People everywhere are starting seeds these days, and over the course of the next few weeks, I’m going to be starting some seeds too. Hooray for seed starting season! Over the weekend I sorted through my seed collection to asses what I need to buy, what I should toss, and what I can keep.

You know how you’re supposed to throw away your spices every once in a while, because they don’t last forever? (Yeah, I don’t know anybody who does that either.) Seeds are the same way — they don’t last forever, and it’s really, really hard for me to accept that and move on.

Here are my seeds (do not be distracted by the butter dish, pineapple, and cake in the background.)

Fortunately, not many seeds fell into the “toss” category.

Those are some pepper seeds, some eggplant seeds, and some kale seeds.

After two years of denial, I have finally come to accept that peppers just don’t do so well in the Pacific Northwest. Something about summers not being hot enough, la la la, I can’t hear you … OK fine, I’ll toss out my needing-hot-summers varieties and try some cool weather peppers instead. And I’ll grow them in containers, so they get the best sun position and their soil will heat up faster. Take that, cool summers! Gypsy peppers have been recommended in several forums, so I think I’ll try them.

At least growing eggplants and peppers in containers will make rotating crops easier. It’s a challenge for a Solanaceae-loving gardener with a limited amount of sun in her backyard to keep up proper crop rotation!

As for the kale seeds — I’m quite fond of kale, but  it consistently comes under attack by a veritable PLAGUE of disgusting gray aphids. I’m going to try growing Lacinato kale — it seems to do well in Portland, and I’ve never noticed it to have the aphid problem.

Now I just need to buy the seeds that I need, buy some dirt, buy some shelving to start the seeds on, set up grow lights, monitor the cats so they don’t knock over and eat all the seedlings … and on and on. Gardening season: begin.