‘Tis the season of the seed catalog, and if you have not had enough find their way into your mailbox, consider the following additions to winter reading.

A free Burpee seed catalog is available by calling (800) 888-1447. The Web site is www.burpee.com

Write Heronswood Nursery Ltd., 7530 N.E. 288th St., Kingston, WA 98346, for its 2003 catalog, which costs $5. You can still get the excellent 2000 catalog, featuring garden essays, for $5. The Web site is www.heronswood.com

Reach Thompson & Morgan by writing T & M Inc., P.O. Box 1308, Jackson, NJ 08527-0308. You can also call (800) 274-7333 for a free catalog.

For open-pollinated or heirloom varieties, contact Seed Saver’s Exchange, 3076 North Winn Road, Decorah, IA 52101; Abundant Life Seed Foundation, P.O. Box 772, Port Townsend, WA 98386 ($2), or Seeds of Change Organic Seeds, P.O. Box 15700, Santa Fe, NM 87506-5700.

Potato connoisseurs might want to write for a catalog and potato grower’s guide from Ronnigers Seed Potatoes, P.O. Box 307, Ellensburg, WA 98926. They offer dozens of varieties of new, heirloom and European strains of potatoes.

Garlic lovers are in luck. Filaree Farm, 182 Conconully Hwy., Okanogan, WA 98840 offers some 450 types of garlic from all over the world.

For gardeners west of the Cascades, Ed Hume Seeds and Nichols Garden Nursery offer vegetable, fruit and flower varieties especially suited to the challenges of wet, cool, maritime conditions: Ed Hume Seeds, P.O. Box 1450, Kent, WA 98035; Nichols Garden Nursery, 1190 North Pacific Highway, Albany, OR 97321-4580.

In my hunt for interesting seeds, I’ve hit upon sources for two delicacies grape: tomatoes and edamame, or soybeans. I first tasted the tiny, sweet grape tomatoes fresh from a farm stand south of San Diego. It’s been several years now, but the memory of those sweet little nuggets stay with me every time I see a carton of them at the grocery store (usually priced for $2 or more, I might add!) Now we can try to grow these ourselves, thanks to the Tomato Growers Supply Company. ‘Juliet,’ a 1999 All-America Selections award winner, produces fruits about 2 inches long while the fruits on ‘Santa’ are less than an inch long. For a free catalog, write to the Tomato Growers Supply Company, P.O. Box 2237, Fort Myers, FL 33902. You can telephone the company at (888) 478-7333 or check out its catalog online, www.tomatogrowers.com

Meanwhile, Oregon’s own Territorial Seed Company offers seeds for green soybeans, also known in Japanese cuisine as ‘edamame.’ The beans have a creamy, slightly nutty flavor and are excellent steamed and sprinkled with coarse salt. ‘Sayamusume’ from Territorial is a fast-maturing variety that can be ready to pick in the Pacific Northwest in 100 days. Contact Territorial by calling (541) 942-9547 or online, www.territorial-seed.com, and request a catalog.

Joy Creek Nursery in Scappoose has released its 2003 catalog and it’s just as informative as you’d expect. To request a $3 catalog, call (503) 543-7474 or write Joy Creek Nursery, 20300 N.W. Watson Road, Scappoose, OR 97056.

Shepherd’s Garden Seeds (www.shepherdseeds.com or SGS, 30 Irene St., Torrington, CT 06790-6658) offers small orange, lime and lemon trees for the diehard greenhouse enthusiast, among other plants and seeds.

Also on the East Coast, Johnny’s Selected Seeds (www.johnnyseeds.com or JSS, Foss Hill Road, RR 1 Box 2580, Albion, ME 04910-9731) carries only non-genetically engineered seeds and plants.

Cathy Peterson belongs to the Clatsop County Master Gardener Association. “In the Garden” runs weekly in Coast Weekend. Please send comments and gardening news to “In the Garden,” The Daily Astorian, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 or online to peterson@paci fier.com

Plan your gardening yearThe upcoming garden calendar from Oregon State University Extension Service provides just the tool to help you plot your gardening year.

The calendar includes monthly garden activities and seasonal tips to help gardeners care for their plants, soil and water and reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Fully illustrated with 24 color photos, the Sustainable Gardening 2003 calendar contains regional recommendations from Extension experts for gardeners in coastal areas, western valleys, and inland parts of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and northern California.

You can order the calendar for yourself, or for the gardeners in your life, by calling (541) 737-2513, or e-mailing puborders@orst.edu