earn extra entries by mentioning this contest on your blog or Twitter. Please come back and add additional comments with links to your blog post and/or Twitter status. So that’s three possible entries per person. Three entries = three comments. I will check out the links to verify.
- The giveaway ends at 8 p.m. EST on Friday March 26, 2010. Random.org will select the winner and I will post an announcement soon after.
Thanks for reading and have fun planning your gardens!
[DISCLOSURE: This giveaway is not sponsored by The Cook’s Garden or affiliated with The Cook’s Garden in any way. I just happen to like them.]
[An original post from Andrea Meyers: making life delicious. All images and text copyrighted, All Rights Reserved.]
[Disclosure: This blog earns a few cents on items purchased through the Amazon.com links in posts.]
tomatoes. I miss tomatoes that taste like tomatoes. It was a long winter.
I’m with Kristen; it’s not a garden until there are tomatoes in it. Plus pole beans, butternut squash, pickling cukes, a variety of herbs, some chard, nasturtiums, sunflowers…..
We plant all kinds of things – spring peas and a variety of lettuce and greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, tomatillos, bell and hot peppers, onions, garlic, lots of herbs and flowers. And I love GYO!
I just posted on my Facebook page, as well. Is the ground up your way soft enough to work yet? My husband planted Alaska peas and some onions a couple of weeks ago – they’re supposed to be able to take a light frost.
Sorry for the extra post here – I don’t know how to link to a specific Facebook post, but I’ll send you a screen shot if you want
Thanks, I’ll find it Kim.
In another few weeks I will be starting seeds for tomatoes, basil, eggplant and peppers. (3 kinds) I will also be direct-sowing peas, spinach and lettuce. I love homegrown tomatoes enormously, but I think I love homemade pesto even more. I can’t believe I said that!
When things really warm up, cukes, zukes, and melons. And let’s not forget herbs and flowers for my cutting garden (zinnias, cosmos and snapdragons.)Warm weather can’t get here soon enough!!
Our tomatoes last year developed blight, like many others here in the Northeast.:( I want to plant roma tomatoes, cucumbers, jalapeno peppers, serrano peppers and onions for sure this year!
I just tweeted http://twitter.com/micaela6955/status/10055784975
I can’t wait to start planting! Cucumbers and tomatoes are a must!
I tweeted your giveaway – http://twitter.com/ToniSweeps/status/10056065602
I have a large deck, last year we planted 3 tomato plants, lots of peppers and herbs–and we were very successful. This year I would like to try smaller tomatoes, and herbs and peppers again–but I would like to ad lettuce, blueberries, and more peppers this year. My garden is all in individual containers oh and I have some collards that miraculously survived the winter and are now thriving! All my plants are from seeds –it’s just more fun that way. The blueberries I think I’m going to buy a plant to start with–and the tomatoes and lettuce I’ve already got some seeds started under a grow light.
They have SO many different tomato plants! That’s what we grow every year, in addition to poblano peppers and cucumbers.
I posted your contest on my Blog
http://carolsbloggys.blogspot.com/2008/10/contests-from-our-bloggy-friends.html
Upside down tomatoes, cukes, herbs, and a big planter with salad bowl lettuces. Peppers and onions for salsa. Beans for canning. Strawberris to last the summer. Beds are ready and waiting. Yahoo!
This will be my first year to plant a garden!! I have 3 boys and my oldest son has been begging me to have a garden. We want to plant a variety of veggies, I really want squash and okra
Wish me luck! I am trying to gather as much info as possible because I am clueless about gardening 
we plan to plant tomatoes, peas and squash this year!
Great giveaway! We’re buying our first home and I would love to get an Herb garden planted soon!
Seasidesmitten@aol.com
I want lots of fresh herbs, tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers for sure!
What a cool giveaway! We have a little container garden that includes plenty of basil, scallions, chives, thyme, rosemary and tomatoes. Warm California weather is also conducive to growing key limes and mandarins, a lovely treat!
-Laura
Retweeted your giveaway
Looking forward to some chives, basil, and maybe some heirloom tomatoes this year! And cucumbers!
Tweeted!
I really want a good herb garden this year; maybe a few veggies too… Thanks for the great giveaway!
I RT! DoubleDipLife
We just moved into a new house and my husband is dying for an herb garden. I have a bit of a brown thumb but I would love this for him!
RTed
http://twitter.com/jodifur/status/10946198984
This year I am planning to grow my own herbs like: Mint, Cilantro,Parsley,Oregano,Thyme,Rosemary & Sage.
I just re-tweeted! RiaMathew RT @AndreaMeyers
Only a few days left to win a $50 GC to The Cook’s Garden! http://tinyurl.com/yeg3fmm
We have onions and peas already in the ground with broccoli coming next. Tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, and herbs will also be planted and can’t wait for the summer harvest. Thanks for the awesome giveaway! I am sure I will be adding to my list if I win!
tech savvy mama at g mail dot com
Lots of herbs, and tomatoes… maybe some cukes and bell peppers…oh and squash, and sunflowers
I tweeted http://twitter.com/simplydab/statuses/10952473150
I tweeted the giveaway: http://twitter.com/techsavvymama/status/10952313290
I plan to plant tomatoes since the prices have gone up to high
I want to plant tomatoes, squash, basil, rosemary, thyme, cilantro – all in containers on my deck since the soil here is so acidic and the sunniest area is on my deck and also protected from creatures
I’m never sure what I’m planting until I see it, the important thing for me is to be out in my garden it gives me peace, maybe I will check with the deer that live in my backyard and see what they would like to eat this summer!
It is the journey, not the destination. Monica
The contest is now closed. Thanks to all who entered and stay tuned for the announcement of the winner!